Mary Feliz's Blog

Mysteries often circle around revenge, and become superbly satisfying when bad folks always get their just desserts. But real life often falls short. Until now.

Clever fundraisers are turning negatives into positives just in time for Valentine’s Day. Like Cozy Mystery writers, they’re (figuratively) shoving in the stiletto with a humorous twist. Here’s how:

Homeward Bound pet adoption will ease the sting of a bad breakup by accepting a donation in “honor” of your ex (or a bad boss, pesky neighbor, or schoolyard bully.) You get to name an animal and they’ll neuter it under their special Valentine’s Day “Some things shouldn’t breed” campaign. (They’ll make sure Chad or Travis or Karen gets a good home afterward because animal shelters are all heart.) https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/homeward-bound-pet-adoption-center/neuter-your-ex

When someone is really bugging you, and you just can’t get them out of your head, San Antonio Zoo will (for a fee) name a cockroach (or turnip or some other animal food) after your nemesis and feed it to another animal so nothing goes to waste: https://sazoo.org/cry-me-a-cockroach/

To suitably end a truly crappy connection, a Massachusetts shelter will inscribe a first name on a litter box and post a picture on social media: https://www.secondchanceanimals.org/purr-fect-revenge.../

Feeling the pain from a breakup you can’t shake, especially with Valentine’s Day nearing? Boss making you gnash your teeth? Bully making your life miserable? Your local animal shelter may just be able to solve your problem. Win-win-win.

Indoor tabby cat in sniffs at harness to request a jaunt outdoors.

20-pound adventure cat Charlie is an indoor cat who ventures out only on a leash. But his indoor and outdoor antics are hilarious. I’ll be working on posting updates on his activities more frequently.

Many of you have asked for more Maggie McDonald Cozy Mysteries. My answer is that there is nothing currently in the pipeline, but to stay tuned for more news because that could change any day.

Three years ago, I handed in my most recent Maggie McDonald book, and shortly thereafter learned that my younger sister had been diagnosed with a deadly fast-moving biliary cancer. She lived exactly 150 miles from me, which fit nicely into the California restrictions for driving during a modified Covid lockdown. I visited at least once a month, more often as her disease progressed.

We laughed, we cried, we caught up on organizing tasks, and just talked. My visits gave the rest of the family a break, and they said that no one could make her laugh like I could.

But sometimes owning a powerful imagination can be a b-a-a-d-d thing. I needed to keep my imagination on a short leash and spent a surprising amount of energy working to stay in the moment and not take on any worry that extended into the future. I kept my 94-year-old mom (and other family members) up-to-date on her progress and we learned more than we ever wanted to know about cancer.

And then my mom died. And my brother cut off all communication. And then my sister died. And the combined grief of those and other losses overwhelmed me. It turns out that day-to-day grief healing requires huge amounts of energy, including creative energy. Who knew?

With lots of support, I’m climbing out of that dark hole and back into the light. I’m recovering from pneumonia and starting to think about writing again. I’m not sure where my forward journey will take me — there are lots of options—but “starting to think about it” is forward progress worth celebrating.

Thanks to everyone who has sent me support, good thoughts, and lent me strength and peace and comfort. It takes several villages!

And do please keep in touch. I may be posting some short fiction continuing Maggie’s story, new ventures into women’s fiction, amateur wildlife photography from my beloved Monterey Bay wetlands, and updates on my goofy and adventurous cat Charlie.

Most of the coordinators of today’s big conferences and conventions in the writing world are run by volunteers, most of whom are women.

For years, we’ve asked volunteer coordinators to run the writing world’s big events while juggling family, career, and their own self-care.

It’s important work. It costs huge amounts of money. Publishers, editors, writers, bloggers, hotels, airlines, and fans all benefit. In fact, these stakeholders budget and plan their calendars around these events. Yet none of the work is paid.

