tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288838712024-03-07T00:25:40.314-08:00Travels with the MuseTo combine traveling and writing - what author could ask for more? Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-71617662569195219882020-08-22T14:07:00.000-07:002020-08-22T14:07:10.152-07:00<p> Stay tuned for a virtual trip through La Alpujarra and Ceuta, the places in Spain that inspired me to write <i>Zahara and the Lost Books of Light</i>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBSDnQy1iCXYPxpDvcfvPbGT8nbMyEZCZOl1CyLX4iLTvkEfhsiRsrRXu1hq9wN75dgvYvkqbnr37g2vcfeicNKRfQxi3dgX08oS1oNqxhG95Rd7qG-_qbQUEE3HrgWNtTRX4/s1440/302A4001-67D9-4AEE-9EBB-49CB8011C657.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBSDnQy1iCXYPxpDvcfvPbGT8nbMyEZCZOl1CyLX4iLTvkEfhsiRsrRXu1hq9wN75dgvYvkqbnr37g2vcfeicNKRfQxi3dgX08oS1oNqxhG95Rd7qG-_qbQUEE3HrgWNtTRX4/s640/302A4001-67D9-4AEE-9EBB-49CB8011C657.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-71672507236583006562015-01-16T08:30:00.000-08:002015-01-16T09:55:19.569-08:00LAUNCHING ‘RIVERS RUN BACK’ IN INDIA<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Climbing the wide stairs to the American Center Library in
New Delhi, I had no idea what to expect. Most libraries have relatively small
common spaces and a few meeting rooms. So I was surprised and pleased to see
the huge open space packed with library patrons and guests, all awaiting the
book launch of RIVERS RUN BACK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjW7rcsmf6Pr8i5rHMaOjTRKKMv9xRi2Vd98bucYtQ0iGVx2zsLxfxQm3xgKFHI6Viwj3zIsNv3J3_kdl3TlrapmDXir0uEvD0YDzH2jecE0Sri6qYWiU5REfQ5DIdELDsPuII/s1600/_MG_8182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjW7rcsmf6Pr8i5rHMaOjTRKKMv9xRi2Vd98bucYtQ0iGVx2zsLxfxQm3xgKFHI6Viwj3zIsNv3J3_kdl3TlrapmDXir0uEvD0YDzH2jecE0Sri6qYWiU5REfQ5DIdELDsPuII/s1600/_MG_8182.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Located in Connaught Place, one of the largest commercial
and business centers in New Delhi, the American Center is dedicated to supporting
the U.S. Embassy's mission to promote mutual understanding between the people
of India and the United States. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since RIVERS RUN BACK is a work of fiction co-authored by an Indian writer (Arindam Roy) and myself, we were invited to discuss our collaborative process
at the American Center Library. Kala Dutt, the Library Director, warmly welcomed us, as did Emily B. White, Program Director of the American Center, Ramesh Jain from the US Embassy, and Aditi Mody from the Chicago Center in Delhi (a co-sponsor of the event).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our publisher, Renu Kaul Verma of Vitasta, was present, as
was our editor, Veena Batra. It was wonderful to hear how Veena got so involved
in reading our book that she frequently forgot her role as editor!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gTsZ7sEX3RIHi46GUANwzGt3Msr29DH3EOi8tawHyzqCZUZFUknIelzRuXxI4LZtSD7PRUB1umd-4hMmMhYslHocdcJCHS-07k8VND1HZeEJ6hfZNSK4OCBCOB7lgWBM_vuE/s1600/_MG_8177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gTsZ7sEX3RIHi46GUANwzGt3Msr29DH3EOi8tawHyzqCZUZFUknIelzRuXxI4LZtSD7PRUB1umd-4hMmMhYslHocdcJCHS-07k8VND1HZeEJ6hfZNSK4OCBCOB7lgWBM_vuE/s1600/_MG_8177.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We discussed the Indo-American connections in RIVERS RUN
BACK and Arindam explained the origin of our title – how in India the yearning
of rivers to run back signifies the deep introspection experienced by all of
us—male or female, Eastern or Western—during the different stages in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I described how one of our American characters, Marilyn –
who marries an Indian from</span><span style="color: #4e5665; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Allahabad -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>decides to discover India for herself and
finds meaning and comfort in the story of Durga, the powerful goddess who
defeats demons both personal and universal. Arindam discussed how his
background as a journalist covering the ‘criminal beat’ gave him insights into
the ferocious nature of our antagonist, Narsimha. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Arindam and I originally met and began our book-writing
project on Facebook, so it was fitting that many of our longtime Facebook
friends were present. It was thrilling to meet some of them for the first time.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKUmkpVVw0E1vq79GUAu-_fveCsHQQJcZZw5t1ybYBhYSHWKTY17NH6pPXhwaFM-XoFKqBO_Sc0ojqnQxR7GtxZKxXis-jI_9hxHbSWHV_wcs6k2qlH2-jPROMJ487IouXpKi/s1600/basement3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKUmkpVVw0E1vq79GUAu-_fveCsHQQJcZZw5t1ybYBhYSHWKTY17NH6pPXhwaFM-XoFKqBO_Sc0ojqnQxR7GtxZKxXis-jI_9hxHbSWHV_wcs6k2qlH2-jPROMJ487IouXpKi/s1600/basement3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Landing in Seattle after 23 hours of travel, these wonderful
happenings in Delhi seemed like a dream. Except that inside my suitcase, 3
shrink-wrapped books and a slew of promotional pamphlets were nestled, waiting
to remind me that after three years of toil, ‘creative tension,’ and laughter
with my writing partner, RIVERS RUN BACK has finally been launched.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-50278348922307584422014-03-20T15:43:00.000-07:002014-03-20T18:03:15.853-07:00Traveling “In Character” to Russia<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Jo Epstein’s émigré stepfather, Nikolai, is suspected
of murder and flees to Moscow, Jo jumps on a plane to follow him. For an
intrepid private investigator like her, this was another high-speed chase set
far from New York’s West Side Highway. For the author, it was a chance to
accompany my protagonist onto foreign soil in order to see Russia through her
eyes. It resulted in a whirlwind research tour, with Jo and me relying on our
instincts to ferret out what mattered most. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fresh off the train from Moscow, we were escorted through
the prison yard at Vladimir Central Prison and up the stairs to a museum proudly
exhibiting the works of formerly incarcerated Russian writers. The sense of Russian
irony was compounded by the fact that, directly across the hall from a display
of 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century instruments of torture, we found an art therapy
class in progress. Our guide proudly related how today’s guards and prisoners are
encouraged to express themselves through painting. While she spoke, my
imagination ran wild. What if Jo were incarcerated in a dank cell with
graffiti-covered walls in an attempt to prevent her from finding Nikolai? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The thing about traveling alongside a fictitious character
is that everything you experience is potentially part of her story. In Suzdal, we
visited a monastery with an underground cell where heretics both religious and
political were once tried in secret—and yes, this history-packed locale
eventually served as a setting for a pivotal scene in the book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jo and I then toured a Matryoshka Factory, with spinning
lathes and woodchips flying. Little did the skilled workmen and talented women
painters know that their nesting dolls would one day hold clues to a mystery
spanning two continents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back in Moscow, we dined at a Georgian restaurant with a Commander
in the Moscow Criminal Police. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He waxed
nostalgic for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">vory v zacone</i> –
thieves-in-law— famed for their strict code of conduct. To my surprise, he
expressed regret that the brutal yet consistent rules of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">vory </i>were not followed by the modern
Russian Mafia. I consulted with the Commander about my antagonist’s background
and planned course of action. That he chose to bless my storyline was
definitely a high point of the trip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With only 20 words of Russian between us, Jo and I were hard
pressed to decipher the Cyrillic signs in the impressive Moscow subway. We
worked out a deciphering system worthy of a spy novel—perhaps to be used in her
next adventure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve always been a believer in recycling and repurposing and
this inclination got a workout in Russia. Even the apartment we stayed in,
which was once a Soviet-style, communal residence, became a setting for a scene
in RUSSIAN RECKONING.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-86107969051691662822014-02-08T08:10:00.002-08:002014-02-08T08:13:54.743-08:00My 'Made it' MomentI wrote this short piece for Jenny Milchman's "Made It Moments" series (<a href="http://www.jennymilchman.com/blog/">http://www.jennymilchman.com/blog/</a>) and she published it last year - thank you Jenny!<br />
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It's time I shared these words here:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Made. adj. Assured of success.</i></b> The year was 1965, the place New
York City, where a young lady of seventeen lives with her boyfriend in an
apartment with an airshaft instead of a window and discovers she loves playing
with words, letting them tumble on the page and jostle each other in strange
juxtapositions, the weirder the better. Having emigrated to the Lower East Side
from the Southeast Bronx she speaks a smattering of Puerto Rican Spanish and
knows how to stare down a potential mugger in an empty subway car. Late at
night, after a long day spent repairing damaged books in the New School library,
she sips Chianti from a coffee mug and edits the poems she wrote on the Houston
Street bus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Six months later she comes home to her lover’s announcement
that he prefers someone else, the lease is in his name, she gets the picture.
