Aaron Paul Lazar

Meet Ruby!

2012-02-05T08:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday!

Have you ever done a character interview?

It can be quite the lark. I've had interviews with my characters Gus LeGarde, Oscar Stone, and Siegfried Marggrander. Today, however, I thought it would be fun to lighten up, and I'm sharing the recent interview done a few weeks ago on Pat Bertram's blog. Ruby's rather full of herself, but I hope you'll get a chuckle out of her answers, anyway. ;o)

Aaron Lazar

lazarbooks.com

Interview with Ruby, from Tall Pines Mysteries

What is your story? The name of the book with my beautiful picture on it is FOR THE BIRDS, by author Aaron Paul Lazar. It’s about these really nasty guys who were chasing my owners all over the Adirondacks. There were secrets, soooo many secrets. Money. Family. Lies. And more.
Who are you? My name is Ruby. I’m a ring-necked parrot. I own two humans named Quinn and Marcella. They listen pretty well, for people.
Where do you live? My cage is in the living room of my humans’ house on Honeoye Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Sometimes I get to go outside and imagine soaring over the big lake. Love that!
Are you the hero of your own story? Er, of course! That’s why my picture is on the book cover! Come see it here: http://www.lazarbooks.com.
What is your problem in the story? Well, except for my owner’s mother falling into a swimming pool, dragging me after her, and getting electrocuted so that we were both in each others’ minds… not much! Honestly, though, you should have heard the things coming out of my mouth after that. I felt like I was inside Thelma’s head, which was a little creepy.
Do you have a problem that wasn’t mentioned in the story? My mother, Sarafina, died last year. I’ve been pretty depressed about it. Hardly playing with my toys at all.
What are your achievements? Last summer I helped find Marcella’s mother. She was tied to a tree on Blackbird Island and I found her.
Do you have any special strengths? Yes, I can eat more seeds in a minute than any bird I know. Of course, I don’t know any birds, except that cute Blue Boy who was at the bird show. But I beat him out, he only got second place! ;o)
What makes you happy? Cookies! Okay I think that is enough talk about food. I’m making myself hungry. Where is Quinn? Come on, Quinn. Pretty boy! You da man! Feed Ruby!
What are you afraid of? Big dogs. And hawks. I don't like hawks.
What makes you sad? My mom dying.
What, if anything, haunts you? I’m not too fond of that guy, Tiramisu, who tormented us last year. All he wanted was money from the big bank heist that nobody solved in 50 years. He was a real creep.
Have you ever had an adventure? Last year’s adventure at Tall Pines was enough for a lifetime. Whoa. Almost drowning and trying to help Thelma after she was kidnapped – that’s enough for me.
Was there ever a defining moment of your life? When Marcella finally really listened and heard me saying “Blackbird Island!”
What is your most closely guarded secret? I hide seeds under my bed.
What is your favorite scent? I like the smell of the Essential Oils. Why? Because it means Quinn will be happy and play with me. He loves those oils and it helps his obsession with germs.
What is your favorite color? Blue. Why? ‘Cause my heartthrob is blue.
What is your favorite food? Cookies! Need you ask?
If you had the power to change one thing in the world that didn’t affect you personally, what would it be? All the other birds in the world could have unclipped wings and fly. Me? I’m happy with Quinn and Marcella. I don’t want to get eaten by a big hawk.
If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you rather be stranded with, a man or a woman? Quinn’s like my dad. I would want him there to climb trees and get me seeds and nuts.

Whathappens when a parakeet named Ruby gets an unexpected mind-meld with MarcellaHollister’s quarrelsome mother, Thelma? When Thelma’s kidnapped, Marcella mustfind her - somewhere in the six-million-acre Adirondack Park. Marcella’sperseverance coupled with Ruby’s new talent offer the only hope for rescue,until the shocking truth is revealed.

***

Aaron PaulLazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindleauthor of three addictive mystery series, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valleycountryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play withtheir dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit hiswebsite at www.lazarbooks.com and watchfor his upcoming Twilight Times Books releases, ESSENTIALLY YOURS (MAR 2012),TERROR COMES KNOCKING (FEB 2011), FOR KEEPS (MAY 2012), DON’T LET THE WINDCATCH YOU (APRIL 2012), and the author’s preferred editions of DOUBLE FORTÉ(FEB 2012) and UPSTAGED (JUNE 2012).

Talking to Dogs

2012-01-30T10:11:00.002-05:00

copyright, aaron paul lazar 2012

I've been talking to my dogs an awful lot lately.

Yep, there they are. Balto and Amber. See those big brown eyes? They are the best listeners in the world. Both dogs are bred to be "therapy" dogs, anyway, with Balto being half-King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and half-standard poodle and Amber, a female half-King Charles and half-Bichon. They are officially called Cavipoo and Cavichon, but I call them my best friends.

A few weeks ago when my wife was in the hospital and almost died on New Year's Eve (you can read about her near-death experience here), the dogs were left alone most of the day because Dale was in the hospital and I was at her side all day. The dogs seemed traumatized (like the rest of us) and every morning before I headed up to the hospital I took their soft little faces in my hands and looked them right in the eyes.

"You'll be okay today, Balto. Your mom'll come home soon. And I'll be back tonight, I promise. Everything will be okay and we'll get back to normal before you know it."

The anxiety in their faces was just so hard to take. So I tried each morning to calm them down, taking special care with both. Their usual routine is to lay on Dale's bed all day long - comforting her with their constant presence.

Was I really just calming myself down? It's possible. Self-comforting is a learned skill and I think I've mastered it over all the years and trials we've endured. Then again, I do believe dogs have souls and that they are the best example of how to behave on this planet. You've all seen the doggie emails that go 'round the web - the examples of how they love unconditionally, how they're always happy to see us, no matter what, how they are always at our side, etc. etc. Dogs are the best, aren't they?

Anyway, I find myself talking out loud to them more and more. Especially since my wife is now in a safe, downstairs bedroom (too tiny for two) and I'm upstairs all alone now, at least for a while. Well, I'm not really alone, because the dogs sleep with me and the three cats sleep with Dale. ;o)

So, each evening, I talk to them about which Midsomer Murder we'll watch, or when we're going to bed, or tell them about my dreams in the morning. Yeah. Really.

Am I nuts?

Maybe. I mentioned this to Dale this morning and she laughed. "You always talk to yourself, anyway, honey. And you know what they say about that!"

Uh-huh. You either have money in the bank, or you're nuts. Well, there's not much money in the bank, so...

I guess changing from talking to myself to talking to my dogs makes me seem a little saner? Who knows. ;o)

I'm just glad to have my buddies.

Aaron Lazar
www.lazarbooks.com

***

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindle author of three addictive mystery series, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming Twilight Times Books releases, ESSENTIALLY YOURS (MAR 2012), TERROR COMES KNOCKING (FEB 2011), FOR KEEPS (MAY 2012), DON’T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU (APRIL 2012), and the author’s preferred editions of DOUBLE FORTÉ (FEB 2012) and UPSTAGED (JUNE 2012).

2012-01-22T09:04:00.002-05:00

It's mid January in upstate New York. Today I have to switch gears into eagle-eye mode, and go through the print ARC of Terror Comes Knocking, book two in Moore Mysteries. My publisher, Lida Quillen of Twilight Times Books (newly announced as a Writers Digest top 100 market for writers!), is pushing hard this year to get a good chunk of my work out in the next six months. Two books this month, and one per month through June. So, needless to say, I haven't had a lot of time to sit and work on my WIP, nor luxuriate in the pure pleasure of writing. It's been synopses and back cover blurbs, cover art tweaks, and so much editing I can hardly see straight.

I'm not complaining. Honest. I'm thrilled that we'll be able to catch up with publishing the books I've been writing within the next few years. Only four more to tweak after these are out. Once we're done, it'll give me more freedom to think about and focus on one book at a time. Maybe then I'll be able to remember what all of my characters are up to without having to scratch my head and wonder which series I'm in.

But I'm not writing this little piece today to chronicle my "to do" list. No. I wanted to tell you that in this third week of January up here in the cold northeast, I had a glimpse of spring yesterday!

The weather has been strange all over this year, hasn't it? Our first "real" snow storm in Rochester came about a week ago. We've only been plowed out once so far! And we've had plenty of 40 and 50 degree days where rain fell instead of snow. Matter of fact tomorrow it's supposed to soar to the forties again.

So, it was rather appropriate when we finally got a real cold snap over the past few days. The thermometer hovered under eleven degrees this morning, and didn't go above twenty-three yesterday. But while we were running errands all morning -- mostly delivering and picking up Balto and Amber from their wonderful groomer, Bonnie Mason -- the sun shone so strong and so hard that it became unbearably hot in the van.

I unzipped layer after layer, enjoying the sites of the snow-covered hills. The beauty of our area -- glacier-carved rolling hills and lakes -- never fails to astound me. I feel the old jaw constantly dropping while driving around the curvy roads I've traveled thousands of times. It affects me the same way every time.

But there was something about that sun warming my skin, the intense white purity that poured into the van, that shot a signal through my body and brain.

Spring. It's coming.

Tomatoes. Peas. Soft soil slipping through my fingers. The thrum of the tiller churning through the dirt. Ripe round fruits hanging from the vines.

Oh, yeah. It's coming.

Pretty soon I'll be pulling back the black plastic and checking the moisture level in the soil. Too wet to plant? Or dry enough to get those early March peas in the ground.

I feel my garden engine humming. It's going to be so good this year, not like last year's swampy disaster. Well, sure, we had a garden, but it was so soupy all spring and summer that it probably will go down in history as one of the worst producers regarding quantity and quality.

But not this year. Oh, yeah. It's gonna be good.

Now, where's my Stokes Seeds catalog?

***

The author and three of his grandchildren

A Message From God

2012-01-08T11:57:00.001-05:00

copyright 2012, Aaron Paul Lazar

My wife almost died on New Years Eve.

I've been married to Dale for 30 years, and we've been together forever even before we were married. We've been soul mates from the beginning, and I can hardly remember a day when we weren't side by side.

Life has been good to us in multiple ways. We always loved horses, and before we had our children, we enjoyed many years of wonderful rides in the rolling hills of the Genesee Valley. We'd canter through the fields, the old canal path, and thrilled to the beauty of nature, frequently satisfying our primal urge to explore.

Our biggest blessing, however, was the gift of our three beautiful daughters. And now we've been equally blessed with four wonderful grandchildren.

But life has also been fraught with a fair share of challenges. One of these is Dale's MS. She was diagnosed in 1990, and has suffered a great deal in the past few decades.

On Christmas, 2011, I contracted the worst virus of my life. It was like a cold, but it also gave me fevers, chills, total exhaustion, and I ended up with bronchitis and a sinus infection. I missed the whole Christmas vacation, and ended up infecting Dale, whose lungs succumbed. It turned into pneumonia, and on New Year's Eve, right in the middle of the family dinner/game night, her breathing suddenly got terrible and we had to call the ambulance to bring her to the hospital.

In the ED she was diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis. She almost died that night. We had to make decisions about "do not resuscitate," and other horrible options.