It’s an old-school, pre-feminism example of women doing hard work for nothing. It’s professional-level work that is undervalued because it is “women’s work.” Well, women and gay men. Most con planners are women and gay men, even at conferences and conventions where panels featuring white cis-gendered hetero male writers are given top billing, and those featuring women, LBGTQ+ folks, and people of color get sidelined.

We’ve long asked for too big a sacrifice from volunteers. Since Covid, the pressure we put them under has reached a boiling point. No one in their right mind will volunteer to run a conference or convention in the future. And we shouldn’t ask them to. If we continue to want to meet friends, network, and promote our work, we are going to have to hire professionals to run the big events. Which is as it should be.

The need for change

Attendees need to be able to suggest con planners address needed changes—important things like safety and language and accessibility and fairness and pink-ghetto panels and sexist panel titles. About panels featuring LBGTQ+, authors of color, and women that are relegated to bad times or locations or are always opposite the blockbuster humorous panels.

I’m not saying all cons still do all these things. In fact, cons keep getting better and better, thanks to volunteers with broad vision and mad skills. But it is easy for con planners to get slammed and do things the same way we’ve done in the past. We’ve ALL done that.

But why do we have veggie options at banquets now? Because someone complained. Why are more cons wheel-chair accessible? Because someone complained. Why do we have pens to put pronouns on name tags? Because someone stepped up and said it made them feel welcome. Why are folks required to apologize publically for being jerks? Because they made mistakes and someone spoke up.

Why do we still have creepers and predators at cons? Because we haven’t complained enough. Why is one guy in particular who says stuff about women and minorities that NO ONE wants to hear still given a microphone? Why is he not the only one? Because we haven’t complained enough.

2. The need for feedback

We need to be able to say “this could be better” when we see it. When we think of it. Even if it is a really bad time for beleaguered planners to hear it.

As it is now, we feel bad saying anything that might indicate we expect perfection, or are dumping on volunteers who work harder than anyone else we know. When we do say “this could be better” as nicely and as kindly as we know how, we’re told we’re being ungrateful, mean, nasty, rude, bitchy, or worse. We’re told to be kind to the volunteers.

And that’s wrong. All kinds of wrong.

3. Old-School Oppression

Con planners don’t need us to “be kind.” THEY NEED TO BE PAID A FAIR WAGE for the difficult, specialized, and skilled work they do.

The fact that we don’t expect highly skilled administrators who manage very large sums of money and go through hell in normal years (let alone Covid years) to be paid is wrong. The fact that we expect it to be done in their “spare time” is wrong.

No one has that kind of spare time. It costs planners time they’ve committed to career, family, and their own self-care.

If a crisis occurs at home or these volunteers become overburdened, it’s nearly impossible to step down. The pressure is intense. But staying in volunteer jobs we can no longer do well because we’ve broken our leg, received a cancer diagnosis, or lost a loved one is killing us. Literally. And it needs to stop. Now.

4. Event Planning Requires Professional Skills

We need to hire paid professional con organizers. Experts who, through experience, have learned ways to do things quickly and efficiently. We those who, with clout from scheduling multiple cons, can demand an end to the unfair and burdensome contracts that have hog-tied committees during Covid. We need professional-level connections to assure hotel con workers are well treated and fairly paid.

We are not con planners. We are professional writers and editors and publishers and bloggers and marketing professionals. We need to do those things well, not learn, on the job, to run a con, juggling hundreds of volunteers, dozens of vendors, thousands of attendees, and millions of pricey details. We cannot do all things well. And we shouldn’t try to.

5. Cost of change and the cost of avoiding change

Will con attendance cost us more money if we hire professionals? Maybe. But could experienced professionals keep costs low? Probably. Make improvements more rapidly? Likely.

Through experience, I’ve learned that cost is always thrown up as a barrier to doing the right thing. But, in fact, doing the right thing is usually far less costly than anyone imagined.

And can we keep going as we are? I don’t think so. We’re asking for too much.

In any case, it’s time to find out. If that means that it’s time to question whether we have the money to keep cons looking the way they always have, maybe it’s time to do that, too.

