tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38787529536379813132024-02-18T20:54:18.937-07:00Suspense NovelistEvocative Characters. Intriguing Crime. Compelling Stories. From Peg Brantley.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comBlogger725125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-72897546913499613262017-05-17T00:00:00.000-06:002017-05-17T00:00:07.049-06:00Where's The Dirt?<div style="background-color: white; color: #3d596d; font-family: 'Noto Serif', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;">
(This post is appearing simultaneously on <a href="https://mysteristas.wordpress.com/">Mysteristas</a>.)</div>
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Seeds. Some writers can take a seed or two and grow an amazing story seemingly out of thin air.</div>
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Me? I need some dirt. Preferably dirt grounded in a social issue. The messier—the muddier—the better.</div>
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That's where TRAFFICKED began. I had a list of topics that were interesting to me and I kept going back to one. Human trafficking. At the time I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This dirt ran deep. And wide. And muddy.</div>
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My kind of gardening.</div>
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In some ways TRAFFICKED was the most difficult story I've ever told. In other ways it flowed from my heart to my head to my fingers to the page effortlessly.</div>
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Many readers of this blog are fans of cozy or traditional mysteries, and while this book is neither, it walks right up to the worst of the mud and doesn't get mired in explicit detail. The idea was to deal with the horror of sex trafficking without spelling it out.</div>
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<strong>Two early cultivators</strong>:</div>
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<em>Peg Brantley's TRAFFICKED is a heartbreaker, a thriller, and a hair-raising education, all at once. I wish I hadn't already read it, so I could read it for the first time again. — Timothy Hallinan, author of the Junior Bender and Poke Rafferty crime novels</em></div>
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<em>The scourge of human trafficking is worldwide; yet, most Americans clutch the idea that it couldn’t possibly exist here. Peg Brantley’s chillingly honest, gritty novel moves readers to empathize with lives shattered by modern-day slavery. Through an accessible, awareness-raising narrative, Brantley spotlights a foul, hidden human crisis. In Americans’ own back yard, not only can trafficking happen, it does. — Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph.D., Activist</em></div>
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<strong>The bloom</strong>:</div>
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<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-media-1" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" /><img alt="TRAFFICKEDfront.jpg" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15515" data-mce-src="https://mysteristas.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/traffickedfront1.jpg?w=680" data-wpmedia-src="https://mysteristas.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/traffickedfront1.jpg" height="2580" src="https://mysteristas.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/traffickedfront1.jpg?w=680" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="1680" /></div>
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<strong>The dirt</strong>:</div>
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<em>Sex trafficking.</em></div>
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Not Thailand. Or the Philippines. Or Russia.</div>
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America.</div>
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Rich or poor, black or white, girls disappear across this country every day, pulled into the nightmarish world of prostitution and drugs.</div>
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Mex Anderson is back, tasked with finding three missing girls before it’s too late. Three girls. Three girls who could live in your town, your neighborhood, or in your own home.</div>
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Jayla Imani Thomas is fifteen. A smart kid from a poor part of town who has to fend for herself. Jayla is headed for college and a better life than her mother had.</div>
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Alexis Emily Halston is seventeen. Money provides everything she wants or needs except functional parents. Alexis has the world by the tail and she knows it.</div>
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Olivia Emma Campbell is twelve. She’s a middle child who dreams of being a veterinarian when she grows up. But right now “Livvy” just wants someone to notice her, maybe even to love her.</div>
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Caught up in a cruel system fueled by lust and money, all three young women must find the courage within themselves to survive. And Mex must come to terms with his own loss and face his demons head on—or he might not have the strength to save them.</div>
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TRAFFICKED is now available for <a data-mce-href="https://www.amazon.com/TRAFFICKED-Anderson-Novel-Peg-Brantley-ebook/dp/B0722YYYD6" href="https://www.amazon.com/TRAFFICKED-Anderson-Novel-Peg-Brantley-ebook/dp/B0722YYYD6" style="color: #00aadc;">pre-order</a>.</div>
