In this section, J.M. Hayes intends to shed a little light on himself and his writing buddies, with occasional ponderings, wanderings and wonderings, as well as presently a selection of news items that may remain of interest to readers interested in a glimpse into the nuts and bolts of "the writing life."
To kick off things, he's conducted a couple of interviews with two of his favorite fellow mystery authors: Elizabeth Gunn and Betty Webb.
CONVERSATIONS WITH AUTHORS
A Conversation with Elizabeth Gunn
A Conversation with Betty Webb
PUT TO THE PAGE 69 TEST
In December 2007, J.M. submitted Broken Heartland to the Page 69 Test, Marshal Zeringue's amazing blog ( part of the much larger Campaign for the American Reader blog).
The test dares authors to judge their own book, not by its cover, but by its page 69. No muss, no fuss, no context -- just one single page to weigh the relative merits of a sin, an "independent initiative to encourage more readers to read more books."
J.M. handles the task with his typical blend of integrity and wit.
In June 2007, J.M.'s was informed that his 2004 novel, Prairie Gothic, had just made a "Best of" list, although he confessed it's one he'd perhaps "rather not be eligible for." A friend just sent him a copy of the June 4, 2007 New York Magazine. On page 56, the article (also blurbed on the cover) is titled "The Best Novels You've Never Read: Sixty-One Critics Reveal Their Favorite Underrated Book of the Past Ten Years," by Katie Charles."
The kind and generous (and perceptive) John Orr of the San Jose Mercury News picked Prairie Gothic. "It's no easy trick to write about America with a clear eye for its faults and with warm humor. Mark Twain managed it, and so does J.M. Hayes, with admirable wit in the face of horror."
Authors are supposed to promote themselves. That's so we sell enough copies of our books to keep our publishers happy and, with luck, avoid living in dumpsters during our golden years. My most recent effort is Southwest Crime Ink.
Southwest Crime Ink is a group of four Tucson mystery writers: Elizabeth Gunn, Susan Cummins Miller, J. Carson Black and myself. We've been friends for years. We critique for each other. If you put us together in front of a crowd, we're a ready-made event.
We debuted at one of Tucson's libraries. We drew well, had a swell time, and no one got bored enough to walk out. Next up, bookstores. Our first mistake was probably taking our act so far on the road. We went to Sedona, where the four of us drew a crowd of three. These are not good odds for profitable book marketing. More readers turned out for our next try, a Tucson Borders. Unfortunately, the store only ordered paperbacks for one of us. Guess how many of us sold any books?
In spite of our spectacular start, we're determined to keep trying. Watch this space for future outings.
Oh, and if you don't like our name, don't tell us. Imagine only if you can, how hard it is to get four creative writers to agree on a name. As soon as one of us found a good one, someone topped it. And, of course, we all liked our own ideas best.
Finally, we developed a complicated voting system that didn't let us pick our own suggestions, and we promised to stick with it. I'll keep you posted if that changes.
Regardless, I'd like you to meet my partners in Southwest Crime Ink. To find out more about them, just click here or go to their individual web sites.
Elizabeth, Susan and J. are all terrific writers and wonderful people and I recommend them all highly. And I'm proud to be associated with them.