“Oh there’s a letter for you,” he remembers and she snatches it out of his
betraying hands on her way out the door, leaving it unopened for a week or so
while she learns to breathe again and trust the air will not murder her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The letter says we read your Bus Poems, want to publish all eleven
of them in our new magazine named after a tragic nymph. How apt. She meets the
editors who are delighted with her tender age. One offers to introduce her to
Alan Ginsberg. When the magazine comes out it is beautifully bound, Niobe
inscribed on the cover in large green letters, her poems interspersed with
photographs of graffiti-spattered walls in the city she will eventually desert as
abruptly as her boyfriend dumped her. She is destined to give up poetry to
write mystery novels, but for the moment, she has ‘made it.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-75170923262388335532012-08-25T11:03:00.000-07:002012-08-25T11:03:27.207-07:00Trust Your InstinctsThis little piece was originally published on the Venture Galleries Blog - <a href="http://venturegalleries.com/blog/when-writing-trust-your-instincts/">http://venturegalleries.com/blog/when-writing-trust-your-instincts/</a><br />
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Beginning a book is like taking a wrong turn on the way home from the airport. You may end up in a bad neighborhood, and run out of gas before you find your way out, or you may decide this is the place for you and settle in to get your work done. In that case, everything you need is right there… a church or temple as the case may be, a bodega or bordello depending on your mood, and enough shady characters to balance the host of heroes mandated by the current vogue in publishing.<br />
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<div sab="170">Your family will miss you, but they’re used to it. Whether you check into a flea-bitten SRO or a gilded mansion on the edge of town is entirely up to you. But do not fail to write yourself a note saying something like: <em sab="171">My surroundings are entirely illusory and I can return to reality at any time</em>. Post it on the fridge, just in case.</div><div sab="172"> </div><div sab="172">As for the actual writing, for me it is a process of <em sab="173">unlearning</em>, each and every time. Like a kitten refusing to move when attached to a leash, whatever has worked for me in the past declines to take the first step on the new journey. I’m on my own and the sooner I accept this the better. I wrote <em sab="174">Ask the Dead</em> in the first person, present tense, a technique that shot the story forward at bullet speed. I tried the same thing with The Last Matryoshka (aka Code of Thieves) and ended up tossing the first 30,000 words and switching to past tense. My new book, co-written with Indian journalist Arindam Roy, is set in India, the US and Canada, and is a saga told from multiple points of view.</div><div sab="172"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmg7NLIHZgznwu6Hmw2rURuwoTVE-mBmlT9KRQzstm5M1Kj9HNI5_X9WR5jWFqw96RpXT6S7B4H1DiGpGtOU9a4CXIP-z3qytELRMerHfkUyyX2evAcqTKtcOJ-fudiHg0VHT/s1600/IMG_1522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmg7NLIHZgznwu6Hmw2rURuwoTVE-mBmlT9KRQzstm5M1Kj9HNI5_X9WR5jWFqw96RpXT6S7B4H1DiGpGtOU9a4CXIP-z3qytELRMerHfkUyyX2evAcqTKtcOJ-fudiHg0VHT/s320/IMG_1522.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div sab="172" style="text-align: center;">The company of an independent-minded cat can also be a great help.</div><div sab="175"> </div><div sab="175">I write both literary fiction and mysteries and have found them remarkably similar in structure. Why not, since life is the ultimate mystery. As long as my protagonist has something at stake, something to believe in, something challenging her belief in herself and a compelling reason to put herself at risk, the story will move forward. When I feel blocked, I seek out the noisiest coffee house, park bench, or subway car I can find, and use the white noise to focus my mind.</div><div sab="178"> </div><div sab="178">A few consistent rules that work for me are:</div><ul><li><div sab="179">Outline only when events begin to contradict each other and continuity is in danger.</div></li>
<li><div sab="180">Develop your characters fully and they will reward you by revealing your plot and bringing life to every moment on the page</div></li>
<li><div sab="181">When a story is not climbing toward a peak of some kind there had better be a deep ravine up ahead.</div></li>
<li><div sab="182">Never write in a vacuum. Even the most insular love story takes place <em sab="183">somewhere</em>. Rub the lantern fervently and often, and with the help of your imagination the world you create will reveal and challenge your characters and enchant your readers. My own genie has whisked me off to Russia and India on life-changing, so called ‘book research’ trips for which I will be ever grateful.</div></li>
</ul><div sab="184">Above all, trust your instincts and don’t think too much.</div>Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-8454653872116184372012-05-21T09:10:00.002-07:002012-05-21T17:25:37.606-07:00Mysterious MusingsToday I am being interviewed by the astute, inquiring mind of Julia Buckley. Please stop by - she has entitled the interview <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text" sab="574"><a href="http://juliabuckley.blogspot.com/2012/05/mystery-writer-joyce-yarrow-on-new-york.html?spref=fb" target="_blank">New York Streets, Russian Gulags, and Indian Poetry</a>.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://juliabuckley.blogspot.com/2012/05/mystery-writer-joyce-yarrow-on-new-york.html?spref=fb" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJQ5pniOz6qAHGyBulvZx0dabxqJslIo8NLPAJlmhfqKQLATVt8LBO7NZXx2qVdn-NWgeEV1cyMqDQGl1K7lFEV7pmpAC6XzM5h-SRCAMO7OAH2VzPbdRjKp0g8qRDiWhXAeT/s320/mysterious+musings.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-83985853617663025042012-05-18T21:25:00.000-07:002012-05-18T21:25:07.425-07:00Bringing Moscow to AllahabadI wrote this post as a guest on Timothy Hallinan's blog and thought I'd share it here too, since this experience in Allahabad was so amazing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcpSVL-Zln4o0_3GEAi0VGqHoqcBIa8ZKNbrrdbch0hyphenhyphenIllQi2tBBJG9w2kVkr1CrIZgr1yAYOKGwXx5sWYWKXTPmCuj8sfHdiZQEsB3HIBUxcDIscZjnSZT_80VBt3-eDLG8/s1600/Co+authors+Sangam+boatride.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcpSVL-Zln4o0_3GEAi0VGqHoqcBIa8ZKNbrrdbch0hyphenhyphenIllQi2tBBJG9w2kVkr1CrIZgr1yAYOKGwXx5sWYWKXTPmCuj8sfHdiZQEsB3HIBUxcDIscZjnSZT_80VBt3-eDLG8/s320/Co+authors+Sangam+boatride.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Co-Authors</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Arindam Roy—with whom I am writing a novel-in-progress set
on two continents—loves concocting surprises. So when I checked into the Hotel
Yatrik on a Friday and he told me I’d be giving a talk to students at Allahabad
University that Sunday, I managed a grin and a thank you for the opportunity.
