Serials and Scenarios - Mynheir's Marks....

Mark Mynheir dropped in and left a mark... wait til you read his mini-story created just for us.

Good stuff. You like it? You need to get your hands on his books.

Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

Jason Bourne, because he can Kung Fu people really well.


What crayon in the box describes you on a good day? Bad day? Which one do you aspire to be?

Rose and black. Very Black. I aspire for rosy days when an eternal wellspring of ideas and phrases bubble forth from my brain to the page with relative ease. (Those days don’t happen often.) Unfortunately, I have to put up with those “very black” days when I stare at a blank screen like a zombie and stress out about my deadline. I’m working on it, though.


Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.

“This was no boating accident!” Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws. I try to say it at least once at every crime scene.


What period of history intrigues you the most?

WWII. Because the world hung in the balance. Good guys, bad guys. Axis, allies. Great stuff.


What would you write if there were no rules or barriers? (epic novels about characters in the Bible, poetry, greeting cards, plays, movies, instruction manuals, etc.)

I would probably continue to write mystery/suspense novels. I’m blessed to able to write the stories I love. If I had more time, I might want to try some screenplays, but who knows what the future holds.


What makes you feel alive?

Anything dangerous and mildly stupid. I’ve done some alligator hunting before, and that was a blast, but my wife has suggested that I NOT do that any more. I think police work has made me a bit of an adrenaline junkie.


How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?

Tears and humor. I think that’s true with most people. We want to be moved, be it with humor or sorrow.


Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.

Persons. My wife and kids. I don’t think they’d let me go on a very long trip without them, especially if it’s somewhere nice.


Where would you most like to travel ----- moon, north pole, deep seas, deserted island, the holy land or back to a place from your childhood, somewhere else? – and why.

Israel. It’s where Jesus walked, and the whole world seems to be watching it right now. I’d also like to go to Australia. Not nearly for the spiritual reasons of Israel, but it just seems like it would be a fun place.


Favorite season and why?

Fall. It gets me ready for the Christmas season, and gives us a break from the torturous Florida summers.


Which compliment related to your writing has meant the most and why?

A non-Christian friend of mine told me that he liked my books because I was fair to the non-Christians and didn’t demonize them. It meant a lot coming from him.


What is your favorite word?

Cacophony. I just love the sound of it.


Favorite chore

Mowing the lawn. I can work my stories in my head while putting around the mower.


Anything you'd do but don't because of fear of pain? What is it? Ex. Bungee jumping, sky diving, running with scissors.

I still stay active with martial arts and stuff, but to be honest, I’m over forty—everything hurts. So why worry about it.


Societal pet peeve…sound off.

Not being able to watch a sitcom or hardly any other TV show with my children. It would be nice to a have decent TV shows again that don’t assault my values. Oh well. Enough of the rant.


Pick one of the "story starters" below and give us a sample of your voice.

A crack broke the stillness as Terry tugged on the frozen door. He jerked it once more, the fracture echoing through the quiet, frosty night as the house loosed its grip on the door, swinging it wide open.

Terry raised his flashlight and illuminated the darkened entryway of the long-abandoned home as his partner, Jeremy Wilson, unholstered his Glock 9mm and eased in behind him. They’d worked together long enough to know what to do without having to speak it.

Did someone really hear a cry for help? Or was the ancient wooden home just groaning and shifting under the pressure of the coldest night of the year? They’d have to search it to find out.

Flashlight in one hand, pistol in the other, Terry crept into a living room trapped in a time capsule from twenty years before, the site of the infamous and still unsolved Gaulty murders. Terry’s breath hovered in the room like a hazy apparition. A couch covered with a fine layer of dust and grime rested against the wall, and a reading chair filled the corner. A small coffee table was positioned in middle of the room. A portrait of the Gaulty family hung over the fireplace—a mother and father in the middle, a son and daughter flanking each. The former owners of the home kept watch over them with forced smiles and dark eyes.

He and Jeremy checked one room after another, searching for the source of the eerie 911 call. Terry’s heart pounded like a war drum in his ears and his breathing was short and sharp as they skulked down the hallway to the last room.

They broached the doorway and a silhouette on the bed caught his attention, drawing his flashlight toward the dark lump on the canopy bed. The form took the shape of a motionless man with blue jeans, a green down coat, and a bearded face, gazing at them with a vacant stare Terry had seen a hundred times before. A crimson stain encircled the man on the mattress. Terry shuffled to the side of the bed and slipped his finger on his neck, checking for a pulse. Nothing but slimy skin at room temperature.