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It's all better with friends.</div>
Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-29185576509362909832017-04-27T13:11:00.001-06:002017-04-27T13:16:35.786-06:00The 2017 Egar Award Nominations<div class="globle" style="color: #6d7475; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 30px;">
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Best Novel</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Ex</strong> by Alafair Burke (HarperCollins Publishers – Harper)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Where It Hurts</strong> by Reed Farrel Coleman (Penguin Random House – G.P. Putnam's Sons)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Jane Steele</strong> by Lyndsay Faye (Penguin Random House – G.P. Putnam's Sons)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">What Remains of Me </strong>by Alison Gaylin (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Before the Fall</strong> by Noah Hawley (Hachette Book Group – Grand Central Publishing)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="best" name="bestfirst" style="color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></div>
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Best First Novel</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Under the Harrow</strong> by Flynn Berry (Penguin Random House – Penguin Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dodgers</strong> by Bill Beverly (Crown Publishing Group)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">IQ</strong> by Joe Ide (Little, Brown & Company – Mulholland Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Drifter</strong> by Nicholas Petrie (Penguin Random House – G.P. Putnam's Sons)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dancing with the Tiger</strong> by Lili Wright (Penguin Random House –Marian Wood Book/Putnam)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Lost Girls</strong> by Heather Young (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="PBO" name="PBO" style="color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></div>
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Best Paperback Original</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Shot in Detroit</strong> by Patricia Abbott (Polis Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Come Twilight </strong>by Tyler Dilts (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The 7th Canon</strong> by Robert Dugoni (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Rain Dogs</strong> by Adrian McKinty (Prometheus Books – Seventh Street Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A Brilliant Death</strong> by Robin Yocum (Prometheus Books – Seventh Street Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Heart of Stone</strong> by James W. Ziskin (Prometheus Books – Seventh Street Books)</div>
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Best Fact Crime</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Morgue: A Life in Death </strong>by Dr. Vincent DiMaio & Ron Franscell (St. Martin's Press)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle that Brought Down the Klan </strong><br />
by Laurence Leamer (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane: A True Story of Victorian Law and Disorder: The Unsolved Murder That Shocked Victorian England </strong>by<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Paul Thomas Murphy (Pegasus Books)<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong><br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">While the City Slept: A Love Lost to Violence and a Young Man's Descent into Madness </strong>by Eli Sanders (Penguin Random House – Viking Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer </strong><br />
by Kate Summerscale (Penguin Random House – Penguin Press)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="crit" name="crit" style="color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></div>
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Best Critical/Biographical</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Alfred Hitchcock: A Brief Life </strong>by Peter Ackroyd (Penguin Random House – Nan A. Talese)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Encyclopedia of Nordic Crime: Works and Authors of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden Since 1967 </strong>by Mitzi M. Brunsdale (McFarland & Company)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life </strong>by Ruth Franklin (W.W. Norton – Liveright)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man Who Wrote Dracula</strong>by David J. Skal (W.W. Norton – Liveright)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="short" name="short" style="color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></div>
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Best Short Story</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"Oxford Girl" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Mississippi Noir</em></strong>by Megan Abbott (Akashic Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"A Paler Shade of Death" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">St. Louis Noir </em></strong>by Laura Benedict (Akashic Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"Autumn at the Automat" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In Sunlight or in Shadow </em></strong>by Lawrence Block (Pegasus Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"The Music Room" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In Sunlight or in Shadow </em></strong>by Stephen King (Pegasus Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"The Crawl Space" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine</em></strong>by Joyce Carol Oates (Dell Magazines)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="juv" name="juv" style="color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></div>
