I'M LIVING IN THE ROARING TWENTIES

By Kay Kendall

For the last five years I’ve lived half of my life in the 1960s. Life inside my head, that is. During this time I wrote two mysteries—one set in 1968 and the second a year later. Because it was important for me to evoke the time period and get the feel just right, I recycled my own memories from that era, making them as vivid on the page as I possibly could.

Last fall I began writing my third mystery in the series, also taking place in 1969. I managed to get the opening done to my satisfaction--usually difficult for me, but this time, no problem! The opening was great. But then I stalled out. Even though I’d looked forward to writing this particular mystery in my Austin Starr series for a long time, I could not seem to move forward with it.

Then an odd thing happened. In the midst of discussing mystery writing with a friend, I had a brain wave. I got excited about Austin Starr’s grandmother. I could see her, knew what she was like and understood the issues she faced. The grandmother was in her early twenties, lived in small town Texas, and her mystery would be set in 1923. Prohibition was the backdrop and would play a large part in the plot development.

And so my third mystery transmogrified into something altogether different from what I had planned. Suffice it to say that these days my mind is all awhirl, caught up in the roaring twenties.

I can tell you all about the Volstead Act of 1919 that prohibited alcohol production and consumption in America, led to widespread flouting of laws in general, and gave rise to organized crime across the nation.

I can tell you when certain slang phrases erupted into the culture—like jeepers creepers, cut a rug, and tomato--used to describe a comely female rather than an edible.

I can tell you which cars were on the road in Texas in the 1920s and what they looked like.

I can tell you when Time magazine was founded –1923.

Although I miss living half my time in the 1960s, I enjoy the mental change of pace. While the twenties and the sixties were each eras of huge transformation, the twenties in America was a time of optimism (until the Great Crash of 1929), whereas the sixties saw increased gloom, beginning with the Kennedy assassination in 1963.  Of course I don’t know what it was really like to be young in the twenties, but I have steeped myself in its culture for quite some time. My grandparents had a set of World Book encyclopedias published in 1922 that I poured over when I was in grade school, absorbing the culture—the silent movies, the flappers, and all that jazz. Who knows? Perhaps I’ve been waiting ever since then to write about this fascinating time period.

I haven’t given up on the 1960s.  Austin Starr and her grandmother will eventually work together to solve a mystery in the book I have temporarily laid aside. That plot line was already planned. I just didn’t know that I would take a detour back to the roaring twenties before I could proceed with another book set in the turbulent sixties.
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Rainy Day Women by Kay Kendall

 "5 Stars! Kendall delivers a spectacular mystery. The protagonist, Austin Starr, balances being a wife, a mother and an investigator with great skill. This is definitely a coming of age story, for women and for our country. A revolution occurred during the sixties, changing the roles for women, politics and war. She shows it all."  

Treat Yourself for Mother's Day!

By Kay Kendall

In celebration of my second mystery coming out in July, my publisher is offering through Mother's Day my first mystery at 99 cents on Amazon. Imagine--the Kindle version of Desolation Row, for less than a dollar. 

I have officially hit the fun stage for the new book, It is edited within an inch of its “life,” and proof read backwards and forwards. Eight authors read the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) and wrote fantastic blurbs for Rainy Day Women. I'm excited and eager for its birth.

All of a sudden, I’m in a very different life. I had become accustomed to sitting holed up in my (messy) writer’s lair, composing in solitude. Those early drafts are sheer terror. That blank computer screen, waits impatiently to be filled with thousands of words. Sometimes when I've written a few paragraphs that are really tough to pull out of my teeming brain, I stagger to the door out of my cell—er, I mean, writer’s lair—and clutch the frame, stopping to catch my breath. This doesn't happen often, but it does occur. I am astonished at how difficult the early drafts are, and I don't enjoy them. This alone stage lasts a very long time, like forever!

Obviously, this is a stage I must burst through in order to get to the good stuff. I love editing and can do it for hours on end. I love playing with words, choosing just the right ones. I adore working with my editor, and we have conversations back and forth about points I might never have pondered without her questions. This is stage two—with a partner for company, my editor. It lasts only a few months.

Then there is the stage I've just entered now—the third and highly public part. I get to introduce my new baby to the world. Talking about what I put into my mystery is a treat. After all, I wouldn't have written what I did if I weren't eager to share my thoughts with the world. When someone wants to talk about my writing, my goodness, there is nothing better. Ever since I took three years of debate in high school, I have loved public speaking.

Since I already have one book published, I know better what lies ahead for this second one. I am surprised that I am as excited with the new book, however, as I was with the first. With luck, this excitement will never go away for any future books. I never want to grow jaded with the process.

Stage three lasts six to nine months, while the book is new. I go to mystery conferences and meet readers, hold events at bookstores, and generally have a whale of a great time. I came late in the day to my career as a writer, but thank heavens I got here. Better late than never!

Speaking of better late than never, if you've never read Desolation Row, and take advantage of the Amazon Kindle special pricing, then you will be ready when the sequel, Rainy Day Women, launches on July 7.

