EVIL AT SHORE HAVEN

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Evil At Shore Haven, Alice Zogg, Aventine Press, 2016, 209 pp

Alice Zogg is a longtime friend of mine. She has written 11 mysteries. I met her when she had just published her second one. We have a deal: she gives me a signed copy of each book as it comes out, I read it and post a review on this blog.

Alice made the decision when she wrote the first one, to skip all the machinery of finding an agent, trying to get her book sold to a publisher, and still after all that probably having to do her own promotion and marketing. Thus she has always self-published. 

She loves to write. While her books are more in the vein of the cozy mysteries of Agatha Christie or PD James than of the thriller type, all but one have a female private investigator named R A Huber. Later ones include a female assistant, Andi. They also deal with current issues.

Evil At Shore Haven is set in a senior facility in Southern California with the usual tiers of independent, assisted, and full care living. Residents have been dying under suspicious circumstances. Despite rumors, no wrongdoing has been found by law enforcement officers or coroners.

R A Huber started her private investigator services after retiring from her lifetime job. In this, the tenth and final book of the R A Huber series, she had also retired from private investigator work and turned the business over to her much younger assistant Andi. Andi convinces R A to come out of retirement just a but and go undercover as a patient at Shore Haven. Together they uncover a scam whose perpetrators almost get R A and Andi killed as well.

As in all her books, the plotting is intricate though the characters are somewhat thinly drawn. It kept me turning the pages and I finished the book in two sittings.

I admire Alice for continuing to write on her own terms for the pure enjoyment she gets from doing it. We differ in that I love to read more than I enjoy writing (meaning I have not finished a book yet!) Alice loves to write more than she likes to read. She is working on the first of what may become a new series or may be a stand alone. So we bid goodbye to R A Huber.

In 2006, after reading her fourth book, I conducted an interview with Alice. Nine years later on the momentous occasion of the retirement of R A Huber, I decided it was time to catch up with the author. Here is our latest interview/discussion:

KTW: You made the decisions to self-publish from the beginning of your writing career. Are you still happy with that decision?

AZ:  

 My answer to that question is yes. I self-published my first book in 2003, way before it became popular to do so. I had valid reasons for not trying to get published the traditional way. One was that, with my female private investigator protagonist being an older woman, there wasn't much chance I could capture the interest of a publisher. My own age also played a role in my decision. At the time I was 60 and couldn't afford to wait years before an agent might convince a publisher to take a look at my manuscript. Now that I'm well into my seventies, my time is even more limited.

KTW: Are there any lessons you have learned from self-publishing 11 mysteries that you might like to share with other authors?

AZ: 

I have self-published 10 mystery novels in the R. A. Huber series and a stand-alone mystery. The stand-alone is from the point of view of a man, which was a bit of a challenge but fun to write. So far, my books have not been profitable, due to my reluctance to do extensive self-promotion. Still, I have no regrets. I write first and foremost for my own pleasure. If readers enjoy my stories, I consider that an extra bonus.

There are pros and cons to self-publishing. The biggest issue is that you are the sole person responsible for the content and appearance of your book. You don’t have a slew of professionals helping its creation along. The same goes for marketing. Traditionally published authors have it easier in that respect. On the other hand, it is truly your own work. Nobody is asking you to do major plot changes or additions. Naturally, you need to hire a good proofreader, as well as an editor.

KTW: Do you ever read books about the craft of mystery writing? If so, what have you found helpful? If not, or in addition, what have learned in the process of writing all these books?

AZ: 

No, I have not read any “how to” books about mystery writing. However, I have learned a lot about the craft from speakers at our monthly Sisters in Crime meetings. One thing that comes to mind: “Write about what you know, and if you don’t, do extensive research.”

KTW: Have you discovered insights about writing or about yourself as a writer over the years?

AZ: 

Every now and then I ask myself, how could I have lived my first 60 years without writing? I cannot imagine my life without it now.

KTW: I know you have been a member of the local Sisters In Crime chapter for many years. How has your membership been of assistance to you?