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Best Juvenile</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Summerlost </strong>by Ally Condie (Penguin Young Readers Group – Dutton BFYR)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">OCDaniel</strong> by Wesley King (Simon & Schuster – Paula Wiseman Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Bad Kid </strong>by Sarah Lariviere by (Simon & Schuster – Simon & Schuster BFYR)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Some Kind of Happiness </strong>by Claire Legrand (Simon & Schuster – Simon & Schuster BFYR)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Framed!</strong> by James Ponti (Simon & Schuster – Aladdin)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry </strong>by Susan Vaught<br />
(Simon & Schuster – Paula Wiseman Books)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="YA" name="YA" style="color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></div>
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Young Adult</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Three Truths and a Lie </strong>by Brent Hartinger (Simon & Schuster – Simon Pulse)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Girl I Used to Be </strong>by April Henry (Christy Ottaviano Books/Macmillan)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Girl in the Blue Coat </strong>by Monica Hesse (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown BFYR)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">My Sister Rosa </strong>by Justine Larbalestier (Soho Press – Soho Teen)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Thieving Weasels </strong>by Billy Taylor (Penguin Random House –<br />
Penguin Young Readers – Dial Books)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="episode" name="episode" style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />
<h5 style="color: #a1372a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
TV Episode Teleplay</h5>
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<div style="padding: 0px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"Episode 1 – From the Ashes of Tragedy" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story</em>, </strong>Teleplay by Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (FX Network)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"The Abominable Bride" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Sherlock</em>,</strong> Teleplay by Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat<br />
(Hartswood Films/Masterpiece)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"Dark Road" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Vera,</em></strong>Teleplay by<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Martha Hillier<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>(Acorn TV)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"A Blade of Grass" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Penny Dreadful</em>,</strong> Teleplay by John Logan (Showtime)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"Return 0" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Person of Interest,</em></strong> Teleplay by Jonathan Nolan & Denise The<br />
(CBS/Warner Brothers)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"The Bicameral Mind" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Westworld</em></strong>, Teleplay by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy<br />
(HBO/Warner Bros. Television)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="fish" name="fish" style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />
<h5 style="color: #a1372a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
Robert L. Fish Memorial</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">"The Truth of the Moment" – <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine </em></strong>by E. Gabriel Flores (Dell Magazines)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="clark" name="clark" style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />
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Mary Higgins Clark</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Other Sister </strong>by Dianne Dixon (Sourcebooks – Sourcebooks Landmark)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Quiet Neighbors </strong>by Catriona McPherson (Llewellyn Worldwide – Midnight Ink)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Say No More</strong> by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Tor/Forge Books – Forge Books)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Blue Moon</strong> by Wendy Corsi Staub (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)<br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Shattered Tree </strong>by Charles Todd (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="GM" name="GM" style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />
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Grand Master</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Max Allan Collins<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Ellen Hart</strong></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="raven" name="raven" style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />
<h5 style="color: #a1372a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
Raven Award</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dru Ann Love </strong></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="elleryqueen" name="elleryqueen" style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a><br style="color: #6d7475; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />
