K.J. Larsen's Blog

Julianne here!

Hi everyone!  The sisters are together in Chicago, tearing up the town and promoting our debut mystery, Liar Liar.  We're meeting the most amazing people here and we'd like to thank everyone who came out for a signing.  It was great fun meeting you.  You should be well into your first Pants On Fire Detective Agency mystery by now.  We hope you've come to count Cat among your friends. 

A special thanks to Peggy and Jill and all our new BFsF from the Shorewood/Troy Library event.  After the signing, the women (and a few hunky guys) put on a big Liar Liar splash.  We drank a luscious Pinot Noir from elegant Liar Liar wine glasses.  It's truly a day the sisters will never forget.  Hey girls, we'll be back in August with the release of Sticks and Stones, our second book in the Cat Deluca Mystery Series.  We'll bring the chocolate. 

Two weeks ago, the Sunday Chicago Sun Times ran a huge article entitled "THREE CHEERS" in which journalist Mary Houlihan wrote a raving review. 

Liar Liar, co-written by sisters Julianne, Kristen and Kari Larsen, resides in the best tradition of mystery writing.  They've created a smart, sexy and very funny private detective….."

Oh yeah, Mary.  You're getting a big ol' box of Mama's cannoli.  And you can keep the Tupperware.

Almost everywhere we go, people ask some of the same questions.  I'd like to take one on in every blog.

First question: When three sisters write together, is there bloodshed?

Answer: Yes.  And there are band-aids.

Actually, I love writing with my sisters.  If you have a few, I suggest you try it.  For one thing, you only have to be 1/3 as smart as a regular writer.  And trust me.  We can all pull that off.

A writer's life can be solitary.  The only guys that hang out at the water cooler are your dogs.  And there's no office Christmas party where you can get drunk, make out with Freddie from Accounting and die of humiliation until June.

When you write as a sister-team, you can still wear your pajamas.  And you bring more to the water cooler than your dogs.  But the conversation isn't necessarily better.

In my Dad's last blog post, he mentioned how many of our reviews have stated that people who like Janet Evanovich will love Liar, Liar (an amazing compliment by the way!).  He went on to discuss the interview with Janet Evanovich.  I read the interview as well and found it interesting how she started much the same way we are starting now.  We primarily hit local independent mystery book stores and the crowds aren't too large. Evanovich seemed a little distraught about the size of crowds in her interview. I have to say though, for us three sisters the small crowds are nice. We get to really meet and know all of you. We get to make new friends and that's much better than just signing a book. Although it is an amazing mystery book now, isn't it : ))

Until next time!

- Julianne

PS -

Check out our newest rave reviews at http://kjlarsenauthor.com/books/liarliar/reviews/ 

Become a fan on facebook at KJ Larsen

Follow us on Twitter @KJLarsenauthor

Dad here again.

Well, I didn't do very well at getting back "soon" did I? It must be close to a month since I last wrote and I probably wouldn't have gotten to it tonight if I hadn't met the family at Wally's Chowder House in Des Moines, WA for some good food!

As a family, we all play key rolls in the KJ Larsen support team and the enthusiasm really helps kick me back into gear.

By coincidence I read an interesting Janet Evanovich interview today. Turns out the whole Evanovich family supports Janet's efforts, too. One more thing the KJ Larsen sisters have in common as they are compared to writing books like Janet Evanovich. We like the good company of our families!!

We all know that Liar, Liar's rave reviews have stated that fans of Janet Evanovich will love the Cat DeLuca series. In addition, the rave reviews for Liar, Liar also state that fans of Lisa Lutz or Lisa Scottoline will love KJ Larsen. This leads me to wonder, are Lisa Lutz and Lisa Scottoline's families also heavily involved in their mystery novel success? I'd imagine so!

Last time I promised to explain what I meant when I said that if Arlene (Mom) and I had had the insight we could have predicted the 3 Sisters would end up doing something artistic like they are now, writing great murder mystery novels.