Then I rushed across the street—risking life and limb amidst the madly rushing
rickshaws, wildly over-burdened scooters, and incessantly honking cars—to see
if I could get my Mini laptop fixed in time to retrieve my slideshow on my
book-research trip to Russia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Sunday afternoon, Professor Sanjoy Saksena came to fetch
me in a taxi. I was duly grateful, knowing that if I braved the intense
humidity and walked the quarter mile to the University, I’d arrive looking more
bedraggled than a shipwrecked cat.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCM3mx6BOIqlJnUEhrh-Gg86IXlorLNDa1Hz0wANjLaXZkX3PbnkwtaqUrLxPgj_m-7RRm-n15J_UncXjVkQN1xzbBzd_eDrtEQ_vPbWVTg29g7kiMlYbxWVmcrgyskIlsVBG/s1600/DSC_0487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCM3mx6BOIqlJnUEhrh-Gg86IXlorLNDa1Hz0wANjLaXZkX3PbnkwtaqUrLxPgj_m-7RRm-n15J_UncXjVkQN1xzbBzd_eDrtEQ_vPbWVTg29g7kiMlYbxWVmcrgyskIlsVBG/s320/DSC_0487.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The University’s English Department is one of the oldest in
India, situated in a grand Edwardian Mughal structure. The Head, Professor
Dubey, greeted me warmly, with an offer of tea and many expressions of
appreciation. “Your visit will be recorded as was that of Mark Twain, who
visited us many years ago,” he said. I was flabbergasted and tried not to show
it. Instead I told the students who joined us around the table how remarkable
it was that in both Russia and India people could be counted on to treat authors
with great respect, regardless of the size of their book sales or reputations. “There
is a special appreciation for the act of writing itself that is imbued in both
cultures,” I said. I don’t remember if I shared my opinion that this would
never happen in celebrity-crazed America. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzezxeEvymyrS6Q448XSPtKjunPC5VCHEj5Sy5o98TxLY_aIIReZQkG4UP1XT3mQ2MtSu_Fj6DUxWlur-rcBOcczCEsZvC_2pNj5hHKa-ATxTcAv_u1bHxGyH9xArLwCyz1CnI/s1600/U+of+Allahabad+Presentation2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzezxeEvymyrS6Q448XSPtKjunPC5VCHEj5Sy5o98TxLY_aIIReZQkG4UP1XT3mQ2MtSu_Fj6DUxWlur-rcBOcczCEsZvC_2pNj5hHKa-ATxTcAv_u1bHxGyH9xArLwCyz1CnI/s320/U+of+Allahabad+Presentation2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8RvnZF_wEdZQq_7E4M4aLxixyzVCSfpb8TiYlp_MXSQhFJPuI6nm3lLKX05vTMA90j9WTr5BfxKAwH9G24aWIL-UZj4lKJN0-aE47ALg_CvK4AeER6h7Z8N0F4K3KarKgpg9/s1600/U+of+Allahabad3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8RvnZF_wEdZQq_7E4M4aLxixyzVCSfpb8TiYlp_MXSQhFJPuI6nm3lLKX05vTMA90j9WTr5BfxKAwH9G24aWIL-UZj4lKJN0-aE47ALg_CvK4AeER6h7Z8N0F4K3KarKgpg9/s320/U+of+Allahabad3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My presentation, titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Place of Place in Mystery Writing</i>, always opens with a discussion of how
Raymond Chandler, Walter Mosley, and Elizabeth George use the settings of their
stories to reveal character—so much so, that in Chandler’s case, Los Angeles became
a character in its own right. I then segued into how I got the idea for writing
The Last Matryoshka while visiting my mother’s downstairs neighbors, two lovely
Russians who held house concerts in their apartment. It was when I reached the
slide showing a group of émigré men playing chess on the Brighton Beach boardwalk
that it hit me. Here I was, describing a book largely set in Moscow while showing
pictures taken in Brooklyn to a group of graduate students in India! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As if to jar me out of my dream, one of the faculty members
spoke up. “Do you think that mysteries are really a form of literature?” he
asked. Fighting words—more like what I was used to. “Yes, as a matter of fact I
do,” I replied. “Just because publishers find it convenient to classify books
into genres in order to market them doesn’t mean that some are better than
others. It depends on the writer.” I looked around the room and found a young
woman I could tell was just dying to raise her hand. I looked directly at her
and asked, “What do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you </i>think.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was an eerie silence…perhaps I had
defied some classroom etiquette of which I was unaware. Then she smiled. “I like
reading Agatha Christie and I think her books are every bit as good as Charles
Dickens,” she said. A girl after my own heart. We were off and running
then—even the quiet students leaned forward in their seats to listen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Afterwards the professor who had challenged me came up to
apologize. “Are you kidding?” I asked. “You made it happen.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before I left, they draped a beautiful, orange shawl around
my shoulders, as is the tradition with honored guests. By that time the
classroom was close to inferno temperature and sweltering under the hot wool
scarf I did my best not to pass out. Then came the flowers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could get used to this.</span></div>Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-31874022506025449832012-05-16T11:53:00.000-07:002012-05-16T11:53:15.985-07:00Here's my interview with <strong>Fun Sherpa: Interrogating the Interesting,</strong> just posted today:<br />
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Stop by and join the fun...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9uf2l6u5oOJymrjg2zQv95vRvBVLcNAIaZG1FfNuj4Yl_KbvCXMRtwujNLISMtzWbyULExi2bI-38JNyhYU2vE51mPxt3WL5E2VwDSRAyk-cwy7na6YBRQIBR22qnN3RoLGp/s1600/fun+sherpa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9uf2l6u5oOJymrjg2zQv95vRvBVLcNAIaZG1FfNuj4Yl_KbvCXMRtwujNLISMtzWbyULExi2bI-38JNyhYU2vE51mPxt3WL5E2VwDSRAyk-cwy7na6YBRQIBR22qnN3RoLGp/s320/fun+sherpa.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://blog.funsherpa.com/author/admin/" target="_blank">http://blog.funsherpa.com/author/admin/</a>Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-50278058452707067222012-04-17T22:21:00.002-07:002012-04-17T22:31:56.186-07:00I'm very excited about the next stop on my blog tour - Tim Hallinan's "Blog Cabin!"<br />
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Tim is an exceptional writer of mysteries and thrillers set in exotic locales. He was recently nominated for two major awards, the Edgar and the Macavity. I'm honored to be his guest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0pTIm9b28FdsQl9G08PJZoRR4OCmppsu7f5dbALiiftp5N6wCuvjDX8stD9O4KmxNSUkeR16Gw-MtvD1SFVLXYc807NTrApBFc6Q-1Fu7OiUp5xyL7zpkWkdTAjBA6PmgLRI/s1600/cabin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0pTIm9b28FdsQl9G08PJZoRR4OCmppsu7f5dbALiiftp5N6wCuvjDX8stD9O4KmxNSUkeR16Gw-MtvD1SFVLXYc807NTrApBFc6Q-1Fu7OiUp5xyL7zpkWkdTAjBA6PmgLRI/s1600/cabin.JPG" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.timothyhallinan.com/blog/">http://www.timothyhallinan.com/blog/</a></div>
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Come on over to the Blog Cabin anytime on Wednesday and Thursday, April 18 and 19th to read about my extraordinary experience "Bringing Moscow to Allahabad."<br />
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You will also find a link there to FREE copies of THE LAST MATRYOSHKA on Amazon.Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-48603904140737054472012-03-22T22:09:00.001-07:002012-03-24T09:31:17.980-07:00Blog TourThe next stop on the blog tour arranged by Istoria Books for The Last<br />
Matryoshka is SIA MCKYE OVER COFFEE - on Friday, March 23rd<br />
<br />
<a href="http://siamckye.blogspot.com/" title="http://siamckye.blogspot.com/">http://siamckye.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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My topic is "Back in the USSR" - the merits of packing one's suitcase when researching international settings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkKS1kdHXOtaRfRv_DMhnwOw3vV7wgYH6ZPc2OYZUXJRWHhlBnTI1DMRkaeb60Gkuc-G3O8GWbG5U8LlAkzjJMwb-VE4h34YKClvYEtM9jipg5agChYJ7E1gMYeHvhiji6sTs/s1600/sia+over+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkKS1kdHXOtaRfRv_DMhnwOw3vV7wgYH6ZPc2OYZUXJRWHhlBnTI1DMRkaeb60Gkuc-G3O8GWbG5U8LlAkzjJMwb-VE4h34YKClvYEtM9jipg5agChYJ7E1gMYeHvhiji6sTs/s320/sia+over+coffee.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Please stop by on Friday and enjoy the great fiddle music that plays as you read.Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-89355511997200085342012-03-13T23:49:00.003-07:002012-03-13T23:49:47.880-07:00GET YOUR FREE COPY of THE LAST MATRYOSHKA<br />