6. End Sexist Oppression

Asking women to do for free what other people are paid to do is wrong. Fighting to right those wrongs represents the foundation of the women’s movement. It’s old school, but must be done.

Calling professional women bitchy for suggesting change is wrong. We are better than this, and our conferences and conventions need to be too.

Don't let Covid-19 stop you!  Here are five ways to connect with your favorite authors like it’s 2019, even without fan conferences and bookstore events.

1. Newsletters
Savvy bibliophiles sign up for author newsletters. Encourage your friends and book groups to do the same. Most of us tailor content just for you. 

2. Social Media 
We're all on social media. I spend a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter, and am dipping my toe into Instagram. Warning: my personal Facebook feed may become overwhelming as we near the election. If it's too much for you, feel free to unfriend me on my personal profile (maryfeliz.581) and join me on my author page (maryfelizbooks). My author page always remains politics-free. 

3. Social Media Groups: Cozy Mystery Crew
Last year, I joined one of the oldest and most well-established Cozy Mystery groups on Facebook—Cozy Mystery Crew. Twelve authors of Cozy Mysteries with a flair for murderous mischief and a killer appreciation for our readers. We hang out, kick back, host giveaways, celebrate special occasions, post timely announcements, and dish. On top of all that, you'll get insider information about our characters and series. You'll be the first to know when we have exciting news to share. To join us, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/1757692634274149 and sign up. Answer a couple of easy questions, and you're in. 

Cozy Mystery Crew Authors
Ellen Byron
Becky Clark
Vicki Delany
JC Eaton
Mary Feliz
Tina Kashian
Libby Klein
Olivia Matthews 
Elizabeth Penney
Shari Randall
Linda Reilly
Abby L Vandiver

4. Other social media

These sites create specialized book-related social media connections. Following authors helps them and will help you stay up-to-date with publishing news. Find me at: 

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-feliz

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14904553.Mary_Feliz

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Feliz/e/B01D3SYW3G

5. Blog

Most writers also have blogs, places we tell stories and relay information that might not fit anywhere else. They're eclectic mashups of all the things that interest us. In my case, writing, pets, wildlife, nature, and background about my books. Find me at https://www.maryfeliz.com/blog 

Topics for the last month were: 

Where it all Began: Address to Die For Chapter One (includes a photo and architectural plans for the real-life house that inspired the book)

Smashwords: A Marketing Tools Gold Mine (with tips for traditionally published, self-published, and pre-published authors)

Snowed Under Sneak Peek Chapter One

Joseph Campbell's 17 Stages of Myth (and how they apply to the Covid-19 mask-making process.)

5-Star Review from Book Blogger Brianne

Kirkus names Snowed Under a Top Summer Read

Griffin House, built in 1901 on the grounds of what is now Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, stands in for the new home of the McDonald family in Address to Die For, Book One in the Maggie McDonald Mystery Series.

So many readers told me they enjoyed the “Sneak Peek” of the first chapter of Snowed Under , I posted earlier this month that we’re going back to the beginning today with an excerpt from the first book, Address to Die For . Read to the end to see architectural drawings that I (mostly) followed in describing the house.

“Awesome! I bet it has bats!” David exploded from the car and mounted the steps of the old house three at a time. He peered through the grubby porch windows. 

“Is it haunted?” Brian leaned into my side as we stood in the front yard. I eyed the dust motes cavorting in a light beam that had escaped the shrubs and overgrown trees surrounding the 100-year-old house. I put a reassuring hand on Brian’s curly mop of hair, “I doubt it, honey.” I hoped it was true. 

I swallowed hard and watched my husband Max ease his long legs out of his Prius. Like my minivan, Max’s car was overloaded. We’d packed both cars with everything too fragile to transport in the moving van. In amongst breakables, kids, golden retriever and two cats, we tucked picnic food, cleaning supplies and sleeping bags. 

