Road Trips and Writing Tips

Left Coast Crime was held in the Camino Real Hotel in downtown El Paso this year.  Downtown El Paso must have been something in the middle of the last century. There are all manner of large and handsome buildings, but many are unoccupied, or mostly so. The Camino Real is an elegant exception. The Tiffany glass dome above the bar is worth the exit from Interstate 10 if you're ever in the area. 

I suspect the conference was a greater success for me as a mystery fan than a promoter of my own books. My panel didn't draw well, not surprising given the competition and our less than compelling name--Native Americans and Canadians in Detective Fiction. I managed to pick up more autographed books than I can afford, or have room for, and even signed a few of my own.

My wife and I took a break one afternoon and walked down to the border. The US side looks like the Mexican side used to--open front shops and stalls filled with tourist "bargains" and the streets were crowded with shoppers. We wandered away from the main drag and over toward the Rio Grande.

It's still flowing, but with people, not water. We walked along a dusty street toward where a boxcar stood on a siding. Beyond that was a Border Patrol vehicle and a chain link fence at the river's edge. On our side of the boxcar, half a dozen men crawled out of a storm sewer and through the chain link surrounding it. My wife is a military brat. She thinks rules are supposed to mean something. Me too, I suppose, though I wasn't as surprised at the result when we told the Border Patrol officer about the people behind the boxcar. He chatted with us for long enough to be sure the they'd had time to disappear into nearby streets and alleys before going to look. And then he never got out of his vehicle. We wandered over to the fence. Clusters of people lined the far side, waiting for their chance. While we stood there, one walked by a few feet below us. He looked up, gave us an embarrassed smile, and held up his hand in a peace sign. I waved. The Border Patrol officer watched from his vehicle a block away. Can you say Homeland Security? I can't.

The new Sisters in Crime branch in Sierra Vista, AZ partnered with their library for a book fair the last weekend in March. I drove down for a couple of panels on a cold, windy day. The flow of immigrants isn't so noticeable in Sierra Vista, with Ft. Huachuca just across the way, but it was a hot topic. Especially since the arrival of the Minutemen (volunteers, or vigilantes, coming to assist in patrolling the border) was imminent. Fittingly, they began operation on April 1--All Fools Day. So far, they've even caught some illegals, though I suspect the law enforcement resources required to keep an eye on them and those protesting their presence have allowed even more in, and worse, more drugs.

I was approached at both Left Coast and Sierra Vista by writers who had finished novels and wanted to know the secret to selling them. That's not a tough question for me. The answer is, "I don't know." I've long since come to realize that people who ask this don't want to hear how I did it. My way took too long. They want the secret, and the only ones I've learned are hard work, patience, and persistence. Which doesn't mean I haven't learned things that might help. Here are some:

  • Arrange to be born to famous parents.
  • Make sure you or your family know someone influential in the publishing business.
  • Become famous before submitting your manuscript.
    (Note: If you're writing about serial murders, I don't recommend committing a few first, though it would probably help sell your book. The problem is you won't be in a position to enjoy it and you may have eliminated potential readers. Eliminating readers is not recommended. There are too few already.)

Or, do it the hard way, the way I did. W rite the very best novel you're capable of, and, when you finish it, revise and rewrite it several times. Find a few readers who care enough about you and good writing to offer serious criticism, then consider their suggestions and rewrite some more. Then start contacting agents and publishers with the best query letter you've ever written--one page only. Don't wait to hear from your first query before sending out your second, etc. Then, good luck. For what it's worth, I'm increasingly coming to believe that good writing eventually finds its way into print. But not without a pretty amazing effort from the author to get it there.  

All good things from Baja Arizona,
JMH April 3, 2005











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