“He’s dead.” Terry glanced back at Jeremy and shook his head, swallowing hard. “And I know one thing for sure: this was no boating accident.”


Thanks, Mark. Hope we can all sleep this weekend....

Scribble and Scrambles - Blog Post on a Stick Part 2

More Iowa State Fair moments…

The Iowa State Fair has never been emblazoned by the theme – “More Fun Than You Can Shake a Stick At” – too bad. A visit to the fair really has the potential of being great stick-shaking fun.

Our family of seven piled into two vehicles early Saturday morning and headed I-80 East.

When our kids were 4-Hers we spent a good part of our summers at either the county or state fair and nostalgia has been pulling at us of late.

My favorite part of the Iowa State Fair was being with my peeps.

No, not the ones in the fowl barn, the ones who live, or used to, in my house. We laughed, whined, guzzled shared water, sweated and walked together for several glorious steamy hours.

And we ate.

Smoothies, funnel cakes, onion blossoms, tenderloins, Mexican food done as only Iowa can, gallons of water, and fresh squeezed lemonade. Yum.

We patted huge draft horses with hooves bigger than our heads, snickered at polka-dotted llamas. Like salmon squeezing upstream we entered and attempted the many rows of vendors in the only air-conditioned building. A few “as seen on TV” demonstrations caught our fancy, but not our money.

This year, we got to see moldy award winning food. The 4-H displays had been sweltering for nine days. Not pretty. Though some cakes decorated in fondant looked fresh as a daisy. I’ve not seen anything prettier in magazines or on the television, one exhibitor even crafted a guitar, drum and amp. The record breaking pumpkin weighing in at over 1,100 pounds putrefied on the lawn.

Photography has to be my all time favorite exhibit, though. From the 4-Hers to the adults, I was awed by the images they captured. Who woulda thought wooden clothespins encased in glassy ice could be so beautiful? And the shots of scenery from exotic to homey transported me to places I’ve never been and places I will never tire of.

There are some very talented people in Iowa.


And speaking of talented people...you must go here tomorrow Friday 8-24-07 (after coming here to read Mark Mynheir's interview, of course.)

I'm doing a regular gig at NovelJourney blogspot(usually every Friday) and I had the opportunity to interview Kevin Alexander from Writers Digest Magazine. Now Kevin isn't exactly a household name, but he's dang funny. And Writers Digest is pretty much THE writing magazine. I so enjoyed bantering with Kevin and I think you'll love his slightly sarcastic answers.

Serials and Scenarios - The Void

Click on the book cover to find out more about The Void.

Visit Mark Mynheir.

My Review:

I can't believe I haven't yet discovered Mark Mynheir's previous novels.

Mynheir is an author worth watching.

Tense, tight prose, fascinating police-work details, strong grasp of point of view, and a spine-tingling plot sucked me into The Void and didn't let me go until the heart-twisting conclusion.

Though part of a series, I found this novel to be comfortable as a stand alone. I didn't feel overwhelmed with backstory nor did I feel like I'd thoroughly missed a chunk of previous life that would have helped flesh this story out.

I will head back and pick up the titles I've missed.

Suspense lovers, police novel fans, great story junkies...pick up The Void. Like Dekker, Hines, Liparulo, Gansky, Wilson or Collins? Add Mynheir to your list.

Come back Friday (8-24-07) for Mark's Dreg interview. He wrote a scene that curled my toes.

Scribble and Scrambles - Blog Post on a Stick

Somehow the Iowa State Fair has become famous for food on sticks.

You’d think we’d have exhausted all the possibilities after 153 years. Apparently not. According to a Des Moines Register trivia quiz we lack spuds on a stick. Any entrepreneurs out there may want to consider spending the year formulating a whole new spud experience and getting your name on a vendor list.

Let me know if you’ll be doing this and I’ll be happy to give you some blog promotion.

Though I didn’t go looking for food on a stick, apparently, sticked varieties of Twinkies, cheesecake, lamb or pork chops were available. I did experience one unique stick item. I wouldn’t have purchased it, and I don’t think it’s going to catch on, but it was free and moderately tasty.

Ready? The Egg Council handed out….egg on a stick. Hard-boiled, of course.

One other stick item stuck out. In the arts building one of the vendors sold Origami on a stick.

I suggest the following – funnel cake on a stick, onion bloom on a stick and Grand Champion Rocky Mountain Oyster on a stick.

Serials and Scenarios - A Drawing - Check it Out

Check this out, Dreggies.