The Larsen family lived on Delridge Way in Seattle for several years. We had a cement floor basement with the stairway located right in the middle so you could walk all around it. Or roller-skate! If it was raining outside, and it did occasionally in Seattle, we could hear them skating to songs they made up. If the 3 Sisters were quiet they were often making up stories. Arlene and I would sneak a listen occasionally. Of course, at age seven or eight the girls weren't creating Liar, Liar quality, but their creative minds were really working.

We moved to Chicago when Kari was in the fifth grade. Kristen was four. That's when mom bought them their first Nancy Drew book. They really focused their creativity on mystery. Kari told Mary Haulihan of the Chicago Sun Times all about it. If you haven't read the Chicago Sun Times review, do it.

Another fun Kristen memory. We had 33 rpm records with fairy tales she loved to listen to. We marveled that it only took a time or two before she knew every word and began to "act" out the story and saying her words with at least as much dramatic expression as the professional reader, probably more. Kristen was a natural and thanks to their beautiful mom, pretty as a picture like her sisters. For a while acting became Kristen's life goal. She played lead rolls in high school and college. Then felt called to ministry. She's the kind of preacher and pastor that makes a dad proud.

Juli's gifts, while every bit as strong and essential to the team, are different. Also attractive and attention getting as a child, Juli didn't write or dramatize her thoughts like Kari and Kristen did. But her wheels were turning every bit as fast. A year in an OPEN Concept Classroom at Timberline in Lacey, Washington kicked her creativity into high gear. In addition to writing and contributing to forming the story line, Juli is the ultimate editor and nothing but the very best meets her stamp of approval.

So now you know why "KJ Larsen" is producing the absolutely best books today in their genre. Period. Now, I couldn't be even a bit prejudiced on the topic, could I? Doesn't matter. Still true.

Dad

Hi!  Dad Here…

If you are a parent of several kids or are one of several siblings you know that a large family is never dull.  And when teen years come, parental anxieties come with them.  Kids get hurt and your instinct is to protect them.  Though we have six, Arlene and I never lost any sleep over football or boxing injuries. All six are girls. (Before you guy readers start feeling sorry for me remember how daughters love spoiling their dads.) But with dating, girls become vulnerable. At least I thought so. They would go out for the evening agreeing to an 11:00 or whatever deadline and most of the time almost make it. We would go to bed, read for a while and at 10:30 or so kiss good night and Arlene would turn over and soon be sound asleep. I would continue reading with my eye on the clock more than on my book. At five after 11:00 I'd start praying. Sounds a bit naive doesn't it.

Kari, Kristen and Juli, the three murder mystery writers you are getting to know through their writing (the other three are Lynn, Roxie and Diane), are doing delightfully well as authors. Being compared with some of the most popular in their genre, like Janet Evanovich, Lisa Lutz and Lisa Scottoline is really an affirmation of the quality of the results when three gifted women combine their gifts into one. Interestingly, they had never read Janet Evanovich before their editor mentioned it. Of course I immediately got one of Janet Evanovich's mystery books and I personally don't see that much similarity to the Cat DeLuca series.  Liar, Liar's heroine, Cat DeLuca, is a lot more believable and interesting to me. Of course, it is just barely possible that as their dad I'm a bit prejudice. But even though I am prejudiced, if I took a poll I think you would agree with me.  Let's do it. Give me a shout through the sister's website or facebook or twitter.

Thinking back, remembering when they were little kids barely in school, if we had had the insight to interpret what we were seeing, we could have predicted the three would end up doing something much like they are now as they write together. I'll tell you about that but it's getting late and I'm getting sleepy so that will have to wait till another time.  I'll get back to it soon, I promise.

 A very proud dad…

- Harold Larsen

I've just come off a week's vacay in Chicago. I'm convinced that Chicago in the summer is the best vacation destination there is.  And since I live around here, that's really saying something.

The occasion was that one of the sisters came to visit for a week.  (This is a sister you haven't met yet. There are six of us all told in our family. She's not one of the authors. She's the good one.)  So when she told me she was coming, I decided to take the week off to introduce her to the sights, sounds and tastes of Chi-town. And in the process, I fell in love again with this glorious city.