But my dear survived, after many hours of worry. The next day, she was in the ICU. That evening she had a "dream" that felt so much more real than any dream she's ever had, we're calling it a vision. She can't stop talking about it.

Life for Dale in general was filled with suffering, and no matter what new meds we tried or what alternative solutions we went after, there seemed to be no solution to her symptoms. She's always believed in God and Heaven, but I knew she was feeling rather forsaken over the past decade.

She doesn't feel this way anymore...

During this startlingly real vision, Dale traveled through a dark tunnel. "It wasn't scary. It was peaceful and warm," she said. At the end of the tunnel, she was met by a brilliant, warm light. (I know, you've heard about this from others. Guess this is another confirmation that it really happens!)

"It was so overwhelming, I felt like I was being embraced by God, but it wasn't just an outward hug, his whole being went into mine, and I felt him become one with me. I couldn't see him, it was just pure, warm light. I felt so peaceful, more so than I ever have in life. I could see things clearly, not like in this life where all the colors are dull to me. The colors were brilliant, vivid, and beautiful. I felt like he enveloped me with his love, that his whole being came into mine, comforting me. I have never felt so wonderful in my entire life, and I didn't want to leave him, it felt so good."

She said at one point she got a glimpse of Hell, a dark and scary place. At first she was afraid she'd go there, but then she got her hug from God. She also glimpsed something incredibly beautiful on the sides of the light - she vaguely remembers colorful, riotous gardens.

This one amazing moment in her life -- something she's needed for a long time -- told her so much. "God is giving me strength to carry on. I felt him urging me to take care of myself, to do the right things for my body. And now I know that when this life is over, I will be with him. There's nothing to be afraid of now. We're preparing to join him in what will be our ultimate reward. It's so comforting, because you know what's there for you afterwards."

Dale is not a super religious person. She doesn't go to church. She doesn't read the Bible. She's pretty much isolated from society, due to her illness. But she's always lived her life with true Christian values. She shows great strength and compassion. She has amazing empathy for others, and she never asks for anything except lots of good books to read.

In the past few years, she's been horribly depressed, always asking, "why is this happening to me?" and never receiving any answers. She's also usually more of a skeptic than believer when it comes to miracles. But this experience changed her completely.

Now we both know - no matter what happens in this life, it's just the beginning, just the trial we endure before we reach our true life, the one where God holds us in his embrace, where beautiful gardens abound, and where we will feel the most wonderful, blossoming joy and happiness that it all will have been worth it.

I'll never forget the expression on Dale's face when she told me about this - she couldn't stop talking about it, she was enthused, inspired, her eyes alight. I've never seen her like this, and the strength and power of His message has stayed with her.

No, it wasn't a dream. It was so much more than that; it was a message from God.

"Hang in there," He told her. "You can do this. I am here for you."

She wants everyone to hear about her experience, and I'm happy to be her voice.

Heaven is real. God is waiting. And I, for one, am looking forward to it. Especially if those gardens don't grow weeds. ;o)

***

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. The award-winning andbestselling Kindle author of three addictive mystery series, Aaron enjoys theGenesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embracelife, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase badguys. Visit his website at www.legardemysteries.com and watch for his upcoming TwilightTimes Books releases, ESSENTIALLY YOURS (MAR 2012), TERROR COMES KNOCKING (FEB 2011),FOR KEEPS (MAY 2012), DON’T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU (APRIL 2012), and theauthor’s preferred editions of DOUBLE FORTÉ (FEB 2012) and UPSTAGED (JUNE 2012).

Merry Christmas! (and Woo Hoo!)

2011-12-24T08:51:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Hi, folks.

I hope you are staying warm and toasty, enjoying loved ones, and playing plenty of board games with the kids. Last night my grandson Julian and I put up the last of the Christmas lights at our house. Talk about getting it done in the 11th hour! It was freezing out, there was a little bit of snow on the ground (our first of the season), and we had a ball. These are the moments around the holidays that mean the most to me - and I hope you're having many of these moments with the ones you love. ;o)

Last week I wrote an article for authors - Part 1 of the nuts and bolts of getting your books onto ACX as audio books. I'll be writing part 2 soon.

Yesterday, much to my delight, Healey's Cave and Tremolo were released on Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes. It's funny, but even though I wrote these books, I find listening to Tom Fraser and Erik Synnestvedt's recordings totally engrossing. These guys are so talented, I'm in awe of them. It's a whole different experience than reading - almost like going to the theater. I especially like all the voices they do - complete with accents! You can listen to samples of their recordings and more, here.

It's easy to give audio books. There's even still time before Christmas, if you're still doing some last minute shopping. ;o) For those folks who love a good story but don't have time to listen - it's perfect. They can listen in the gym, on a hike, grocery shopping, or driving to work. It's kind of like carrying a movie around in your pocket, but your brain does the scene painting! Pretty neat, huh?

Audible.com

iTunes

Amazon.com

Narrated by Dr. John Thomas Fraser

Audible.com

iTunes

Amazon.com

Narrated by Erik Synnvestvedt

How do people listen to audio books?

It's easy! You buy the file online from Audible or Amazon or iTunes first. Some of the deals are good - you can even get your first book free if you sign up with Audbile for a small amount per month. Or, you can just buy it outright. Whatever works for you.

Then, download it onto your smart phone, iPad, iPod, PC or Mac, and you are allowed a one time burn to CD - usually it takes 7-10 CDs, depending on the length of the book. You can listen on your Kindle or Nook, your phone, or in your car using bluetooth through the speakers. Or, you can listen the good old-fashioned way using CDs at home or in your car.

Lots of options!

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for following me and my books - you know I love you all and appreciate you more than you'll ever know.

To spread the word, I'm asking folks to please pass this onto their friends and family - thanks in advance for helping out!

Happy Holidays and warmest regards,

Aaron Lazar

www.legardemysteries.com

Many more audio books are coming! Stay tuned for Mazurka, FireSong, and For the Birds!

P.S. The new cover art for the sequel to Healey's Cave, Book 2 in Moore Mysteries, TERROR COMES KNOCKING, just came in, from artist Ardy Scott. Isn't it great?

Coming in February, 2012.

And here's the new cover for the author's preferred edition of DOUBLE FORTE', coming out in February, too. ;o)

Audio Books: How it's Done with ACX, Part 1

2011-12-19T20:38:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wondered how to get your published bookproduced as an audio book?

If so, read on. I currently have five books in productionwith ACX, an Audible (Amazon) company. I’m going to document the process foryou in a few articles so you can give it a try yourself. You’ll need to know how to get started,how to get through the editing process, and what to do once your book isavailable for sale.

A little bit ofhistory:

I’ve tried to record my own books. Lord knows, I’ve tried. Ispent a week downloading various (free) audio programs, playing with thesettings, recording just a few chapters over and over again every time I messedup a word, or a loud truck went by, or the dogs barked.

I drove myself nuts. Finally, after hours of labor, Icreated some audio files of me reading the first few chapters in Tremolo: cry of the loon, and postedthem up on my website.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed it. I really did. But while Iwas doing this, I wasn’t writing. Andif I had ever hoped to get my complete set of sixteen books recorded as audiobooks, it would have taken months for each project. I’d never get my currentbook finished at that rate.

I sent off a few of the mp3 samples to my publisher. She hadher “audio guy” listen to them, and he said they had too much “hiss,” that I’dneed a different mike. Of course, I had used the simple microphone that comeswith my MacBook Pro, and that naturally isn’t geared for serious recording.

For the time being, I let it go at that. After all, I hadseven books to edit that were scheduled for 2012 release, and was working onthe third book in my Tall Pines mystery series. With the full time day job,there wasn’t must time left for anything extra.

The tip:

The dream of getting my books into audio books didn’t die, itjust simmered under the surface for a little while, until a good friend gave mea tip. Her Simon & Schuster book was going to audio book format through acompany called ACX, part of Audible, which is owned by Amazon.

Excited, I started to investigate. ACX is a wonderful sitewhere authors, producers, and actors can network and pair up. The nicest partof this is one available option called “Royalty Share” where the narrators/actors/producersand authors to do the recording work up front, put no money down, and thenshare the royalties when the sales start coming in. Of course you can alsosimply hire a narrator and his studio to do the recordings, and keep your shareof the royalties for yourself, if you want.

Alternatively, you canrecord your own books, but you’d probably have to invest in a good mike, becomewell-versed in manipulating audio files, or have a an audio-techie colleague tohelp you.

Important stuff toknow:

Now this part is really important. Please read thiscarefully:

You need to find out who owns the audio rights for your book(s).

Check your book contracts, and if you’re not sure, call yourpublisher.

I hadn’t really paid attention to that part of thecontract(s) with my publisher, Twilight Times Books, but soon discovered that shehadn’t included audio rights in our contract, so the rights were mine.

For those whose publishers’ have retained the rights, don’tpanic. Your publisher or agent can submit your books to ACX if he or she is soinclined, you’ll just have to share the royalties with her and your actor/narrator/producer.

If you establish that you own the audio rights, the nextstep is to register. Please note that I’m pretty sure you must already havebooks in the Amazon bookstore for all this to work.

I was surprised that Twilight Times Books wasn’t on the list(lots of companies weren’t, since this is a new program and they are stillgrowing their lists), but didn’t let that stop me. I knew my publisher washighly-regarded in the industry, that she’d been interviewed by Publisher’sWeekly, and that our company was a member in good standing of Mystery Writersof America (MWA) and International Thriller Writers. These credentials werelegit and impressive.

I was able to chat with Nicole O., one of the ACX customersupport folks, who was extremely helpful. We talked on the phone several timesabout my publisher and my books, and I provided all the information needed. Aftera while, the books were listed on the site for actors to listen to and(hopefully) submit auditions. Of course, I had to upload all the details aboutthe work – number of pages, genre, synopsis, and a short excerpt for the actorsto use in their audition.

The first audition:

I was thrilled to receive an audition almost immediately forTREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON.

The voice actor/narrator, Erik S, did a great job, creating avery young-sounding voice for my eleven-year-old Gus LeGarde. I was pleasedwith his accents for Gus’s grandparents who live in Maine, Oscar and MillieStone (British transplants), Elsbeth and Siegfried (German twins, Gus’sfriends,) etc. Each voice was consistent and unique, and wonderful rendered.

You can hear a sample chapter here.

The First FifteenMinute Sample:

After we started work on TREMOLO, Erik prepared the first fifteen-minutesample. I listened, made a few minor suggestions, and then approved the posted files.This is important for many reasons. For one thing, you need to confirm that thevoices for each character are suitable and hopefully match the “voices in yourhead”.

Well, that sounded a little weird, but if you’re like me andconsider your stories like parallel universes, then you know exactly how yourcharacters’ sound, and you often picture them in movies with actors you’vealready chosen for them.

Am I right?

Okay, so the whole idea of checking out the first fifteenminutes is so your British character doesn’t sound like he’s from the Bronx, oryour plucky heroine doesn’t sound too frail. Also, it gives you a good chanceto check the quality level of the recording facilities that your producer isusing.