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Ellery Queen Award</h5>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Neil Nyren</strong><br />
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></strong>
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></strong>
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></strong>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></strong>
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></strong><br />
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">It's all better with friends.</strong></strong></div>
</div>
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Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-7584606089129831562017-04-11T18:47:00.000-06:002017-04-11T18:47:05.247-06:00Inside the Crime Lab: A Complete Tour of the Denver Police Crime LaboratoryMy gift to crime writers and crime readers.<br />
<br />
Did you see the paperclip?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It's all better with friends.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6urbx8-7qlM" width="480"></iframe>Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-10779068313602780882017-04-07T19:09:00.002-06:002017-04-07T19:09:55.410-06:00The One, Two, Three Punch<div class="UFICommentContent" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My thanks to friend and reader, Pat Easter, who got my head wrapped around this.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">You're in the crime fiction section of your favorite bookstore (physical or cyber), and are trying to find something to read for the weekend. Whether you're on the beach in warm sunshine or in front of a blazing fire, you're looking for a book that can transport you (and make you forget the client who is demanding a full report first thing Monday morning).</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">FIRST, it's the cover. You should be able to tell if it's a cozy or something darker. If you see pinks and teals and are looking for a thriller, it's a good bet this won't fill your needs. Cover designers are savvy, but some (even professionals) miss the boat. Still, this is the first punch. Either a book cover wins by ducking it, or the game is over.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">But let's pretend you spot a cover that looks promising. What's the SECOND thing you do? If you're me, you flip the book over and check out the BACK COVER COPY. The Blurb. The few words (100-150) that </span></span>spotlight<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"> the novel without giving it away. Whether an author is self-published (responsible for everything) or </span></span>traditionally<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"> published (shared blame) the author often writes these words.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I suck at this part. I've even received a review from a reader who said she enjoyed the book much more than she thought she would based on the description. Yep. I wrote both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">So that's the second punch. Let's get </span><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">really crazy and pretend the back cover copy didn't totally turn you off. In fact, it sort of intrigued you.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">What's the THIRD thing you do? You flip to the first page.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">This is where it gets especially dicey. I mean, the cover got you to the back cover. Wow. And the back cover was good enough to get you to thumb to the first page. Sometimes, if you're feeling generous, you read the whole page. But often you read the first few lines. That's all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">Are you gonna like this story? Are you gonna like the way the author writes it?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">You decide. That quick. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">What do you think? Is this fairly accurate?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">It's all better with friends.</span></span></div>
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Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-26677078867014284412017-04-05T21:22:00.000-06:002017-04-05T21:22:17.482-06:00Random ThoughtsIn no particular order, here are some thoughts I have tonight about writing, reading, and especially about my newest story:<br />
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The moments when the words pour out perfectly describing the character, the scene, the energy, the emotion, the force, the whatever, are rare. They're also the drug that keeps me going back for more.<br />
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I've fallen in love with the three young girls in my book. They're too big and real and wonderful not to at least be mentioned in the next story from Mex and Cade and crew. Knowing that I'll find out what happens to them next makes it easier for me to let them go for now.<br />
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It can be incredibly hard to take what's in your mind (that movie screen we all have), and what's in your gut, and put it on the page.<br />
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One of the markers for me that I'm reading a great story? I'm compelled to stop everything else in my life and find a quiet place to just read. OR (and this is a little weird) keep reading while I'm watching a "must-see" on television. I'll mute the TV during the commercials and read.<br />