AZ: 

 Sisters in Crime is an exceptionally worthy organization. As I mentioned already, I’ve learned a great deal from speakers at the chapter’s monthly meetings. Sisters in Crime also organizes events at local libraries, such as author readings and panel discussions. Member authors can also get a book signing spot in their booth at the annual L. A. Times Festival of Books at the USC campus every April.

This year, I will be signing at the Sisters in Crime booth Sunday, April 23, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

On Monday, May 1, from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m., I will also be one of the authors reading and signing at the Glendale Central Library for their grand opening event.

KTW: How does it feel to have brought the R A Huber series to an end?

AZ:

After 10 books in the series, I feel it is time to permanently retire R. A. Huber. I had fun with her while it lasted.

KTW: You have told me you are deep into writing your next book. Would you care to share any tidbits about it? Will you still have a female protagonist? Will it also be a mystery?

AZ:

The book I am working on, Accidental Eyewitness, is definitely a mystery. It is another stand-alone and has no particular protagonist, just various characters, all suspects, of course. The location is on a tropical island of my imagination (The place does not exist.) And that is about all I am ready to reveal at this point.

KTW: Thank you Alice and best wishes to you! 

(My apologies for the formatting. I remember Alice telling me how much she had to learn about formatting when she first began submitting her manuscripts to Aventine Press. Perhaps I should get some pointers from her!)

(Evil At Shore Haven is available in hardcover and paperback by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)

 

THE GOLDEN ARROW

The Golden Arrow, Anna Redmond, Assembly! Press, 2014, 282 pp

The Golden Arrow is the first volume of a fantasy trilogy by first-time novelist Anna Redmond. Intermingling political strife with magic, the tale pits a ruthless ruler, the offspring of a deposed noble family, the Queen Mother and her royal granddaughter against each other as they contest for power.

Patria is a country conquered two decades ago by an enemy state and now governed by Archibald Mercer as a supposed egalitarian society. In truth, though its monarchy was toppled, Patria is ruled as much as it ever was by means of power and influence with the former noble class anxious to regain its wealth and position.

When the Queen Mother awakens from the coma into which she sank after the King's defeat and death, intrigue arises and lives are again in peril.

Nicola, a ravishing beauty at sixteen, daughter of a once powerful family, walks blithely into danger. Her father has arranged an alliance with the Queen Mother by agreeing to have Nicola bound to the surviving Princess Eloise in an ancient and erotic ritual that will make the two young women sisters of each others' hearts as well as lovers.

Joseph de Brulle, Nicola's brother, ambitious and reared in the current political climate, dreams of regaining honor for his family by demonstrating merit and complete support of Mercer's politics.

Alas, Nicola and Joseph are far too innocent and sheltered to comprehend the forces at work around them. The best parts of this expertly plotted novel are the moments of dawning awareness to the realities of their lives as these two attempt to realize their youthful dreams and passions.

I was immediately drawn in as much for the plot as for the more than a few surprising touches:

News travels in Patria by means of "pamphlets" which are a sort of People Magazine/Facebook/blog complete with images and gossip. Nicola and her girlfriends pore over these daily issues as girls everywhere do while members of the government track their rivals.

Along with evolving plot points, the pages of The Golden Arrow sparkle with descriptions of elaborate gowns, social affairs, and the tempting dishes enjoyed by the upper class: roast kid, crisped fowls, lotus buns, comfits with herbs and spices, whiskey chocolates.

Each main character leaps off the page through glimpses of individual episodes of distress, violence, and even madness. The many scenes of ritual and passion between Nicola and Princess Eloise are written with graceful eroticism. As the tale unfolded I felt I was in the hands of a seasoned writer.

The final chapters reveal the meaning and purpose of the Golden Arrow. Yet the book ends with much of its mystery unresolved and left me wishing I could open the sequel right away and keep reading. All very impressive!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I have known Anna Redmond for almost a decade because she is married to my nephew. They also live in the Los Angeles area, are raising two daughters, and regularly attend our family gatherings. When Anna told me last fall that she had finally sold her novel, I begged for a copy and promised a review. Because I knew she read lots of books and was smart as well as savvy, I was reasonably confident I would like her work. Obviously, I loved it!

In today's publishing world it is harder than ever for a new author to become known. I asked Anna if she would answer a few questions about herself as a writer. Here are her answers:

KTW: How long have you been writing? In fiction terms, have you always written fantasy?