We didn’t have to do much adjusting, frankly, because Erikreally nailed the accents without any coaching. He recorded the entire bookover a period of a month, sending me batches of audio files to listen to, andwhen we were done catching any errors that might have crept into the files, he workedon the technical items that needed fixing.

I panicked!

Erik went back to working on the files, and it was at thatpoint that I panicked. I was trying to upload my book cover art into therequired field on my TREMOLO ACXpage, when I discovered that the cover art needed to be a square image.

Square? All of my covers were rectangular, in roughly 5x8inch format.

I tried to cut the book cover down by cropping it, but therewas no way it was going to work and look proper in a square format.

Finally, like most guys, I finally looked at the directions.I studied the examples on the webpage of what was “acceptable” and what wasn’t.Right there in front of me was the botched up cover just like the one I’dattempted, with top and bottom cropped. Next to it was another stuck in asquare with white borders.

Nope. The cropping or squeezing-it-all-into-a-little-boxapproach was not going to cut it!

The “acceptable” cover was designed from the beginning tofit in a square template.

It was at this point that I started to worry about my rightsagain. I would need the layered version of my covers so I could play with theoriginal art and design it to fit in a square box.

Who owns your coverart?

Did I own the rights to my cover art? Would my publisherobject to me using them, since she wasn’t involved in this venture? I helpedwith the designs, and yes, many of my own photos and concepts were used, but I soondiscovered I didn’t own the designs. My publisher was very sweet about it, butshe pointed out that she’d paid an artist to do the designs, and that they werelegally hers. I love my publisher and would never try to cross the line. So,off I went to create new, square audio book covers.

Fortunately I have used Photoshop for years and knew how togo about it. I’ve been designing “place holder” covers for years, even before Isubmitted my manuscripts to my publisher, so I had lots of images to play with.I like having a colorful image in my head (and on my websites) that gives afeeling for what’s coming in the books.

I set about creating new, square covers using my PhotoshopElements application.

There are specs you need to follow. For example, the covermust be over 1200 by 1200 pixels, etc.

Here is the original cover for Tremolo and my new audio bookcover:

Erik uploaded the final files to ACX, and I automaticallyapproved them, since I’d already listened to each one so many times and feltcomfortable that they’d be fine.

My first mistake:

I always say, “Double check! Triple check!” and am usuallyquite obsessed with being absolutely sure all is good.

Just recently, I received notification from ACX that some ofthe chapters were missing or repeated. Both Erik and I had missed the uploadingerrors. But thankfully, the Quality group at ACX does a screening up front, andthe errors were quickly corrected.

We’re waiting now to see TREMOLO pop up on the Audiblewebsite. It’s supposed to take a few weeks after we approve the final version.

More auditions camein!

Meanwhile, in the midst of the TREMOLO efforts, I received and enthusiastically accepted an auditionfrom a Canadian Recording Studio, (Agile Sound) for HEALEY’S CAVE, book 1 in Moore Mysteries, otherwise known as “thegreen marble series.” The actor’s name is Dr. Tom Fraser, and he’s a genius. Really.

A true kindred spirit, I met Tom just in time to bring allof my characters and books to life. I was floored by the recordings, and evenafter I’d heard just a few chapters, I knew I wanted this actor to record asmany of my books as possible. His mature, warm, earthy voice was perfect for mySam Moore character (HEALEY’S CAVE), but he also would be a wonderful GusLeGarde, hero of my first mystery series with six books in production and fourmore written and waiting to be submitted to my publisher.

Since I accepted his audition for HEALEY’S CAVE, he’s also auditioned for and been accepted to recordMAZURKA and FIRESONG. We are working on them all, and HEALEY’S CAVE will be available for sale shortly. What a whirlwind!

Tom was born to be Sam Moore, and also fits perfectly for GusLeGarde. He seemed to agree, and we decided that from now on, he would record allexcept the YA books.

If you’ve ever wanted to have your books recorded andavailable for folks to listen to, give it a try!

www.ACX.com

You can listen tosome samples of my upcoming audio-books here.

Part II will discusswhat to do if you don’t get an audition right away, and will explain how tofind the perfect narrator.

Aaron Paul Lazar

www.legardemysteries.com

An Indian Soul

2011-11-27T06:41:00.001-05:00

I’ve always been fascinated by Indian* culture. Not from a touristypoint of view, mind you, but more from a strong, unyielding pull that comes fromdeep inside me and seems to grow stronger with every year.

I’m not sure why this is happening, but I do know I have somenative blood flowing in my veins. My grandmother told me that one of her FrenchCanadian ancestors married a native woman. I’ve been proud of that fact all mylife, but went along blindly accepting the fact without asking more questionsuntil it was too late. My grandmother and father both died in the same year—1997—andthere’s no one else to query about which tribe my great, great, greatgrandmother may have belonged to, or where she lived in Canada. I do know thatmy grandmother was born in a little town named Beau Rivage, near Quebec, andthat it no longer exists because of an intentional flooding done to create alake, or some such thing. I never asked my grandmother more than that. Sigh. Ireally wish I had.

But there’s something inside that draws me to the woods andoutdoors with such a visceral pull, I can’t resist. I’m deeply happy when I’mhiking in the woods, tending my gardens, or sitting beside the Sacandaga River.I frequently imagine what life would have been like as an Indian brave—hunting,tending orchards, managing crops, running through the woods all day. It’s morethan an occasional speculative thought. I seem to think about it a lot.

I believe God intended us to live as one with nature,managing our woods and fields carefully, without chemicals. This concept starklycontrasts with the lives many of us have now, sitting in an office behind acomputer screen. Our bodies aren’t meant to do that, they’re meant to move andbend, with the strength and agility that comes from activity. If only we couldsomehow recapture the beautiful, natural ways of our ancestors who lived andnurtured the land, I know we’d eliminate high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes,and more.

When I started to write my new mystery series, Tall PinesMysteries, I decided to make my Marcella Hollister’s husband, Quinn, halfSeneca Indian. His father—a long dead British playwright—died when Quinn was ababy, bequeathing only his turquoise eyes to his son, who was subsequentlyraised by his mother, White Dawn, on a Seneca reservation near Buffalo, New York.

The Iroquois Nation, whose people call themselves the Hau deno sau nee, consists of six individual tribes located in the northeasternregion of North America. The Six Nations includes the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga,Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. I chose the Seneca because I know people of thistribe once lived and walked on the same trails I frequent, and it seemedfitting, you know?

I’ve written two books in the series**, vaguely touching onQuinn’s Seneca background from time to time. In this third book, entitledSANCTUARY, Quinn’s younger cousin, Catori (nicknamed Kitty), arrives in themiddle of one rainy night on their doorstep. Evil men from her reservationfollow her there, and try to kill her. Although she arrived seeking sanctuary,Quinn and Marcella bring her to their own personal sanctuary, a rustic cabin inthe Adirondacks on the beautiful Sacandaga River.

When I write these books, I feel most inspired while sittingby this river, in this cabin, and hiking the deep woods nearby. I picture theland before roads bisected its wild beauty, before electric poles marred itsview, in a time when man had to rely on his skill and wit to survive.

Like I said, I’ve always been fascinated by this culture. Inlieu of going back in time to live life among the trees and rivers, I guess I’mcreating a new world, where treachery may lurk around each corner, but wherenatural beauty abounds, as well.

I’m taking my time and enjoying the ride.

You can read the first chapters in FOR THE BIRDS and ESSENTIALLY YOURSby clicking on the titles here. Let me know what you think in the comments,below, if you have time!

Best wishes for a blessed Sunday,

Aaron Paul Lazar

Author with grandchildren Gordie (who loves giving bunny ears), Julian, and Isabella.

*I’ve read a lot of books on Indians lately, and have beeneducated to discover that most tribes don’t like being called Native American,they prefer either their tribe name (like Seneca or Cherokee), or nativepeople, or Indian. So I’m trying to dump the PA term from most of my discussionsto honor them.

**FOR THE BIRDS (Nov. 2011) and ESSENTIALLY YOURS (March2012) via Twilight Times Books

Walking Through Your Characters' Next Scene

2011-11-20T09:58:00.001-05:00

The Sacandaga River, near Hope, New York

view from Tall Pines cabin

Over an extended Veteran's Day weekend, my wife Dale and I were lucky enough to be able to return to the Tall Pines rustic cabin we discovered in 2009 when I was laid off from Kodak. This place has become my writing nirvana. It's quiet. Isolated. No Internet. No cell service. And a great value.

Last week was our sixth visit, and because the owners are such big-hearted people, it didn't cost us a cent.

I love it so much, I just had to start a new paranormal mystery series based there, called Tall Pines Mysteries. The first book was just released (FOR THE BIRDS, see sidebar on left) and the second book, ESSENTIALLY YOURS, is in the publishing queue for March 2012 release.

My characters usually transition in the beginning of the story from Honeoye Lake, southeast of Rochester, NY, where they own a lakeside cottage and run an antique shop, to Tall Pines, about four hours away in the southeast corner of the Adirondack Park.

I'm about halfway through SANCTUARY, book 3, and was looking forward to getting out of the "muddled middle" by placing myself smack dab in the locations of future scenes to get inspired. I craved the woods, the murmuring river, the cool fresh air, the balsam-scented trails.

I needed a mountain for a scene - somewhere folks could ride horses and camp overnight, somewhere with fantastic views of the six million acre park. And, most importantly, I wanted to walk the trail myself. So I started in advance asking about trails from my good friend and "Adirondack advisor," Jonathan Lane, manager of Charlie Johns Country Store in Speculator, NY. (there is no apostrophe in Johns, that's how they spell it - took me a while to get it right!) Jon has read both FOR THE BIRDS and ESSENTIALLY YOURS, and has advised me on street names and such. I've really enjoyed getting to know him.

Jon also offered to let me do a book signing this past weekend in his incredible store. It went fantastic, and I met so many super people from the area who also had tons of ideas for me. They drew me maps, told me about the mysterious history of the area, and directed me to books on ghost stories of the Adirondacks, which will likely prime my head full of new ideas.

So, off I went, armed with maps and ideas, ready to search for the "secret" cave at the bottom of Auger Falls, and ready to hike the River Walk in Speculator. I quickly realized that the mountain I dreamed of horses riding up all day long would be too far for me to walk. So, in the end, I made up Whistling Winds Mountain and plunked it in the Silver Lake Sanctuary region. But there were some lovely caves and waterfalls on the Auger Trails hike that are going to be perfect for future scenes in SANCTUARY's final pages.

There is something so alluring about these woodland mountain trails. I think - in all honesty - that I must've been a pioneer in the good old frontier days in one of my former lives. The pull to find out "what's around the bend" is so strong that I have to really police myself. I'd go all day if I could, but I can't do that in good conscience since my wife stays back at the cabin. It wouldn't be fair to her, since her MS makes her legs weak and she can't join me, and there is no cell service on most of these trails, so if something happens to me I'd be alone and stuck out there for who knows how long? Yeah. And it was the middle of November.

Of course, I always bring the camera. Here are some photos from my walks.

Lake Pleasant, Speculator, NY

The Tall Pines Cabin

Algonquin Lake in Wells, NY

Can you see why I'm in love with this place?