In the second book, intrepid amateur sleuth Austin Starr searches for a killer of female activists in 1969, a year after Desolation Row took place. A murderer stalks the members of women’s consciousness raising groups at the University of Washington and the University of British Columbia.

During the week of the Manson murders and Woodstock, new mother Austin bundles up her infant son Wyatt—just three months old—and flies with him across the continent to help her dear friend Larissa during her personal crisis. The Mounties have fingered her as their chief suspect in at least one of the murders. More trouble ensues. 

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 Kay Kendall is a long-time fan of historical mysteries and now writes atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit and turbulence of the sixties. She is also an award-winning international PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to the bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. 

The Sixties as Background for Murder

By Kay Kendall

T. Jefferson Parker, the bestselling author of 20 crime novels, once confided to me that his two mysteries that touched on the Vietnam War had “my readers staying away in droves.” He explained, “Needless to say, I never mentioned the war again.” Our paths intersected two years ago at a thriller writers’ conference, shortly after the publication of my debut mystery,Desolation Row. He believed that his readers avoided the subject of a war that Americans know we didn’t win. Were the sacrifices worth it? Let’s just not think about it.

T. Jefferson Parker and me

I knew the subject matter wasn’t popular, but it was a book I had to write. I had to get that one out of my system so I could work on the next subject I felt “called” to discuss, the women’s liberation movement of the late sixties and early seventies. So, the bottom line for me is that even if T. Jefferson Parker had warned me ahead of time to stay clear of the war that many have compared to a quagmire, I would not have paid his advice any heed. The story of Desolation Row had to come to light. I had to write that book so that the others that were waiting in line behind it, more or less patiently, could have their turn too.

The British statesman and philosopher Edmond Burke wrote, “Those who do not know history are destined to repeat it.” As well, how can you hope to understand how we got where we are now when you don’t understand where we came from? Events that happened in the sixties and early seventies still echo down the decades today. Just as some describe America’s battles in the Middle East as “the Vietnam War in the sand,” the upheavals of women’s liberation have not ended. If anything, the subject of women’s place in society is even timelier than ever.

Rainy Day Women launches on July 7, and I can hardly wait. In book two of her saga, this time intrepid amateur sleuth Austin Starr searches for a killer of female activists in 1969, a year after the first mystery took place. A murderer stalks the members of women’s consciousness raising groups at the University of Washington and the University of British Columbia. During the week of the Manson murders and Woodstock, new mother Austin bundles up her infant son Wyatt—just three months old—and flies with him across the continent to help her dear friend Larissa during her personal crisis. The Mounties have fingered her as their chief suspect in at least one of the murders. More trouble ensues.  

I have waited decades to write this book. The women’s movement played an enormous role in my life, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that it underlines everything I do to this very day. Getting the fervor and excitement of the time period right is important. Showing the raw sexism that was exhibited by many men without any hesitation is also vital. Clearly I believe in serving up a little history with my murder and mayhem. Just think--no VCRs, let alone DVRs, no cell phones or personal computers, no Kardashians! A long ago time indeed. 

I wonder if any of the other writers in the Stiletto Gang (those of the right age, that is) participated in women’s liberation groups. Did any of you readers? If so, I hope you will leave comments here about your experiences.  I’d love to know how they compare with mine.

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Kay Kendall set her debut novel, DESOLATION ROW--AN AUSTIN STARR MYSTERY in 1968. The sequel RAINY DAY WOMEN (June 2015) shows her amateur sleuth Austin Starr proving her best friend didn't murder women’s liberation activists in Seattle and Vancouver. A fan of historical mysteries, Kay does for the 1960s what novelist Jacqueline Winspear accomplishes for England in the 1930s–present atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit of the age. Kay is also an award-winning international PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to the bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too.

Cameron Diaz and Women’s Liberation

 by Kay Kendall                              

                                                                               

I don’t know about you, but I feel relieved. Various TV morning shows and a plethora of online sources that follow celebrities’ doings say I can check one thing off my worry list. Movie actress Cameron Diaz “is not going to die an old maid.”

Really? In this day and age, wouldn’t you think that opinion was old hat? What is this—the 1950s?

Lest you taunt me for being frivolous, I assure you my musings are quite serious about the wedding of Ms. Diaz (42) and rocker Benji Madden (35). For the last two years I’ve thought a good deal about how far we women have come, baby, as I developed my mystery set against a women’s liberation background. Rainy Day Women takes place in 1969. Those were early days in what is known now as Second Wave Feminism. (First Wave took place in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, keying on legal issues, primarily women’s right to vote).

From the vantage point of 2015, looking back at the sixties, you could assume the women’s movement had changed many attitudes about appropriate behavior for women. And then you slam into nasty offhand comments about poor Cameron Diaz. Believe me, this actress is no wallflower. Her dalliances with celebrity boyfriends are the stuff of legend. To name only a few, there were heart throb Justin Timberlake, Oscar winner Jared Leto, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, and even P. Diddy  AKA Sean Combs.

