Linking the Past to the Present

by  Jean Henry Mead

I enjoy research, especially when I can link historical events to the present. So when I came across the Teutonic Knights, a group established in the year 1190, as well as the Heart Mountain internment camp of World War II, I worked them both into my recent release, Mystery of the Black Cross. The Teutonic Knights was formed to establish hospitals and escort pilgrimages to the Baltics and the Holy Land. The organization evolved, however, into anarchist groups, abbreviated ABC, which still support political prisoners worldwide.

During this seventh Logan and Cafferty novel, my senior women amateur sleuths discover a black cross painted on their front door, which they learn has marked them for arson, murder and terrorism. The police chief and a rogue detective, who considers himself a latter day Don Juan, figure prominently in the plot, which led me to Wyoming's Heart Mountain internment camp for some 14,000 Japanese during WW II.

I made a trip to northern Wyoming to witness the former internment camp, which I consider a concentration camp. Four of the barracks where the internees lived still remain along with a guard tower. The living conditions were deplorable, and I read interviews with some of the people who had lived there, which I included in the book.

When the war ended, each former prisoner was given a train ticket back to the West Coast and $25 to begin a new life. And Congress finally decided in 1988 and 1992 to compensate the survivors for the loss of their homes and livelihoods. The state of Wyoming also erected a monument to commemorate those who enlisted from within the camp to serve in the army during the war. 

Working both histories into the novel was easier than I had anticipated. I also included some humor and a bit of romance to hopefully balance the seriousness and relevancy to the history we're producing today.

Mystery of the Black Cross is available at http://amzn.to/1X63EHE in digital and print editions. 

What's so Funny?

By Mark W. Danielson

I love humor.  Always have.  That’s why I include it in my stories.  My love of comedy came from growing up with funny people like Jonathon Winters.   A master at improvisation, he could make anything funny.   Johnny Carson and Steve Allen were right up there with their joke-telling.  Red Skelton, Tim Conway and Harvey Korman rarely made it through a skit without busting up.  All Carol Burnett had to do was walk on stage, make a face, and tears of laughter flowed.  Back then, life was simpler and the jokes cleaner.  I miss those days.

I’m not sure when the transition occurred, but nowadays most jokes come at others' expense.  Sarcasm went from Benny Hill’s wit to late night monologues that thrive on criticism and slams.  How many times must Olive Garden and Taco Bell be the butt of their jokes before they retaliate with libel suits?  More importantly, how did we get to where we must bash others to get a laugh?

Sadly, too many of our current entertainers cannot walk on stage without using foul language.  In their defense, they may have been influenced by Richard Pryor, who was a very funny man, but could not deliver a line without the F-bomb.  What these comedians fail to realize is that too much of anything numbs their audience.  What is the benefit in cursing if it is used in every sentence?  For that matter, if cussing is part of your vocabulary, what do you say or do when you get really angry? 

Another downside in mean humor is in how it has affected society.  No doubt some will ask whether modern-day comedy is responsible for our mean nature, or that our mean nature changed how we laugh.  Either way, it is clear that manners and respect have taken a back seat.

Like sex, mean comedy sells.  If it didn’t, it would have faded years ago.  Writers and editors who see mean humor in novels should ask whether it adds to their story.  If their character is upset, then foul language is probably appropriate, but if cursing is overused in your dialogue, you may be turning off your readers.  Humor style can also date a story.

These days there is an abundance of mean humor-inspired television shows.  Whether it is a so-called reality show or one intended as a practical joke, all achieve their laughs at someone’s expense.  Is this really the best we can do?  Have our comedians lost their ability to create something humorous or do they sink to this level to get attention?  Is suppose this is as rhetorical as deciding whether the chicken or the egg came first. 

Laughter is the best medicine for the body and the soul, so laugh it up.  Make it clean and it will be timeless.

A Little Humor, a Little Romance, A Little Murder

A guest blog by Marja McGraw

I write two mystery series: The Sandi Webster Mysteries and The Bogey Man Mysteries. My logo is “a little humor, a little romance, A Little Murder!” It suits my books. They’re lighter with a little humor, and while there is some romance, there are no sex scenes. They aren’t necessary to my stories, and I’m old school – I’ve always felt like anticipation and imagination are much sexier that reading about it with the details all laid out for me.