While I walked the trails and climbed some hills, I constantly pictured my characters in these scenes, and imagined the action and wild rush of the chase as I clomped along. I fought the urge to follow all the side trails, or drive down a dirt road with no sign... I was always fighting the itch to investigate every inch of this beautiful land.

I wondered how many years it would take me to explore the area so that I've hiked most of the local trails and mountains. A lifetime? Maybe if I lived there, I could do it.

Setting is one of the most important elements in my novels. Naturally, I need a good plot with lots of twists and turns and surprises. Of course, my characters have to breathe and hurt and love like real people and make my readers care about them. But I need a really good setting to get my juices flowing. I suppose that's because I use so much of nature in my books - I thinknature almost is a character in her own right.

How do you imagine your next scene? Do you like to "walk" the scene before you write it? Is it possible for you do that? Or are your settings so far away that you need to use exotic brochures or colorful websites to get your characters where they're going? Or, do you imagine worlds that don't exist in real life, but are very real in your head?

Let us know about your processes in the comments, below. Please share your thoughts with us. We love comments, and as you probably know, this writing life can be somewhat lonely, so it's a great way to connect with each other.

Meanwhile, life goes on back here in the Genesee Valley, and I have books to finish and dinners to make for the family. Thanksgiving is just four days away, and I have lots to do to prepare.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Warmest wishes,

Aaron Paul Lazar

www.legardemysteries.com

Meet Ruby, of Tall Pines

2011-11-06T11:16:00.000-05:00

Good morning, writers and readers!

Once in a while we writers allow ourselves to crow a little, maybe to flap our feathers with a bit of self promotion.

Tell the truth, I was so busy worried about putting up all our Murderby4.blogspot.com guest posts this month, I almost overlooked the fact that my debut book in the new Tall Pines Mysteries is scheduled to be released November 15th. Sigh. Sometimes I'm quite the idiot.

FOR THE BIRDS is my 14thnovel and the first in TALL PINES MYSTERIES, a series of three books with plenty more to come. It's based in the Finger Lakes andAdirondacks regions of New York - and has been touted as a "fresh newmystery" and " an intriguing mix of compelling characters andunexpected and unconventional twists and turns."

Actually, my publisher just alerted me that it's now available a bit early in all eBook formats and trade paperback on Amazon and Barnes&Noble, and can most likely be purchased everywhere. I've got dozens of review copies out, but I haven't told the world about Ruby yet.

Am I slipping? LOL. Maybe. But this is my fourteenth book in a long line of works (some published, some not yet), and I have been working all year on edits for seven books slated to be released in the next six months. It's been a tad crazy around here!

And I know, I should've taken more time to get published than just writing my heart out! Such is life and it is what it is.

Here's a synopsis to get you up to speed with the new characters and animals. And--by the way--this is my first series where I write from a woman's POV, a challenge I gave myself after seeing so many of my writer friends hop into the heads of the opposite sex with ease. Having lived with three daughters, my wife, and mother-in-law for the past few decades, I had some great examples. And all those Lifetime movies my wife watches didn't hurt, either. LOL.

FOR THE BIRDS, SYNOPSIS

No one couldaccuse Marcella Hollister's family of being normal. Her gorgeous NativeAmerican husband, Quinn, has a compulsive cleaning problem – which works forher, since she gets a pass on housework. Her mother, who insists on being calledThelma, loves picking on Quinn. And then there's Ruby. Sometimes Marcella isn'tsure who Quinn loves more, his wife or his prized parakeet. Fortunately sheloves the bird as much as her dust-busting husband.

While mourningthe death of her stepfather, Raoul, Marcella and family head for theprestigious Adirondack National Bird Show for a much-needed vacation and withhopes that Ruby will win the coveted “best new color” class.

But when Thelmatrips and falls into a hotel pool with Ruby, dragging a line of twinklinglights with her, plans change. Electricity zaps through the water. Thelma andRuby barely survive the ordeal, and a bizarre psychic link forms between them.

Eccentric birdpsychic, Earl Tiramisu, starts to pester Marcella, and things get weird when heasks too many questions about her stepfather and his past.

When Thelma iskidnapped from her hospital bed, the FBI shows up faster than expected, askingquestions about Thelma’s recent inheritance from Raoul, implying that it may belinked to the Green Valley Bank heist – the largest unsolved robbery in U.S.history. 

Throughmountains, rivers, and across the rugged Adirondack park landscape, a brutalscenario evolves, where the good guys aren’t what they seem, and only Ruby’snewly acquired “Thelma-vision” provides hope for survival.

Book 2, ESSENTIALLY YOURS is slated for March 2012 release, and promised to bring as much or more fresh, contemporary adventure as Book 1. And I'm (trying to) working on SANCTUARY, Book 3, as this all happens around me. Phew.

So, here are a few shortcuts for you. You can read the first chapters in both FOR THE BIRDS and ESSENTIALLY YOURS by clicking the titles in this sentence.

And by the way, I am looking for EARLY reviewers for ESSENTIALLY YOURS, which is available right now only in .mobi and .epub eBook formats. So let me know if you want to participate in the great early review!

Now, if you're confused about all my mystery series, what's out and what's coming, don't worry. It's been a razzle dazzle time around here, so I've put together this summary to help you know what's what. And you can find links and buy info for all available books on my website, which is still named after the first series: www.legardemsyteries.com I've got a new site going, called lazarbooks.com, but haven't had time to work on it yet. Some day!

Thanks for stopping by, and remember, if you love to write, write like the wind!

Aaron Paul Lazar

Twilight Times Books by Kindle bestselling author, AaronLazar:

LEGARDEMYSTERIES

DOUBLE FORTÉ (coming, FEB 2012, author’s preferred edition, 2012, eBook andprint)

UPSTAGED (coming, JUNE, 2012 author’s preferred edition, 2012, eBook andprint)

TREMOLO: CRY OF THELOON (released, 2007)

MAZURKA (released, 2009)

FIRESONG (released, JULY 2011)

DON’T LET THE WINDCATCH YOU (coming, APRIL 2012)

MOOREMYSTERIES

HEALEY'S CAVE (released, 2010)

TERROR COMESKNOCKING (coming, FEB 2012)

FOR KEEPS (coming, MAY 2012)

TALL PINESMYSTERIES

FOR THE BIRDS (released, NOV 2011)

ESSENTIALLY YOURS (coming, MARCH 2012)

Awards:

WINNER 2011 EricHoffer BEST Book, COMMERCIAL FICTION * FINALIST EPIC Awards 2011* GRAND PRIZEFINALIST Eric Hoffer Book Award 2011 * 2X FINALIST Global eBook Awards 2011 *Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Award – 2^nd place 2011*Winner of Carolyn Howard Johnsons’ 9^th Annual Noble (Not Nobel!)Prize for Literature 2011 * Finalist Allbooks Editors Choice Awards 2011 *Preditors&Editors Top 10 Finalist * YolandaRenee's Top Ten Books 2008 * MYSHELF Top Ten Reads 2008 * Writers' Digest Top 101 Website Award 2009-2011

www.legardemysteries.com

www.mooremysteries.com

www.murderby4.blogspot.com

www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com

www.aplazar.gather.com

http://aaronlazar.younglivingworld.com

www.pureoils.blogspot.com

A HUGE eBook sale!

2011-11-03T19:49:00.001-04:00

Hi, folks!

This is a really big deal.

My publisher is putting ALL of Twilight Times eBooks on sale. A select few are also only 99 cents, which is a great bargain. Did you ever think you could get so many good books for so little? Ha. My wife and I are gobbling these up.

Please spread the word if you can - I want everyone to benefit from this sale, it goes through mid January.

HERE'S THE OFFICIAL BLURB:

"We appreciate our readers. 100 critically acclaimed ebooks are on sale from Twilight Times Books.

Prices discounted 50% ($1.99 to $3.50) now via the Twilight Times Books web site and also via our ebook distributors later this month: B & N Nook, eReader, Fictionwise, Kindle, Kobo, OmniLit, Sony, etc. until Jan 15th.

Historical, literary, mystery, SF, YA and more."

http://twilighttimesbooks.com/

The books in BLUE below are all on sale here if you are interested. Just scroll down the page a little and you'll see all the covers. Titles are listed alphabetically.

Twilight Times Books by Kindle bestselling author, AaronLazar:

LEGARDEMYSTERIES

DOUBLE FORTÉ (coming, FEB 2012, author’s preferred edition, 2012, eBook andprint)

UPSTAGED (coming, JUNE, 2012 author’s preferred edition, 2012, eBook andprint)

TREMOLO: CRY OF THELOON (released, 2007)

MAZURKA (released, 2009)

FIRESONG (released, JULY 2011)

DON’T LET THE WINDCATCH YOU (coming, APRIL 2012)

MOOREMYSTERIES

HEALEY'S CAVE (released, 2010)

TERROR COMESKNOCKING (coming, FEB 2012)

FOR KEEPS (coming, MAY 2012)

TALL PINESMYSTERIES

FOR THE BIRDS (released, NOV 2011)

ESSENTIALLY YOURS (coming, MARCH2012)

Thanks and have a great Sunday!

Aaron Paul Lazar

www.legardemysteries.com

Review for THE ABDUCTION OF MARY ROSE by Joan Hall Hovey, review by Aaron Lazar

2011-11-02T18:32:00.001-04:00

Title: THEABDUCTION OF MARY ROSE

Author: Joan Hall Hovey

Publisher: BWLPP

Genre: Suspense, 240 pages

ISBN-10: 1466337338

ISBN-13: 978-1466337336

Price: Kindle eBook: $2.99 PrintBook: $11.99

Publisher website address: http://bwlpp.com/mysteries.php

Author’s personal website: http://www.joanhallhovey.com

I have been a fan of Joan HallHovey since I read CHILL WATERS last year. After that, I reached for each andevery release with the same excitement I do for new books by bestsellingauthors like Dean Koontz. And with THE ABDUCTION OF MARY ROSE, Ms. Hovey followsin the same tradition of grabbing her readers by the throat and never lettinggo until the final pages bring the story to its ultimate resolution.

It’s not so much the de facto smoothwriting skills, or the vivid scene-setting that makes you feel as if you are right there with the protagonist, or thewonderful, natural-sounding dialog, or the edge-of-your-seat suspense, or thewild chase scenes that keep you up into the wee hours of morning with yourheart pounding...No, I expect all of these elements in this author’s books.What shines so brightly above and beyond these great traits, however, is Ms.Hovey’s characters. Rich with back-story, as real as the person sitting next toyou on the couch or in your office, these people leap off the page and invadeyour mind, lingering for weeks or months afterwards.

In THE ABDUCTION OF MARY ROSE,you’ll immediately begin to root for Naomi Waters, a twenty-eight year oldwoman who records audio books for a living. Bright, loving, and a dedicateddaughter, her story starts at her dying mother’s bedside.

Now, imagine losing your onlyparent to a devastating disease. On the day of the funeral, now imaginediscovering that she wasn’t yourmother, that you were adopted. With that comes the knowledge that the photo onyour dresser of your long dead military hero father was fake, too. Add to thatthe sudden unveiling of all this through your mother’s obituary, written by thenasty sister of the only mother you ever knew, and you have the springboardfrom which this riveting story moves forward.

