Pandemic, Protests, and Privilege

By AB Plum

Paraphrasing E.L. Doctorow, “Writing is a socially acceptable form of committing murder.”

I’ve been killing a lot of characters this past month.

Not because the pandemic has demanded much of a change in my life. I, basically, lead a life of privilege. I think killing “the bad guys” is my way of venting frustration about the handling of the pandemic fueled by institutional racism.

Food, good, fresh food, appears on my table nightly. The house where I live provides more than adequate shelter. Walking daily remains part of my routine. I am white, well educated, and healthy (except for a heart condition that puts me in the “Higher Risk” COVID-19 category). One risk I don’t have to deal with:  living in constant fear of the police.

I like to think I’m smart enough to be grateful for my lot in life and to be sensitive to so many others less fortunate. (It sounds self-serving, but I grew up poor as dirt and have never forgotten my deep roots in poverty).

Unconsciously, I write about flawed characters who often are well-to-do. Many of them, though, have memories of being poor, disenfranchised, ill, mentally incapacitated, and marginalized because of race and/or gender.

In my Ryn Davis Mystery Series, she runs a safe house for former prostitutes. With Hispanic surnames, little education, less money, and children with absentee fathers, these women are struggling to learn computer skills that will give them better chances to map out independent lives and to protect their children. None of them has ever met un policia they trusted.

Beau “Peep” Scott earned millions as a drummer in The Stoned Gang. The rock group’s name is apt since Beau burned too many gray cells to take care of his fortune. His parents were drug addicts who neglected him, and he deals daily with people’s sneers about his intellect. He adores Ryn and may be the only man she trusts completely.

Elijah White, former Stanford law school and business grad, successful corporate attorney, and the oldest of five siblings, now runs his own PI business in Southern California. He remembers going to bed hungry. His father was shot and killed by a cop.

Angie, a former Ph.D. candidate in biology and the abused, runaway wife of a Silicon Valley tycoon, is about to hang out her shingle as a vet for the homeless. She lived on the streets when she met Ryn. She shares an affinity with Elijah and Beau for 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles. She also understands classism from the perspective of a trophy wife to a toothless bag lady.

These are a few of my regular characters in the series. I’ve not killed any of them and don’t see that happening in the next book at least. Instead, I look forward to exploring greed, lust, and power as the primary reason for murder—and maybe for most of society’s woes.

***  AB Plum lives, walks, and writes in the heart of Silicon Valley. No Little Lies, her third book in the Ryn Davis Mystery Series hits Amazon on July 6. Preorder here.  

A date with TED

by AB Plum aka Barbara Plum

Between the ages of 4 and 6, I spent every Saturday night with either my grandmother or my cousins. I loved stayovers at both places because reading the Sunday newspapers occupied us from seven to bedtime at nine on Saturday!

First, though, we went "uptown" to the local drugstores and bought 3 different sets of big-city newspapers--depending on whether it was cousins or grandmother.

Times change.

A lifelong newspaper reader, I find myself turning more and more to other sources for news or ideas to satisfy my "fix". In addition to news magazines, books, NPR, and PBS, I read select articles and op-ed pieces online.

Come every Sunday, though, I open my weekly TED app and settle back.

The tactile experience of reading a newspaper and inhaling the smell of ink and paper is offset by the great graphics nearly every outstanding speaker brings to her seven to twenty-minute talk. The visuals bring back happy memories of lying on my stomach as a four-five-six-year-old on Saturday evenings and devouring the comics. There were enough "funnies" to carry over to Sunday after church.

Almost all of those classic strips have disappeared. Dr. Morgan still runs in my local paper, but Mary Worth got axed some years ago.

And what happened to Brenda Starr, model for millions of young girls on the cusp of grasping the idea women could have careers? Brenda and Little Orphan Annie ended in 2011—Annie despite the phenomenal Broadway hit.

My current favorite comic, Red and Rover, may appeal because it feels like the strips I recall from my childhood. Red runs daily in some newspapers, but since it appears only on Sundays for me, it is not addictive.

