Liz Bugg's Blog

Many authors have been taking part in the #MyWritingProcess blog tour. J. E. Knowles was kind enough to tag me. Check out her novels, The Trees of the Field and Arusha, at her website.

Every writer is answering the same four questions. Some of them really made me think. Here are my answers:

What am I working on?

At the moment I’m doing more thinking than actual writing. I have, however, been working on a couple of short stories and a novel based on my grandmother’s memoirs.

How does my work differ from others in the same genre?

This is not an easy question to answer, so I am going to come at it through the back door. My three novels are mysteries, and they happen to have a lesbian protagonist. That having been said, I try to move beyond what could be the narrow confines of either label. What I am really trying to do in each of the three novels is examine what I consider to be important social issues such as homophobia, gambling and illegal international adoption. At the same time, through the relationship between Calli and Jess, I am chronicling the forward movement of and the attitudes to LGBTQ rights in Canada. I try to achieve these goals through the use of comedy, suspense and personal tragedy.

Why do I write what I do?

If an issue or and idea interests me to the point where I spend time thinking about it in depth, chances are I will eventually write about it. I happen to enjoy crime/mystery stories, so my first three novels took that form, although as I have explained in #2, the mystery aspect was really more of a framework within which I could explore other things.

How does my writing process work?

I am a member of the “iceberg school of writing,” as I suspect many people are. Ninety-nine percent of my writing process takes place in my head, and much of that is unstructured and unbidden. Even when I am visibly working on something, I am not disciplined. I don’t have a routine, I don’t have a specific place to write, I seldom use outlines, and I hate deadlines even though I never miss one. I usually have a vague idea for subject matter. I begin on page one and see where the actual act of writing takes me. I love to be surprised. I also enjoy revising my work 100 per cent more than I enjoy initially writing it, and if my editor didn’t yank a manuscript from my hands, I would probably continue to revise it forever.

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As part of this blog tour I get to tag one or two more authors. I have chosen Lisa de Nikolits, a fellow Toronto-based mystery writer.

Lisa de Nikolits is the author of four novels:
– The Hungry Mirror (winner of 2011 IPPY Awards Gold Medal for Women’s Issues Fiction and long-listed for a ReLit Award),
– West of Wawa (winner of the 2012 IPPY Silver Medal Winner for Popular Fiction and a Chatelaine’s Editor’s Pick)
– A Glittering Chaos tied to win the IPPY Silver Medal for Popular Fiction 2014.
– The Witchdoctor’s Bones was released in April 2014.

Learn more about Lisa at the following links:

www.lisadenikolitswriter.com (website with reviews, photographs and reader comments)
twitter: @lisadenikolits
www.facebook.com/lisa.denikolits
http://pinterest.com/lisadenikolits/
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/Udozes

 

Here’s what I’ll be doing this weekend. Please join us.

Spot-On: “O Canada”, Jan 3-5, 2014

Lesbian Fiction by Canadian authors

Many authors of fine lesbian fiction are actually Canadians and two Canadians, author Rebecca Swartz and Kathy Brodland, will co-host with the bookgeek a weekend where we celebrate those authors. And the authors graciously offered ebooks for a give-away!

Join us at the virtual living room for a weekend full of good books and great authors: http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Virtuallivingroom/

Authors participating will be:

Anne Azel (Tides)

Liz Bugg (Calli Barnow mysteries)

Sarah Ettritch (Threaded Through Time)

Joan B. Flood (New Girl)

Lois Cloarec Hart (Broken Faith)

Benny Lawrence (Shell Game)

AJ Quinn (Hostage Moon, Show of Force)

Tracey Richardson (Last Salute)

Rebecca Swartz (Everything Pales in Comparison)

http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Vengeance-Liz-Bugg-ebook/dp/B00CLIAOSW/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386409519&sr=1-4&keywords=Liz+bugg

Murder & Mayhem

with

Crime Writers of Canada authors:

Liz Bugg

Meg Howald

Nate Hendley

John Cooper

John Simpson

Sharon Crawford

Saturday, October 19, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Du Cafe