Some books have sex thrown in just for shock value. It doesn’t progress the story at all. I’ve also read stories where this element was pertinent to the story. In addition, there are books that don’t have any sex and they’re as entertaining as any story can be. I believe that the anticipation of what’s to come can be very titillating, especially when you fill in the blanks yourself. Think about it. John Doe whispered something in Jane Smith’s ear, and smiling, followed her through a door, pulling it closed behind him. Do you want someone to tell you what happened behind that door? Or would you rather dream up your own scenario? Hmm. All kinds of possibilities there.

I have a friend, Shirley Kennedy, who wanted to write contemporary romances. Well, she wrote a good book and submitted it to a publisher. The publisher was interested, but only if she’d add sexual content. So Shirley sat down in front of her computer and started adding sex scenes. It turned out there was a problem. She suddenly realized that as she wrote this graphic, sensual scene, she couldn’t bring herself to look at the computer screen. She looked up, to the right, to the left, and out the window – anywhere except at the screen. She’d been asked to write something that she wasn’t comfortable with. When she told me this story, I laughed. I could picture the whole thing in my mind. Still wanting to write romances, she changed from Contemporary to Regency romances, where she didn’t have to include sex scenes. By the way, Shirley is a terrific writer and now writes other types of romance stories, too.

The thing is, when I laughed at this story and pictured it in my mind, the woman sitting in front of the computer unexpectedly turned into me. Talk about surprising yourself! I write mysteries, and the stories I write don’t involve graphic sexual encounters. They’re about mysteries and solving crimes. They center around the characters and their growth, and they include some humor.

I won’t knock any author who writes graphic material, because there is a market for it – and some of it is extremely well-written. I simply prefer something entertaining and mysterious. I won’t even try to change any minds here. However, I will add that a young woman approached me after reading my first book and told me two things. First, she said that she never, ever reads anything that doesn’t contain graphic sex. Secondly, she said that it was two weeks after she read the book before she realized there wasn’t any sex in it. Draw your own conclusions.
Take a chance and try reading Bogey Nights – A Bogey Man Mystery, which was released in March of 2011. It will entertain you, even without sexual content.

Jean, thank you for inviting me today. I’ve enjoyed my visit.

Website: http://www.marjamcgraw.com/
Blog: http://blog.marjamcgraw.com/
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How much humor in a mystery?

by Ben Small

Personally, I'm repelled by sleuths cracking jokes while they solve a crime, because murder is serious business, but that doesn't mean there's no place for humor in a mystery, does it? I mean, can't humorous things happen to a sleuth while he or she is on the case, and the mystery still be serious business?

No, I'm not talking about wise-cracking cats or flatulence-causing recipes. I mean like some mechanical or electrical idiot -- like me -- partially frying him-or-herself while trying to cut off an alarms system during a sleuthing episode, or missing a nail with a hammer, both of which can be funny as hell while the sleuth, albeit injured, is deadly serious about what he or she is doing. Or how about a perp trying to shoot a victim, forgetting about a safety. Heck, just yesterday, I was at the range trying to shoot a new Romanian AK-47 only to find normal AK mags didn't fit like they should, making the gun useless.

These things happen to the most serious of people.

I'm reminded of the scene in The Treasure of Sierra Madre, where Bogie is debating whether to reach under a rock where he's hidden his stash, when his two partners saw a gila monster crawl under the rock. Funny to them, not so funny to Bogie, who after sweating and cursing, finally decides it's best to be cautious and trust them. You see him reach, hesitate, reach, hesitate, studying all the while their grinning faces, and then deciding it's not worth the risk. Something like this provides both suspense and humor.

Good stuff. Wish I'd thought of it. But then, I'm not that old. First come, first serving.

Or what about the perp who stabbed Monica Seles in the back being hit by the bounce of an errant serve and having the knife knocked out of his hand. Yes, it could have happened, but alas, it didn't. Sure he would have had to have been behind her, perhaps just ready to leap the wall, when BLAMO, the guy is nailed. Good stuff. Too bad it didn't happen. After all, if I remember correctly, the whacko jumped her in between games. But we as writers aren't limited to reality.

We can make stuff up.

One of the things I love about Harlan Coban books is the humor he lays on as his protag is working through the mystery. The guy knows how to make his protag look foolish even while we know he's on a serious mission and eventually will succeed.

On the other hand, there's James Bond, who's always cracking jokes even while his "package" is about to be lasered off at the hands (pardon the pun) of Goldfinger. How realistic is that?