TED, for me, is addictive, but I limit my dates to 1 hour weekly. Otherwise, I could spend a full day—as I did long ago every Sunday reading my newspaper—listening to TED talks on every topic imaginable and many subjects beyond my imagination.

Hard science, social science, art, history, interpersonal relations, math, brain research, business, education, economics, technology, creativity insights delivered by often humorous but always informed speakers open up a world rarely explored by newspapers.

The only drawback with TED is I don't get the day's headlines. And probably not yesterday's current events either. So, I'm not ready to cancel my newspaper subscription. 

Yet.

****

When AB Plum and her alter-ego, Barbara, aren't writing about murder, mayhem, and romance, they live, work, and read in Silicon Valley--just off the fast lane. AB's latest mystery novel, Through Rose-Colored Glasses, appears on March 6 but is now available for preorder at a discounted price.

New Year, New Decade, New Direction

by AB Plum

Welcome to the New Year, a New Decade, and a New Direction

No writer's block here. 

Gazillions of potential blog topics cry for the Stiletto Gang's "insights" over the next 365 days. This year, the Gang has decided to add a new subject: the craft of writing fiction. We expect to learn a lot from each other. We hope you'll learn a lot about what goes into writing word after word after word to evoke an emotional connection between writer and reader.

First Wednesday of each month

Look for a new craft post the first Wednesday of the month.

I'm up first—sort of like the first baby born each New Year.

Not characters but names …

For me, the quintessential element of all stories is characters (not necessarily human). We could do twelve months on developing fictional characters, but I'm going with names—a subset, really, of that fictional element.

Also, I'm sort of a names nut. I collect unusual names—from fiction, celebrities, and movies—pop culture at large. Magnus, The REal McCoy, Risa, Ryn, Pierce, Detective Nick Ketchum, Bo "Peep", The Stoned Wall, and Lavender comprise some of the characters I've introduced in various of my books. Here are a few basic ideas that drive me in finding the "right" name: 

Names bring characters alive.

I have never written a novel or a short story for which I didn't have the main character's name before I started writing. Knowing that vital information adds dimension to other aspects of that character I'll introduce to readers almost from page one of the novel. Examples of what a character's name reveals to me: inner drive, personality, goals, past secrets, childhood, disappointments, celebrations, etc.

Two of the best examples of characters whose names fit, IMO, appear in Gone with the Wind.

Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler leap off the page when we meet them. The meaning of her name is obvious (to native English speakers). His Old English name means "small stream."

"Small stream" for a force of nature? Scarlett for a woman whose reputation as a flirt grows worse throughout the novel.

Hmmm. You decide if the names fit the characters.

Names connote animals, places, position, status, ethnicity, and more.

Wolf, Paris, Judge, Yuri.

I'm still waiting for a character to step forward for whom I can use Wolf. I know the character type, but I've yet to meet the specific fictional bearer of the name.

Names reflect culture, time, power, ambiguity, certainty, subtlety and quirkiness.

Octavia, Charity, Reina, Madison, Moxie Crimefighter, Eulalia, Audio Science

I'd love to tell a story featuring a character named Audio Science (the first-born son of actress Shannyn Sossaman). Maybe he and Moxie in a romance?

Names reinforce gender, family, history, religion, values, trends, imagination.

Caesar, Murphy, Napoleon, Lourdes, Peace, Hannah, Pilot Inspectkor

Pilot Insectkor apparently comes from an indie song and definitely sparks my imagination. I am still waiting for the right character to claim the moniker.

Deciding on a name for a character—especially for the Main Character(s)—is like naming a child. Making the name meaningful is my first criterion in choosing a handle.

Risa, the heroine in my romantic comedy Prince of Frogs, means smile in Spanish. A pediatrician, she's never met a kid she didn't like. Her smile is so big and genuine that her patients never cry when she gives them their shots.

Nicknames and pet names can add depth, complexity and insight to a character.

