Blog | Maggie King | Mystery Author

Drinkwater’s Folly by James Pendleton

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Looking for something new and different for your blog post? How about mining your acknowledgments page? That’s what I did and, lo and behold, came up with a gem.

I met James Pendleton and his wife when he was signing Drinkwater’s Folly on April 28, 2007, eight years ago today. I told him I was writing a mystery (Murder at the Book Group took me years to write) and he said, “Don’t ever let anyone discourage you.” It wasn’t just his words that have stuck with me to this day—it was his sincerity and forthrightness. And the fact that he came along just when I needed to hear his simple yet sage advice.

I wanted to contact Mr. Pendleton personally to thank him. Since he doesn’t have an online presence I had no way of reaching him other than the old school method: writing to his publisher, Ivy House Publishing Group. As Ivy House is out of business, that turned out to be a dead end. But I have a few other avenues to try before I give up.

In the meantime I’ll send my thanks out to the universe and believe that Mr. Pendleton hears it on some level of awareness. And he will forever have a place of honor in my acknowledgments for Murder at the Book Group.

Drinkwater’s Folly is set in the South during the turbulent sixties. It may not be known to many readers (a sleeper, to borrow movie parlance), but is worth seeking out.

Patricia Randall, the story’s heroine, is bold, intrepid, and ambitious. I rarely read depictions of professional women in the sixties showing these traits. Especially not in the South. And the depiction of race relations seemed more typical of recent decades than of the sixties. But James Pendleton grew up in the South and was an adult during that decade. So his up close views on women and on race issues either differs from what was commonly perceived—or he superimposed the present on the past.

The author also wrote Missing Pieces, his memoir of growing up in the South during wartime; and Nightman, a dark tale of the South, that he co-wrote with Jerome Johnson.

If anyone has knowledge of James Pendleton, please let me know.

Virginia is for Mysteries II: Reunion in Shockoe Slip

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Nancy is a bestselling author. Roger is an expert on Internet security and digital photography. Back in their Tinseltown (aka Hollywood) days they were lovers—but, alas, they weren’t destined to remain a couple and wound up going their separate ways.

Thirty years later they reunite in Shockoe Slip, a historic section of Richmond, Virginia. Roger walks into the Fountain Bookstore where Nancy is signing copies of her latest travel mystery. Nancy is, understandably, stunned when this man she’d left behind years ago and miles away presents his book for her flourish.

So what happens? Is this story inspired by As Time Goes By, that BBC hit comedy starring Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, whose characters meet by chance after thirty eight years with no contact? Or do Nancy and Roger meet for coffee and compete about whose grandchild is the cutest, the most precocious, etc.? Maybe they moan and groan about their arthritis.

If they re-ignite their passion, what do they do about Nancy’s husband? And Roger’s battling a ferocious ex-wife about child custody. No question about it, their relationship will be fraught with complications that didn’t exist when they were single and carefree.

So many choices.

And so starts the story of Nancy and Roger that I just submitted it to the Virginia is for Mysteries II anthology. Virginia is for Mysteries was quite successful and many of its contributing authors are returning for volume two, which we expect to release by year’s end. And then you’ll find out what happens with those reunited lovers, Nancy and Roger.

For the first volume, I penned “A Not So Genteel Murder,” set in the Kent-Valentine House in downtown Richmond. Nancy and Roger’s story (untitled for now) is quite different, but still has a twist that has brought my beta readers up short.

If you haven’t read Virginia is for Mysteries, you can purchase it at your favorite brick-and-mortar store, such as the Fountain Bookstore http://www.fountainbookstore.com. It makes a great gift!

For more information about Virginia is for Mysteries, click here.

Hollywood Huckster is #1

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According to my WordPress year-end stats, my Hollywood Huckster post was my most-visited for 2014. That means it’s worth another look, right?

Hollywood Huckster is the true and entertaining account of TV writer Kevin Hartigan, written by his former writing partner, David Garber.

See the original post here.

Happy New Year to all.

What I’ll tell you about my character’s names … and what I WON’T!

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“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” – from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, 1600

People ask me how I came up with my characters’ names in Murder at the Book Group. The silver screen contributed a number of them. One day I was watching either Little Shop on the Corner (1940) or The Philadelphia Story (1940) and saw the name Wade Rubottom in the credits. He was an associate art director for many films in the thirties and forties. I thought, “What a great name for a character” and I christened one of the book group members Sarah Rubottom.