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If an editor is doing his or her job, I'm being pushed to perform. The lazy bit I didn't write? Well, it's time to address it.<br />
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I can come up with the most amazing excuses to procrastinate when the drug mentioned above wears off and my editor is pushing. Cleaning out the fridge or pantry? Done that. Clean bird feeders? Yep. Play one more game of Spider or Free Cell? Oh, yeah.<br />
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I'm close to sending my revisions back to my editor so tomorrow I think I'll switch my summer/winter closets. Oh, and go to Jazzercise and get a mani-pedi. Sometimes rewards get all mixed up with excuses.<br />
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There's something to reading in large time increments. It helps me feel the story better. I don't have to constantly "find" it.<br />
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What about you? Do you have something to add?<br />
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It's all better with friends.<br />
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<br />Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-46909003426914195032017-02-21T20:34:00.001-07:002017-02-21T20:34:41.355-07:00Edits and the LotteryA little over a week ago I sent my manuscript off to my editor. She told me she'd have notes for me in about a week and I looked at my calendar.<br />
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A trip to Tucson to visit my sister.<br />
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Did I really want to be angsting over her notes while I was supposed to be sharing memories and making a few new ones? Relaxing ones where I'm in the moment?<br />
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My brilliant editor has things going on in her own life right now so I decided to be generous (ahem) and tell her she could wait. She could relax along with me. There was no hurry.<br />
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Has it stopped the angstiness? <i>Pffft!</i><br />
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But as long as I don't actually have her notes, there's this teensy little piece of my heart that thinks maybe I'll have won the lottery with this one. It'll blow her away. She'll be sharing it with Big Names in the Publishing Biz.<br />
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Yeah, right.<br />
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Still, I have a few more days to hold onto that lottery ticket and dream.<br />
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*sigh*<br />
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Trust me, I'll be checking my inbox daily looking for those notes. Sometimes it's easier to deal with reality than to keep dreaming.<br />
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It's all better with friends.<br />
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<br />Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-9662379717475476352017-01-17T17:07:00.002-07:002017-01-17T17:07:42.214-07:00Inching Toward PublicationTwo days ago I finished a detailed revision thanks to a beautifully picky beta reader. Today I completed the word search project for thirteen words that reader caught which I tend to overuse.<br />
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Thirteen?<br />
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To be completely transparent, she actually found twelve in this manuscript. One she found in my last story. Apparently I didn't learn.<br />
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The new pages are printed out for yet another reading. Once that is done I'll put everything through yet one more wringer before finally sending it off to my editor. Who will, no doubt, find additional troubling aspects I need to work on.<br />
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The process, at least mine, is a long one. Hopefully in the end, it will be worth it.<br />
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Thanks for bearing with me!<br />
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It's all better with friends.<br />
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<br />Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-3426340118137965072016-11-17T22:12:00.000-07:002016-11-17T22:12:07.110-07:00UpdateSo I finished my first read-through late-late last night.<br />
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While I still love this story, I'm no longer in the honeymoon phase. Dang. I really thought that would last longer. My perfect story is showing some cracks. My perfect story is requiring me to stand by it even though, since it's not perfect, I'm suddenly filled with doubt. It's pushing my buttons. You know which ones... those Uncomfortable Buttons.<br />
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Today I made it to about the half-way mark to incorporate those revisions, reject them, and find more. Finally I had to stop. There's only so much badgering a writer can take, even when it's coming from the writer.<br />
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For me, while there is some structure, writing is an inherently messy process. I put the words down and then need to figure out how to fix them. Make them come close to what I meant. It doesn't matter how well I've planned them in advance, in some cases they're wrong.<br />
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Like a visual artist who does her best to transfer her vision to canvass, I try to transfer mine to the page. There are bound to be disconnects. The editing and revision process is designed to try and find as many new "connections" as possible.<br />