Right now in particular, Chicago is a steaming hot place to be. Our mystery book, Liar Liar, takes place in the Chicago southside neighborhood of Bridgeport. Just an inch outside Bridgeport's boundaries is U.S. Cellular Field: home of the White Sox. And if you are a baseball fan, you know how hot the Sox are. And since Chicago is a baseball town, the energy in this city is rockin', particularly the southside.

Now, here's the thing about Bridgeport.  Since the neighborhood is almost entirely residentially zoned, it's not going to be your vacation destination. It is, however, a go-to place to eat a wide variety of excellently prepared cultural foods on a budget. In the mystery novel, much of Cat's time revolves around fueling up on Italian delights and this is one of Bridgeport's specialties. Gio's Café and Deli should not be missed. I tell you this as a friend.

But while Bridgeport may not be your destination, all around it is. You've got the loop. You've got the shoreline. (What other city has the entire length of its shoreline open as public parks?) You've got world-class museums. Millenium Park.  And for those who love the night life, well, you might first think of blues and jazz, but the truth is, whatever your flavor, Chicago will excel in offering it to you.

I'd love to hear your favorite Chicago haunts. Especially those that fly under the radar. There is just so much this city offers that even after a non-stop week, I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. But like any great mystery novel, it keeps drawing you in.

- Kristen

Hi everybody, it's Julianne.

I wish someone had told me…

When my sisters and I wrote our debut mystery novel, LIAR, LIAR, we didn't have a clue that the easiest part of the whole experience was writing it.  And trust me, that was no picnic in the sun.   Working with three sisters, all with different ideas of where the book is going was challenging.  But nothing compared to getting it published and setting up the publicity.

We all have our gifts.  One on one, face to face, I am fine.  But the thought of calling people on the phone and asking if we can do a signing at their book store, makes my palms sweat, even as I type.   Now, I am sure to most people, this doesn't sound like that big of a deal.  To me, it's gut-wrenching agony.

Book signings are important.  They're an easy way to get your books into stores, posters in their windows and your new novel's book cover on their website.  All in all, it's a great way to get your name out there.  And even if you do not sell many copies at the book signing, if you make a favorable impression with the staff, they will be much more likely to push your book for you.

So, every morning I get my palms sweaty and my calls made.  My sister Kari is glued to her computer working to meet the deadline to get our next Cat Deluca mystery out by the summer of 2011.  Kristen is busy in Chicago, doing mystery writing of her own.  Our wonderful father who just celebrated his 80th birthday, is passing out bookmarks to everybody he meets.  Our nephews, Marcus and Bill Higbee have made this amazing website for us.  Bill is the glue that keeps us all together and organized somehow. (a complete miracle in itself.) 

We, like Cat, have an amazing family.  The support they give is incredible.   There's no way we could do it without them.  The excellent adventures of Cat DeLuca and her Pants On Fire Detective Agency are written on their backs.  (Just the best parts, of course.)

Hi, Kari here!

Earlier this week I posted my first 4 tips to getting your murder mystery published from my recently distributed article.  As promised, I am now going to share the final four tips.

Remember, if we 3 sisters can do it, so can you!  Our debut mystery book, LIAR LIAR, is scheduled for release September 2010. My sisters and I signed a two book contract with Poisoned Pen Press and are completing the second mystery novel in the Cat DeLuca series now.

Without further ado here are tips 5 through 8 for having your mystery fiction writing published:

5 –      Write authentically.  Write from that place within you that loves the mystery. Know your readers want to be entertained. They want to experience suspense, laughter, sadness, anticipation, tension, fear, relief, and (finally) satisfaction when they read your book. It's your job to take them there.

6 –      Write a sharp, eye catching query. Send out a bunch of them. Keep writing fiction while you wait for responses. Work on your next book. It'll keep you from getting too crazy. Don't isolate yourself. You are part of a community of writers. Attend writer's workshops, book clubs and classes. Use every resource you can think of to improve your skills and publishing odds. 

7 -    Go after every rejection slip. Find out why you were turned down and if your manuscript needs fixing, fix it.

8 -    Manuscript preparation tips. Publishers may discard your manuscript just because the punctuation and poor spelling irritates them. Editors have a bunch of anal-retentive rules. Take them seriously. If you need help, hire a starving college student or copywriter.