Don't get me wrong: I love James Bond in all his iterations. But Bond's joking in that situation was just stupid. Or maybe I just think so because I'm a guy...

How about you? What and where do you think humor is appropriate in a mystery?

Sword of Damocles

Having failed to murder my neighbor, for the moment at least ― I gotta give this effort some time, since my wife’s now visiting him on a regular basis and I think he suspects I’ve been trying to kill him ― I’m fixing my sights on others who need to go. I’ll be the Sword of Damocles, hanging with my blade ― or a Glock if it suits me better ― by a horsehair over useless people of power. Power To The People, huh? How about reversing that a bit.

Heh, heh, heh. A role I’ll relish.

Targets. Gotta find targets if my blade is gonna swing.

Politicians are too easy. Everybody wants to kill them. I’d have to stand in line. And no lawyers. I’m a lawyer. Put your guns down.

How about realtors? Nobody likes them. And I’ve got a couple in my sights now.

What is it about realtors? They tell you what you want to hear when they’re looking for a listing. “What? You think that trailer with the leaky roof sitting on a fire ant mound is worth three million dollars? Sounds good to me.” Then, as soon as you sign the listing agreement, they start tearing your place down. “Well, you did live in that house, you know, and it only has seven bedrooms. And your marble bathroom floors are slippery. That’s a safety defect. We can’t let anyone walk in there. The market is telling you three dollars is the right price. You should accept that offer.”

And what about the offer/counteroffer scenario? You know these realtors go back and forth on their iPhones and then sit around sipping wine, playing Tetris, and cracking jokes with the office staff until enough time passes that they can call their client and say they had a long, heated negotiation with the other side and their panel of experts.

Negotiation? Hah! Pricing was decided in about three seconds. “Well, increase our offer by a dollar.” The rest of the "negotiation" focused on dreaming up new criticisms to pass on to the seller. “Oh, and your Venetian Plaster looks old. The stuccoing might flake sometime in the next ten years.” Or “the buyers think your chimney may fall on the children next door during the next hundred year storm.” Or “the buyers want you to warrant that no chemicals have ever been used on the lawn.” Or “your view of the lake isn’t the best. You can’t see any fish from any of the third story windows.” Or "the fish look smaller here than elsewhere on the lake." Or "your boathouse is near the water. It may be damp inside." Or "you're on the windy side. A breeze might blow out the buyers' candles."

The realtor's license exam must have a section on creative criticisms, plus one on the art of the smile during a client's disembowelment.

Recently, we had a real kicker. Seems the buyers’ realtor snuck somebody in to look over a house we’re selling. A structural engineer, they told us later. No permission sought. Then the “structural engineer” claimed our deck was unsafe. No report, no reason why. Our realtor called us in a panic, said she’d have to put safety tape across the deck so nobody would walk on it. We should accept the buyer’s low ball offer. “Who is this guy?” we asked. Our realtor hadn’t bothered to inquire, and hadn’t raised any objection to the buyers’ bringing in a “home inspector” without our knowledge or presence. So we did a little research ourselves. Turns out, this guy’s not a structural engineer at all, not even an engineer. Heck, he’s not even a licensed home inspector. He’s some schmo who bought a house just south of ours and then remodeled it. No experience or savvy on what changes pay off, and his place became the proverbial Money Pit. Now he can't sell it; it's been on the market for three years. So not only is Schmo-boy no expert or possess any license as one, he's a competitor. Our neighbor, who knows Schmo-boy and talked to him while he was at our place, says the guy was promoting his place and bad mouthing ours. But do you think our realtor looked into any of this, or even whether there was any safety defect at all?

Hah! It doesn’t work that way. Seems claiming a safety defect where there is none is just another tool in a realtor’s box of tricks.

So why not have a few less realtors? Heck, nothing’s moving in this real estate market anyway. Maybe nobody will miss ‘em.

Arranging this murder should be easy. I’ll just call a realtor and say I want to look at some houses. Give a fake name. But I’ll have to whisper. If I’m overheard, I might be trampled in the rush. Not many buyers these days.

The next step is even easier. We’ll just look at some houses. I won’t touch anything, and I’ll stuff a plastic rain poncho in my back pocket. And then when we get to a really nice house, I’ll unscabbard my sword and go medieval. Slice and dice. Sausage for the doggies.

And the best thing is, other realtors will applaud me. The buyers' and sellers' representatives will get together and register a new complaint about the property: “Well, you know, somebody was murdered on those floors.”