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I keep telling myself that it's okay. I've been here before. That between now and x-number of revisions later, the story will pull itself out of my ineptitude. That finally, when readers get to decide for themselves, they'll find something worthy.<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-60363728693371631852016-11-11T19:27:00.002-07:002016-11-11T19:28:59.288-07:00ONE DOWNWow, it's been a while.<br />
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Tonight I wrote the final words for the first draft of my new book.<br />
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It created a crazy confluence of emotions: relief, victory, excitement, fear, responsibility (really?), you name it, I'm feeling it.<br />
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Suddenly I'm committed. Suddenly I have this entity to mold and massage and make into something readers will enjoy. Maybe that's where the responsibility piece comes in.<br />
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Thank goodness for beta readers and editors. It's not all on me.<br />
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But...<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-4872612672950685832016-08-09T20:44:00.001-06:002016-08-09T20:44:18.535-06:00Ramping Up to The EndI'm feeling like all the elements of my story on trafficking are coming together. I can taste the end. It's not here, but the nearness of it is making me edgy.<br />
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Even though it's just the first draft and there will be many revisions to come, I'm anxious. Fretful. For a whole lot of reasons.<br />
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Paramount, is the story good enough? Does it hold together? Do I do the subject matter justice? Do I push it forward? Are people who read this book going to look around their lives and see things in a different light?<br />
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The end of every book I've written has almost paralized me, created that feeling of edginess. For a lot of reasons. First, I fall in love with the characters. Even beyond my continuing characters, there are those who I'm not likely to see again.<br />
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This book especially.<br />
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I will miss Jayla. She's brilliant and compassionate and inspiring. She's wise beyond her fifteen years. Even with the harsh cruelty she experiences, I know she'll come out a victor. And retain her core. She's the young girl who, in reality, has gone missing from Aurora in the last few weeks. She breaks my heart.<br />
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I will miss Alexis. She's the brash, 17-year old rich girl from the suburbs. Probably more than any of my girls in this book, she's learned the most. Money isn't the answer, and her attitude of entitlement isn't going to get her out of the mess she's in. She's gonna struggle and have years of therapy. None of it her fault.<br />
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And finally there's Olivia. She's twelve. Wants to be a veterinarian. Livvy is the kid who lives next door to you. I'm not sure yet how she's going to come out, but I do know she has a family who loves her.<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-40981499924744467062016-07-27T19:44:00.000-06:002016-07-27T19:44:00.170-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvkI1lk3sF-dqvyvxdDqz9u3SZWGRHFZhk9sauJQBwfYSWLNZ-2A6hUJeMQL4APmmEtSc7pyUmCPCsjDIepA82BVo87PRpwtFJjVc4WXNO-c7C3vFvmVJIvgXJ0upgcU9opOtPGb2pM4/s1600/file5381291239055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvkI1lk3sF-dqvyvxdDqz9u3SZWGRHFZhk9sauJQBwfYSWLNZ-2A6hUJeMQL4APmmEtSc7pyUmCPCsjDIepA82BVo87PRpwtFJjVc4WXNO-c7C3vFvmVJIvgXJ0upgcU9opOtPGb2pM4/s320/file5381291239055.jpg" width="320" /></a>"If most writers were honest with themselves, this is the difference they want to make: before they were not noticed; now they are." —Tom Wolfe<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-40201348595094877562016-07-20T19:37:00.000-06:002016-07-20T19:37:00.291-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOvTynyFN5f4yXDv14bnk0wWVMBhtglRHiCfd2M1He3c_nLoHKgebHB3gkduN_OX7f3Zl94xGEnzZm9MOhR0J0GhNtWjNdUdyaM4YdjTA4P2Ub1sZAfpPvC0b-SZp_K5ujn9UxXFrQbA/s1600/file0001285949283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOvTynyFN5f4yXDv14bnk0wWVMBhtglRHiCfd2M1He3c_nLoHKgebHB3gkduN_OX7f3Zl94xGEnzZm9MOhR0J0GhNtWjNdUdyaM4YdjTA4P2Ub1sZAfpPvC0b-SZp_K5ujn9UxXFrQbA/s200/file0001285949283.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
"Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space." —Orson Scott Card<div>
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It's all better with friends.</div>
Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-48164650249333486492016-07-13T05:00:00.000-06:002016-07-13T05:00:03.717-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaloCTpyn9NBRd43HLWgaCU7hJZ57JPT59GqbJ64WjN55Dv3mE45YugKQpZabec6g09dAf2Pu9CjPJ4MoF009u6Tx6VMGYm9rolcllGqWAVsNyb4f7PbvUUKw1czUVCGtjw6HIlGrZvM/s1600/100_2476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaloCTpyn9NBRd43HLWgaCU7hJZ57JPT59GqbJ64WjN55Dv3mE45YugKQpZabec6g09dAf2Pu9CjPJ4MoF009u6Tx6VMGYm9rolcllGqWAVsNyb4f7PbvUUKw1czUVCGtjw6HIlGrZvM/s320/100_2476.jpg" width="320" /></a>"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." —Martin Luther King<br />