<br />
On March 14 and 15, The Last Matryoshka will be available on Amazon FOR FREE, courtesy of Istoria Books. <br />
<a href="http://tiny.cc/dje5aw">http://tiny.cc/dje5aw</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/THE-LAST-MATRYOSHKA-ebook/dp/B007HDZ6UM/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_2_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP1tuESLRR3oF9oli0L0r1kjesX5-SkmB_4xiGg6MAp8kyB05iwwjaXR_Io3jGZhbduaABi-fNeza-0snY7uQmKzcWd5A3BoE32szhcAn1Xqr3qEo9iG_3BOjl2y1Wscxoxiv/s320/Last+Matryoska+try+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
If you do not own a Kindle you can download the free reader from: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sv_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sv_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771</a><br />
<br />
I am also guest blogging at Thoughts in Progress - <a href="http://masoncanyon.blogspot.com/">http://masoncanyon.blogspot.com/</a><br />
Please stop by and join the discussion about Writing the Female PI.<br />
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See you there,<br />
JoyceJoyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-74729997478559856662012-03-03T14:14:00.003-08:002012-03-03T15:35:00.271-08:00The Last Matryoshka Comes to a "Theatre" New YouAm thrilled with the atmospheric book trailer that Istoria Books produced for the upcoming e-release of The Last Matryoshka. This also raises a question -- how do readers react to these videos - are they seen as mere marketing tools or is there real entertainment value perceived?<br />
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Comment and reviews welcome :)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzBB4Tp66ymgCBpWens6j0OpPSASm11xUD_wqivK5kijT9tz7r6W4PIFWmOvnLaGMigrO02Fw__D3M' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5PWZ00Jh74&feature=youtube_gdata" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5PWZ00Jh74&feature=youtube_gdata</a>Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-43513322085461197432012-02-04T20:47:00.000-08:002012-02-04T20:47:39.728-08:00Travels with an Identity Thief – Part Three – Seeing Through Marilyn’s Eyes<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a writer assuming the identity of a visual artist, I am
faced with a special set of challenges. Marilyn thinks in pictures, whilst I process
life through words. To be true to my ‘character’s character,’ I must learn to
experience the world as she does, to open myself to her emotions as triggered
by the colors and textures around us, to let my eyes experience the world
before my intellect. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the other hand, to be true to myself as a wordsmith, I am
committed to finding the language that will convey Marilyn’s experiences as
vividly as possible. No wonder I am totally exhausted at the end of each day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was not until I reached Aurangabad, two weeks after my
arrival in India, that my shift into the visual mode gained noticeable momentum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who can visit the rock-cut caves of Ajanta—discovered
in 1819 by a band of British officers hunting a tiger—without being transfixed
by images masterfully created by the great sculptors and painters of 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>
Century India?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIf9Bg6TRqOhBFMTieplItjqr776MyQI6ERnPOY0roZpr-BD8lWqaa1DSofVOVWOd8ZWWTMRkMox1H51eIbbcO_ukefqWxhUftSPgAT6QtTw6R-aocb6Cs1DSUzS9lP6KROUw/s1600/IMG_0582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIf9Bg6TRqOhBFMTieplItjqr776MyQI6ERnPOY0roZpr-BD8lWqaa1DSofVOVWOd8ZWWTMRkMox1H51eIbbcO_ukefqWxhUftSPgAT6QtTw6R-aocb6Cs1DSUzS9lP6KROUw/s320/IMG_0582.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Marilyn had pored through books of photographs and listened
with fascination to her husband Shankar telling Jataka tales of Buddha’s
reincarnations and the Bodhisattvas. No way had this prepared her for a
face-to-face encounter with the ancient world. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0RZV8Iy-_zW5LVWoerpIyQvBLJrQNl_Fq1A3Fbry1QQJQsjUKkKIuBfwB6I461cOlnixKHkBFFYVWhiE96qoOpg86PhmM5akn0cuuyt4sj176eNYVVvtH92oHOCweeGFTUjK/s1600/IMG_0680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0RZV8Iy-_zW5LVWoerpIyQvBLJrQNl_Fq1A3Fbry1QQJQsjUKkKIuBfwB6I461cOlnixKHkBFFYVWhiE96qoOpg86PhmM5akn0cuuyt4sj176eNYVVvtH92oHOCweeGFTUjK/s320/IMG_0680.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Later that same day I visited a market in Aurangabad, along
with hundreds of shoppers caught up in the Diwali festivities. From the grey stones
and ancient murals of the caves out into a modern riot of color… what a
transition! I could hardly snap pictures fast enough. This one will definitely inspire
Marilyn to paint as she never has before.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPLfN0I6aRxU825tR621ofCUdzlc7ghohEiiycPVSxLbuoBBjjwbh-0_YZ96OhZ8EnyKXQ6adhdYPyLGlYAphSCQ8zl2cpP-nl6JVKfa7duq3DRgZWSvJLECbcvKECNqVFQfW/s1600/IMG_0740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPLfN0I6aRxU825tR621ofCUdzlc7ghohEiiycPVSxLbuoBBjjwbh-0_YZ96OhZ8EnyKXQ6adhdYPyLGlYAphSCQ8zl2cpP-nl6JVKfa7duq3DRgZWSvJLECbcvKECNqVFQfW/s320/IMG_0740.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-71037067163557536892012-01-29T15:09:00.000-08:002012-02-04T19:21:27.746-08:00Travels with an Identity Thief - Part TwoSo here I am in Varanasi, searching out experiences that will reveal Marilyn’s character and provide settings for scenes in the new book. I have assumed her identity yet in many ways she is a total mystery. She is an artist who lives through her eyes, while I’m a writer who lives through words. And how can I think straight, with my senses transfixed by the chaotic sights and sounds around me? <br />
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The annual Hindu festival of Durga Puja is in full swing. The streets of Veranasi are packed with worshipers of the goddess, who have come to offer food and flowers at her feet and visit the pandals (temporary temples) where they celebrate the goddess who saved the entire cosmos from destruction! Trucks packed with young men commandeer the narrow alleyways, blasting earsplitting chants and music in honor of the holiday. The best I can do is to keep my eyes open and “give” Marilyn my camera, setting her loose to follow her instincts...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEOqzU8M96IVuMGLC1maMqRpBHEspbIbgpafh3gxXOyQ2kKrH5YTsImk_WCyE7l1HyC2KibUdY2qGtqujJ2Nq5MwIhABTBJsKZ7ltx4uFdbZhNU9rowBprnuhU5UpQ8bWGxWV/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEOqzU8M96IVuMGLC1maMqRpBHEspbIbgpafh3gxXOyQ2kKrH5YTsImk_WCyE7l1HyC2KibUdY2qGtqujJ2Nq5MwIhABTBJsKZ7ltx4uFdbZhNU9rowBprnuhU5UpQ8bWGxWV/s320/IMG_0050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s dawn, and Marilyn and I watch a golden streak of sunlight paint the dark waters of the river as we listen to the happy chatter of bathers near the ghat steps. Maa Ganga envelops us inher peaceful embrace. India may be crowded, noisy and hectic, but carved into the chaos, like a Buddhist cave hollowed out in a rock, moments of boundless serenity await. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know Marilyn will stay in Veranasi for at least a year –far longer than the three days I will be here – and that I too will be back.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5X7m0arlCTKbc880sj9j8g59vr3Lnw9MW_EPVLUTfBPSOeWaTcEF_jP6bTEkXA-DFEKJ4PkxouLgMaOUW4-aoEBiHWk_oBlAerR9NPevt8UKXeAzQnldVbnqanhlQZguV_L24/s1600/Dawn+on+the+River+Ganges.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5X7m0arlCTKbc880sj9j8g59vr3Lnw9MW_EPVLUTfBPSOeWaTcEF_jP6bTEkXA-DFEKJ4PkxouLgMaOUW4-aoEBiHWk_oBlAerR9NPevt8UKXeAzQnldVbnqanhlQZguV_L24/s320/Dawn+on+the+River+Ganges.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-46407417050210783602012-01-25T19:00:00.000-08:002012-02-04T19:21:05.277-08:00Travels with an Identity Thief - Part OneIt's been a while since I've posted but I have a good excuse - traveled to India, where I assumed the identity of Marilyn, a character in a new book I'm co-writing with Arindam Roy. I covered a lot of ground on the Subcontinent and will start with my marvelous experience in Varanasi, where I stayed at Nirman School and met many talented teachers and artists. On my very first day I was privileged to hear the classical vocalist and Bhajan singer, Ganesth Mishra, accompanied by Nawal Singh on tabla. Since one of the characters in the new book is also a talented singer, this was a good sign that my travels were already bearing fruit.<br />
