Janice Hamrick and Death Rides Again

By Kathy Waller

The day Eddy Cranny got himself murdered started bad and went downhill from there . . . especially for Eddy. ~ Janice Hamrick, Death Rides Again

When I reached the second floor of BookPeople for the June 19th launch of Death Rides Again, Janice Hamrick’s latest mystery novel, my day turned around and started uphill at a gallop.

Janice, who lives in Austin, made news in the writing–and reading–communities when the manuscript of her first book, Death on Tour, won the 2010 Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur Books First Crime Novel Competition. Published in 2011, the novel was nominated for the 2012 Mary Higgins Clark Award and the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award.

In 2012, Janice followed Death on Tour with Death Makes the Cut. Now she presents the third in the Jocelyn Shore series, Death Rides Again.

Critics have been complimentary. So have readers. From her tour of Egypt, to the high school where she teaches, to a family reunion at her Uncle Kel’s ranch, main character Jocelyn Shore has a talent for solving murders and gathering fans as she goes.

At the book launch, Scott Montgomery, Crime Fiction Coordinator of MysteryPeople, BookPeople’s store-within-a-store, interviewed Janice before an audience of mystery lovers. This was the second time I’ve seen the two together: at last fall’s Texas Book Festival, Janice appeared on a panel Scott moderated. The subject was using humor in mysteries, something Janice does well. (See quotation from book, above.)

Kathy's Copious Notes =)

I took copious notes, as I always do on such occasions. The conversation ranged far and wide, however, and my notes comprise two pages of scrawl, on the diagonal, a series of jottings devoid of connective tissue. Turning them into paragraphs would take several hours and considerable energy (for reason, see “Why I Am Not a Journalist”), so I’ll share a few bullets:

·       Janice got the idea for Death on Tour from a trip she made to Egypt (during which no one was murdered). The idea for Death Rides Again came from a setting–her family’s ranch near Brady.

·       Some reviewers class the Jocelyn Shore novels as cozy mysteries; others don’t. Janice is glad the books aren’t easily categorized. She describes them as funny but hopes they have more depth than the typical cozy.

·       Asked what she learned while writing the series, she said that between Death on Tour and Death Makes the Cut, she learned, “I can do it.”

·       She’s working on another book–not a Jocelyn Shore–but she doesn’t talk about that one yet.

·       Janice rises about 5:00 a.m. and writes before going to work. She sets out to write 1500 words a week: 300 words a day, five days a week. On a bad day, she says, she can produce 300 words and feel okay. On a good day, she can “blast right through” her goal.

Now this is where things get personal. I began this post by saying my day went uphill because I attended the book launch.

Goals have never been my friends. 

Most people find them energizing. To me, setting goals is stimulus for digging in my heels, heading off at a 45-degree angle from the rest of the group. When my CP, who likes goals and thinks I should like them too, makes me set some for the coming week, I growl, scribble in my notebook–almost, but not quite, singing Nyah nyah nyah to myself–and then ignore them.

But Janice’s description of her 300-word goal–low enough to attain and feel good about, low enough to sometimes blast right through–spoke to me. Her system is so logical, so sensible, so humane. Sitting there in that folding chair, I heard the little light bulb above my head click on, and I said to myself, Well, d’oh.

So, on that basis, I’ve decided to jump into Round 3 of  A Round of Words in 80 Days, the writing challenge that knows you have a life, with the following goal:

·       I will write 1500 words a week: 300 words a day, five days a week;

and this stipulation:

·       I will not rise at 5:00 a.m. to get the job done.

Now back to the book launch:

The question on the mind of nearly everyone in the audience was, What happens next?

When you’ve spent quality time with a character like Jocelyn, gotten to know her and her family, watched her fall in–and maybe out–of love, deal with matters of life and death, turn shaky post-divorce self-esteem to strong self-confidence–you don’t want the relationship to end. Three books, the number Janice contracted to write, aren’t enough.

So what might influence Janice’s publisher to ask for a fourth Jocelyn Shore novel?

Here’s Janice’s answer: Buy the book! 

***

You can follow Janice’s blog at blog.janicehamrick.com.

The Jocelyn Store mysteries are available from booksellers listed on Janice’s website.

