The Generosity of Other Writers from Terry Shames

I'm so pleased to have Terry Shames on my Travels today! Here's a bit about her and her books:

Terry Shames writes the best-selling Samuel Craddock mystery series, set in the fictitious town of Jarrett Creek, Texas. Her first novel, A Killing at Cotton Hill (July 2013) was a finalist for the Left Coast Crime award for best mystery of 2013, the Strand Magazine Critics Award, and a Macavity Award for Best First Novel of 2013. MysteryPeople named it one of the five top debut mysteries of 2013.

The Last Death of Jack Harbin (January 2013) was named one of the top five mysteries of 2013 by Library Journal. Dead Broke in Jarrett Creek came out October, 2014. A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge comes out in April, 2015.

And now, her essay on The Generosity of Other Writers, something I should blog about more often myself.

Tomorrow night I’ll be appearing at a local bookstore in the Bay Area. It’s advertised as “In Conversation” with another author, Keith Raffel. Ever since I was first published a year ago last July, Keith has kept up a constant drumbeat for my books. There’s no quid pro quo here—he does the same for other writers as well, and as far as I can tell expects nothing in return. Now as it happens, I like Keith’s books and am only two happy to reciprocate. We’re both working hard to make our books stand out in a sea of good books. And there are other authors who do the same thing—Susan Shea, Cara Black, Sheldon Siegel, and Sophie Littlefield to name a few.

I’ve had other writers offer to push my books—in return for doing the same for theirs. I’m not put off by that request. I know that all but the most successful writers struggle to find innovative ways to make their voices heard. Many of us feel embarrassed to beat our own drums. But I read a wonderful thought that made me feel better about it. The writer said not to be embarrassed, that after all we wanted people to read our books. Promotion is just a way to make sure people know about the books. We can’t make people read them or like them—but we can at least introduce readers to them.

That’s why it’s even more precious when a successful writer puts the word out without expectation of return. The first person who did that for me was Carolyn Hart. Speaking to the audience at Malice Domestic 2013, she mentioned my first book as one she had recently read and liked. Since then, I’ve been astonished by the way other writers with thriving careers take time out of their busy lives to promote their fellow-authors. I’ve been gratified when I asked for blurbs from writers I admire and they said, “of course.” For me to try to reciprocate for most of them, who are at the top of the heap, would be like adding a cup of sand to a beach.

The only way I know to pay those authors back is to pay it forward for new ones. I love it when someone at a reading asks me what authors I enjoy. I mention a few of the standards—Deborah Crombie, Michael Connelly, Rhys Bowen, and Hank Phillipi Ryan—but I also make sure to slip in a few authors I’ve recently discovered and enjoyed—Frank Hayes, Lynne Raimondo, JCarson Black, and Lori Rader-Day. People are starting to ask me to blurb their books, and I’ve been really lucky to find some gems: Andrew MacRae and Anonymous-9 to name a couple. I’m delighted to do for them what generous writers have done for me.

Writers are in a hard business—with an emphasis on the word “business.” I think we’re lucky that it’s a business full of generous people, willing to help each other out.

Who are some of the new writers you’ve discovered recently?

Kaye again. I want to tell you a bit about Terry's latest, Dead Broke in Jarrett Creek:  With Jarrett Creek bankrupt and the police department in disarray, Samuel Craddock becomes temporary chief of police by default. Faced with a murder investigation, Craddock discovers that the town’s financial woes had nothing to do with incompetence and that murder is only one of the crimes he has to solve.

Please visit Terry at http://terryshames.com/ to learn more about her and the series.

Guest Today, Mary Black, Prehistory Writer

Mary Black is a fellow writer of prehistory fiction! I'm so sorry I didn't get to meet her when I lived in Austin. But at least we're connected now.

About the Author:  Mary S. Black fell in love with the Lower Pecos more than twenty years ago.  Since then she has studied the archaeology and related ethnography of the area with numerous scholars.  She has an Ed.D. from Harvard University in Human Development and Psychology and lives in Austin with her husband, an archaeologist, and two cats.

Peyote Fire

Shaman of the Canyons

Mary S. Black

www.marysblack.com

Also on Facebook and Goodreads

            Peyote Fire is set in a real place that still exists on the border of Texas and Mexico, only 4,000 years ago.  The same rivers and canyons are still there, the same dry, rugged uplands.  It’s the kind of place that if you’re driving fast on the highway, you’d never notice the beauty and mystery that exists. But if you prowl among the canyons, you discover magical art on the stone walls and other remains left there by the people so long ago. In fact, over 300 rock art sites have been documented in that area by researchers. What were those ancient people trying to say? The art is so abstract and complex, it is difficult for modern people to understand. We just don’t have the same frame of reference.

            That’s what really spurred me to write this book: wondering what the art was all about. Who were those people? What was so important that they wanted future generations to know? The art itself is known as Lower Pecos style and is painted in five colors: red, orange, gold, white and black. Some of the figures could be people, some might be animals, but many others are like nothing we know today.  The pigments were all made from natural minerals.

            The protagonist of my book is painting one of these murals, and you can actually visit it today.  I’ve been lucky to tag along with several archaeologists and others to see these paintings, and hear experts speculate about what they all mean.  Sometimes we think that nobody lived in North America until 1620 when the Pilgrims came.  At least that’s what I was taught growing up, but people have actually been here over 12,000 years! They had to be strong and ingenious to survive.

            Part of what I want to do is expand our understanding of the people who came before us, and tell a good story while doing it. The people in the book tell many stories around the campfire, and those scenes were particularly fun to write.  I based many of these on Native American myths and folk tales, so there are lots of talking animals, but be forewarned, these are not bedtime stories!

A GIFT FOR YOU!

I’m not posting next week, so I’ll try to make it up to my blog followers this week. I’ve had one free audio story on my webpage for some time, but just added a second one today. Two free stories!

The first is a hard-bitten little tale about love gone bad in Texas. The second is about cleanup after Hurricane Katrina. They both have good endings! I hope you enjoy them.

http://kayegeorge.com/

photo from http://www.morguefile.com/