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Marilyn is an artist, so my second day in Varansi I interviewed a remarkable mural painter from Kerala, Suresh Nair. He works with traditional materials, which means it takes him a full month to prepare the surface of a brick wall with layers of lime, sand, and coconut milk before painting. Visit his Facebook page to learn more!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJZ6ioswyNjqflgAP5AWnDJCbSv8TSFJkfEuRzkagimyaJmWp7aInqDqebsfxXlnrc5N6QhCgZA9DmKQvQsWzl4504UqVGaltAGYEAxAdtwXaAQAqGacIqzRzscJUeQxJRtIE/s1600/Suresh_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijJZ6ioswyNjqflgAP5AWnDJCbSv8TSFJkfEuRzkagimyaJmWp7aInqDqebsfxXlnrc5N6QhCgZA9DmKQvQsWzl4504UqVGaltAGYEAxAdtwXaAQAqGacIqzRzscJUeQxJRtIE/s320/Suresh_1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Photo courtesy of <br />
Balakrishnan Kavungal Anat<br />
Stay tuned for more pictures and some discussion of my travels as an Identity Thief.Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-62896606588693130222011-02-10T20:46:00.000-08:002011-02-11T08:00:17.609-08:00Timothy Hallinan talks about settings<em>I'm thrilled to welcome author <strong>Timothy Hallinan</strong> to Travels with the Muse! </em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID7SIZnDhva4qfDNHFIyk0Uf2Re7_d1A9lM94ZI5AkwlIGQ-_JPqwTVewRUuOkhs3hEFSMfVoKBOGC2y67pyCMZShHm0eDMRMKWG-lzQXwsRFlWXuV8Ouww_G-s1-hg-0G8s1/s1600/timcolor.jpg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID7SIZnDhva4qfDNHFIyk0Uf2Re7_d1A9lM94ZI5AkwlIGQ-_JPqwTVewRUuOkhs3hEFSMfVoKBOGC2y67pyCMZShHm0eDMRMKWG-lzQXwsRFlWXuV8Ouww_G-s1-hg-0G8s1/s320/timcolor.jpg.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em><strong>Timothy Hallinan</strong> was just nominated for the 2010 Best Novel Edgar for THE QUEEN OF PATPONG, the fourth book in his series of Bangkok thrillers featuring expatriate travel writer Poke Rafferty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With ten conventionally published books to his credit, Tim has decided to alternate in the future between “tree books” and e-books and his first e-book original, CRASHED, is now available for $2.99 on Amazon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CRASHED is the first in a series of “thrillers with a laugh track” about Junior Bender, a Los Angeles burglar who moonlights as a private eye – for crooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming soon is Junior's second adventure, LITTLE ELVISES.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He lives in Los Angeles and Bangkok.</em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>Here's what Mr. Hallinan has to say about the settings for his novels, along with some terrific photos he has provided for your enjoyment.</em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">-----------------------------------------</div>A setting is usually defined as the place in which a story unfolds.<br />
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But what's a place?<br />
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I believe it's an experience, and it's different for almost everyone. My Seattle, my Bangkok, is different than yours. I see different things, smell different things, experience the climate and the light differently. What we see or remember is only partly a function of where we go. It's also what we look for and what's important to us.<br />
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That's why I think the best-written books don't have a setting. They have settings. Every major character will – and should – experience the book's geographic setting differently.<br />
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If they do, then I thing two things will happen. First, the setting will be in three dimensions, because at least two perspectives are necessary for 3D. Second, the writer will find literally dozens of ways that reactions to the setting can differentiate his or her characters.<br />
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I write a series set in Bangkok, so let's look at one of my Bangkok books, The Fourth Watcher. I'm using my own books as examples because (a) I know them better than I know anyone else's, and (b) it's a sneaky way to plug them.<br />
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In The Fourth Watcher, my central male character, travel writer Poke Rafferty, comes up against the person he wants least to see in the world, whom we'll call Mr. X, and also a member of the U.S. Secret Service named Richard Elson. And he's married to a Thai woman named Rose and the adoptive father of a little girl, a former street child named Miaow (pronounced like the sound a cat makes.)<br />
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To Rafferty, Bangkok is his new environment. After a few years there, he loves it, he doesn't yet completely understand how it works, and he tends to accept what he sees on the surface, although he's gradually learning that in some situations, that might get him killed.<br />
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Rose came to Bangkok as a teenager and has had a very rough time there. She regards it with a kind of wary understanding and worries about the way her husband accepts things at face value. Miaow has in her head a complete map of the city's unlighted areas – its alleys and empty buildings, shuttered hotels and all the places where it's especially dangerous to be a child.<br />
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Elson, the Secret Service guy, has just arrived, and he hates every square foot of it. He hates the traffic, the noise, the heat; the food gives him the squits; but at the same time, he's secretly distracted by the city's Byzantine sex scene. And for Mr. X, Bangkok is a great place to hide from some extremely dangerous people.<br />
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We see the city from all these people's perspectives, even if it's only in the way they talk about it, and I think that helps the reader see Bangkok as something more than a picture postcard or a stage setting in front of which the story is acted out. When reviewers like my books, they almost always talk about how real the setting is. I think the reason is that they've experienced several different Bangkoks, through the eyes of very different characters.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92PEYOtL1kknlxwAvoRTb3Hw6iyFF5ZaDPc1xraggRszNgiys8sR06PLKkutWk8jTFfvUN0OztIn-powrymoQ4asak8qB67tQJCsbJgbvUVIgbNR-vE-rP3BBPC2DmCiTbmtH/s1600/art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92PEYOtL1kknlxwAvoRTb3Hw6iyFF5ZaDPc1xraggRszNgiys8sR06PLKkutWk8jTFfvUN0OztIn-powrymoQ4asak8qB67tQJCsbJgbvUVIgbNR-vE-rP3BBPC2DmCiTbmtH/s1600/art.jpg" /></a></div>Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-32934332029626501612011-02-04T10:27:00.000-08:002011-02-04T10:30:30.852-08:00Dreams as a source of writing inspirationI’m no Carl Jung but I do occasionally have flashes of insight that goes directly from my subconscious into my writing. These usually come in the form of images that float to the forefront of my mind upon waking from a dream. <br />
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Sometimes the characters in my books have a parallel experience – in THE LAST MATRYOSHKA, when Jo Epstein falls asleep in her Vladimir hotel room to the pulsing of bass and drums from the disco below, she dreams of dancing bears—a sign that she is coming closer to the heart of the mystery she has come to Russia to solve. <br />
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In ASK THE DEAD, Jo falls asleep on an airplane and dreams <em>about a calypso singer serenading a Wall Street crowd from a hot air balloon. He hits a high note, transmutes into an ancient Egyptian priest spouting proverbs, and I wake up in time to gulp a cup of coffee before we begin our descent into San Juan Airport.</em> These are all elements in the case that her subconscious is working on.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xvDaJ9f6Bpn4uBPxK4rfx7vmb-lXbdWfsiOCNY5IXxZuqLvOxBi8AbOHJkUn4oSUwPAZNk94m8U0YmGCM4J3j1xWqXjujPlvkujU_3iRUUHg01kgl0Y2VXG8SrPUxm169D-K/s1600/Russia007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xvDaJ9f6Bpn4uBPxK4rfx7vmb-lXbdWfsiOCNY5IXxZuqLvOxBi8AbOHJkUn4oSUwPAZNk94m8U0YmGCM4J3j1xWqXjujPlvkujU_3iRUUHg01kgl0Y2VXG8SrPUxm169D-K/s320/Russia007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>These sculptures outside a museum in Moscow seem like characters in a dream</em></div><br />
