I am so excited to have Anne Canadeo here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Guest Post and Giveaway.
Thanks Anne and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Purls and Poison Blog Tour!
Please take it away, Anne!
Guest Post
Getting from A to B in a Mystery
I’m the type of writer who likes to work with a detailed outline. Some of my editors require this step in the process, but surprisingly, most do not. They’re satisfied with a brief story summary, 500 words or so, that includes the premise, story arcs and the plot high points. How I get from A to B, and what happens along the way, is my business; the hard work and the fun part too, of writing fiction.
Once I begin to imagine the journey, my outline can get so amazingly detailed and lengthy – tracking the plot scene by scene and even including snips of dialogue --no editor in the world has time to read it. And I feel like I’ve already written the book. Do I really have to explain this all over again?
After publishing over forty titles, including ten Black Sheep mysteries, I’m always reminded that an outline, no matter how detailed, is not a manuscript. It’s only a squiggle on a grid, or a setting on the GPS, a very basic and highly intellectualized path to the pin you’ve dropped on Google Maps.
There is so much more, unseen and unimagined, to discover along the way – houses, factories, city skylines and pastures, dotted with cows. Tacky billboards and beautiful views. There thunder storms and traffic jams, tempting detours and so many twists and turns that can never be predicted. Not to mention the many strangers who will appear and play a part.
I like to think of it as the writing road trip. The destination is set, but the creative process sits behind the wheel, while the writer, yours truly, is merely a passenger.
While writing
PURLS AND POISON, there were so many unexpected moments that reminded me why I sit alone in a little room all day, getting paid to “make stuff up.” When the characters were stunned by a story twist or unforeseen clue, it was news to me, too.
As I followed the basic directions of how Suzanne Cavanaugh’s business rival is murdered, and how Suzanne’s knitting circle rush to her defense to clear her name, I was amazed by the many secrets and complications in the dead woman’s life, and at the bold moves the knitters made to discover them.
It all seemed to unfold before me and all I was just a happy traveler, transcribing the action and dialogue, making notes on the passing scenery.
Are my writing days always so productive and enjoyable? Hardly! Sometimes I want to jump out my office window. (But I know that the fall isn’t far enough to avoid a deadline.)
A wise friend and fellow author just reminded me, “Suffer less, write more.” I think that’s good advice. The easiest way to follow it seems to be by keeping the map handy, but passing the keys to my trusty driver, the creative process, who will always find the most entertaining and compelling path from A to B.
When a fellow Black Sheep Knitter is suspected of poisoning her coworker, the group puts down their needles and takes up their friend’s defense.
Suzanne Cavanaugh has just about had it with her office rival at Prestige Properties. It’s bad enough that Liza Devereaux is constantly needling her at work, but when she shows up at one of Suzanne’s open houses to poach potential buyers, it’s the last straw. No one in the office fails to hear the two snarling at each other.
When Liza is later found dead in her office cubicle — poisoned by a diet shake — Suzanne becomes the prime suspect. It’s soon discovered, though, that Liza had double-crossed so many around town and stashed their dark secrets in her designer handbags that anyone could be the culprit.
The Black Sheep Knitters have no doubt their friend has been framed — but they need to prove it. Stirred to action, they get together to catch a sneaky killer who’s trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes.
About The Author
Anne Canadeo is the best-selling author of more than 30 books, including the Black Sheep and Company Mysteries, and as Katherine Spencer, the Cape Light and Angel Island series. She somehow manages to write a lot, despite many and much loved distractions — such as digging up the garden, hanging out with her dog, trying new recipes, drinking copious amounts of mint tea, eating chocolate and volunteer work in the community. She lives in Northport, NY, a village on the Long Island Sound very much like the settings of her stories. Anne loves to hear from readers. Answering their messages is definitely another favorite distraction in her day.
Author Links
Website:
annecanadeo.com
Facebooks:
www.facebook.com/AnneCanadeoAuthor
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/annecanadeo
Purchase Links
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Powell Books
Giveaway
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792798
Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:
https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/purls-and-poison-a-black-sheep-co-mystery-by-anne-canadeo