With that dating background, Cameron Diaz needs a better commentary on her marriage that took place on January 5. She deserves to be compared to Warren Beatty, famous playboy who settled down with wife Annette Benning when he was all of 55. They wed, had children, and are evidently living happily ever after. When that happened, no one proclaimed he had been saved from a life of sad bachelorhood.

This blog topic was thrust upon me when a longtime pal shared her ire over media jabs at Ms. Diaz. My friend said, “A woman has many other ways to fulfill herself or prove her worth than through marriage. Why hasn’t everyone gotten beyond that narrow, old-fashioned opinion by now?”

Why indeed? Great question.

When I began writing Rainy Day Women, my intent was to show the kinds of issues bedeviling women 45 years ago. They flooded into consciousness raising groups with senses of despair over choices offered them in life—and then left those meetings emboldened to follow their own paths. Despite being called unfeminine or derelict of their familial duties, they set out to take control of their own destinies.

Clearly there are still some people who want women to remain in traditional roles no matter what. Female emancipation still scares many.

My husband likes to tell about the time he was traveling in Asia for business and a male executive delivered a stunning view. “There are three sexes in the world,” the man said. “There are men, women, and American women.” My husband did not find that amusing. Rather, he shakes his head when he tells the story, disturbed at such prejudice.

Okay then, I will now proudly place myself in that third category. If being an American woman means I stand up for my rights as a person then, yes, I will do that.

And as for Cameron Diaz, who has often gone on record as being uninterested in marriage, I would tell her this: “Honey, you just go right on living as you choose. Unmarried, married, or divorced—it is all up to you.” In short, you go, girl! 

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Kay Kendall set her debut novel, DESOLATION ROW--AN AUSTIN STARR MYSTERY in 1968. The sequel RAINY DAY WOMEN (June 2015) shows her amateur sleuth Austin Starr proving her best friend didn't murder women’s liberation activists in Seattle and Vancouver. A fan of historical mysteries, Kay wants to do for the 1960s what novelist Jacqueline Winspear accomplishes for England in the 1930s–write atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit of the age. Kay is also an award-winning international PR executive who lives in Texas with her husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Terribly allergic to the bunnies, she loves them anyway! Her book titles show she’s a Bob Dylan buff too. 

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Stories—Tell Me Yours

By Kay Kendall

I write historical murder mysteries, and my chosen time period is the turbulent era of the 1960s. My work in progress is set in 1969, entitled Rainy Day Women. This time my amateur sleuth, Austin Starr, gets drawn into a murder investigation when her best friend, Larissa Klimenko, is suspected of killing a leader in the women’s liberation movement. The action takes place in those notoriously rain drenched cities of Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Like my debut book, Desolation Row, this second one takes its name from the title of a famous Bob Dylan song. Dylan’s oeuvre is so vast and so comprehensive that I can find almost anything I need to illustrate among his song titles. Luckily for me, titles of creative works are not covered by copy write law. When members of the boomer generation see the titles of my mysteries, almost all of them will know that the books will either take place in the sixties—or at minimum evoke them.

If you are reading this, you may scoff when I say that what I write is historical fiction. It’s not that long ago, you may think. Why, perhaps you yourself lived during that time. That cannot be history.

But, no, it is history. That time is dead and gone. Five decades gone.

Last week I spoke to classes at a community college in Alabama. Only about two in one hundred students had heard the name of Bob Dylan. Moreover, none of them knew why the United States was drawn into fighting a war in Vietnam. And none of them had ever heard of the “domino theory.”

Yep, stick a fork in the sixties. They are done.

One reason I choose to write about that time period is to describe its importance to those who know nothing about it. Reading fiction is an easy way to learn about history.

The other reason is to commemorate and revivify a part of American history that has had far reaching effects. Societal upheaval was so intense in the 1960s that the aftershocks still are felt today. We have only to watch TV news to see the rage called forth by the changing, broadening roles of women to realize that these ideas are not yet settled.

While Desolation Row looks at the consequences of the Vietnam War, the anti-war movement, and personal outcomes from military service...in Rainy Day Women, I explore the hopes for female improvement held by early members of the women’s liberation movement.

Participating in that movement was one of the most important intellectual endeavors I ever undertook. The magnitude of changes that the movement made in me cannot be underestimated. In my daily life, I speak occasionally about this, but I seldom hear others do so.

I know that there are other women whose lives were changed as mine was. I would love to hear your stories.

In my first book I used one real military tale from World War II. I felt it was almost a sacred experience that I didn’t want to disrespect by making up events…although I certainly fictionalized them enough so that no one can tell whose stories they were.

Similarly, in my new book, Rainy Day Women I would like to include a few real memories from real women who participated in women’s liberation groups.

Whatever you’ve got to share, I am eager to listen. Rest assured, I will not incorporate your words into my writing without asking your permission. I hope you will let me hear from you. 

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Kay and her bunny Dusty

Kay Kendall is an international award-winning public relations executive who lives in Texas with her husband, five house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. A fan of historical mysteries, she wants to do for the 1960s what novelist Alan Furst does for Europe in the 1930s during Hitler's rise to power--write atmospheric mysteries that capture the spirit of the age.

Discover more about her at 

http://www.KayKendallAuthor.com