885 O’Connor Drive, Toronto

 

Crime and Coffee

with

Crime Writers of Canada authors:

Liz Bugg

Meg Howald

Nate Hendley

John Cooper

John Simpson

Sharon Crawford

Saturday, October 19, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Du Cafe

885 O’Connor Drive, Toronto

 

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Yellow Vengeance
by Liz Bugg

Giveaway ends October 31, 2013.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

The first time I met Catherine Astolfo she was wearing a witch’s hat. It was September of 2011, and as president of Crime Writers of Canada, she was supporting its booth at The Word on the Street by catching the attention of passersby. I was new to the crime-writing scene, and Catherine not only caught my attention, but made me feel like part of the writing community she was so ardently promoting.

Since then I have had the good fortune to become better acquainted with Catherine on both professional and personal levels. Far from being a witch, she is a warm and caring individual who possesses more energy than anyone I have ever met – and she is a talented writer. I was, therefore, delighted to be given the opportunity of reading a prepublication draft of her new book, Sweet Karoline, and of writing a blurb for the cover.

Sweet Karoline is being launched July 14, but in the meantime, here is your chance to find out more about Catherine.

What’s your name little girl?

When I was a kid, I went to Camp Robogey every summer. I didn’t even make up the name of that camp, though I may have invented the spelling.

They taught us lots and lots of camp songs, which we’d holler at the top of our lungs out in the field and on the bus. One of them was called, “What’s your name?” The boy was “Lemme Kissya”. The girl gave a variety of answers, depending on her mood. Such as “Ida Wanna” or “Wanna More”.

To me, having a variety of monikers was not unusual. In our household, we all had nicknames. Admittedly, I was the one who gave out the names, so I guess it’s more honest to say that everyone was called something different depending on my mood.

Beanaball, Dursky, Wild Cherry, Facey…they all meant something at the time. One of my sisters still suffers under the name I called her over fifty years ago: Leedalo. (It’s a long story.)

For me, Catherine meant my parents were not very pleased with me. Which occurred fairly often, since I was the eldest and a spoiled brat. Catherine Lynne was even worse because my mom or dad was taking the time to say the first and second, usually in a rather loud voice.

I was therefore Cathy. To my friends, my family, and to my parents when I was behaving nicely. At school. In the yearbooks. In the newspaper, when I wrote for the Press Club, or got my picture taken with the high school field hockey team.

When I got married, the woman always took her husband’s name. So I did and now I had a different last name. Then I got married again. Repeat. Then I got married again. Kept both that time. (No comments, please, on my former serial marriages. That’s for another blog—maybe.)

Cathy This, Cathy That, Cathy That—Now, Cathy Now. Mr. Now called me Katy, so I added that to the list.

Still not Catherine.

Until my books came along. Catherine, after all, is my legal name. Catherine Astolfo to be specific (having dropped That in common usage). So that’s how my books got published: The Bridgeman, by Catherine Astolfo; Victim, by Catherine Astolfo, and so on (www.imajinbooks.com).

BUT, my different names habit continued and I unknowingly made it very difficult for people to find my books. My blog, I called Katy’s Words (www.katywords.blogspot.com). My website, I called www.catherineastolfo.com. My email uses both: cathy@catherineastolfo.com.

People who are my readers (and sometimes my friends) call me Catherine. It still makes me shiver. But it’s better than having them ask, “What’s your name, old girl?”

 

 

 

 

Every day there seem to be new promotional ideas for authors.  Some aren’t worth the time, effort and money involved. One opportunity, however, recently tapped me on the shoulder, and I felt it was too good to ignore. Robin Spano, author of the Clare Vengel Undercover Novels, asked if she could tag me in The Next Big Thing. I agreed. A reciprocal tag then occurred with writer and artist Uvi Poznansky, http://uviart.blogspot.ca/.

Here’s how it works:  It’s kind of like a chain letter with interview questions. Once you have been tagged by an author, you find five other authors who agree to be tagged by you. Then you write a blog entry in which you answer the questions about your next book and give links to the sites of the people you tagged. It’s that simple.

