The Mystery Starts Here

Don’t you love it when you find a book you absolutely positively cannot put down? "Love Kills" by Edna Buchanan is one of those mysteries. I sat up until the wee small hours this morning to finish reading it. I had to! I had to find out what happened in the end.

Buchanan has two series going: The Britt Montero series and the newer Cold Case Squad series. In "Love Kills," she brings the two together in alternating chapters. Britt is the unifying catalyst. There is one scene in the Cold Case section that had me howling with laughter.

There are two huge twists in "Love Kills" and I didn’t see either of them coming. With the second one, near the end of the book I had to stop reading I was so surprised. Buchanan puts her protagonist, Britt Montero in dangers and just when you think things can’t get worse - they do, again and again until the climactic end.

Buchanan, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist has written 16 books. I’ve read them all, AND they’re all good. She worked as a crime reporter for the Miami Herald before retiring to write full time. Her books are sharp, fast-paced and great fun to read. She brings great authenticity to her writing because of her background as a journalist working with the police in Miami. Buchanan’s non-fiction book, "The Corpse had a Familiar Face" is fabulous.

If you’re looking for a new author to read, I urge you to try Edna Buchanan. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

…or any novel, do you listen to music? If so, what kind? I find that most of the time, silence is better for me. I can concentrate and visualize scenes to write. After all, I am the director of my stories. (When people ask my husband what I do for a living he tells them that I sit alone in a room, make up people and kill them). But back to music. If I’m writing a love scene, I put on some soft jazz. I can close my eyes and really see my couple dancing around the living room, kissing, hugging, pulling off clothing or …well, you get the idea.

If I want to write some action scenes, I’ll put on some hard rock. That seems to get my heart pumping and my fingers moving - fast! Writing comedy? Happy music of course, something light and tinkly. If I’m writing general stuff, I often put on nice background music, maybe jazz or classical. It soothes my brain and keeps my fingers moving. One thing I can’t do is put on a vocal. If someone is singing on my CD, I gotta sing along! When I’m singing, I’m not writing and I really hate all those complaints from the neighbors!

So, are you a silent writer or one who is musically inspired? Let me know - I curious.