Today was Thursday. The plan was simple. The movers would arrive tomorrow. Since Monday was Labor Day we’d have four days to get settled. The kids would start school on Tuesday, and Max would begin his first full day at the new job the same day. I was giving myself a month to focus solely on house and family, but after that, I was determined to restart my career as a Professional Organizer, specializing in helping families, teens, and adults with Attention Deficit Disorder and Asperger’s Syndrome. 

Two minutes into the plan, it was unraveling. 

“Max, didn’t Aunt Kay’s lawyer say the house was in turn-key condition?” I stared at the weedy front yard, dusty porch, and drooping gutters and wondered what we’d gotten ourselves into. 

Max’s feet crunched dead leaves that covered ruts in the gravel drive. Belle, our two-year-old golden retriever, bounded to him. 

“Hmmm.” Max tilted his head and squinted at the house. “His exact words were ‘Shines like a showpiece.’” He scratched his head. “A handyman was supposed to be coming a couple of times a week to fix things. The house looked perfect when I saw it in April.” 

Max picked up a dead branch from the front walkway and swiped at a weedy flowerbed, beheading some wild carrots. “Needs a little work doesn’t it?” He took my hand and squeezed it gently. 

“A little work? I’m not sure it’s safe.” I looked at the house again in professional terms, calculating how big a team I’d need to whip it into shape. At first glance, I could tell it wouldn’t be easy. A film of silt covered everything, but that was normal for a dry August day in Northern California – nothing a hose, broom, and some window cleaner couldn’t fix. But I counted three broken windows. 

David poked his battered sneaker at a gaping hole in the floor of the porch—a hole that begged to break the leg of an absent-minded new homeowner. I wanted to gather the kids, jump in the car, and hightail it back to our plain vanilla Central Valley split-level. I was scared. Afraid of spiders, bats, and the huge “to-do” list this ancient house presented, I was even more terrified that Max and I had made a terrible decision and were in way over our heads. 

Max put his hand on my shoulder – his calming gesture. “Maybe it’s better on the inside and the problems are superficial? Let’s wait, take a breath, and check things out before we panic.” 

That was Max. Always confident that things would work out. My approach was the opposite of his. I tried to anticipate problems and organize my way out of them. 

I took a deep breath and pulled my shoulder-length hair into a ponytail. I should have checked the house out myself. We'd peeked in the windows in February before we had the keys, and Max had done a walkthrough in April. Both times, the house looked fine. After that, wrapping up Max’s work, my business and everything else had consumed every spare minute. Pressed for time, we assumed our earlier examinations of the property would suffice. We’d been wrong. Very wrong. 

To read more, request Address to Die For from your local library or buy it from your favorite source for books. Here is a link to order it from Amazon. mybook.to/AddressToDieFor

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Mining the gold from the glut of useless or out-of-date information about modern book marketing can be treacherous, expensive, and time-consuming, but recently I uncovered a free motherlode. 

Last week, Jim Azevedo, Marketing Manager at Smashwords, the world's largest distributor of indie eBooks spoke at my local Sisters in Crime Coastal Cruisers chapter meeting. It was a double-barreled presentation on "Secrets of eBook Publishing Success" and "Ten Trends Impacting the Future of Publishing."  

Here’s a handful of the nuggets I gleaned.

1.     Write a great book

2.     Edit professionally

3.     Use professional cover art

Azevedo’s point in suggesting writers use professional-level work in editing and cover art is that competition is tough. Editing and cover artistry are skills that require a high level of expertise and experience. It is difficult for a prolific author to be a gifted practitioner in all these fields.

Azevedo offered statistics backing up suggestions for maximizing sales, all based on analysis of the sales performance of Smashwords 526,000 titles. 

1.     Series offering first books free sell well—39% better than stand-alone titles and seven times better than series with a first book priced at 99c. 