Well there you have it. The bottom line is to find your passion and stick with it. Sounds cliché, but we all know it is true.  We'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Drop us a line or send us an email.

Now good luck and get writing!

Hi, Kari here!

We three sisters are green in the community of published authors. Our debut mystery book, LIAR LIAR, is scheduled for release September 2010. My sisters and I signed a two book contract with Poisoned Pen Press and are completing the second mystery novel in the Cat DeLuca series now.

People often ask how we beat the bleak odds so I decided to publish an article highlighting 8 Tips to getting your mystery murder published.  Following are my first four tips. I look forward to sharing the rest next week.  

My first 4 tips to writing fiction and getting your mystery book published:

1)     Design a book jacket with the name of your novel, drape it over a hardback book and carry it with you. Picture your published murder mystery on the shelves of bookstores everywhere. Imagine radio and television interviews, rave reviews in the New York Times. This exercise may not work magic on the publisher but it'll help you get through the devastating rejections that are almost sure to come. Most importantly, it will cement within you the certain knowledge of who you are. You may have to do this or that to pay the bills, but what you are is a writer. Tell people you know and those you meet on the street. The gods are listening.

2)     Read. Read the mystery novels that are being published today and get a feel for what readers want. Read as many debut author books as you possibly can and try to figure out how they escaped the editor's evil recycle bin. Read with a writer's eye. Decide what works for you and what doesn't. Above all learn to identify the energy that is unique to the mystery genre. If you can't feel it, you haven't read enough. If you still can't feel it, you may want to try another genre. 

3)     Write a crime fiction book that sells. For the time being, forget about the book you've always dreamed of writing and write one that sells. You can write that other book after you've established a fan base that'll follow you anywhere. One good thing about writing a book that sells is that your ego is less likely to get in the way.  

Here's another exercise. Visualize that you're in an airport or park and people are reading your book. They're smiling, or chewing their lip and they gasp when they get to the scary part. Your book is a hit. Appreciate everyone who will ever read one of your books. Now think of your book as a gift to the universe. That thought alone will help you write larger than yourself. 

4)     Give the readers what they want. Mystery readers are smart and savvy. They want a unique plot and a quirky hero who'll amaze them with uncanny crime-solving abilities. They want clues that work and a clean, fast paced delivery. Throw in the ah-ha moment and a blockbuster finish. When you write, forget about what you think the publisher wants. Make it fun and write for the joy of it.

Come back next week for my final 4 tips to getting a murder mystery published.

Now good luck and get writing!

WOOT WOOT! Three sisters are doing the happy dance!

Here's what happened.  A couple of days ago, 2 email messages popped up with "Liar, Liar" in the subject line.  Both were from producers of reputable (oh yeah, baby, we checked them out) companies looking to find out if the film and television rights to the murder mystery book were available!

After about a million OMG's, it was time to deal with the obvious question. Why inquire about movie rights when they haven't even read the mystery book? Scrolling down, it turns out that Publishers Weekly just did a review of Liar, Liar and it rocks! Yes, I did say Publishers Weekly: That God-love-em trusted authority in all things book reviewish.

Here's what they wrote:

Liar, Liar: A Cat DeLuca Mystery

K.J. Larsen, Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (246p) ISBN 978-1-59058-725-6; $14.95 paper ISBN 978-1-59058-727-0

Cat DeLuca, owner of Pants on Fire Detective Agency and member of the large and largely dysfunctional DeLuca family of mostly honest Chicago cops, makes a strong first impression in Larsen's comic, sexy debut. Inspired by her own marital experience with cheater Johnnie Rizzo, Cat nails cheating spouses or follows suspected cheaters like Chance Savino until she nails them. Explosions like the one that puts Cat in the hospital and supposedly kills Chance get everyone excited and lead to more fireworks. Mama DeLuca thinks Cat is crazy, brother Rocco thinks she needs protection, and Chance makes unexpected appearances that only Cat sees. Larsen surrounds her heroine with lots of Italian food, handsome men, and resourceful family members. Things turn deadly serious when a client turns up dead, and someone wants Cat off the case permanently. Larsen (the pen name for sisters Julianne, Kristen, and Kari Larsen) should appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich and Lisa Lutz. (Sept.)