Risa enters the world with a mop of orange-red curls. The nurses tie a big pink bow on top of her head and present her to her mother with a flourish, proclaiming: La Ti Da! From then on she's called La Ti Da because she's so full of life, energy, and joy.

A few of my favorite names for fictional characters include:

Elvis Cole (Robert Crais)

Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich)

Spenser (Robert Parker)

Temptation, OH (J. Crusie)

Chili Pepper (E. Leonard)

Scarlett O'Hara (M. Mitchell)

Sookie Stackhouse (C. Harris)

Hannibal Lector (Thomas Harris)

What about you—what are some of your favorite characters' names? Any you hate?

Check back on Wednesday, February 5^th for the next blog on Writing Craft.

****** 

AB Plum, aka Barbara Plum grew up in Southern Missouri. She knew she was in trouble whenever her mother used her first and middle names in one breath. All three names (usually yelled) meant a potential time-out until age 21. Her love of names may have begun with her first puppy, Pickle Puss. Later, ThatCat and YourCat became favorite felines.

Check out her dark psychological thrillers and riveting mysteries :  https://abplum.com/

In the mood for mood for paranormal or contemporary romance:    https://barbaraplumauthor.com/  

Something Rotten in Denmark

By AB Plum

Smell is one of the least used elements in writing fiction. Interestingly, many scientists believe smell is our most primitive sense and can instantly generate deep memories and emotions.

Capturing smells, however, is hard. Yet, in nearly every book I’ve written, I try to tap into smell as a portal into characters’ pasts and into their feelings.

Since I like a challenge, I decided to introduce smell very early in my latest WIP. My goal is to show a strong conflict between the Main Character and her lover. He’s addicted to popcorn--the more butter, the better. She, having popped a ton in the vintage popper she gave him as a birthday gift years ago, fights gagging on the buttery fragrance. Well, she thinks stink.

So, why did I choose popcorn over grilled steak? Or baking brownies? Or fresh roses? Or just-squeezed lemons? Or dirty socks? Or cologne? Or Brussel sprouts? Or millions of other smells?

Answer? From my own memories of weekly trips to my great-grandmother’s house. Spring, summer, winter, or fall, almost as soon as my mother, sister and I arrived, Grannie went to the kitchen and popped a huge pan of popcorn. Sprawled on the floor on my stomach, I ate, listened to the grownups gossip, and felt so loved because Grannie never forgot to make this just-for-me treat.

The fragrance of corn popping brings an instant collage of me and my five siblings scarfing popcorn in front of the TV on Saturday nights. Squabbling over where to set the pan. Claiming, as the oldest kid, the right to hold the pan and mete out servings. Crunching the “old maids.” Feeling comforted by the ritual of using the special pan, having patience while the oil melted, measuring the popcorn, shaking the contents, and then pouring it into the bowl and topping with butter. TV without popcorn? A big waste of time. (I like to think I learned a few life lessons).

Today, a good book is my favorite popcorn-side dish. I’d rather eat cardboard than eat air-popped corn. Same for packaged, pre-popped corn sold in supermarkets. Movie-popcorn--well, the fragrance of the corn popping--ranks as near edible because of all the memories of going to matinees and spending my dime on the tender, fluffy kernels.  (I know the earth is round, and I know that modern movies no longer use the Iowa-grown, hybrid stuff I grew up on).

As for storage, we always kept our unpopped corn in five-pound coffee cans. Still do. Moisture, doncha know? And OBTW, yellow is the popcorn of true aficionados. 

What about you? What’s your favorite smell? What memories and feelings does the smell evoke?

**** AB Plum, aka Barbara Plum, writes dark psychological thrillers and whodunnits, along with light paranormal romance in Silicon Valley. A bowl of popcorn often sits next to her computer for inspiration.