2.     Pricing books is tricky. Some readers avoid free titles and 99c books while others flock to them. Smashwords recommends authors with series books offer their titles at a variety of price points. Most authors price their work at $2.99 even though those with a $4.99 price tag sell better. Books selling for $1.99 tend to underperform. Novels priced at $4.99 reach four times as many readers as those priced at $9.99 and earn about the same amount overall. (Non-fiction pricing differs. Buyers are willing to pay top dollar for books that promise to give them the information they need. Don’t underprice your non-fiction titles.)

3.     Avoid exclusivity (listing your book on only one platform). Azevedo says readers tend to be fans of particular platforms. If they read your first book on Kobo, that’s where they’ll look for your second title. If they can’t find it, they won’t migrate to another platform, they’ll just be annoyed. Exclusivity also limits your global reach. 

4.     Smashwords offers some features that aren’t available elsewhere. For example, authors who list their books on the Smashwords platform can offer discounts to newsletter subscribers. They can also sell and deliver their books to superfans before the release date. Azevedo took care to explain that these presales differ from the preorders available on Smashwords and other platforms. 

Whether you’re already traditionally published, self-published, or planning to publish, Smashwords has much to offer authors. Including

     Book Marketing Guide https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/305

     Secrets to eBook Publishing Success https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/145431

     Style Guide https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52

    Podcast https://www.smashwords.com/podcast

Online Video Workshops https://www.smashwords.com/about/supportfaq

Slides from Jim Azevedo’s Talk

Recording from Jim’s Talk to Coastal Cruisers

 Want Jim to talk to your writer’s group? Contact Jim at jim@smashwords.com

Note to Readers: This is not an endorsement of Smashwords, as I’ve never used their services. I was, however, very impressed by the presentation Jim Azevedo gave to my Sisters in Crime Chapter in July 2020. This is a review and summary of that presentation. 

Mining the gold from the glut of useless or out-of-date information about modern book marketing can be treacherous, expensive, and time-consuming, but recently I uncovered a free motherlode. 

Last week, Jim Azevedo, Marketing Manager at Smashwords, the world's largest distributor of indie eBooks spoke at my local Sisters in Crime Coastal Cruisers chapter meeting. It was a double-barreled presentation on "Secrets of eBook Publishing Success" and "Ten Trends Impacting the Future of Publishing."  

Here’s a handful of the nuggets I gleaned.

1.     Write a great book

2.     Edit professionally

3.     Use professional cover art

Azevedo’s point in suggesting writers use professional-level work in editing and cover art is that competition is tough. Editing and cover artistry are skills that require a high level of expertise and experience. It is difficult for a prolific author to be a gifted practitioner in all these fields.

Azevedo offered statistics backing up suggestions for maximizing sales, all based on analysis of the sales performance of Smashwords 526,000 titles. 

1.     Series offering first books free sell well—19% better than stand-alone titles and 7% better than series with a first book priced at 99c. 

2.     Pricing books is tricky. Some readers avoid free titles and 99c books while others flock to them. Smashwords recommends authors with series books offer their titles at a variety of price points. Most authors price their work at $2.99 even though those with a $4.99 price tag sell better. Books selling for $1.99 tend to underperform. Novels priced at $4.99 reach four times as many readers as those priced at $9.99 and earn about the same amount overall. (Non-fiction pricing differs. Buyers are willing to pay top dollar for books that promise to give them the information they need. Don’t underprice your non-fiction titles.)

3.     Avoid exclusivity (listing your book on only one platform). Azevedo says readers tend to be fans of particular platforms. If they read your first book on Kobo, that’s where they’ll look for your second title. If they can’t find it, they won’t migrate to another platform, they’ll just be annoyed. Exclusivity also limits your global reach. 

4.     Smashwords offers some features that aren’t available elsewhere. For example, authors who list their books on the Smashwords platform can offer discounts to newsletter subscribers. They can also sell and deliver their books to superfans before the release date. Azevedo took care to explain that these presales differ from the preorders available on Smashwords and other platforms. 