For me, culling material from dreams is like snorkeling in clear water in search of elusive tropical fish. I may catch a glimpse of the extraordinary early on but soon the day fills with distractions and the water becomes cloudy—unless I act quickly, many of the best ideas recede into the depths. Sometimes I can bring them back with meditation or exercise – or even by taking a nap!<br />
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So tell me – do you mine your subconscious when you write? Do the characters you write about have a rich "dream life"? How do you “stay in touch” with the depths of your psyche? <br />
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Please share your thoughts!Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-19716541338895964172011-01-28T10:00:00.000-08:002011-01-28T10:00:19.174-08:00How Matryoshka Dolls Inspired a “Nested” Mystery<ul><li><strong>Note:</strong> This article on my trip to a matryoshka factor outside Moscow appears in this month's issue of Mystery Reader's Journal. You can check out this excellent publication at <a href="http://www.mysteryreaders.org/">http://www.mysteryreaders.org/</a></li>
</ul><br />
Walking into the Souvenir Factory in Sergiev Posad, (45 miles from Moscow) my 16-year-old son, Ian, and I were greeted by the earthy smell of wood chips laced with the pungent odor of lacquer. Souvenir was a landmark stop on our whirlwind trip to Moscow and the Golden Ring to research settings for my new mystery novel, THE LAST MATRYOSHKA. Guided by the factory director, Elena, we stopped first at the lathe operator’s workshop, where we watched a master craftsman create the bottom half of a doll by hollowing out a round piece of linden wood spinning on his lathe. He fashioned the top half in the same way and then started on the next, smaller version of the doll. All this accomplished with no patterns or templates in sight.<br />
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In the painting room, a half-dozen highly skilled women employed the tiniest of brushes to paint intricate designs and faces on the matryoshki. Ian was given a blank doll and he surprised everyone by painting a Brazilian soccer player, all greens and yellows to match their flag. His creation now sits atop his computer at home.<br />
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Originally known as the Zagorsk Artistic-Production Workshop, the factory was built in 1944, during what Russians still call the Great Patriotic War. The Soviets considered Matryoshka dolls to be powerful representatives of Russian culture and soldiers were even called back from the front to manufacture them. Under Soviet rule, the artists were forced to paint one image only on the required yellow background—the noble peasant woman, wearing a bright red scarf. But of course it hadn’t always been this way. During the early 20th century, an astounding variety of nested dolls were created and decorated with everything from fairy tale scenes to the faces of famous generals and the life of Christ. Many nested dolls contained as many as 30 pieces! Today these early masterpieces are avidly sought by collectors.<br />
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The core idea for THE LAST MATRYOSHKA came to me while visiting my mother in Brooklyn. As I listened to her neighbors chattering in Russian, admired the Russian fashionistas shopping in high heels on Kings Highway and gazed at the newly minted Matryoshka dolls in the shop windows, the mystery writer in me got to wondering: what if a Russian émigré had a lurid past in Russia that followed him to Brooklyn and created havoc in his new life? I imagined him receiving a series of packages, each containing a nesting doll with a threatening message inside. The smallest doll would be opened in Russia and reveal a devastating fact that would turn the tale on its head.<br />
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The storyline of my book soon began to resemble the way a nesting doll is constructed, with the antagonist hiding his true identity inside layers of deceit and challenging poet and private investigator Jo Epstein to unmask him. By the time I reached the part of the novel that was to be set in Russia, I realized that I could read a stack of books and click through endless pages on the Internet and still fail to find the telling details I needed to lend credibility to my Russian characters. So I booked a flight to Moscow and learned some basic Russian phrases—please, thank you, where is the Metro?—from a CD that I played in my car while driving around Seattle.<br />
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In addition to touring the Matryoshka factory, Ian and I visited Vladimir Central Prison and were told that we were the first American tourists to do so. It was chilling to see all the books on exhibit in the prison museum that had been written by authors imprisoned there. <br />
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Ian was my “official photographer,” and we were always on the lookout for unusual settings to document. Since I love “writing to picture,” almost every setting we photographed appears somewhere in THE LAST MATRYOSHKA: the Monastery of St. Euthymius at Suzdal, the iconic telegraph office on Tverskaya Ulitsa, the apartment where was stayed (which during Soviet times housed three families), and of course the famous Petrovka 38, headquarters of the Moscow Criminal Police.<br />
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Everywhere we went, Ian and I saw Matryoshka dolls. The widely accepted story is that a Russian merchant transported the first nesting doll from Japan to Russia in 1899. Russian lathe operators had been making nested Easter eggs for years, so it was no surprise that they were quick to adapt the dolls—whose many “babies” made them potent symbols of fertility—to their own culture. <br />
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But much like the country in which they are made, these dolls have broken free from their past while remaining distinctly Russian. It was inspiring to see how post-Soviet artists have ushered in a Matryoshka Renaissance. There are Bill Clinton dolls inside of which Hillary and Monika reside; dolls painted with scenes from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are; reproductions of masterpieces from the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow; even dolls portraying the family members of the last Russian Tsar.<br />
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One of my favorite matryoshkas is the Famous Russian Poets and Authors doll. Who knows, maybe Famous Mystery Writers will be next…Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-22755886889949815062011-01-21T08:07:00.000-08:002011-01-21T08:07:43.213-08:00How many times do I have to tell you to feed the dog?I'm delighted to welcome author <strong>Susan Schreyer</strong> today as a guest blogger! Susan lives in Monroe, Washington with her husband, two teenage children, an untrustworthy rabbit and a demanding old cat. Her horse lives within easy driving distance. When not working diligently writing her blogs "Writing Horses" and "Things I Learned From My Horse," articles for worthy publications, or about people in the next town being murdered, Susan trains horses and teaches people how to ride them. She serves on the steering committee of the Guppies Chapter of Sisters in Crime and is co-president of the Puget Sound Chapter of SinC. <u>Death By A Dark Horse,</u> is Susan's debut mystery and the first of a series. Her website is <a href="http://www.susanschreyer.com/">http://www.susanschreyer.com/</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYG1ye_QUtpLCnbnTrhKgZoykrrnmxA045A1hEsQ17UIISTOOv3jSBrtRiuHbBilgy_iuSKJL7z8PbBMhL6hL7ClX8S3BzrAEt5flje5BliV5lZv1-jJBBX-xFIe_MMMn5UQOF/s1600/SusanSchreyer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYG1ye_QUtpLCnbnTrhKgZoykrrnmxA045A1hEsQ17UIISTOOv3jSBrtRiuHbBilgy_iuSKJL7z8PbBMhL6hL7ClX8S3BzrAEt5flje5BliV5lZv1-jJBBX-xFIe_MMMn5UQOF/s320/SusanSchreyer.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>In the conceiving of a new story, the creation of unique characters can be difficult. We don't want them to be just like all the others, but with different names, so we build complex biographies. We explore the family trees and significant events in their time that shape each character and the way they respond to the world around them. It's all good, and all useful. Occasionally, a character will spring fully formed into our minds. We see them, hear them speak, feel we know them like a brother or sister. Lucky us! Or is it really lucky? We may know them well, but how are we going to bring that knowledge to the reader? We still face the same struggle we had with characters we had to build from the ground up.<br />
