Tuesday, August 9, 2011

High Tea Time! Mmmm, Mmmm, Good

I love the idea of high tea. Even low tea. LOL Any tea is fine with me. Here's a fancy tea pot -- decaff for me or I'll never get to sleep) with an assortment of goodies. The idea of high tea is not to eat *everything* but to nibble. Have a finger sandwich. Have a piece of See's candy (the best chocolate, this side of the Atlantic, in my opinion.) Enjoy a cookie--but that's my downfall. I would keep reaching for that plate until they were all gone! I can't resist cookies. Mmmm.


In the mood to BUY Double Crossing? Click here to go to Astraea Press! But we're not done with high tea.


Okay, let's get down to business while we much. Mystery vs. Suspense - what's the difference? Well, it does matter. A mystery usually involves an amateur detective who either discovers a dead body (well, that would include Lily Granville, right?) who teams up with an official sleuth (okay, Double Crossing doesn't fit.) Either a policeman (in DC, the police believe her father committed suicide) or a detective or some other official. And the reader usually follows along gathering clues or following red herrings at the same time as the amateur sleuth, which gives them the chance to discover the murderer's identity.

Mysteries are also rarely written in "first person Point of View" -- in DC, Lily is the readers' "eyes" since the events are happening to her. The reader gets "hooked" into her character, her emotions, her perceptions or misconceptions and experiences events right along with her, and sometimes can see things coming before Lily. And while I included a murder in the beginning to start Lily's "adventure west," there's more of a sense of potential danger than a lurking serial killer, ready to pounce. And in a "first person POV" style of story, no one else's point of view is revealed. The reader is as unsure of Charles, Ace and Emil Todaro as Lily is.



Now let's talk about westerns. While Double Crossing isn't a "traditional" western, I made certain the "flavor" of the west is included. The train details, the dusty streets of Cheyenne, the "cowboy" Lily enlists to help, all add to that flavor. I loved watching western TV shows as a kid, like Bonanza (thanks, Dad, for sharing your love of them too!) and Gunsmoke, High Chaparral, Wild Wild West and Maverick. I loved John Wayne movies (thanks again, Dad!) and was especially inspired by True Grit, released in 1969. I read the Charles Portis' book in college, and let the premise of a young girl's father being murdered simmer for years.

I started/stopped/resumed and finished writing Double Crossing in 2007. Revised it again completely in 2010, and here it is, for sale. I hope you enjoy my version of "True Grit" on a train!

My good friend Jacquie Rogers, who lives in Idaho and writes western romances, will be stopping by... she's a fount of information about mules, horses, cowboys, costume, etc. and her writing is SO FUNNY! I crack up while reading. Join me for Supper at 8 p.m. and we'll discuss characters and emotions. See you then!

And don't forget to comment! Post your email address to reserve a spot on my newsletter mailing list for a prize giveaway! Send me the order confirmation number if you buy Double Crossing today, and you'll get that cute Kindle or Nook zipper pull! Or put it on your cat or dog's collar instead! Thanks for stopping by!

16 comments:

Patricia Kiyono said...

Thanks for the distinction between mystery and suspense. So what do you call it when one of the two main characters has no idea that there's a "whodunnit" involved? My hero is a PI and the heroine is a suspect.

Enjoying the goodies. You're right, See's candy is the best!

Patty K

Meg said...

If the hero is a PI, and the heroine is a suspect, it still sounds like a mystery -- if he's gathering clues and must SOLVE the case. That's the primary focus. In a romantic suspense, where the romance is primary, it's more danger to hero or heroine with more emphasis on their relationship. Mine is a blend - more danger to heroine and hero, but less focus on their romance in book 1.

Call it a "The Mummy" kind of "adventure" with the romance being resolved near the end. Only mine is stretched out a bit more. LOL

Hope that didn't confuse you!!

Na said...

My mouth is watering already! I'm leaning for the mini-sandwiches.

Congratulations on the release of "Double Crossing"! I do appreciate the distinction on Suspense versus Mystery. I agree where a mystery involves a person follwoing the clues and putting them together to solve them.

I need to read more Western stories and Western history is lively to me because of all the outlaws and wide open spaces.

Meg said...

A great resource to read -- How to Write Killer Fiction by Caroline Wheat. She spells it out far better than I ever could. :-)

Meg said...

Thanks for stopping by, Na! Yes, westerns are very unique. I really recommend Charles Portis' 1968 novel True Grit -- very accurate!!

April said...

Congratulations, Meg! I am so PROUD!

Red

Terra said...

I am not much for tea but the rest looks yummy. I also love a good western movie, show or story.

Terra

Terra said...

Sorry forgot my e-mail address
Terra

Meg said...

Thanks, Red! It's been great. And thanks, Terra! Coffee is good too, as my daughter would attest. I love the smell of fresh ground coffee, but never did care for the taste.

My fave western movie? So far True Grit, both versions, but I have yet to see the one with Viggo Mortenson.

Jacquie Rogers said...

I'll have coffee and sourdough toast slathered with butter for high tea, and you can keep the fancy stuff for the train. :)

Fun party. Best of luck to you, Meg. Double Crossing is a fabulous book!

Jacquie

Meg said...

Thanks, Jacquie! You're a down home country girl at heart. LOL

Maria D. said...

This high tea looks incredible! I would be tempted to eat the plate of cookies too...lol...True Grit is one of my favorite John Wayne films...I too grew up watching old westerns and really enjoyed them.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know there was going to be food! I wouldn't have made dinner. And I'm always looking for an excuse not to do that. :)

Congratulations to you, SC!! So happy for you.

Meg said...

Thanks, Joni! LOL... you should have KNOWN me. I love talking about food.

Karen C said...

Thank you for explaining the difference between mystery and suspense! I loved all those westerns when I was growing up, too.

After lunch, I think I'm going to just have tea, please. Thank you.

kacbooks(at)hotmail(dot)com

Meg said...

Yes, I'm too full myself. But don't those cookies look marvelous.... ;-D

URP. Excuse me. (rearranges plate to hide the missing ones)

Mystery -- I wrote a Lighthouse Mystery and hope to publish that soon. Very different from Double Crossing, where everything happens to Lily.

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