Whether you’re already traditionally published, self-published, or planning to publish, Smashwords has much to offer authors. Including

1.     Book Marketing Guide https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/305

2.     Secrets to eBook Publishing Success https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/145431

3.     Style Guide https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/52

4.     Podcast https://www.smashwords.com/podcast

5.     Online Video Workshops https://www.smashwords.com/about/supportfaq

6.      Want Jim to talk to your writer’s group? Contact Jim at jimazevedo@smashwords.com

Note to Readers: This is not an endorsement of Smashwords, as I’ve never used their services. I was, however, very impressed by the presentation Jim Azevedo gave to my Sisters in Crime Chapter in July 2020. This is a review and summary of that presentation. 

I originally read this chapter to a Zoom audience at a reading sponsored by BookShop Santa Cruz on July 3, with several other members of our local writers group, Santa Cruz Women of Mystery.

I’m Mary Feliz, and I will be reading today from Snowed Under the sixth book in the Maggie McDonald Mystery series.

It’s a cozy mystery, which means I bring you all of the suspense of a traditional murder mystery with none of the gore.

I’ll be starting you off right at the beginning where it’s my job to grab you without letting go. I’ll leave it up to you to decide how well I do that.

Away we go:

Snowed Under, Chapter One

The scene was like every description of a near-death experience I’d ever heard.

I drove through the darkness toward a white light on California’s Interstate 80, east over the Donner Pass toward Lake Tahoe.

Banks of plowed snow towered above the freeway, obliterating what would have been gorgeous mountain vistas if there had been any visibility. What the newscasters had calmly predicted as “winter storm conditions” howled around us, buffeting the car and overpowering my headlights, defroster, and windshield wipers.

Snow obscured =exit signs and wind erased tire tracks. My golden retriever, Belle, huffed warm wet breath in my ear. Her pal Mozart panted beside her. My friend Tess Olmos dozed in the passenger seat.

I didn’t dare pull over, in case what I took for a safe shoulder turned into a thousand-foot descent into oblivion. In weather like this, we’d plummet to the ground and wouldn’t be found until spring.

“Turn here,” Tess said.

Biting my lip, I pulled the car slowly to the right, squinting to distinguish something— anything—that would tell me we’d reached the turnoff for Highway 89 in Truckee, the gateway to North Lake Tahoe’s world-class ski resorts. The swirling whiteness took on a salmon-colored tinge as I drove beneath sodium vapor lights marking the main road that led toward Tess’s ski cabin.

The rhythmic thump of my tire chains slowed as I crept forward.

“You’re doing great.” Tess’s voice sounded strained, as though she spoke through clenched teeth.

What should have been a four-hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area had taken nearly twice that long thanks to heavy rain and a mountain blizzard that had blown through hours earlier than anyone expected.

We weren’t stupid, Tess and I. We’d left early to beat the weather. The storm had other plans.

My eyes burned and my knotted shoulders felt like hardened concrete. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. It was only Tess’s familiarity with the route that kept my tires on the pavement instead of spinning off the road. I inched from one reflective snow stake to the next.

“Okay, there on the left,” Tess said. “Leave the car in front of the garage.”

I looked out at a blank canvas. “I’d be happy to do that if I could see the garage.”

“It’s right there.” Tess pointed into the nothingness. “Wait.” She scrambled in her purse, pulled out a garage door opener, and pointed it past me. I flinched as I heard a muffled grinding right beyond my front bumper.

“Rats,” Tess said. “The door is caked with ice.” She pushed the button on the clicker again. The grinding stopped. I backed out of the short driveway and snugged the car to the edge of the road.

“Ready?” Tess asked, opening her door. Mozart and Belle bounded after her.

If the day had gone according to my plan, we’d already be several hours into our project for the week, clearing out the Olmos family’s ski cabin, preparing it for a quick sale that would help finance a career change for Tess and college tuition for her son Teddy.

With my initial timetable long abandoned and a complete inability to spot a single landmark in the storm, I heaped my trust on Mozart and Tess. Two steps toward the house, one ungainly wobble, and a slip back down the hill. Wash, rinse, repeat.