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We try to avoid a laundry list of personality traits in much the same way we try to avoid a laundry list of physical traits. For example, if a character is overweight we can show his size by making him unable to squeeze through a small restroom window and escape his pursuers. That solution is pretty easy, and obvious. And it's fun for a writer. More complex and frustrating is how to communicate the nuances of character and emotion. <br />
We can show the character's body language, and write dialog between that character and another. We can show how he responds under pressure. We can have other characters talk about him. All of these tried and true methods have potential for conflict -- and conflict is excellent for driving the reader to turn the page.<br />
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Yay! <br />
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But…can't we add more depth, be more subtle, do something else to pull the reader into the story and build understanding of our character?<br />
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Of course. Add a pet. <br />
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We can explain much about a character by showing his interactions with animals -- and without screaming the information at the reader. This is one of my favorite tools. People can act very differently around animals than humans. Much pretense is dropped and we catch glimpses of their psychology that would normally be hidden in human interaction. Animals also respond differently to individuals. What's more, the writer can use a character's relationship with an animal to mirror and add a depth of understanding to another plot line. There's a lot of creative potential in this approach.<br />
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So, consider getting your character a pet. And instead of using it as live furniture, exploit the opportunities they can provide. Your readers may thank you for it.<br />
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What are some of your favorite character-revealing moments involving animals?Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-86703255791299280212011-01-14T08:57:00.000-08:002011-01-14T08:57:21.740-08:00How to avoid the “sag” in the middleWe’re talking about strengthening a writer’s storyline here, not his or her tummy—although that dangerous “sag in the middle” may require some vigorous exercise to fix. <br />
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How many times have you reached page 200 in a book that got off to a great start and wondered why you feel compelled to describe the passengers on a bus in excruciating detail or flash back to childhood memories so distant that their relationship to the main events of the plot are totally obscure? Maybe you don’t have this problem. Maybe you’re one of those writers who doesn’t experience the doldrums in Act Two. In that case, unless you’re fooling yourself (I’m just sayin’) I extend my congratulations. <br />
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For the rest of us, how do we bust out of the mid-book stalemate? Let’s say you’ve got an excellent outline, complete with solid motivations and growing conflict, with the crises and resolutions laid out on a graph, peaks and valleys in all the right places, no surprises. Did I say no surprises? Oops. <br />
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You may know exactly where you are going and still run out of gas before you get there. It happens to driver on the highway all the time, why not to writers? <br />
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What to do? Here are a few ideas:<br />
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Ask yourself – “did the plot come easily to me and if so, will the reader find it as predictable as I do?” The answer may be “yes,” but don’t despair. You can use this predictability to your advantage—for example, if you are writing a thriller or a mystery, consider reincarnating your run-of-the-mill villain as a red herring. This will leave you free to create a new, more complex antagonist whose machinations will spiral the story up to a whole new level. <br />
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Let’s say your story is a quest and you think you have successfully mined your protagonist’s insecurities and challenged her to face her greatest fear. Or have you? Dig deeper.<br />
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In her excellent book, “Write Away,” Elizabeth George quotes author T. Jefferson Parker as saying “When my story stalls out on me, I’ve played my hand too soon.” Take another look at the journey – have you taken shortcuts around obstacles that you need your protagonist to face directly in order to build suspense? Does she have an Achilles heel, a weakness that trips her up just when she is about to prevail? In ASK THE DEAD, Jo Epstein’s biggest fear was that she would die by drowning and this was foreshadowed in the beginning, intensified in the middle and resolved at the end. I didn’t plan it this way, but as her character developed and her core needs and emotions surfaced, the story gained traction.<br />
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I hope I’ve provided enough examples to get the discussion going. Now it’s time to hear what YOU have to say.Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-17517246441353069522011-01-05T11:17:00.000-08:002011-01-05T11:37:00.251-08:00Timeliness vs. TimelessnessThis seems like a good topic with which to start the “turnover” into the new year.<br />
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Like most authors, I want my books to last, to be free of the limitations of “dated” material and stay relevant for many years to come. Sounds fine – but does this mean I should resist the temptation to glean storyline ideas from today’s headlines? How does one achieve a balance? <br />
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A case in point is THE LAST MATRYOSHKA, (started in 2006 and published in Nov. 2010) in which private investigator Jo Epstein visits Russia for the first time. This vast country, with its labyrinthal political system, may be slow to change but there were still a few last-minute edits required before publication—such as handing over the presidency from Putin to Medvedev! I also kept track of developments in the conflict between Russia and Georgia and the insurgency in Chechnya, so that the plot would stay fresh for future readers. My reasoning is that readers enjoy a book that provides insight into current events, even when those events recede into the past, as long as the historical and cultural context is solid.<br />
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In ASK THE DEAD, Jo visits a fictitious Caribbean island, which was a great way to sidestep the issue. However, my next book is partially set in Cuba, and has sparked a whole new set of questions: Will today’s slow progress in reforming the Cuban economy reach critical mass and become a rapid transformation, such as happened in the Soviet Union in the ‘90s? Will the United States lift the embargo before (or after) the book is published? What about the status of Cuba as now defined in the Patriot Act? Since I do not have a working crystal ball, I have chosen to rely on interesting characters and realistic conflict to propel my storyline, with politics kept to the background as much as possible. It will be interesting to see if I find myself scrambling to incorporate last minute changes before publication, or not…wish me luck!<br />
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Please share your own views about timeliness vs. timelessness.Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-4405779397188362522010-12-17T10:03:00.000-08:002010-12-17T10:03:24.273-08:00Nuggets of WisdomSince it’s the holiday season, I’m talking about gifts today—the metaphysical rather than the paper-wrapped kind.<br />