"Thanks for posting my interview. While I'm here, you-all might want to zip over to my website at http://www.elizabethwhite.net/ and enter my drawing for two book baskets, each of which will include 10 Zondervan new releases. The welcome mat's out!Beth "

Serials and Scenarios - Elizabeth's Black and White of it.

Off the Record's Elizabeth White dropped in with some thoughts to take us through the weekend.

Thanks, Elizabeth.

Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

Marguerite Blakeney, heroine of _The Scarlet Pimpernel_, which is one of my favorite books ever. She was brave, beautiful, and had an amazing adventure with a husband who loved her. All that married sexual tension. Wow!


If you could change something in any novel, what would you change about it and why?

The ending of Little Women. Why on earth did Jo not marry Laurie? Why did she marry the frumpy old Professor Bhaer? I never did get that. I mean, he was a nice guy and all, but if you can have fun, hot Laurie, who gets your humor...


What period of history intrigues you the most?

I think the American Revolution. One of my favorite novels is _Dawn's Early Light_ by Elswyth Thane. People had a real cause to fight for. Faith was an everyday element of life, and people weren't pressurized to hide it. Maybe I'm idealistic, but it seems from this side of history that political issues of the day were very clearcut. Plus, the clothes were so beautiful, and women were very much a part of the struggle for independence. I may set a book in that era one day.


How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?

Music. Poetry by itself doesn't interest me very much, but I get overwhelmed with truth wrapped in the lyrics of a powerful song. Next in line would be humor. A novelist who can twist in a bit of humor with a good plot and "real" characters will hook me forever.


Which compliment related to your writing has meant the most and why?

When people tell me they get my humor--especially laughing out loud--that rings my bell. Particularly since character-based humor makes me go back to an author again and again.


What word annoys you more than any other?

Predestined.


Grammatical pet peeve…sound off.

"She lay her head on his shoulder." Grrr.

Happy weekend, all.

Serials and Scenarios - Me Unleashed- Part 1

I received a challenge last week.

What should I do? It's not like you don't know my "voice." But then on the other hand, my anonymous friend Xta knows me far too well and yet continues to call me. I do think she calls me for entertainment purposes only, since she tends to get me into trouble or at least into situations that threaten my sanity.

Xta began our friendship with a big, hairy lie, and has kept me on my toes since. This is her challenge.

Kelly,I would like to read an interview you do with...yourself! How about that for next week? I want to know your worst grammatical pet peeve and periwinkle preference and the whole caboodle.Anxiously awaiting, Xta

The sickening part of this whole thing is that I lose so many blogging ideas just from the split second thought to later recall, that I consider this a keeper.

So over the next few weeks, you'll find random posts wherein I'll ask myself the burning dregs questions.

Without further ado, let's begin.


Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

This is hard. Do I apologize to all my past guests who've had to scramble for an answer? No, they could pass.

Lucy from Narnia. Not for the kingdom or the wardrobe or even the adventure. She seemed the most innocent and sweetest of the four and she loved Aslan and spent time with him. Aslan is such a strong allegory for me, and I read the series when I was young enough to be shaped by Aslan's character and strength. Lions are favorite animals because of that influence.


If you could ask any person, living or dead, a random question -- what question would you ask of whom?

Okay, another toughie. Alright, I apologize previous guests.

Who and what? I don't leave a lot of questions unasked or carried around like a burden. I admire many, but do I have a burning question? For someone?

I'd thank my grandpa for his enthusiastic support. Grandpa Henry always believed in me. He encouraged my artistic side. I'll never forget his compliments and his quiet demeanor. When Grandpa spoke, people listened, including me. If he hadn't been so encouraging and excited about my dive into writing, I don't know that I would have continued to pursue it. His response made me wonder if I really did have some talent. "Thanks, Grandpa. I know you'd love the Pat stories. Maybe one day I'll tell the one about you, me and Grandpa Bill in the 54 Ford."



Some out there in writing land have strange rituals. Share yours.

I don't know that I consider myself a real writer yet. I have a love/hate relationship with procrastination. I try to beat deadlines with days to spare. But book length works paralyze me. And I have this horrible habit of getting 10,000 to 20,000 words into a story and then setting it aside to ferment.


If you could change something in any novel, what would you change about it and why?

I read a popular novel several years ago that left its mark. I absolutely hated it. The characters were ones I didn't care about which ended up being a good thing because one died.

Unfortunately the character died only after she began to become someone I could like and I had invested hours into her life. Not only did the death bug me, but the fact that it felt tacked on and almost random annoyed me to no end.

I can handle death in books. But this left the heroic, bittersweet and hope out of the equation. I'd change it by not reading it.

To Be Continued - Randomly.