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It's also stepping off the roof of a high-rise and trusting you'll figure out your wings on the way down.<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-6346690289668803732016-07-06T05:00:00.000-06:002016-07-06T05:00:15.091-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokUMxzNqkYhdKWwIxW8LYwfFqstKzw1gOiWO9FiP_L33LkR42SF7Et8xK-Co00qjUIVcQD88xDflC8b1k_4QzAiB-K24hHrs0Hgrtme5fuOyB0NE8T-3h6Xu90J85s3CMAMq5udyNY1Y/s1600/waterislife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokUMxzNqkYhdKWwIxW8LYwfFqstKzw1gOiWO9FiP_L33LkR42SF7Et8xK-Co00qjUIVcQD88xDflC8b1k_4QzAiB-K24hHrs0Hgrtme5fuOyB0NE8T-3h6Xu90J85s3CMAMq5udyNY1Y/s320/waterislife.jpg" width="212" /></a>"When you're making a film, you have an obligation to fill the frame with life."—Joss Whedon<br />
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It's the same with making a book. You have an obligation to fill each page with life.<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-85930967508972693662016-07-01T05:00:00.000-06:002016-07-01T05:00:09.285-06:00Process: When I Must Pretend<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuhNSxaz-bNVhyphenhyphen2l_x7cdDK-i-Hjo_Dc16Tnzg8ekeiDuQ5xFIgIwPoTLZZWng19A9SbxRne-EEwzItBGng_GjoHBpJsr3A4yMGA1xhqGNragoPrxoaXgCL-a9iHIeEYYIjoAwrG6lss/s1600/file4721260590452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuhNSxaz-bNVhyphenhyphen2l_x7cdDK-i-Hjo_Dc16Tnzg8ekeiDuQ5xFIgIwPoTLZZWng19A9SbxRne-EEwzItBGng_GjoHBpJsr3A4yMGA1xhqGNragoPrxoaXgCL-a9iHIeEYYIjoAwrG6lss/s320/file4721260590452.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm at a fairly recognizable place in my manuscript. I've been here before. It's the place where I'm suddenly unsure about the direction this manuscript is heading. It doesn't quite match up with what I'd planned, and I only know two things: it will either be better or it will be worse.<br />
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But in order to find out, I have to write it. I have to finish this first draft.<br />
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And here's where the pretending comes in. I need, right now, to pretend I'm a writer who knows what she's doing. I need to plow ahead with all the confidence of a Stephen King or a John Sandford or a Karin Slaughter or a J.K. Rowling.<br />
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Right now it's important not to let missing research pieces hold me up. Write the story, then fill in the holes and make the changes later. Trust the process.<br />
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Do you have stumbling places with your work? Places where you have to fake it until you make it?<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-44059092195755205892016-06-29T05:00:00.000-06:002016-06-29T05:00:01.999-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOukZtKpbDJbcffbuw_dJ_Si3iYH8mhYhmiNh_A7MN3AJQEvYYXjxJD8uOjFS82AwP9rKiR8F3xP1HPrWQLemKoCWTzOtahjMHqOs_Gr5LDanQA8qgC34SszqVV8gU7Q4ddFF3yqtaI0/s1600/DSC06921-BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOukZtKpbDJbcffbuw_dJ_Si3iYH8mhYhmiNh_A7MN3AJQEvYYXjxJD8uOjFS82AwP9rKiR8F3xP1HPrWQLemKoCWTzOtahjMHqOs_Gr5LDanQA8qgC34SszqVV8gU7Q4ddFF3yqtaI0/s320/DSC06921-BW.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
"I didn't know I was doing film noir, I thought they were detective stories with low lighting!"—Marie Windsor<div>
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It's all better with friends.</div>
Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-11956139697010573002016-06-22T05:00:00.000-06:002016-06-22T05:00:02.605-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WtnbVHhNcd6PIMRVAB1Y61gaDOZT-ng1CZCo9l_LsvRDtuM6bXzeAPmw9AqIqYa270jVNNpn7lqqWfwWx7jAibrexfbNnMc_TJgO8Uhx40J_lZSFzN4Maf2I3eLc7_ARp-MrwUXqmsc/s1600/DSCN1355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WtnbVHhNcd6PIMRVAB1Y61gaDOZT-ng1CZCo9l_LsvRDtuM6bXzeAPmw9AqIqYa270jVNNpn7lqqWfwWx7jAibrexfbNnMc_TJgO8Uhx40J_lZSFzN4Maf2I3eLc7_ARp-MrwUXqmsc/s320/DSCN1355.JPG" width="240" /></a>"I am irritated by my writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within." —Gustave Flaubert<br />
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When I write, I often see the scene playing out in front of me on a movie screen. I want to reproduce what I see and hear.<br />
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Donald Maass teaches writers that if it's not on the page, it doesn't exist. That's so true! On the other hand, too many details bog the story down. The trick, in my view, is to bring just enough to the page leaving the rest to the imagination of your reader.<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-90227529792897222782016-06-15T05:00:00.000-06:002016-06-15T05:00:03.722-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhnhX0XR7DvKRQ-gR-A1p2R5N2hjn704lL254NcAyGMVxQKW5FalIlRMytgQeZSfSt09krMWkloHlsurKm3zjgTbNtPQMVIsfv4X5dJ0a4z8wHtyuXR5Q5m08ytC0WGFMzLPyjG2VcwI/s1600/file0001338932820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhnhX0XR7DvKRQ-gR-A1p2R5N2hjn704lL254NcAyGMVxQKW5FalIlRMytgQeZSfSt09krMWkloHlsurKm3zjgTbNtPQMVIsfv4X5dJ0a4z8wHtyuXR5Q5m08ytC0WGFMzLPyjG2VcwI/s320/file0001338932820.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
"If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music, you automatically explode every morning like Old Faithful. I have never had a dry spell in my life, mainly because I feed myself well, to the the point of bursting. I wake early and hear my morning voices leaping around in my head like jumping beans. I get out of bed to trap them before they escape." —Ray Bradbury<div>
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Sounds like a good diet to me.</div>
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It's all better with friends.</div>
Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-35778008224283418212016-06-08T05:00:00.000-06:002016-06-08T05:00:02.523-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXFb4KcgasZP-5jZs1aMffonuCWXfId9tdsXyFgzzUN7VkBVynE9v9SisubSxoR3PYQi0VxQCnCuU4mjhXOZPgj5-nRyhv0WEwDi6It32ruxRJn1TTXbYTsfSqIT5ZoWOucP_OJtmyUs/s1600/white-paper-border.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAXFb4KcgasZP-5jZs1aMffonuCWXfId9tdsXyFgzzUN7VkBVynE9v9SisubSxoR3PYQi0VxQCnCuU4mjhXOZPgj5-nRyhv0WEwDi6It32ruxRJn1TTXbYTsfSqIT5ZoWOucP_OJtmyUs/s320/white-paper-border.jpg" width="244" /></a>"I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper." —Steve Martin<br />
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I like his confidence.<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-91181464176803318112016-06-01T05:00:00.000-06:002016-06-01T05:00:08.126-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaVHxC9Ku9m_A1uBwh8iwR-CepgNqt1DafAkZJ5eFFXJPoTswRbUskwlgky1pTj9lXfe_IGx1CxVdtFnR-rShOWiDnnwU3Cf5IIr65dNmct0IsNCZ4ENQT8lCdthMG0PQhrxt5eqJXtE/s1600/IMG_4018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaVHxC9Ku9m_A1uBwh8iwR-CepgNqt1DafAkZJ5eFFXJPoTswRbUskwlgky1pTj9lXfe_IGx1CxVdtFnR-rShOWiDnnwU3Cf5IIr65dNmct0IsNCZ4ENQT8lCdthMG0PQhrxt5eqJXtE/s320/IMG_4018.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
"I know. I'm lazy. But I made myself a New Years resolution that I would write myself something really special. Which means I have 'til December, right?" —Catherine O'Hara<br />
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I can safely declare I'm behind on my goals for the year. But I'm equally certain I would not have accomplished what I have without them.<br />
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How about you?<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-67974114649080031822016-05-25T05:00:00.000-06:002016-05-25T05:00:09.539-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhiKmripoWHWMiERvAPggbro727Il3gV9hGCt34-XoGNhPmDYuwtuHRO-29Lh52IWRxyHPZzrDf48XOEdzN1XEJUBufT_vl7B6wkUlwsCd8Cnc4SyvCB2DhIE4jEW9l7JqzIPxkpUquU/s1600/file0001948716445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhiKmripoWHWMiERvAPggbro727Il3gV9hGCt34-XoGNhPmDYuwtuHRO-29Lh52IWRxyHPZzrDf48XOEdzN1XEJUBufT_vl7B6wkUlwsCd8Cnc4SyvCB2DhIE4jEW9l7JqzIPxkpUquU/s320/file0001948716445.jpg" width="222" /></a>Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary in ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary. —Boris Pasternak<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-82682555013564546762016-05-18T05:00:00.000-06:002016-05-18T05:00:20.249-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHieudL3MfXzGud0UMwU_ZqBS-ek37BOAQU6JEeZFpzaj_Dzd9OejAIqcFPJufrX6ctr6Hr9xZ4DXURL51SG2QyafDWuOC-rtoeLwYaDzhOV99WdEZyfO-HtnVwqzEqxjUq4szoMml3g/s1600/file0001376549916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHieudL3MfXzGud0UMwU_ZqBS-ek37BOAQU6JEeZFpzaj_Dzd9OejAIqcFPJufrX6ctr6Hr9xZ4DXURL51SG2QyafDWuOC-rtoeLwYaDzhOV99WdEZyfO-HtnVwqzEqxjUq4szoMml3g/s320/file0001376549916.jpg" width="320" /></a>As my artist's statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore full of deep significance. —Calvin & Hobbs<br />
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Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-70959352685243420282016-05-11T05:00:00.000-06:002016-05-11T05:00:23.220-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwHJI4R42eyNfFjRb-4Kv0Db8yzjhBiQiGYTkLF3PYpdUvUVk54GE9EvYijPBVPDgRZrdcnZ5bTehBJCAPyJZI7tfMYZIw1R-vnVK0oCkqtR1GM63MRnJg8Uam-1gI3ZYvdAe9rl0pks/s1600/file0001535568481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwHJI4R42eyNfFjRb-4Kv0Db8yzjhBiQiGYTkLF3PYpdUvUVk54GE9EvYijPBVPDgRZrdcnZ5bTehBJCAPyJZI7tfMYZIw1R-vnVK0oCkqtR1GM63MRnJg8Uam-1gI3ZYvdAe9rl0pks/s320/file0001535568481.jpg" width="217" /></a>Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong. —Neil Gaiman<br />
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Which is one reason writing for a living can be very confusing.<br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-88253458426409996292016-05-04T03:00:00.000-06:002016-05-04T03:00:20.735-06:00Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoleihTbWdD59bcgLf2v8cpIH-HnizdaHLVUHvqTOhJWYxh6Q7Wg2kS6kf37lKc58HKzf_IT0Av7Wgg8zF1kKb6C2dVFOXqTpDeIbOjj_IkrHjqtOxvtN1z2iOTfQ3kjjNu1aGZs_PQo/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoleihTbWdD59bcgLf2v8cpIH-HnizdaHLVUHvqTOhJWYxh6Q7Wg2kS6kf37lKc58HKzf_IT0Av7Wgg8zF1kKb6C2dVFOXqTpDeIbOjj_IkrHjqtOxvtN1z2iOTfQ3kjjNu1aGZs_PQo/s400/Unknown.jpeg" /></a>You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive. —James Baldwin<br />
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This brought tears to my eyes. I have nothing to add. Except maybe to recommend you read it again.<br />
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It's all better with friends.<br />
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<br />Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-56160434044690128462016-04-27T10:55:00.000-06:002016-04-27T10:55:49.974-06:00Podcast<span style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: 16px;">I met Laura Brennan when I went to Hollywood for a special Sisters In Crime conference. She recently started a series of podcasts for mysteries. Here’s mine, but check out the others as well, and maybe sign up to receive free books: </span><a class="" href="http://destinationmystery.com/episode-5-peg-brantley/" style="font-family: Arial-BoldMT; font-size: 16px;">http://destinationmystery.com/episode-5-peg-brantley/</a><br />
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It's all better with friends.Peg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.com0