Now, it's probably not that big of a deal. Two producers just putting out feelers. For all I know, that's just how it's done in Hollywood. First on base. Toss out a query. Nothing too serious. They probably send out a dozen a day.

But damn. Damn! It feels good. And its my first email ever from Beverly Hills, CA.

- Kristen

WOOT WOOT! Three sisters are doing the happy dance!

Here’s what happened.  A couple of days ago, 2 email messages popped up with “Liar, Liar” in the subject line.  Both were from producers of reputable (oh yeah, baby, we checked them out) companies looking to find out if the film and television rights to the murder mystery book were available!

After about a million OMG’s, it was time to deal with the obvious question. Why inquire about movie rights when they haven’t even read the mystery book? Scrolling down, it turns out that Publishers Weekly just did a review of Liar, Liar and it rocks! Yes, I did say Publishers Weekly: That God-love-em trusted authority in all things book reviewish.

Here’s what they wrote:

Liar, Liar: A Cat DeLuca Mystery

K.J. Larsen, Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (246p) ISBN 978-1-59058-725-6; $14.95 paper ISBN 978-1-59058-727-0

Cat DeLuca, owner of Pants on Fire Detective Agency and member of the large and largely dysfunctional DeLuca family of mostly honest Chicago cops, makes a strong first impression in Larsen’s comic, sexy debut. Inspired by her own marital experience with cheater Johnnie Rizzo, Cat nails cheating spouses or follows suspected cheaters like Chance Savino until she nails them. Explosions like the one that puts Cat in the hospital and supposedly kills Chance get everyone excited and lead to more fireworks. Mama DeLuca thinks Cat is crazy, brother Rocco thinks she needs protection, and Chance makes unexpected appearances that only Cat sees. Larsen surrounds her heroine with lots of Italian food, handsome men, and resourceful family members. Things turn deadly serious when a client turns up dead, and someone wants Cat off the case permanently. Larsen (the pen name for sisters Julianne, Kristen, and Kari Larsen) should appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich and Lisa Lutz. (Sept.)

Now, it’s probably not that big of a deal. Two producers just putting out feelers. For all I know, that’s just how it’s done in Hollywood. First on base. Toss out a query. Nothing too serious. They probably send out a dozen a day.

But damn. Damn! It feels good. And its my first email ever from Beverly Hills, CA.

- Kristen

Hi Everybody. It's Julianne. I just got back from a whirl-wind trip to Chicago for three fabulous weeks.  Time flew by working with Kristen on our second murder mystery in the Cat DeLuca Detective Series.  Book 2 is scheduled for release Summer 2011.  Of course, we also played a good part of the time in our mystery detective's residence of Bridgeport. 

I love Bridgeport.  This south Chicago neighborhood is rich with history and brimming with people who love to share what they know about this amazing community.  We were invited to several homes and met some new fun friends along the way.  Everyone was pleased to welcome P.I. Cat DeLuca's Pants on Fire Detective Agency to Bridgeport.

We visited the Old Neighborhood Italian American Club (I think I spotted Uncle Joey there), caught a White Sox game and played Bingo at St. Barbara's Catholic Church.  Any trip into Bridgeport wouldn't be complete without lunch at Polo's Nut and Candy Café.  Personally I think Polo's serves the best food in all of Bridgeport and there's a lot of great food to choose from.   We also hit a Blues bar.  There is nothing like Chicago Blues.  Don't get me wrong, I love every kind of music, but there is just something special about sitting in a dark smoky bar, listening to someone sing his troubles away. 

Of course the best part of Chi-town is being with my two sisters who live there.  A blessing of coming from a large family is that most places you go, you'll probably have a relative that lives close by.  You just have to hope it's someone you like. 

So now it's back to rainy Seattle, where we are busily scheduling September and October mystery book signings.  We're wrapping up another exciting adventure for the Pants on Fire Detective Agency and thinking of a name for mystery book 2.  If you have an idea, send it over.  So that's what's been going on over on my end recently.  Life is an adventure!