This is my first opportunity to talk about my new novel, so it should be fun. I wish I had a cover design to show you, but it’s not yet available.

Questions & Answers:

1. What is the working title of your book?

I’m now on my third working title, Yellow Vengeance. Only time will tell if it sticks.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Since the novel is part of a series, the main characters are continuing along with their personal lives, based on what was introduced in previous books. As far as the mystery goes, I’ve always had an interest in the past and in cold cases, and this seemed to be the time to explore those areas in a novel.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

It is technically a mystery, but as always, I hope it goes beyond the solving of the crime to examine particular aspects of the society in which it is set as well as the human condition in more general terms.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

For me, this is the hardest question.  I have always been able to visualize my characters, but they have ever been based on particular actors or people I know.  I actually had to do research for this – kind of a virtual casting call. In the end,  I managed to narrow it down to a couple of possibilities for each.  I’m still not totally happy with my Calli options; that’s why I’ve included three names.  The casting of June was by far the easiest, and I would be happy with either actor.

Calli:                 Chloe Sivegny, Jodie Foster, Keeley Hawes

Jess:                 Michelle Krusiec, Sandrine Holt

Dewey:             Darryl Stephens, Jeffrey D. Sams

June:                Jessica Capshaw, Amy Carlson

Sashi:               Sarita Choudhury, Veena Sood

5.  What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When someone steps out of Calli’s past and hires her to solve a cold case that even the police have abandoned, it leads to personal tragedy, just at the moment her life seems to be coming together.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

My book will be represented by P.S. Literary Agency and published by Insomniac Press in April of 2013.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I wrote the first draft on a part-time basis over about six months.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

As far as the ‘story’ goes, I’m not aware of other books to which I could compare it. Looking at the book as a whole, one could, of course, draw comparisons to the first two novels in the series: Red Rover and Oranges and Lemons. Aside from those, one might find similarities to some of the novels of writers like Ellen Hart, Sara Paretsky or Sandra Scoppettone. I do try, however, to achieve something a little different from other books in the genre through my treatment of current issues, character development and tone.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The most important inspiration, if you can call it that, was my commitment to write a third novel in the Calli Barnow Series. Other than that, I wanted to explore areas of life to which I have a personal connection on some level. I won’t go into detail, because I don’t want to give away too much.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

If you like a mystery story narrated by a very human character, incorporating comedy, danger and personal tragedy, you will probably enjoy Yellow Vengeance.

 

That’s all I have to say about my upcoming novel, but if you’d like to find out about other future releases, please visit these great writers and see what they have for you:

Glynis Smy Glynis is the author of the historical romance, Ripper My Love,and writes for newspapers in Cyprus and the U.K. She also runs the wonderful New Book Blogger website.

Catherine Astolfo Catherine is the author of the Emily Taylor Series of mystery novels. In 2012 she won the Arthur Ellis Best Crime Short Story and the Derrick Murdoch Award for outstanding contribution to Crime Writers of Canada.

Suzanne Sutherland Suzanne’s short fiction has appeared in magazines such as Descant, Dragnet and Steel Bananas. Her first novel, When We Were Good, will be published by Sumach Press in 2013.

Bev Prescott Bev is an environmental attorney, previously enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Her debut novel, My Soldier Too, was published by Blue Feather Books in 2011.

Uvi Poznansky Besides being an accomplished architect, Uvi is an artist and a writer with a diverse body of work. Her most recent publication, Home, is a tribute to her father and cannot be adequately described in this limited space.

 

Message for tagged authors: Rules of the Next Big Thing

***Use this format for your post

***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)

***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is the working title of your book?

Where did the idea come from for the book?

What genre does your book fall under?

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

 

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.

Be sure to line up five people in advance.

 

 

 

First thing every morning I sit down at my computer with a cup of coffee and check my email and other social media sites. I know a lot of people who do the same thing, and it’s a logical step toward our daily interactions in the virtual world, if not in the real one.

It’s when that task is complete that my day starts to deviate from what others might do. I make my breakfast and return to my computer – not the healthiest practice, but I don’t really care.  At that point I log into my Internet Chess site and immerse myself in my first competition of the day.