AR: I've been writing since I learned how to spell, but I think I've only been a true writer for a couple of years. I discovered this later than I should, really, but there is a profound difference between writing (even writing well) and being a writer. Being a writer means having the courage to take your idea, jump into it, and see it through to end - - which by the way, is something I struggled to do for many years, through half-finished manuscripts in many different genres. When I started writing fantasy fiction, it felt freeing and empowering in a way that was really very profound. At least for me, right now, it felt like the right genre to tell my story.

KTW: In your interview at Science Fiction Book Club, you mention Alexandre Dumas and The Three Musketeers as an influence. Would you care to comment on your influences among fantasy writers?

AR: Ray Bradbury was a huge early influence. He wrote more science fiction than fantasy, although I would argue that a number of his stories were really a blend of the two. I actually remember writing him a letter when I was twelve or thirteen. In terms of contemporaries, I really enjoyed the Game of Thrones series, and structurally, it was an influence in how I chose to construct The Golden Arrow.

KTW: Your novel has an assured political viewpoint. Am I remembering correctly that you have a degree from Harvard in political science? If so, were you aware of that knowledge and training coming into play in the story?

AR: I actually studied Economics and Information Technology Policy! But close - certainly took my fair share of courses at the Kennedy School (of Government) at Harvard. I think what was a bigger influence than my degree, though, was really my family's background - we immigrated from Russia when I was five, and growing up, I watched a lot of communist-era films. I found the way that the politics had filtered down into everyday life to be fascinating. The nature of the propaganda was so different from the way that I was growing up in the U.S. I draw on a lot of that in Golden Arrow.

KTW: Would you place your book into a specific sub-genre of fantasy? I would call it political and erotic fantasy but I don't want to say that if you object to those labels.

AR: Ha! Love it. Political and erotic fantasy. I think that may be a new category. It's always hard for a writer to categorize her own work. My publisher described it as a "political fantasy thriller laced with sex and intrigue." My writing group pushed me to include more sex in the first novel. I held them off, promising more in the second book in the series!

The Golden Arrow was released this month by the publishing arm of the Science Fiction Book Club. It can be purchased there in hardcover and is also available from Amazon in hardcover and as an eBook.

INTERVIEW WITH MARY HELEN PONCE

Senator Alarón presents MHP with Senate Resolution to commemorate the Lifetime Commitment to Literacy Award from the Friends of the San Fernando Library


*************************************


Mary Helen Ponce was born in Pacoima, CA. She attended Pacoima Elementary, San Fernando High School, earned BA and MA degrees from California State University Northridge. She has studied history at UCLA on a Danforth Fellowship, was awarded a UCSB Dissertation Fellowship, and obtained her PhD from University of New Mexico.

Publications include Taking Control, 1987; The Wedding, 1980 & 2008; Hoyt Street: An Autobiography, 1993.

Ponce’s work has been translated into French, German, Spanish and Romanian. She has presented her work at UNAM, El Colegio de Mexico, and published in “Fem”, Mexico’s leading feminist magazine. She taught literature and creative writing at UCLA and UNM. She contributes to “Hispanic Magazine”, “Los Angeles Times”, and “Saludos Hispanos.”

She has raised three sons and a daughter and lives in Sunland, CA. She is currently working on a historical novel about 19th century Mexican-Spanish women.

I see Mary Helen at least once a month at the meetings of the Sunland/Tujunga Reading Group, also known as “One Book At A Time.” We often meet at Mi Casita in Sunland, eat, drink magaritas and get rowdy and discuss like our hair’s on fire. They love us there even though they usually have to kick us out.

So for this interview, I attempted to get professional and sent Mary Helen my questions by email. I believe she took time from her intense writing schedule to jot down some answers, which was more than gracious of her. I have put her thoughts into sentences and now she will undoubtedly send me an email with edits. That’s OK. We are also in a writing group together, so I can get her back.

KTW: You originally wrote and published The Wedding in 1989 and then revised it for the publication in 2008. Is there a story behind this? What changes did you make to the book after almost 20 years?