When we reached our destination, we banged on the door to break up ice that had frozen in the jambs and sealed it shut. In the end, it took the weight of both of us to free it.

My teeth chattered. I was frozen clear through to my bones.

 “Food, fire, a little booze.” Tess said. “I’ll make you Patrick’s grandmother’s hot toddy recipe. Lemon, honey, and a bit of ginger. Cures colds, warms a chill, and is good for what ails you, even if nothing ails you.”

I fed the dogs and filled their water dish.

Crossing to the fireplace, I opened the flue and lit an already-laid fire. Meager flames struggled to gain strength against the cold.

Torn between planting my backside against the fire screen and being swallowed by a voluminous sectional, I chose the couch. The homey sound of a boiling kettle sang out. Tess joined me soon afterwards, handing me a fragrant steaming mug.

“I don’t want to move from this spot,” I told her, grasping the mug in both hands and letting the steam waft over my face and warm my nose.

“But—” Tess began.

 “No. Just no. Tell me there’s no but. But can’t be good. I don’t want to know.”

Tess ignored my protests. “But in weather like this, chances are the electricity will go out. We’ll need to stoke the fire through the night to keep the pipes from freezing.”

The room went dark as if Tess’s warning of an outage had made it so.

We sat in the eerie glow of the fire, listening to the gusts outside. In the absence of refrigerator, furnace, and other modern sounds, the wind noise grew more threatening.

The night ahead loomed long, cold, and dark.

That’s the end of the first chapter and my hope is that you’re now well and truly hooked. And not too cold. A number of reviewers said they put on thick socks and extra sweaters while reading the book, even in the middle of a heat wave.

The story of my adventure as mask-maker to family, friends, and neighborhood took on a mythic flavor. It’s a perfect way to illustrate the 17 Stages of Myth outlined by Joseph Campbell.

This blog post originally appeared July 6, on 500 Words , hosted by fellow cozy mystery author Debra Goldstein.

Covid-19 transformed my life into an epic adventure, aligning neatly with the seventeen stages of Joseph Campbell’s Power of Myth. For added drama, imagine this essay accompanied by music from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or Chariots of Fire.

Ordinary World

My husband and I live with our cat Charlie in a tiny beach condo, enjoying salt air and sunshine.

Call to Adventure

Covid-19, the adversary that never tires, drew close and threatened my family.

Refusal of the Call

Do masks make a significant difference for the general public? Science at first said no. I did too.

Meeting the Mentors

Medical appointments require masks. Patterns pop up in newspapers and on the internet.

 Crossing the Threshold.

I hauled out my sewing machine only to find it covered in rust and mold—the downside of beach living.

Belly of the Whale.

I dive into the internet to order supplies, ignoring my husband and cat. 

Road of Trials

One sewing machine is available to ship from Home Depot. Can I type fast enough to get it? Will it arrive before the crisis peaked? There’s no way to tell. I can’t locate elastic. I order the machine, put elastic on backorder, and sew two masks by hand. It takes forever. I have blisters.

Meeting with the Goddess

A UPS driver delivers the sewing machine. I’m tempted to kiss her feet, but for social distancing.

Woman as Temptress

My sister suggests I ditch the patterns I’ve found. A friend says pantyhose and paper towels form the best shield. Neighbors report that creating masks ruined their sewing machines. They all urge me to give up.

Facing the Abyss

A friend calls. Within the past 24 hours, she’s lost her mother and brother to Covid-19. My adult children live in virus hotspots. My 93-year-old mom is required to wear a mask in Connecticut. A neighboring county reports rapidly increasing cases and deaths. Locals fight to hold the line by wearing masks in public. Suddenly, making masks has more urgency. But I still have no elastic. And only 25 pins.

Apotheosis/Realization

Physician friends tell me masks with ties are more comfortable and easier to adjust than elastic ones. My path forward is clear.

Ultimate Boon

I complete the first mask on the machine.