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The late Fred Myrow, a brilliant composer and dear friend, once told me that before starting a new film score or instrumental piece he would spend days doing mundane chores—shop ‘til he dropped at the supermarket, hang out at the mall, clean house, read junk mail, anything but write music. Only when his boredom meter was in the red and about to explode would Fred get to work, and inevitably inspiration would come. <br />
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Over the years I have learned to “put the top down and throw the car into neutral” before starting a new book or writing a series of poems. I’ve always been grateful to Fred – who I worked with in the recording studio, where he regularly performed miracles – for sharing this wisdom, along with many other things he taught me about writing and performing music. As I write this, I am listening to Brad Mehldau playing "Goodbye Storyteller (for Fred Myrow)" - <a href="http://bit.ly/edD9r7">http://bit.ly/edD9r7</a> - so expressive and beautiful.<br />
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What nuggets of wisdom have you been gifted with from friends and fellow writers or artists?<br />
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Don’t be shy. Please share!Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-13417729013585085952010-12-10T08:37:00.000-08:002010-12-10T08:37:54.740-08:00How We Imagine the RealAlthough the American Heritage Dictionary defines imagination as “the formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses,” my favorite poet, Wallace Stevens, has a completely different view. In his book of essays, <em>The Necessary Angel: Essays on Reality and the Imagination</em>, Stevens maintains that “The imagination loses vitality as it ceases to adhere to what is real.” These words have followed me throughout my writing career and encouraged me to search out telling details and sensory stimuli that lend vitality to the products of my imagination and hopefully provide a rich and accessible experience for my readers.<br />
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In his poem <em><strong>Anecdote of the Jar</strong></em> Stevens shows us how powerful one “real” object can be in conveying an idea: <br />
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<blockquote>I placed a jar in Tennessee, <br />
And round it was, upon a hill. <br />
It made the slovenly wilderness <br />
Surround that hill. </blockquote><blockquote>The wilderness rose up to it, <br />
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And sprawled around, no longer wild<br />
The jar was round upon the ground <br />
And tall and of a port in air. <br />
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It took dominion every where. <br />
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The jar was gray and bare. <br />
It did not give of bird or bush, <br />
Like nothing else in Tennessee. </blockquote>In my mystery novel, THE LAST MATRYOSHKA, I use the nesting doll to symbolize how pieces of the past can gain power over time and come alive to motivate actions in the present—in this case the relentless pursuit and persecution of a man accused of committing a crime fifty years ago.<br />
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What powerful symbols have you recently employed in your writing to lend vitality to your imagination? I can’t wait to hear!Joyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-62858708736562906872010-12-03T09:35:00.000-08:002010-12-03T09:55:01.523-08:00Mystery Novels Set in New York CityMystery writers all have their favorite settings and today I’d like to kick-start a discussion about writers who set their mysteries in New York City and how they create characters who embody that upscale yet gritty setting—from Rhys Bowen’s <em>Molly Murphy</em>, an early 20th-century immigrant who wants to be a private investigator to Lawrence Block’s <em>Bernie Rhodenbarr</em>, a burglar and bookseller, in New York City.<br />
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In the late 1980’s, when I first read <em>Greenwich Killing Time</em> and <em>When the Cat’s Away</em>, I had no idea that someday, like Kinky Freeman, I would have a hyphenated identity as a singer/author. Friedman’s books delighted me with their quintessential New York flavor, irreverent humor, and day-glo colorful characters. <br />
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Walter Mosely’s <em>Leonid McGill</em>, a black ex-boxer and old-school private investigator, is an outsider in today’s glitzy New York. In these books, Mosely uses the city as a foil for his struggling hero. Here, McGill describes himself at the beginning of <em>The Long Fall</em>:<br />
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<em>I was wearing a suit and tie. Maybe my shoe leather was dull, but there weren’t any scuffs. There were no spots on my navy lapels, but, like that woman in the corner, I was obviously out of my depth: a vacuum-cleaner salesman among high-paid lawyers, a hausfrau thrown in with a bevy of Playboy bunnies. </em><br />
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I no longer live in New York City, but I visit as frequently as I can, especially when working on a new book.. I thought I knew the city until I began to write about it (both <em>Ask the Dead</em> and <em>The Last Matryoshka</em> are set at least partially in New York) but it would take more than one lifetime to plumb these depths. Still, I try not to be intimidated by what Agatha Christie had to say on this topic: <em>It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story. </em><br />
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Visitors – please share your own experiences writing or reading mysteries set in New York!<br />
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Thanks!<br />
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JoyceJoyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28883871.post-3506691191638659142010-11-26T11:07:00.000-08:002010-11-26T11:53:53.923-08:00Driving a Story with Political and Social IssuesWith our country so dramatically divided along political lines, I’m wondering how many of us are exploiting this rich source of conflict in our storytelling. Of course, there are many reasons not to do so, among them the danger of including time-stamped references that annoy our readers and the trap of using today’s headlines to drive a story that may not be published for years to come. So are there perennial political and social issues that can drive a story without running the danger that a book will become obsolete? <br />
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I would say ‘yes,’ based on how Raymond Chandler wrote about corruption and racketeering in southern California in the 1930s and '40 in <em>The Big Sleep </em>and<em> Farewell My Lovely</em>--books that became classics that are avidly read today. Another example of using current events to write a timeless story is Truman Capote’s <em>In Cold Blood</em>, which he calls a ‘non-fiction novel’. In this case I think the timelessness of the book comes from Capote’s masterful portrayal of the psychological relationship between two murderers who commit a horrendous crime that they might not have been capable of as individuals.<br />
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In my own work, I strive for a balance – for example, there are some current events, such as Russia’s interference in the government of Chechnya, that I used to drive elements in the plot of The <em>Last Matryoshka.</em> My reasoning was that this was a persistent conflict that might change but unfortunately will not disappear overnight. In <em>Ask the Dead</em>, one of the antagonists is an anarchist, whose misguided idealism and thoughtless actions have a domino effect that harms several innocent characters in the book. In this case, the material was not time-sensitive and will hopefully pass the test of time.<br />
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Using political and social issues to drive a story is a big topic! So please - fellow readers and writers – join this discussion and share your own favorite “political” mysteries or examples from your own writing if you would like to do so.<br />
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Thanks!<br />
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JoyceJoyce Yarrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13298746689887039885noreply@blogger.com11