MHP: Arte Publico (the current publisher) asked to republish the book. I rewrote it because the first edition had many typos and the editing was sloppy. This was difficult because the original manuscript was on old floppy discs which I had to transfer to CD, so I also typed from the book. Ughhh. I cut repetitive words, but overall the story remained the same.

KTW: I was touched by the plight of Blanca, who seemed to have really no future happiness after the wedding, and this appeared typical for women in the barrio. Is this still the case or have Mexican/American women improved their chances of finding a good man and creating a stable family?

MHP: You misinterpret Blanca. She was happy (blind, but happy) as her life would now change, her mother could brag about the wedding and weddings were such fun! Her future was not unlike that of other women, say in Appalachia or the Deep South during the early/late 1940s.

I would argue that Mexican/American women today are a far cry from those of previous generations. Many graduate from highschool. If any one group is living Blanca’s experience, it is newly arrived immigrants from Central America and Mexico. The influence and dictates of the Catholic Church still predominates.

When I wrote Op-Eds for the “Los Angeles Times”, I wrote, “Go forth and multiply, Latina,” as a rebuttal to the pastor’s sermons at my church. I can zap.

KTW: I think your book would touch both Chicana women as well as women in general. When you wrote The Wedding, who did you expect your audience would be? What feedback did you get?

MHP: I got some positive reviews, but one USCB professor, who used it in her teaching, called in a Pachuco novel, as did her students. I saw it more as a love story. Once male critic didn’t like it and men in general thought I was too tough on them. Think I hit a raw nerve?

As to the new edition, there were lots of positive responses. A neighbor (male, 26) loves it. Students at Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico, invited me to lecture and read from it. They found it fascinating and relevant. Weddings are still FUN!

KTW: Tell us a good story about your adventures in getting published.

MPH: I published very early in my writing career. I was first published at CSUN (California State University Northridge) in “El Popo”, the student newspaper in about 1980. I submitted three items and all were published.

My biggest thrill was to publish in Mexico (about 10-15 works), Spain (Catalonia), France, Germany, and Romania. The Germans like my work. I learned a lot about Catalonia. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is popular there as they seek autonomy.

KTW: What are you working on now?

MHP: Ay! You would ask. In 1984, while a Danforth Fellow at UCLA in history, I was assigned to research early Mexican/Spanish women in New Spain, as Mexico was called before 1848. The group I studied about was part of the first overland expedition to Alta California, as it was then known. I was intrigued by women who, although pregnant, would contemplate an 800 mile trek to Monterrey to establish a pueblo near the fledgling mission there. I conceived the novel then and wrote the first chapter.

I write in my head, so it has been festering for ages. Once could say it has had a long gestation. I began seriously putting it together about three years ago, then took three or four months to rewrite The Wedding, and in between wrote other stuff. The novel has been in my head for eons.

One problem is I like long, developed chapters (like The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova), so my first chapters were long. Then I saw other authors were into minimalism; even Tolstoy wrote uneven chapters and here I was trying for parallelism. So I cut up chapters, made a mess, recapitulated, and am finally finished with Part One. Now I am tired.

KTW: Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers here?

MHP: I like literary works. Hoyt Street, I’ve been told is very literary, but not The Wedding. Much of what is out there today is trite and not developed. I don’t use a lot of metaphors and similes, as they interrupt narrative flow. Lyricism is one thing but some authors overuse metaphor. Still, it takes time and craft to infuse a story with so much baggage. I prefer to try for lyricism (which is harder), than metaphors, etc.

I once read what I think was the epitome of similes: “Her voice on the phone was like crushed violets.” WOW!

KTW: Thank you so much, Mary Helen. I eagerly await your next novel and wish you luck in getting it finished.

INTERVIEW WITH ALICE ZOGG

Alice Zogg is a local author in Los Angeles. She is also a friend of mine. Alice writes mysteries in the style of Agatha Christie and PD James. She is a retired woman (though a very active sportswoman) who started writing after retirement and who writes for her own amusement, so she opted to use Print On Demand publishing rather than spend time dealing with the whole agent/publisher/promote yourself anyway scenario that confronts new authors these days.