On Saturday, July 20, Janice and Hopeton Haye, host of KAZI Book Review, will appear at the Pflugerville Library for an interactive discussion about the Jocelyn Shore series, mysteries, and writing. On Saturday, August 31, she will sign copies of her books at the Round Rock Barnes & Noble.

***

For more information about A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) click here.

To read what other ROW80 participants are writing, click here.

A Marvelous Time at Malice Domestic 2013

I’ve gone to a few writers’ conferences over the past ten years or so, but this was the first time I’ve attended a conference that’s designed for both mystery writers and readers. 

I had no idea what I’d been missing!

My schedule doesn’t usually afford me the ability to travel in May (read: three kids all playing sports with better social calendars than Mom), but after thinking about Malice Domestic for a year or two, I decided to commit and figure out a plan later.

The first thing that struck me when I walked into the Bethesda Hyatt Regency was that it seemed the staff were as excited about the conference as the attendees.  It’s not every day you have Sherlock Holmes offer to have your bags sent to your room. 

Our first night was filled with friendly conversation in the hotel bar, and I was struck by how open and welcoming this group of authors and fans were to us newbies.  Kaye George, author of Eine Kliene Murder and the president of Guppies, took me under her wing and graciously introduced me around.  After a very happy hour (or two), we slipped away for dinner.  While the food was good, the company trumped the menu.  Nancy G. West, Kaye, and Karen MacInerney were wonderful dinner companions.  The topics ranged from writing to family to life.  I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

Laura Lippman served as Toastmaster this year and she filled the role with humility and humor.  As someone who enjoys reading her books, I was pleased to find that she is a kind and generous person with both her talents and her time.  We spent a few minutes swapping motherhood stories at the cocktail hour before the Agatha Awards Banquet, and I enjoyed learning more about her foray into the fabulously chaotic jungle that is childrearing.  Motherhood isn’t for sissies, that’s for sure.

Friday morning came early, and with it, the hunt for coffee and some form of pastry with zero nutritional value.  After attending the Malice 101 Introduction (make sure you go if it’s your first time), I headed over to the Crime Lab Gab.  Max Houck may be a scientist but he’s got the comic timing of a professional stand-up artist.  Seinfeld should be scared.  I couldn’t possibly retell his presentation and do it justice, but one story included a felon and saran wrap.  He also reminded us that the National Criminal Justice Reference Service was an excellent resource for crime writers (www.ncjrs.gov).

One panel that I enjoyed the most centered on the Agatha Best Short Story Nominees.  As someone who is new to the short story form, it was interesting to learn how each author approached short story structure and how ideas evolved into tales.  One important takeaway was the reminder that a short story project can be a welcome break from working on a novel or longer project.  It’s a way to stay in story mode but the author experiences a sense of completion more quickly due to the smaller word count requirements.  Art Taylor mentioned that it’s also a way to play with an idea or character that may not be able to hold up an entire novel but would be perfect for a short story.

Luci Zahray’s presentation on poisons intrigued and terrified me all at the same time.  Her ability to articulate the impact arsenic, strychnine and cyanide can have on the human body is downright chilling.  I immediately started thinking of ways to use arsenic in my current WIP.  While Zahay has the knowledge of a skilled pharmacist, she has the heart of a storyteller. It was a strong program packed with information. 

I’ve always been fascinated by those who can write multiple books per year so I attended Double Trouble: Authors Who Write Multiple Series.  The authors included Maggie Barbieri, Joelle Charbonneau, Kaitlyn Dunnet and Denise Swanson.  These ladies manage to complete a staggering number of books between them each year, and while they tried to convince us that they were ordinary ladies, I was pretty sure they had some Superwoman capes tucked beneath the table.  

The conversations were lighthearted, the banter hilarious, and the tips really came down to these women all working on very little sleep and being strict taskmasters with their projects while juggling family lives, work and community commitments.  The panel did give me hope, though, because they once again proved that there really isn’t any magic formula to finishing a novel.  You simply make it a priority and steal whatever time you can from any place you can.

Malice Domestic was a wonderful adventure of a weekend.  It was an opportunity to share time with those who love to write and read mysteries, who will willingly spend hours pulling apart storylines and dissecting plots and will gladly help you map a murder scene while waiting for the main course to arrive.  And really, don’t we have these conversations in restaurants just to mess with the waiters?  It’s just one more perk of being a mystery writer.

--Laura Oles