When Naomi starts to dig into herbirthmother’s history, she’s horrified to discover that poor Mary Rose was onlysixteen when she was abducted, brutally raped and left for dead. The Micmacnative girl lived long enough in a coma to give birth to Naomi, then diedshortly thereafter. The case was never solved, and for nearly thirty years therapist and his cohort have lived free among the local townspeople. One elderlywitness saw two men take her back then, but couldn’t react fast enough to savethe poor girl when the abduction happened.

Ms. Hovey’s scene of the abductionbroke my heart. I’m still upset about it, and still feel ragged hatred towardthe men who took her, used her, and threw her away. I am filled with sorrow forMary Rose’s dear, sweet grandfather, who lost his only family member toviolence of the worst sort. I’m not sure I would have survived such a loss, totell the truth.

Yet through all of this tensionand horrible upheaval, Naomi vows to dig into the past, catch her mother’skiller or killers, and bring them to justice. With skills that rival some ofthe best detectives, born of a passion to avenge her mother and a closespiritual connection with Mary Rose, she steadfastly makes progress in spite ofthe local police’s lack of interest.

In Joan Hall Hovey’s inimitablestyle, she ratchets up the suspense and fear as the story unfolds. Naomi goes public,gains the interest of the locals, and in particular one very brutal and nastyman, her mother’s rapist and her biological father.

The problem is, this man has noconscience, and only wants to destroy the DNA evidence of his misdeed that lieswithin Naomi’s cells. The final scenes will have you rooting for Naomi andclinging to the edge of your seat. They are brilliantly rendered.

When you buy this book–and Ihighly recommend you do–you need to set aside time to read. Start it on aFriday night or Saturday morning, or you’ll be calling your boss to take avacation day. Yes, it’s that good.

Who's That Knocking?

2011-10-30T08:15:00.000-04:00

copyright, 2008, Aaron Paul Lazar

Good morning, friends!

How was your week? Were you able to get much reading or writing done? I am relieved because I finally got through the lengthy pdf ARC edits for two of my upcoming books, and also completed the dreaded synopses for both in 250, 150, and 50 word versions! Phew. Now THAT'S scary! I think writing the 50 word synopsis is harder than writing the books!

Glad that's over, now I can get back to writing Sanctuary, my third Tall Pines mystery.

With Halloween just around the corner (tomorrow, actually!), I thought I'd dig into the bowels of my articles to find something suitably spooktacular. ;o) (Can you say "reprint?" LOL.)

I thought I'd dust this piece off and share it with you today. Let me know if it gives you a chuckle or a thrill.

***

Who's That Knocking?

Living in an antique home has its problems, especially when you're not a handyman. My father taught me all sorts of wonderful things when he was alive, including an unbridled passion for the arts, gardening, nature, gourmet cooking, and the love of a good mystery. He didn't know much about mechanics, plumbing, electric, or woodworking. Though I've tried to learn over the years with self-help books and advice from friends, I remain singularly unhandy, perpetually bowing with an unholy need to the whims of the local plumber and electrician.

Take, for example, the twenty-six windows that are crumbling as we speak. The six-by-nine inch panes are coming loose from their wooden mullions with alarming frequency. Or the floorboards in the bedroom, a lovely old yellow pine, that poke up like teepees when it's hot and muggy. Yeah, they need to be treated with some kind of poly something-or-other, but for now, the moisture makes them swell. Consider the two wells that sometimes work in concert - except for the hundred times a year I have to run down to the cobwebbed cellar and reset the breakers or tap on the pump to make it work. The disadvantages are many.

But there are also great benefits, such as the three working fireplaces. Or the soil that surrounds the property, rich and black, untouched by bulldozers. It's not like the hard packed fill they put in the new housing tracts. I don't need to "amend" this soil. I just need to keep up with the produce and flowers.

Most intriguing of all, however, is the rich history.

Our house was built in 1811 by Dr. David Hunt. We just celebrated our 200th anniversary!

Okay, so compared to the homes in Europe, it's just an infant. But in terms of our country and its young age, it's amazing. Think about it. This house was built and lived in more than fifty years before the civil war!

Imagine the births, deaths, dramas, romances, and heartaches that occurred within these rooms. Did the inhabitants suffer from small pox? Starvation? Were they affluent? How many horses or cows did they own? And... how many ghosts linger in these plaster and lathe walls?

Let's examine the past 100 years. According to an elderly neighbor, over seven people have died on Hunts Corners. Traffic accidents. Maybe even horse and buggy accidents. Auto drivers not stopping for the all-way stop signs, or sliding on ice, or drunk drivers plowing right into the telephone pole. Sad to think about. Makes you wonder about their spirits. Did they ascend to Heaven? Or do a few guilty souls remain in the area, confused and wandering, seeking the path to redemption?

Recently, I began to ponder another death disclosed to me by a young neighbor friend. We began to correspond after he read a few of my books. He's a bright and entertaining young fellow who happens to be a voracious reader. We clicked. And we chat back and forth about books and life and sometimes... about the history of our area.

It seems Hunts Corners has a mystery all its own, stemming from the early 1900s. As the story goes, my young neighbor's great grandmother noticed something odd one day. While going about her daily duties, Mabel realized she hadn't seen the young girl who lived next door in a long time. Anna no longer attended school, and very rarely made an appearance outside the home. When she did, Mabel noticed a thickening in her middle, well-wrapped by heavy garments. She suspected the girl was with child. In that era, a pregnancy out of wedlock was unthinkable. Shameful. A sin. The family would endure public humiliation if news got out. So Anna was sequestered for nine long months as Mabel watched the child grow in her belly.

When the time came for the baby to be born, there was no activity in the house. No child was seen. No doctor arrived. All was quiet.

Speculation grew. Was the child stillborn? Or worse, was she murdered by a family cloaked in shame? Rumors were that the little baby was buried behind Anna's house.

Since then, there have been reports of children pointing behind the house, exclaiming about the "little girl in the weeds." The adults couldn't see her.

But I think I might have, last winter.

I rose early to photograph our Christmas lights. They were unusually festive last year, better than all past years. We'd added a few lighted deer for fun, and I was bound and determined to capture the beauty in the blackest of night. It was a clear, chill morning. Five A.M. Not a breeze stirred. Most households were fast asleep. Few cars passed by.

I brought my trusty Canon Powershot outdoors and took dozens of photos. Later, when I viewed them on my PC, I saw the ghost. There she was - looking straight at me with wide open eyes. Filmy, transparent, but with a clear face and body. Only two shots revealed her, although I took dozens that morning.

The photos are untouched, straight from the camera card. And yes, I know there's probably a scientific explanation. Maybe the light from the flash illuminated ice crystals in the air, causing a momentary illusion. But I'd like to ignore that for now and just consider it a visit from my friendly little ghost.

Last night I woke to a tapping sound. Usually it's Max, on his chair, scratching an itch and thumping up against the armrest. I rose to check, but he lay still, mouth open, breathing evenly.
Could it be my grandson knocking on the door? I looked. No one was there. All was quiet, no little boys or cats were hoping to gain entrance.

I went back to bed. The tapping resumed. Looking out the window, I noticed headlights flashing by, briefly illuminating the darkness. Was that a flash of white? A face? Or simply the reflection on wet streets?

The tapping resumed. Outside my window. On the second floor.

Could it be?

I buried my head beneath the covers and said my prayers.

Well, that's it for now, dear friends. I won't be around next weekend, so let's get together in two weeks, and until then, remember to take pleasure in the little things, and if you love to write, write like the wind!

2011-10-29T20:50:00.003-04:00

Book Review by Aaron Lazar

Title: DAMAGE CONTROL

Author: DeniseHamilton

Publisher: Scribner

ISBN-10:0743296745

ISBN-13:978-0743296748

Price: $17.82 hardcover; $12.99 Kindle
Author’s website: http://www.denisehamilton.com

DAMAGE CONTROL is a complex psychological thriller setin current day Los Angeles, peopled with vibrant characters battling fears ofsurvival and loss, tautly stretched loyalties, and well-camouflaged villains.

The story beginswhen Maggie Silver—a young PR rep who’s struggling to support her cancer-strickenmother and keep a house with an upside-down mortgage—is assigned to insulateSenator Henry Paxton and his family from the press by spinning the sordid factsof his aide’s murder and protecting the family’s reputation. After all, theSenator has been tapped for a much higher office, and chances are he’ll moveupward quickly.

The problem isMaggie knew the Senator’s family when she was a teenager and was the poorchurch mouse best friend of rich kid Anabelle Paxton. Years have passed, and inthe time since they grew apart, neither has acknowledged or faced the memoriesof the one horrible night they shared on the beach.

Hamilton weavessome interesting themes throughout this complicated novel, including subtlyerotic romance, power struggles and cover-ups, and dangerous flirtations withpotential killers.

The author’sstyle is breezy and smooth, and occasionally she sneaks in some lovely poeticpassages, well worth savoring.

“At the cemetery, Anabelle threw the first spade of earthon the coffin. The wind shifted and ash fell softly and silently over us all,blanketing the dark soil and clinging greasily to our clothes, reminding us ofwhere we’d come from and where we would all return.”

(Note: the “ash”here refers to cinders from the wildfires burning nearby)

Here’s anothersimultaneously lovely and unsettling segment:

“A voice whispered at the edge of my consciousness as thejets screeched and the tide sucked the pebbles. If only I could make out thewords. But it was just out of reach, echoing with faint, faraway laughter,taunting me with secret knowledge.

Anabelle?

What if she’d crossed the highway to the ocean, swimmingout until she drowned? I pictured her body carried on the swell of the waves,arms spread like wings, orange crabs crawling in and out of empty eye sockets,long blond ropes of hair floating like seaweed, a million microscopic seaanimals clinging to her curves, illuminating her in a phosphorescent shroud.”

Most intriguingwas the author’s inclusion of scents into the story. Hamilton’s descriptions ofthe perfumes Maggie loved and remembered was evocative and poetic, and her useof fragrance as a vital clue was brilliant. Her passages reminded me of my ownpassion for essential oils and their subtle, complex aromas capable oftransporting one to places quite foreign and delicious. I discovered afterreading the book that Denise Hamilton spends time with fragrance in aprofessional capacity (she blogs about perfume, for one thing) and thisexplained the interesting additions. See this passage:

“The previous Christmas, we’d stood at her mother’s vanitytable, dabbing Caron’s Nuit de Noel behind our ears from the ravishing blackDeco crystal flask. It was Christmas in a bottle, rich and exotic, all mulledwine and candied chestnuts, green pine with sandalwood and roses and a holidaygoose roasting on the horizon. Anointed for midnight mass, we’d floated downthe stairs in a cloud of scent and black velvet.”

Although thisreviewer is hardly a perfume aficionado, the descriptions of this fragrancebrought to mind the Young Living essential oil blend “Christmas Spirit,” adelightful amalgam of orange peel, cinnamon bark, and spruce leaf oil.

