This week: Mystery for Sale or Lease Edited by: Carol St.Ann More Newsletters By This Editor
1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions
ASIN: B00KN0JEYA |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
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“Reading mystery is as fun as writing it. I grew up reading mysteries, as I'm sure many of us did. What little girl didn't read the Nancy Drew series, or for boys, the Hardy Boys. My mother didn't just ensure there were plenty of fictional mysteries to read though--she supplied true crime! Not firsthand exactly, but through the printed page.
I was eleven years old when I picked up a copy of my mother's True Detective magazine. Upon first reading it, I was both repulsed and curious. In any case, I was hooked. I read it cover to cover, and started on the "True Crime" magazine. My mother brought out The Collection then, proud to see another in her midst sharing her passion for true stories of the law out to rid the world of bad guys. Years worth of said magazines were revealed to me, and I pored over the stacks with wild abandon. It was a morbid sort of glee, sure, but glee nonetheless.” —a WDC pal from days gone by
I grew up in the post-WWII era in a neighborhood where everyone’s parents were everyone’s parents. Extended family members belonged to us all, too. My parents and sister and I lived next door to an 80-something gentleman we kids all knew as Grandpa Schumann. He had been a career detective when he was young, or so he said. He regaled us daily with tales of his adventures and oftentimes let us in on captivating secrets about undercover work (that may or may not show up in one or more of my mid-century mysteries). He’d say, “One has to be willing to make a fool of himself.” The payoff could not come if one didn’t do whatever it took to gain trust and information from those in the know. Maybe your detective is likewise as dedicated to breaking the case by any means possible. Or just foolish enough to pull it off.
From Martin Kane and Richard Diamond (1949 radio) to Perry Mason and Dragnet to the Law & Order franchise and Cold Case Files; beyond the books and magazines that continue to feed my curiosity, there are enough movies and films noir to keep me engrossed to the end of time.
Lastly, there are the games. It's been a long time since I've been to a Murder Mystery party but I have "Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective" for those quiet nights when I'm home alone. I spread the map across the table, set up my notepad, pencil and coffee nearby, and begin searching the clues to solve a curious crime and bring a dastardly derelict to justice. I'm not sure if that game is still available. Mine is twenty years old and I have yet to finish solving all the mysteries. It was one of those wondrous treasures only found in a small, antique books bookstore or flea market. Then there are the online sites, stories, and games--a veritable plethora of joy for the Mystery Lover.
You know what all this means? The games, the television series, the magazines, books, movies and internet sites: People love mystery. This is Big Business! There’s something deeply satisfying about the whole process of seeing the dark and frightening unknown brought out into the light where it's blasted apart and we can feel safe again. At least, I think that's why we involve ourselves with such fascination. Maybe our intentions are not so noble; perhaps we live with so much societal morality that our hedonistic darker sides need expression through the vicarious position of the "innocent observer". Or maybe both vague and blatant mysteries are just too fascinating to resist.
Whatever our reasons, justifications, or excuses, if you’re reading this newsletter, it’s a good bet you're drawn to mystery too. You want to write it, read it, and be a part of this fascinating aspect of the literary world. I’m glad you’re here. We are a curious lot aren't we? That curiosity makes us better writers.
Read more of it, write more of it, and be a part of this most interesting world!
Thank you for reading!
One Last Thing!
Remember to nominate great mysteries!
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If you’ve got a mystery in your head:
Try out your mystery chops here:
Flesh it out here:
Workshop it here with dedicated, in-depth reviews:
In the meantime, enjoy this great short and feel free to write in about it and tell me what really happened to the book.
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ASIN: B01DSJSURY |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 5.99
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Every mystery does not revolve around a murder most foul. What mysterious event ruffled your feathers this week? Have you solved the puzzle yet? Tell us about it here. We simply have to know!
Also, if you’ve read a great mystery this past month, please share it here and I may highlight it in my next edition. CSA |
ASIN: B07NPKP5BF |
Product Type: Toys & Games
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