murder.booklocker.com

According to Nancy Martinez, (Readers Advisory):

“We held the first fair in 2004 and anticipated interest from perhaps 10 to 15 authors. We were astonished when we had requests from over 60 authors who wished to participate and it was still two months until the fair! Since then, we conduct a lottery each year to determine our participants.”

I was impressed with the care which Martinez had lavished on the event: there was an authors’ hospitality room, a set of balloons tied to each author’s chair, a flyer (with more balloons) announcing the author’s name in large print at each individual table, as well as a map for visitors with each author’s name and location. In addition, the library website included links to each author’s website (also more balloons!). I was amazed that there were several no-show authors — just empty tables — except for the balloons and the signs which told you who was supposed to be there. The staff handled this by moving the authors who had showed away from the empty tables to where the action was. To my mind, it was a gesture of respect.

I’ve only found one post so far by an author who participated in the fair. She makes several points which I’d like to consider for a moment. One, she laments that although this was her third book signing, she had no sales. While I agree that as authors we’d like to sell books, I think she’s discounting the amount of goodwill that was generated. I suppose that the folks that I talked with about writing would have prefered that I had purchased a book and been on my way. But at some point, shouldn’t it really be about more than just sales?

Two, the author wrote in her blog:

“I had a dish of candy that many people, children and adults,took the liberty of stealing while grinning slyly at me, obviously not interested in my book or, as far as I could tell,any of the books in the library. It made me wonder why they had come.”

I’m not sure this needs a comment!

Three, evidently the author felt that her book cover (which seems to me to be a white mask cracked at the top of the skull) suggested a book of horror:

“Many of my visitors didn’t seem to distinguish at all between horror and mystery, and none of them really wanted to hear what I had to say about it. The people who did ask questions seemed to do so out of a perverse desire to make me talk; then they’d nod and walk away. It was an odd experience, to be sure.

She followed this with the comment:

And next time I’ll know to have some sort of little typed slip describing my book in a paragraph, so that when people look at the cover and say, ‘Oh, I know what this book is about,’ I’ll say ‘No you don’t,’ and press the text into their hands.”

I looked through the bookmarks, business cards and postcards that I brought home and cannot find anything about her book. Perhaps she had something for me to take away and I chose not to. But then again, maybe she really did need to have something “describing her book in a paragraph.”

SPOILER WARNING!

The discussion questions reveal the ending to the book. If you have not yet read, PARK RIDGE: A Senior Center Murder, please consider before reading on.

Question: Teresa’s presentation for the conference in Springfield uses portions of the videotapes and her own observations and conclusions. What purpose does the paper serve in the novel?

First off, for those that might not have read the book YET (hint, hint), the videotapes refer to five minute recordings made by students from Northwestern University. They asked each participant to respond to a single question: “What is the most significant activity you participate in here [at the Senior Center] and why?” I included partial transcripts from most of the murder victims as well as each killers in the novel.

In my mind, at least, these passages give us glimpses into the “real” person, particularly the killers. In the taping of the video each person is alone with the videographer. No one else listening in. Because of this, Jack can say, “Margaret and I could take those two easy.” Which is significant, considering that his partner is Ellie, NOT Margaret. We also learn that Jack was married and is a widower.

We also get a window into the thinking of the victims. For instance, Ben Wilson (retired car salesman) says: “First, you make your assessment of the person. What’s he got that you want? Second, you know what you want – either to sell a car, maybe a certain car – or you need an act for the show or for somebody to sing tenor in the chorus. Third, you need to know what the other person wants. Then you figure the odds of getting what you want based on who you think that person is and what they want.” Which is the first big clue as to the motive behind the killings.

So, answer number one, the fact that Teresa is choosing tapes and making excerpts from them for her presentation makes their reproduction in the novel possible. Answer number two is that the conference presentation analyzes the situation, makes some assumptions, and allows the reader an opportunity to agree or disagree with Teresa’s conclusion.

[NOTE: full text of the discussion questions for PARK RIDGE may be found on the author's website.]

Do you ever feel that there is simply way too much going on in too many places? I just found out that November is National Novel Writing Month. Who knew? I did a quick search (all I had seen was the phrase) and came up with some things to share:

Interview with the founder, Chris Baty (elsewhere he is described as “a twenty-something caffeine-addled writer who wanted merely to ‘democratize novel-writing, and bring the empowering, hands-on joys of artistic creation to everyday lives around the world.’ ”

A blog entry by an author who actually wrote his novel, Greetings from Buena Rosa, as part of the contest

A blog which supports NaNoWriMo (a peculiar designation which when translated means National Novel Writing Month) as an opportunity to write a “practice” novel.

Last, there’s a page with lots of comments from participants.

The goal is to write 50,000 words in thirty days — about 1700 words a day.