In DAMAGECONTROL, surprises are deliciously revealed and sufficiently shocking. DeniseHamilton is a proficient writer who maintains perfect tension and keeps herreaders turning the pages.

I recommend thistightly woven tale of deception and love.

***

Aaron Paul Lazar

www.legardemysteries.com

Aaron PaulLazar writes to soothe his soul. The author of LeGarde Mysteries, MooreMysteries, and Tall Pines Mysteries enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside inupstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs andgrandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at www.legardemysteries.com and watchfor his upcoming Twilight Times Books releases, FOR THE BIRDS(2011),ESSENTIALLY YOURS (2012), TERROR COMES KNOCKING (2011), FOR KEEPS (2012), DON’TLET THE WIND CATCH YOU (2012), and the author’s preferred editions of DOUBLEFORTÉ and UPSTAGED (2012).

2011-10-20T06:30:00.001-04:00

Review by Aaron Paul Lazar

Title: StealingFaces

Author: MichaelPrescott

Publisher: AmazonDigital Services, Ulverscroft

Genre: Thriller

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook

ISBN-10:0708943500

ISBN-13:978-0708943502

ASIN: B00547KH66

Price: Kindle, $0.99; Large Print, $29.91

Author’swebsite: http://www.michaelprescott.net/

I’ve beenreading and reviewing a fair amount of books this year, all of them quite good,and most of them on Kindle. Of course, I vet them before I accept a reviewrequest by reading the first few pages and the synopsis. There’s nothing worsethan reviewing a book that bores you to tears or that just isn’t your cup oftea. So I almost always love thetitles I accept.

In the midst ofall these excellent books, however, came STEALING FACES. This high suspensethriller literally knocked my socks off.

Mr. Prescott’swriting style is what hooked me from the beginning. Smooth, tight, and fastflowing, the prose held me as spellbound as the suspense. Frankly, STEALINGFACES is one of the best-written novels I’ve come across in a very long time,and I can’t believe I haven’t discovered Mr. Prescott’s work to date.

Cray has beenstalking and killing women for over a decade. Well-respected by day, savagehunter by night, the man’s character is impeccably drawn using inner thoughtsand dialog. The contrast between his day job (revealed partway through thebook) and his secret, sick obsession, accentuates his evil.

Now, meetprotagonist Elizabeth Palmer. Desperate, broke, resourceful, and lovely, thiswoman has fixated on finding and bringing Cray to justice since she escaped hisclutches twelve years earlier.

From the firstprimal scream of Cray’s victim to the kaleidoscope of terror-filled memoriesexperienced by Elizabeth, Prescott doesn’t let his readers relax, or even takea breath. Both characters, juxtaposed brilliantly against each other, drive thestory forward to its very satisfying conclusion.

The plot is wellrecounted in many of the 100 plus reviews on Amazon, so let it suffice for meto say that many plot threads and themes are tightly woven into this book, withshock after shock and absolutely no letting down of the tension. I wouldactually recommend STEALING FACES as a primer for those interested in pursuinga career in writing thrillers.

Thank you, Mr.Prescott, for showing us all how it should be done, and for several nights ofdelicious, exhilarating thrills.

Highly recommended by Aaron Paul Lazar, www.legardemysteries.com

Chasing the Writing High

2011-10-01T12:47:00.005-04:00

It's October. The Finger Lakes region has been beautiful lately, really gorgeous with its purple asters and bright yellow golden rod, deep blue skies and hints of red and orange colors streaking the hillsides.

I've been waiting for this moment forever. All year, really. I dubbed the year of 2011 "the year of endless edits," because that's all I've been doing since January.

It's not a bad thing, it's really part of a great trend with my publisher. She's decided she wants to release more of my backlogged books, rather than release just one or two a year. We have the first two Tall Pines Mysteries, books 2 and 3 in Moore Mysteries, a new LeGarde Mystery, and two "author's preferred edition" rewrites from the early LeGarde series, all of which are scheduled for release in the next six months, and all which required focused edits.

Compared to last year, 2011 really stunk. I mean, in 2010 I wrote three new books. I was on a constant writing high. Some prerequisite editing came in between (for FireSong, just released in July), but all in all, it was a very satisfying year for filling my aching need to create.

Last week I sent in the final edited manuscript for Upstaged. Done! Fertig! Fini! I was excited to start book three in my new Tall Pines series. Frankly, I was crazy with enthusiasm. After all, nothing gives me a thrill like writing fresh stuff. New stories. New twists. New characters. It's pure. It's fun. And I love it so much it can be scary.

I normally don't research very much.

There. I said it. As terrible as that is, it's true. I write from my experiences and also make up a lot of stuff. I know, I'll look bad by admitting this. But I can't pretend to be who I'm not.

This time, however, my new featured character comes from a Seneca reservation, where she's fleeing a monster who wants her dead. I don't know much about the reservation, except that my daughter and her husband used to go there for cigarettes when they used to smoke. To help with the background, I ordered four books from Amazon to teach me about the Senecas. Then I started to plan the book.

Big mistake! I never have more than a few loose ideas or themes ready to go when I start. The real planning, the real thinking, comes when I'm writing each chapter.

I started to panic. I couldn't make up my mind on characters, ages, plot elements. I drove myself crazy, woke up in the middle of the night worrying about it.

This is my sixteenth book. What was wrong with me? I started to wonder - what if I'm done? What if I never come up with another good idea again? Why can't I just plunge into this like I always do?

I've been doing this torturous "planning" all week, changing my mind a hundred times, talking to my writing pals about it, and going... nowhere.

This morning, I decided enough was enough! I've been craving writing for so long, wanting it so bad, that I was starting to get depressed. It was time to just start.

So I did. I let the first chapter out through my fingers onto the keyboard, and thus Catori was born, with all her problems throbbing in the foreground and with a nice clear picture appearing in my head. I don't really know where this story is going, except that I've got to help this poor girl escape her tormentor, bring her to the Adirondacks (Tall Pines cabin) to be safe, and figure out how to bring down the bad guys.

Hey, someone's gotta do it.

I've gotta remember to write like the wind, and stop this over-thinking stuff. Right?

Think I'll go write chapter two.

***

Aaron Paul Lazar

Please visit my website or my page here on MB4!

	Double Forte': A Gus LeGarde Mystery	First Book in LeGarde Mysteries
	Upstaged: A Gus LeGarde Mystery	Book 2 in LeGarde Mysteries
	Tremolo: cry of the loon Publisher: Twilight Times Books	Book 3 in LeGarde Mysteries
	Mazurka (A Gus LeGarde Mystery)	Book 4 in LeGarde Mysteries
	FireSong	Book 5 in LeGarde Mysteries
	Healey's Cave	First Book in Moore Mysteries (Green Marble Mysteries)

Interview by Dorothy James (she's in my head again!)

2011-09-27T10:55:00.001-04:00

Aaron Paul Lazar is the author of three series of mysteries, the LeGarde Mysteries, Moore Mysteries, and Tall Pines Mysteries. He lives in the Genesee Valley in upstate New York, and enjoys the countryside where, in his own words, his characters “embrace life, play with their grandkids and dogs, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys.” He “writes to soothe his soul.”

You can follow up his work and publications at his website www.legardemysteries.com He has won various awards, listed below along with publishing details of his books. I met Aaron on Twitter, and recently reviewed five of his LeGarde mysteries in this blog. I am glad that he has agreed to be interviewed here and also sent me some of his pictures of the Genesee Valley.

DJ. As you know, Aaron, I am exploring in this blog the phenomenon of the mystery novel. I’m reading various kinds of mysteries, detective novels, thrillers etc., and considering what their appeal to their readers is. I decided to write about your mysteries because, as far as I am concerned, they are something of a genre unto themselves. You have suggested that they might be called, “country mysteries,” and I picked this up in my recent review. Do you think this describes them adequately?

APL: Dorothy, I’ve been trying to figure this out since I started writing these books! I always just called them mysteries, because they felt like elements of the mysteries I’d read my whole life – not exactly like them, but closer than any other genre. Some folks suggested “adventure,” but I didn’t think that really fit, since they aren’t a gun-slinging or sea-diving type of book. One publisher told me they reminded her of the good old-fashioned mysteries of her youth, and I took that to be a compliment! Now, people often die or have died in the past (ala Elsbeth in Double Forté ) in my books, but there isn’t always a murder, so to speak. So they aren’t classic “murder mysteries,” and they certainly aren’t “detective mysteries.” Of course they aren’t crime novels, either, because there is no detective or PI present (except for the cops who are Gus’s friends), and so much more happens in these stories than would be acceptable in a by-the-book crime novel.

Some people have called them “literary mysteries,” and on occasion, “cozies,” but they don’t really seem to fit in those categories either. So I dubbed them “country mysteries,” because they all take place in the country, the book settings explore and showcase nature, my characters are soothed by the country (as opposed to the city or suburbs), and they are always out in their gardens, or cooking stuff from the gardens, or walking in the woods, or sledding, or riding horses… it just seemed to fit. ;o)

DJ: What do you think about the genre name “cozy mystery?” I balk at using the term for your novels, though they do fit the bill in not being excessively bloodthirsty and in depicting sex in a distinctly romantic way –and in moderation! When someone says of my one murder mystery, “It’s not a cozy,” I tend to regard this as a compliment. Do you feel the same way? Or do you think the term could be profitably applied to your novels? Are they “cozies” to you?

APL: Yes, I feel the same way about not being categorized as a cozy writer. I don’t really think they are cozies. There’s much more pathos and deep-seated emotion and pure evil that invades these books (like it does your novel!), and it’s not shown in a cozy fashion as Agatha Christie would have done. Granted, I try to keep the gratuitous violence and sex down to a bare minimum (the operative word here being gratuitious), but it’s impossible to avoid violence when you’re talking about villains like neo-Nazis or sociopaths. For example, I don’t think in a cozy one would describe the way the eyes of a dead man gelled and turned gray, as I did at the end of Double Forté with Baxter’s death. And perhaps one wouldn’t expect so many fistfights, chases, or scenes where someone has a knife or gun pushed into their ribs in a cozy. I believe that brings my books beyond the definition of cozy. That said, there are elements of these books that are comforting, and “cozy” in that manner, if you know what I mean. When I have Gus LeGarde sitting on his porch steps with his dog, patting him, with the sun beating down and flowers bending and swaying around them…it’s comforting for both Gus and the readers. It may not be critical to the plot, but it’s critical to the job of getting the readers to know and care about Gus, in my humble opinion.

DJ: You have written that you turned to writing novels after losing a number of members of your family. You were seeking solace. Why, at such a time, would you choose to write mysteries? In fact your novels are family stories, and the drama within the LeGarde family is by no means all dependent on the mystery plot, though the plot is often moved forward by family dynamics. Could you have just written family novels?

APL: I've always read mysteries, Dorothy. Never much else. They call to me, so it was never even a question what genre I'd write. The scenes with family were comforting, because they reminded me of my loves ones that I'd lost, but the mystery parts of the stories were great escapes for me, too. I never really considered writing “just” about family. I’ve always been excited by the idea of secrets being overturned or mysteries being solved. Maybe I’ll have to consider this some day. ;o)

DJ: I have called your novels “romantic.” You have, it seems to me, a romantic view of love, of family relationships, of the relationship between human-beings and nature. How do you square this with the need in a mystery to introduce all sorts of quite un-romantic things, such as murder, beating and brutal men? You picked up on some comments of mine in my recent review and talked about the “operatic separation of heroes and villains.” Would you like to expand a little on that here?