I’ve always liked games, physical or mental. A number of years ago I decided to explore what gaming options were available on the Internet. If I hadn’t been limited at the time by the capabilities of my computer, I might have become addicted to any number of time-consuming opportunities. As it was, however, I stumbled upon Internet Chess. It had been many years since I’d played the game, and doing it on screen was quite a different experience, but I was soon hooked.

You’re probably wondering why I’m even talking about Chess on a site devoted to writing, so I’ll get to my point. This morning when I was eating and playing, I was also chastising myself for not getting a move on with my writing. Then I started to think about the game of Chess and all that it involves, even at my rudimentary level. It finally donned on me that my enjoyment of the game makes perfect sense. It’s not unlike reading or writing a mystery novel. Yes, you are trying to win the game, but it’s also a constantly changing puzzle; you’re  trying to figure out step by step how you are going to progress, while at the same time anticipating what your opponent will do.

I could go on with the analogy, but then I really would be putting off work. Suffice it to say that this morning I managed to justify my activity enough to maintain my enjoyment in the game.  Although there’s some disagreement on the issue, I side with Alfred Binet (inventor of the I.Q. Test) when he said, “Could we look into the head of a Chess player, we should see there a whole world of feelings, images, ideas, emotion, and passion.” You could probably say that about most people, but it certainly applies to writers.

My home is full of books, some having been with me since my university days and some having been shipped across the ocean in an aluminum trunk when I moved back to Canada from England after attending theatre school. These, along with many more recently acquired volumes,  all  hold a memories.  Although over the years I have told myself that I hang onto them in case they are ever needed, I know it’s the memories that keep their yellowing pages on my shelves.

Since I became a writer (I still pause before claiming that title.), I have felt a responsibility to read not only for pleasure, but also in order to stay current with what is being published in my country, in my genre and by the many other writers I am meeting in person and through social media. In an ideal world this would not be a problem, but in my world, which is far from ideal, other things often take precedence.

It seems as if every day I am notified through one avenue or another about scores of books that have just been published. With the recent self-publishing  tidal wave, new titles appear on the market like never before, and with the growing popularity of e-readers, access to books is easier than ever before. From what I’ve seen over the last year, a person could keep reading non-stop just by downloading ebooks that are free on promotion.

My present ‘to read’ pile.

Recently I considered buying an e-reader. I got as far as deciding on which one I wanted. Then I realized what a disaster that would be. Not only would I have shelves of books waiting in line for my attention, but I would also have hoards of unseen volumes filed neatly away out of sight on an ebook. I decided to save myself a whole bundle of guilt and remain with printed books for now.

Anyway, the long and the short of it is, I am having to learn how to prioritize. Although there are thousands of books I would like to read some day, they will have to wait. For the moment I am being very strict with myself. In order to make it onto my ‘to read’ pile a book must fulfil one or more of the following criteria: written by someone I know, purchased at a book launch, chosen by my book club, won from a giveaway and requiring a comment, or pertaining to my own work. If I can even partially adhere to my own limitations, I will be satisfied. Luckily my arm doesn’t have to be twisted to read the books on my present pile. Now if I only had a few more hours in the day.

Now that Pride celebrations are approaching in many cities and countries around the world, I would like to help with the spirit of the festivities. Although I will be reading on Pride Weekend in Toronto at Glad Day Bookshop (the oldest surviving LGBTQ book store in North America), I have decided to do something more.

ORANGES AND LEMONS, the second novel in my Calli Barnow Series, was published by Insomniac Press this last April. Although some of you may already have a copy of the book, many of you do not. From the date of this post until the middle of July I am running a contest. Two people from anywhere in the world will win a signed, paper copy of ORANGES AND LEMONS. All you have to do is fill in the required information and say a word or two in the comment box on this post. Your email address will not be shown to the public. The winners will be drawn at random on Monday, July 16 by some cool new software I just downloaded.

While you’re here, please have a look around my website. I love to have visitors. Just make sure that the comment you leave is on the Contest Post. I will email you, if you are a lucky winner.

Happy Pride!