The Joys of Collecting Kids' Pictures Books

By AB Plum

Okay, we all know writers will read anything:

• ·        Bread wrappers
• ·        Installation instructions for electronics
• ·        Op ed pieces
• ·        The daily comics
• ·        Unedited manuscripts
• ·        Edited, re-edited, re-re-re-edited, final manuscripts
• ·        Book contracts
• ·        Downloaded e-doc instructions
• ·        Kids’ illustrated books

Of the above list, kids’ illustrated books rank at my top.

In all honesty, I usually read the illustrations before I read the text. The illustrations most likely influenced me to buy the book. I view them with viewing art. (Most kids’ illustrated books cost more than an e-book, but they’re worth the price, IMO, because they are works of art).

In 2108, for the first time in decades, I didn’t request a kids’ illustrated book for Christmas. No real reason, except I bought two amazing books earlier in the year. And while I re-read my picture books more often than most other books, I turned again and again in 2018 to Cry Heart, But Never Break (Glenn Ringtved, Author. Charlotte Pardi Illustrator) and Duck, Death and the Tulip (Wolf Elrbruch, Author and Illustrator).

In a lyrical combination of words and drawings, these books about death leave me gobsmacked. Both verbal and non-verbal media complement each other and remind me my upcoming birthday is another opportunity to add to my collection in 2019.

What about you? Do you ever read children’s picture books? What’s a favorite one from your childhood?

****

Barbara Plum writes light and whimsical paranormal romance. Her alter ego writes dark and twisted psychological thrillers. She lives in Silicon Valley with her tekkie husband—because she rarely reads instructions for backing up her computer.

No illustrations for The Weird Magic Trilogy Boxed Set (Free for a limited time). Likewise no pictures for The MisFit Books 5-7, but now on sale for limited time. She knows her limitations and would never attempt to draw, paint, or capture a scene with a camera.

Peace to one and all

By Barbara Plum aka AB Plum

At this time of year, my cul-de-sac hops with holiday celebrations:

• ·         Dewali (November 7)
• ·         Hanukkah (December 2-10)
• ·         Yule (December 21-January 21)
• ·         Christmas (December 24-25)
• ·         Kwanzaa (December 26-January 1)

I’m aware many people don’t celebrate at this time of year—for a variety of reasons. But. For family, friends, strangers, and non-celebrants, I send out a personal hope for peace to shine—if for only a moment—in your lives wherever you are.

**** Barbara Plum aka AB Plum lives off the Silicon Valley fast lane but in the shadow of Google. She writes light, funny paranormal romances and dark, gripping psychological thrillers. Both genres provide escape on long winter nights. Find her books here on Amazon and here.

Red Shoes and Magic

Serendipitous—something occurring by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

But what does serendipity have to do with this month’s blog “theme” of red shoes?

For me … a lot since I’ve never owned a pair of red shoes. The closest I’ve come is shocking pink athletic kicks. I’ve worn these neon babies on airplanes, cruise ships, buses, trains, and aerobic dance floors. An amazing number of people have stopped and commented on the color. One woman wanted to know where I bought them.

But. Pink is not red. Ergo, what to write this month?

Well, imagine my jig for joy when serendipity bit me hard. Why?

Because, on August 31, I published BIg MAGiC, a paranormal romance that reveals a new twist on the magical red shoes, love, and a sexy warlock.

A miniature pair of red shoes appears on the cover. The same shoes appear on my website and Facebook pages. In addition, red shoes play a big role in the book. Huge. They belong to Thea Gale, great-great-granddaughter of Dorothy (she of The Wizard of Oz).

In BIg MAGiC, Thea’s shoes are four-inch stilettos—not unlike our former logo. The heels bring her height to just below the chin of the smokin’ hot warlock. He covets those shoes, and she obsesses over him.

Who wouldn’t covet red shoes? Maybe not the stilettos if, like me, your back aches thinking about even slipping them on. But I am now on a search for a pair I can wear whenever I want to feel powerful, in charge, and mesmerizing.

****

Barbara Plum, aka AB Plum, writes light and dark novels about families that can bring us together or tear us apart. BIg MAGiC is Book 1 in The WEIRd MAGiC Trilogy.