APL: I’ll never forget the summer when I took off on my horse by myself for hours. I’d find a great spot in a pasture, let the horse eat grass, and I’d read a book either turned around with my elbows on his soft hindquarters, or on the ground beside him under a tree. My father said, “He’s going through a Romantic stage now.” Heh. I guess I never outgrew it.

I think part of my difficulty accepting things not beautiful (un-romantic) has to do with the fact that I was raised in a very sheltered and almost utopian environment. No, we didn’t have much money. But we had all the basics and plenty of love. We had one very old car, one tiny B&W TV, a very cold house in the winter, etc. But we lived in the country (much like I do now) and grew big gardens, had family feasts, took in all the stray animals, and of course, found a way to keep my horse. He wasn’t anything special, but I adored him. We got him for a few hundred bucks from a local woman, but the life I had every day on his back, playing with my pals who also had horses, was so incredible, it just set my expectations for how life is supposed to be. It didn’t cost so much back then to keep a horse. Now you have to be rich, or at least prioritize your life in a different way.

I also flat-out loved opera in my teens and twenties, and went to as many performances as I could. My favorites at the time were Tosca, Carmen, Aida, Rigoletto… talk about romantic! I guess I never progressed beyond the point of showing villains for who they really were. I didn’t worry too much about humanizing them so that the reader felt sympathy. After all, they were the “bad guys.” I know many of today’s writers are quite concerned about character arcs (having their character grow and change) and also that it’s popular to have a seriously flawed hero. I remember my wife originally asked me “why don’t you make Gus an alcoholic, or something interesting like that?” I couldn’t do it! Why? Because I wouldn’t be able to use him then as the example of a good dad, good grandfather, good husband.

I never meant to use my characters as teaching models – not in my conscious brain, anyway. But it seems they have ended up doing just that with many of my readers. One reader actually told me that Gus taught him how to be a better father! Imagine that? I still treasure that comment.

DJ: In all five of the novels that I reviewed, the plot is set in the framework of developing family relationships, and in three of them there are also major subplots that only connect tangentially with the the main mystery plot (the mysterious visitor in Tremolo, the connection to the nineteenth century composer in Mazurka, and the hidden room and Underground Railroad in FireSong). Traditionally, murder mysteries are tightly plotted, more in the style of your Upstaged, and the reader’s attention is firmly directed throughout at the detection of the culprit. Are you deliberately subverting the genre in your subplots, or do these simply pop into your head and you cannot resist them?

APL: Dorothy, I love your questions. They are so deep and so far beyond what I’m normally asked! Okay, let’s talk about the subplots you mentioned first. In Tremolo, I thought it would be lovely to entwine the feelings and emotions of 1964 in the book in some tangible ways. You know I used Beatles songs, movies of the time (“To Kill A Mockingbird”), radio programs that hinted at the fears of the day, like bomb scares and such. But I wanted to bring closer one of the most powerful events that happened in that decade, and that was the assassination of the President. By having a mysterious visitor come to camp, as yes, a definite sub plot, I felt I could integrate the event more closely to my characters and their lives.

In Mazurka, the only way I could get Siegfried to accompany Gus and Camille on their vacation (because I could not imagine leaving him out of this story!) was to concoct a very good reason for him to have to go with them. By having this deep dark secret about Chopin that his great aunt needed to pass on to him, I created the mechanics of him coming along. But remember, there are also many strains throughout the books about Chopin. Elsbeth always adored this composer. Gus is writing a book about him. Gus’s grandson dances around the great room to the strains of Chopin mazurka’s, etc. There were already the elements planted in the series that reached way back in time to this event, making it fit.

In FireSong, there are a lot of plot lines. Maybe too many. But I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to link the criminal activities beneath the church and town to something historic, to Gus and Camille. By finding the secret room in their house with Underground Railroad relics in it, I firmly linked Gus and Camille, and the original owner of their house, Mary Hill, to the current day happenings in the town. Remember that Mary was found in a very unexpected place – and it all linked back to those criminal activities that were ongoing. How else would we have found her if there hadn’t been the original cave in at the mines? Or the forest fire? I think it all linked together in important ways, but maybe I had too much going on in this one.

DJ: A related question: You have a leisurely approach to narration—in my review I used the word “contemplative”—and some whole sections contribute nothing to the actual plot—e.g., Gus playing with his grandson, Gus and his friends and family cooking, the minister preaching. Do you deliberately slow down the pace of the plot in this way in order then to take your readers by surprise when you throw them into fast-paced chase scene where the narration is highly concentrated and very precise. How much planning do you do of pacing? Or do you, as it were, follow your nose and let the characters and the story lead you?

APL: I do the latter, Dorothy. My characters lead me where they will.
But I also believe that I have always intentionally employed the device of “tension and release, tension and release.” Like a sine wave, actually, I position scenes or vignettes of Gus’s family life in between the action scenes. It’s very purposeful. I think the reason I do it is to make my readers love and care for my characters, to expose their personalities, their weaknesses, their fears. I do it to let the reader relax a little between the tense scenes, and also to make the story seem more real. If all my characters did was run around from or after villains the whole time, that would make my books probably into suspense or terror. But they aren’t, they definitely aren’t. It’s almost become second nature, but this interchanging of relaxed versus tense scenes has always been my intent. I do very little planning, except to collect a few vague ideas about subjects I’ll cover or problems my characters will develop, or new characters I’ll feature. And I don’t outline.

DJ: You are a prolific writer. You did not begin writing novels until about 2004 (if I am right) and since then you have written fifteen, with six on the market now and the rest in the publishing queue scheduled for near term release. I am in awe of this ability since it takes me several years to write one. How do you do it? Particularly when you also hold down a full-time job as an applications engineer—and then there is your family, to say nothing of your garden, your dogs and cats . . .

APL: It isn’t easy, Dorothy. But I budget my time very carefully. I rarely watch television, so that helps a lot. I work hard and fast on the household and garden chores, and I am forever behind. The house is never perfectly clean; the weeds are never fully pulled. There are always fifty jobs waiting for me when I come home. But I figure if we are living in a relatively clean environment, eating fresh produce and healthy meals, etc. then I can take a few hours a night (or early morning) to devote to my books. When I’m writing a book, I do about a chapter a day. Normally it takes about three months to get a draft done when I’m on a roll. After that, it may be years before the book comes out, and it goes through many editing phases. So it’s just a matter of priorities. My wife and family come first, then my writing. All the other stuff can be done whenever I can squeeze it in.

DJ: Your novels show more than a passing involvement with European culture—music, language, some European cities. Mazurka plays almost entirely in Europe, in Paris, in Vienna. And several of your characters have European roots, not only the twins, Elsbeth and Siegfried. Siegfried’s German is even scattered through the texts. Your own life seems to be very well rooted in upstate New York. Where does your interest in Europe come in?

APL: When I worked for Kodak, one of my jobs was liaison with our German counterparts in Muelhausen, in our German factory. I loved this job, and frequently visited for a week or two at a time. In 1986 my whole family was invited to live in Germany while I worked with my counterparts there. We lived in Denkendorf, a lovely little village outside of Stuttgart. You’ll see an appearance of Denkendorf in Mazurka, as well as many of the shops and restaurants we frequented. While we lived there, my wife and I were able to take long weekend trips to various locales – Paris, Wien, Austria, the Black Forest, etc. etc. (my in-laws came along with us to Germany to help care for our three little girls, and we took turns every other weekend traveling when we could!) Most of these locales are featured in Mazurka. Now, years later, I work for a Germany company with headquarters here in Rochester, NY. I’ve been overseas twice now in the past year and am delighted to reconnect with the German people and culture.

DJ: And now a nuts-and-bolts question:
Many people these days are trying their hand at self-publishing. You have yourself published with small publishing companies and you have had success with e-books. Do you have any advice, based in your own experience:
a) for writers who are interested in self-publishing?
b) for writers who are interested in getting into the e-book market?
Can you make any comments on the current trend towards publishing oneself on e.g. Kindle, doing all the formatting oneself, setting the price, and simply selling.

APL: Dorothy, all I can say is the world is rapidly changing in this arena. People are completely bypassing publishers these days and becoming enormously successful. Or failing miserably. Folks are still snagging good agents and being well represented by big publishers; and others in the same boat get little in the way of promotion or sales. The market is so changeable, the opportunities so open and amazing… and there is no zero sum game here, especially with eBooks.

My eBooks have sold far more than my print books, and I’m delighted with this. My publisher does all the work on formatting, etc. I wouldn’t know where to begin! She is a master at this.
My wife and I are buying probably ten times more books in general now that she has her Kindle and I use my little iPhone to read. A year ago, I would have laughed at the idea, but it has really taken hold and grown. We are constantly downloading books for free or 99 cents that are wonderful reads. Of course, once we hit on an author we like, we gladly go back to research what they’ve written and frequently buy at full price without questioning the cost. So there’s a lesson to be learned here re. promotion.

I wish I had the magic bullet answer – but I think it’s still and always will be the same. Write the best book you can. Put it in the very best polished format. Find a way to get it to your readers, and keep on writing so they will come back for more!

DJ: What are you writing now and where are you going?

APL: I’ve just finished polishing and rewriting my old books – the first two books I wrote, Double Forté and Upstaged. My current publisher (Twilight Times Books) has picked them up and they will come out as “author’s preferred editions” next year. So I’m free to start a new book, and I’m very excited to be in the thinking stages about a third book in my Tall Pines series. I have ten books in LeGarde, three in Moore Mysteries, and two in Tall Pines, so it makes sense to add one to the new Tall Pines series before I go on. I intend to keep writing these three series indefinitely, God willing.

Next I’ll likely add a book to the Moore series, and then will probably either go back to spruce up one of the four remaining LeGarde books that is waiting in the wings, or I’ll write another “young Gus” book. I have two now in that sub-category of LeGarde Mysteries, and would like to continue that series within a series. ;o)

11. What kind of audience do you hope to reach?

APL: I must say that originally I never wrote for anyone but me. It was my world, my pleasure, and under my control. LOL. But now, I’ve seen that I can reach and connect with readers of all ages. I have ten year olds who have read and enjoyed Double Forté and 99 year olds who read all the books. It seems my stories span the ages. The Tall Pines series, however, is aimed a little more at women (although I think most men will like it, too). But we shall see how they are received when they come out!

DJ: Anything you would like add?

APL: First of all, thank you so much for these brilliant questions and wish you the very best with your own book, which I loved. Secondly, I’d like to say that connecting with my readers, learning what they liked and didn’t like, seeing how the books impacted them – it’s all my favorite part of being an author. Folks can connect with me on facebook, twitter, or my many blogs. My main website is www.legardemysteries.com. You can also email me at aaron dot lazar at yahoo dot com to sign up for my quarterly newsletter.
Thank you, Dorothy, and don’t forget to write like the wind.