Refusal of the Return

It’s time to put away the machine, get my 10,000 steps, and prep for the upcoming release of Snowed Under. But making masks is fun. And easier than writing or promotion. I make twenty-four more. 

The Magic Flight – Escaping with the Treasure

In isolation, I’m not going anywhere, but the treasure still makes its escape. I place them on neighbors’ doorknobs, knock, and run away. I send them priority mail, watching tracking details, and living vicariously. 

Rescue from Without

My publicist sends me the Snowed Under marketing plan--with deadlines. I put the machine away.

Crossing the Return Threshold

I knock out blog posts and interviews like a champ, but am still drawn to making masks. I order new materials online. And decide to share my experiences in a blog post.

Master of Two Worlds

New fabric arrives, masks become mandatory, and book-promotion requests pile up. Eventually, I learn to manage both projects. 

Freedom to Live

With everyone I love outfitted, we all have more freedom and more protection from Covid-19. (Hero music crescendo.) 

What’s all this got to do with Snowed Under? For thousands of years, solid narrative structure has created powerful stories that keep readers turning the page and theatergoers in their seats. My job is always to use all the tools I can to create the most gripping stories possible. Did I succeed? Only my readers can decide. But Kirkus Reviews named Snowed Under one of its Top Summer Reads. (See page 174)

Are you making masks? What pattern are you using? Here’s one I used. https://www.deaconess.com/How-to-make-a-Face-Mask I altered the design to make two-inch-wide tie pieces. It uses more material but makes handling the fabric much easier.

I used this pattern for the ones with elastic. https://buttoncounter.com/2018/01/14/facemask-a-picture-tutorial/

Cat as Temptress

As I waited for the new sewing machine to arrive, mask “kits” lined up. Note the book-themed fabric. What the well-outfitted author wears for the modern plague.

Escape with the Treasure: Sharing my masks with the neighbors. This is one household, which is why they are not social distancing.

This review originally appeared June13 on the blog “ Brianne’s Book Reviews. ”

Snowed Under is the sixth book in the Maggie McDonald cosy mystery series written by Mary Feliz. Although I’ve not read the earlier books in this series I decided to jump in with this latest one anyway, as I thought it had a great premise.

Maggie McDonald, a professional organiser is travelling from her home in Orchard View, Silicon Valley to Lake Tahoe in a blizzard with her friend, Tess Olmos to help with the de-cluttering of a cabin, left to Tess by her late husband. Tess is planning to sell the cabin but neither Maggie nor Tess bargained on finding a body buried in the snow. The corpse turns out to be a neighbour of Tess, Dev Bailey, who unexpectedly vanished two months ago. Maggie is keen to focus on clearing the house, but ends up becoming embroiled in the investigation…

Maggie was a wonderfully drawn character and I loved her for her sensitivity, candour and focus. Dev’s murder is a reminder to Tess that she lost her own husband eighteen months ago, and Maggie showed her and her son Teddy great sensitivity, giving them time to make the best decisions for themselves.

The pacing was very comfortable and there was some interesting dynamics going on within the local neighbourhood. Many of the neighbours were potential suspects, making for some fascinating reading. There were lots of opportunities, red herrings and misdirections for me to play armchair detective and Maggie’s and Tess’s dogs, golden retriever Belle and German shepherd Mozart were a definite highlight, too. As the story continues, Maggie’s friend, Stephen Laird arrives with his mastiff, Munchkin, and others from Orchard View, Silicon Valley, including Rocket, a winter skills instructor, to help determine and arrest the culprit. The author is a talented descriptive writer and I felt like I was right there alongside Maggie, watching the blizzards and feeling the bitter cold.

This fabulous cosy was a fascinating cocktail of drama, murder, intrigue and threatening behaviour and I loved the additional subplot which served to enhance the main story very well. The ending was quite a surprise. I look forward to reading more in the series and I aim to start with the first book, Address to Die For. I recommend Snowed Under to those who appreciate well-written cosy mysteries with wintery themes and the camaraderie of a small community.