Last month she released her fourth book, The Lonesome Autocrat. It features Private Investigator R A Huber, as have her earlier books. Alice has set this mystery in her native Switzerland, where Huber is visiting a childhood friend. When a murder is committed, Huber must switch gears and go to work finding the murderer since the victim is her friend's 84 year old father.

Otto Sonderegger was a hotel magnate whose sorrow in life was that none of his offspring chose to carry on the hotel business. He had been an overbearing and critical man, married twice and had affairs on the side. Any one of his heirs or lovers were thus suspect.

Ms Zogg depicts life in a Swiss mansion and nearby Davos, a resort town, with the skill of a travel writer. The discovery of the murderer involves a serious threat to R A Huber's life and a startling surprise to the reader. Though she writes in a traditional style, Zogg's characters are clearly of the modern world. Her strongest point is her plotting and I can never even guess who done it until it is revealed.

Bibliography:
Reaching Checkmate: 2003
Turn the Joker Around: 2004
Tracking Backward: 2005
The Lonesome Autocrat: 2006

All of Alice Zogg's books are available at either Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com

I had a chance to pose some questions to Alice about her latest book and her writing life and thought you might enjoy reading her answers:

KTW: Your earlier books all take place in California. What made you decide to set The Lonesome Autocrat in Switzerland?

AZ: I was born and raised in Switzerland and then moved to the United States as a young adult. Even though I made my home first in New York City and for the last three and a half decades in Southern California, I visit my native country frequently. When choosing the locale for The Lonesome Autocrat in the Davos resort area, I fulfilled nostalgia. I have skied in Davos numerous times.

KTW: R A Huber seems to have quite a bit of sympathy for Otto Sonderegger, yet I did not find him a likable character. Is he based on someone you have known?

AZ: I completely invented him, as I do with all my characters. R A Huber had a certain respect for the old tyrant, that is correct.

KTW: I like the way you let the reader into you private eye's thought processes as she goes about reasoning out the crime. When her husband Peter brings up the three basic types of motives for murder, it seems to help her sort out her evidence. Is that theory about the motives documented somewhere?

AZ: The three basic types of motives for murder; greed, passion and self-preservation; came "out of my head," I have to admit. There is no such theory documented.

KTW: Are there mystery writers whom you admire or feel have influenced you as a writer? If so, what do you like about them?

AZ: I have always been an Agatha Christie fan. Her plots are ingenious. P D James is another mystery writer whose intriguing and chilling tales I admire. Then there is Dick Francis who educates the reader about horse racing, while at the same time weaves a darned good murder story. Is it a coincidence that all three are British?

KTW: How did you become a writer?

AZ: A few years ago I went to the bookstore in search of new reading material. Having read all the mystery novels ever written by my favorite authors, I was planning to purchase works of more contemporary writers. I was out of luck and could not find any that appealed to me. I must have browsed the wrong shelves that day because I certainly have discovered many great books written by present day authors since then. (Elizabeth George, Parnell Hall, Christopher Reich-just to name a few.)

Anyhow, when I returned from the store empty-handed hours later, my husband asked, "Where are the books you bought?" After I explained my dilemma, he burst out mockingly, "Why don't you write your own stories since you're that picky?" I did not pay any attention to his banter at the time, but about a month later I thought, well why not? So I gave it a try with my first book and have not stopped writing since.

KTW: Could you talk about your decision to self-publish?

AZ: While I was plotting the first book, I bought several how-to manuals on publishing the traditional way. The more I learned about what was involved, the more I felt that it was not worth the headache and decided to self-publish. When I was writing my third mystery, an author I know got me all fired up about trying to get published in the standard manner. Then I did some soul-searching and came to the conclusion that there was no reason why I should put myself under the stress this would involve. I found this creative outlet called writing late in life and it gives me joy and fulfillment, but I am a retired grandma and want to avoid that kind of pressure.

KTW: What are you working on now?

AZ: In the manuscript I am currently working on R A Huber is back in California and will solve her next murder near Big Bear Lake. She will also have a side-kick in the form of a young, dynamic assistant. My previous stories are written in the first person from Huber's point of view. This tale I am writing in the third person, getting into each character's head.

KTW: Thanks, Alice. I look forward to the next book!