AWARDS:
WINNER 2011 Eric Hoffer BEST Book, COMMERCIAL FICTION * GRAND PRIZE FINALIST Eric Hoffer Book Award 2011 * 2X FINALIST Global eBook Awards 2011 * Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Award – 2^nd place 2011* Winner of Carolyn Howard Johnsons’ 9^th Annual Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize for Literature 2011 * Finalist Allbooks Editors Choice Awards 2011 * Preditors&Editors Top 10 Finalist * Yolanda Renee’s Top Ten Books 2008 * MYSHELF Top Ten Reads 2008 * Writers’ Digest Top 101 Website Award 2009 & 2010
See also: www.legardemysteries.com / www.mooremysteries.com / www.murderby4.blogspot.com / www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com /www.aplazar.gather.com

Review of Pirate King by Laurie R. King

2011-09-23T19:59:00.002-04:00

Title: PirateKing

Author: LaurieR. King

Publisher: RandomHouse

ISBN-10:0553807986

ISBN-13:978-0553807981

Price: $13.99hardcover; $12.99 Kindle

Author’swebsite: www.laurierking.com

About theseries:

I have longloved Laurie R. King’s books, from my first taste of her writing in THE MOOR, to Kate Martinelli’s dark mysteries, includingA GRAVE TALENT. Without fail, I preorder each newrelease, looking forward to the hardcover arrivals to treasure and store on mybookshelf. Lately, I’ve also ordered the Kindle versions, just to have thebooks close at hand when a stray chance to read presents itself.

Mary Russell,originally an apprentice to Sherlock Holmes and now his wife and partner insolving puzzles around the world, is featured in these books with her eruditeand delightful husband, in a world of high culture and gentle civility. Ofcourse, things are not quite so civil when they run across villains. When thathappens, all bets are off.

The series ismost appealing because of its intellect combined with delectable humor,particularly shown through the pithy dialogue of husband and wife. Mary Russell’svoice is strong – profound, most definitely British, and delightfullyindependent. Her relationship with Holmes, while they dash across the globe tosolve mysteries and rescue innocents, is what hooked me from the beginning,particularly its dry humor and subtle eroticism.

What amazes memost about this author is her ability to set a story in the voice and time of theearly 20^th century, in such a way that readers feel an integral partof that era. And yet, she also has perfected the art of writing contemporary genrecrime stories, such as TO PLAY THE FOOL and the other Kate Martinelli mysteries.I’ve loved them all, including the standalones, but what astounds me the most isKing’s ability to switch between these distinct and very different writingstyles so effortlessly. Both series have garnered high awards in the literaryworld, and both have found space on my bookshelf.

About the newbook:

In THE PIRATE KING, the eleventh Mary Russell book, Russellis challenged to uncover secrets in a nest of villainous characters spanningthe misty shores of Lisbon to the heady-scented harems of Morocco.

Inspector Lestradeof Scotland Yard convinces Russell to go undercover in the film company, posingas an assistant to the director. What happened to the missing secretary? Whywere her shoes found near a ledge, but no suicide note? And what about these rumrunners,cocaine dealers, and arms sellers who seem to be linked with every silent Fflyttefilm that’s ever been produced?

With Holmes unavailable,Russell is rushed undercover in this colorful, crazy world of silent filmmaking,where she is immediately put in charge of a bevy of blonde actresses and is theprimary peacekeeper and runner of errands.

A band of realpirates is hired in Lisbon to act in “the film about a film about pirates” looselybased on Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance. (Although quite complex,the story within a story didn’t bother me, since one of my own books involves adeeply layered story with multiple actors, their roles in a musical, and thestory behind the story that inspired the musical. I was used to thinking inthese convoluted terms!)

Vibrantcharacters, subtle hints, questions that layer one upon the other, they weave atight and fascinating tapestry. Suffice it to say that a complete plotdescription would take up too much room here. You can read more details in theproduct description on Amazon, or on King’s website at http://www.laurierking.com.

As an aside, Idid have one minor complaint about PIRATE KING. I missed Sherlock Holmes in thefirst two-thirds of this book. Mary writes letters to him, but he doesn’t writeback, so we don’t hear his voice or see him for much of the story, and I yearnedfor their witty repartee. He does finally show up, however, and it’s at thatpoint where the suspense and action really pick up. Yes, PIRATE KING has adifferent feel from the previous novels, but is enjoyable in its own right.

Mary Russell’svoice is distinct and unique; it’s what stamps the eleven books with King’ssignature, book after book. As an example, see the following excerpt from a letterpenned to Holmes.

“It may not have escaped your notice that this missivecontains a dearth of data concerning the true reason for my presence, namely, amissing secretary and the illicit selling of cocaine and firearms. Perhaps thatis due to the circumstances of my employment, which is rather that of a personattempting delicate surgery whilst standing in a hurricane.

I shall persist.”

It is Russell’ssardonic wit exemplified in lines like this that always make me laugh out loud.

Some of thelovelier aspects of PIRATE KING—aside from the fun of meeting all of theactors, pirates, and staff—are the delicious descriptions of Lisbon andMorocco. Exotic and intriguing, the sights, sounds, and aromas tantalize. It’sclear that the author has been in these locales (you can read about it on herMutterings blog at www.laurierking.com).

In addition tothe intricately woven plot, King paints delightful portraits of her featuredcharacters, such as Mr. Pessoa, based on a real Portuguese poet from the sametime in history.

“All this talk about pirates had made Mr. Pessoa’s gaze gofar away. Two lengths of ash had dropped unnoticed as his monologue unfurled.Then he looked at me as if in expectation of an answer, to a question I couldnot begin to recall. I felt an absurd urge to lay my head down on the table andgo to sleep. Or to weep.”

One aspect ofKing’s writing that thrills me is the use of certain verbs, such as “…hismonologue unfurled.” How appropriate (since we’re reading about sailing andsails unfurling), and what pure poetry. I love the thought of words unfurling from a poet’s lips.

Russell’s humorcontinues, never failing, even in the most dire situation.

“It was getting on to eleven o’clock; I had not slept afull night since leaving London; I had not eaten a full meal in that same time.I was exhausted and cold and so hungry that the plate of fly-specked objects ona shelf (pies? Boiled eggs? Bundled stockings, perhaps?) made my mouth water.”

I still laughwhen I picture whatever it was on that shelf. Eggs, pies, or stockings?

My favorite linein this entire story, however, again comes from one of Russell’s letters toHolmes.

“Holmes, I am awash in a sea of megalomaniacs.”

And indeed, shewas. Surrounded by film directors, actors, pirates, poets, and spies, thisstaunch and feisty young woman took on more than her share and made Holmes and herreaders very proud.

If you begin toread the book and wonder where the threats are, where the mystery is, when theaction will start, don’t despair. Although the first section is a bit differentfrom other Mary Russell books (albeit enjoyable in its own right), the last pageswill woo you with dazzling tension, heart pounding action, and wonderful imagery.I’ll never forget the image of Russell hanging outside a Moroccan jail cell ona silk rope thirty feet above the cobblestones below, having in-depthconversations with the prisoner inside; it was sheer delight.

If you haven’tread a book by Laurie King, please check them out now. Whether you’re a modernday crime aficionado or a British mystery fan, both genres will fill your daysand nights with superb writing and entertainment. You can find all the books onher website.

- reviewed by Aaron Paul Lazar

2011-09-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

Setting: Your Own Back Yard

copyright 2011 aaron paul lazar

Enroute to my booksigning yesterday in the Finger Lakes region of Western New York, I had the weirdest experience. For a good fifteen minutes, a burning scent filled the car. Acrid. Disgusting. But I couldn't see any source of it - either on the roadside or ahead of me. I kept checking my temperature gauge, concerned that somehow something was going wrong beneath the hood of my one year old Camry. But no smoke rose nor did any weird noises or flames erupt.

Puzzled, I zoomed south on Route 390, driving over the undulating hills with isolated touches of red or bronze flashing in the woods and fields. Fall hasn't come to our region yet, although we've had a few cold mornings lately. It was gorgeous, as always, but I still smelled that strong odor. Could there be a forest fire? Why didn't I see smoke?

I was really getting worried until I flew around a curve and saw the culprit. There, before me, was a giant truck spewing an acrid plume - and I mean PLUME - of gray smoke, so thick that when I approached I could barely see the road.

Fear gripped me, and A headline popped into my head. AUTHOR DIES IN EXPLOSION PASSING BURNING TRUCK. With renewed determination, I carefully passed him, wondering why he wasn't stopping. It was at that point that I saw flames leaping out of the open topped trailer.

How could he not know something was wrong?

I flashed my lights, beeped my horn, got by him, and promptly called 911. He didn't slow down, kept chugging along. With a prayer for his safety, I kept going after the police promised to track him down.

I have no idea what happened and whether or not the cops were able to locate him and stop him before his vehicle blew up, but man, was it scary.

Fortunately, it wasn't an omen of my day to come. On the way to the event, I started to relax again, loving the way the heavy pinot noir grapes hung on the vines in fields by the road, rejoicing in the sparkling aquamarine water of the narrow lake and the quaint cottages dotting the shore.

The booksigning at Heron Hill Winery overlooking Keuka Lake was lovely, especially after the sun came out just in time for us to witness the annual parade of the seaplanes flying low over the lake. I love this place, and I love the people who run it. They are so welcoming, it's like greeting old friends each time I visit.

The pictures above were taken outside the tent where I signed books - also where an annual Harvest Wine Tour took place. The winery is perched high on the western bluff overlooking the lake.

I had lovely conversations with wine and book lovers from all parts of the country, connecting with them in the way only readers and writers can - sharing the love of favorite authors, talking about plots and characters in the sun while sipping wine. It was pure joy.

But one resounding theme kept coming back to me. So many folks love reading about a specific setting or locale. Whether they'd attended school at Geneseo in the Genesee Valley, lived in Rochester, summer camped on the lake, or simply adored this part of the country, they all perked up when they discovered my books were based in the Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley region of New York.

Of course, how can I blame them? There's so much beauty here, it stuns me time and time again, in spite of the fact that I live here!

A friend who suprised me with a visit yesterday said it best, actually. Paul had moved from our region a year ago to the Albany area, headed for a super job, but had to leave his home of many years. He popped into the signing with a big smile. Of course, he had to endure several bear hugs from me.

While we drank the new 2009 dry Riesling and looked over the vineyards and lake below, he mused about someday moving here. On the drive down, he said he was so overtaken by the beauty of the area, it took his breath away and made his heart swell.

I loved hearing him speak about it, because it mirrored my own passion for the area.

My characters do have excursions to Maine and Europe, and will probably tour new parts of the world in the future, but I'm glad I chose to base my books right here in my own back yard. I'm blessed to live here, and thank God every day for the beauty that surrounds me.

Where do your characters live? What settings have you chosen for your scenes? Share below in the comments section, and remember to write like the wind!

Aaron Paul Lazar
www.legardemysteries.com

P.S. We had my daughter's wedding last month in the same region, overlooking Keuka Lake. So beautiful! Above is a family photo.