Edward Dmytryk was a director for many World-War II-era noir films. I might have seen his name in the credits of Murder, My Sweet (1944). His name so intrigued me that I gave it to Carlene Arness’s friend Georgia.

Kat Berenger’s full name is Katrina Alexandra Berenger. Katrina Alexandra was the name of a very interesting teacher I had in high school. Kat is a logical diminutive of Katrina and also reflects the character’s love of leopards. I like the name Berenger and I like the actor Tom Berenger—so that’s how I cobbled together the name Kat Berenger.

Carlene Arness was originally Deanna Arness and I don’t know what prompted me to change her name to Sharon Arness. I do know how she went from Sharon to Carlene—I went to work for a woman named Sharon and I figured it was a bad idea for my victim and my boss to share a name. Even when I left that job I stuck to the name Carlene. As for Arness, likely I was thinking of Gunsmoke. James Arness starred in the popular western that my father watched religiously on Saturday nights from 1955-1975.

The other names pretty much just occurred to me. Perhaps I heard a first name or read a last name and put them together. The names need to sound right and need to suit the character. I picked Hazel Rose for my main character simply because I liked it. My other characters are Annabelle Mitchell, Helen Adams, Art Woods, Linda Miller, Lucy Hooper, Vince Castelli, among others.

Speaking of Annabelle Mitchell: Annabelle is a book group member and a bestselling mystery writer. Her fictional homicide detective is Gloria Shifflett, who operates out of Charlottesville, Virginia. I lived in Charlottesville for several years and noticed that the area teemed with Shiffletts. Regionally, the name is on a par with Smith and Jones and the spelling varies, depending on how many fs and ts are used. Apparently they settled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and were very … well, fertile. Their family tree must be something to behold. It seemed only fitting to have a Charlottesville character with the name. Here is an interesting article on the Shifflett name.

What I won’t reveal is how I use these names (and others) to confuse and mislead. 😉

Readers, can you think of examples of how writers have used names that lead you astray?

Happy reading!

To My Author Mentors: Thanks!

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Early in my writing career, I was advised to study the works of other writers. During the years (and years!) of writing Murder at the Book Group I did just that, analyzing the character development, story structure, and styles of two very different authors: Gillian Roberts (aka Judith Greber) and Joan Smith.

Gillian Roberts is a former English teacher who gave the same occupation to her amateur sleuth, Amanda Pepper. Amanda teaches in a Philadelphia prep school whose students are underachievers from wealthy families.

You’ll enjoy humorous commentary on the trials and tribulations of being a high school teacher as Amanda interacts with students, administrators, and colleagues. Amanda’s dealings with Philadelphia homicide detective C.K. Mackenzie, her innamorato who keeps his full name a secret, also provide fodder for wry humor. And many of us can relate to her family, especially her mother who wants to get Amanda married off ASAP.

Despite the laugh-out loud moments, each Amanda adventure addresses a serious social issue.

Before publishing the last Amanda book in 2008, Gillian Roberts held a contest. Whoever came closest to guessing how the series ended won a galley copy of All’s Well That Ends. I’m happy to say that I was the lucky winner!

Ms. Roberts also wrote You Can Write a Mystery (Writer’s Digest Books , 1999). I still have a copy in my bookcase and refer to it often.

For more on Gillian Roberts, click here

Joan Smith is an English journalist and human rights activist. She penned five Loretta Lawson mysteries, published between 1987 and 1995.

Loretta Lawson is a London-based feminist scholar. She has a reluctant friendship with her ex-husband, journalist John Tracey, who helps with her investigations, and a willing friendship with colleague Bridget Bennet. Loretta is an engaging sleuth who gets involved in murder investigations when she herself is a suspect or when her friends need her aid. And sometimes she’s just curious. The tone of the Loretta Lawson stories is more serious than in the Amanda Pepper series and a menacing mood lends an element of suspense.

Two of the Loretta Lawson novels were made into English TV movies in the early nineties. Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds) played Loretta, Bill Nighy (Notes on a Scandal, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) played John Tracey, and Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) played Bridget Bennet.

For more on Joan Smith, including her bibliography, click here

What better time than Thanksgiving to express my gratitude to two of my favorite mystery authors. You not only entertained me but you taught me much about good writing.

Writers, did other writers inspire or influence you? Have you been an inspiration to a fledgling writer?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!