12 Days of Mysteries: Day 3

It's Day 3 of our 12 Days of Mysteries, counting down (weekdays) to December 24 with gift ideas for the mystery/thriller lover in your life! (If you missed Day One and Day Two, just click on the links for more great ideas!)

Here are Talia Vance's top picks:

THIS IS W.A.R., by Lisa and Laura Roecker
This is W.A.R. begins with a victim who can no longer speak for herself, and whose murder blossoms into a call-to-arms. Enter four very different girls, four very different motives to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan, and only one rule to start: Destroy James Gregory and his family at any cost. Willa's initials spell the secret rallying cry that spurs the foursome to pool their considerable resources and deliver their particular brand of vigilante justice. Innocence is lost, battles are won—and the pursuit of the truth ultimately threatens to destroy them all.

FIND ME, by Romily Bernard
“Find Me.”These are the words written on Tessa Waye’s diary. The diary that ends up with Wick Tate. But Tessa’s just been found . . . dead.

Wick has the right computer-hacking skills for the job, but little interest in this perverse game of hide-and-seek. Until her sister Lily is the next target.Then Griff, trailer-park boy next door and fellow hacker, shows up, intent on helping Wick. Is a happy ending possible with the threat of Wick’s deadbeat dad returning, the detective hunting him sniffing around Wick instead, and a killer taunting her at every step?

Foster child. Daughter of a felon. Loner hacker girl. Wick has a bad attitude and sarcasm to spare.But she’s going to find this killer no matter what. Because it just got personal.

Finding Tanner Halston

I've spent some time recently exploring another medium, film-making.  On a whim, I decided to film a live-action book trailer for SPIES AND PREJUDICE.  It would be easy, or so I thought.  I'd enlist my daughter to be in it, since she looks a lot like the main character, Berry Fields, and we'd shoot a scene from the first chapter at a local restaurant while she was home for my launch party.


I wrote a script, with a few establishing shots of the couple Berry spies on in the first scene, and Berry watching them while her voice-over references some internal monologue from the book.  I recruited a guy I work with and my daughter's roommate to play the couple, and all went well.

I edited it and sent it off to my publisher. They liked it, but then asked the question I'd been avoiding since I came up with the idea in the first place.  "Where's Tanner?"

SPIES AND PREJUDICE is a contemporary spy story with a bit of Jane Austen thrown in.  And I had just made a trailer with no Mr. Darcy.  It was like peanut butter with no jelly, fine on its own, but not nearly as good as it could be.

My daughter had already returned to college, and I was at a loss. In the scene, Tanner spies on Berry while Berry spies on the couple,  so it wasn't necessary to show them together.  I could shoot Tanner at the same restaurant and cut him in with the footage of Berry.  There was just one huge problem:  I didn't have an actor to play Tanner.

Finding a teenage Mr. Darcy is a tall order to begin with, and since I didn't know anyone who fit the bill, I was at a complete loss.  So I did what any enterprising sleuth would do, I searched the internet.  I found a casting agency in my hometown, and called them to see if they might have a professional actor to fit the bill.

The answer?  They might, but no professional actor would give me unlimited rights to use his image in a book trailer shot on an iPhone, whether I was willing to pay for the work or not.

My publicist suggested asking one of the guys who worked in the restaurant, but what were the odds of finding someone who fit the description of my arrogant, handsome teen, and who would give me rights to his image?  Also, how creepy would I seem when I approached with my iPhone?

So I put out a call to some dear writing friends and half-jokingly asked if they knew of any good-looking 18-25 year old guys who could play Tanner in my book trailer.  Within minutes, I had a name and a phone number.  A friend of a friend's son was home from college for the summer, and looking for something to do.  He was hired on the spot.

I was warned that his hair was "a little long" because he was growing it out for locks of love, but I figured that his long hair would make him that much more "Darcy-ish." (Plus, how adorable is that?) He turned out to be a great sport, and after another day of shooting, Tanner Halston, and my book trailer, came to life:

Talia Vance is the author of SPIES AND PREJUDICE, described as Veronica Mars meets Pride and Prejudice, as well as the BANDIA series (SILVER; GOLD) based on Celtic mythology.  You can find out more about her at www.taliavance.com

MORE Fun Summer Reads for Kidlit Mystery Fans!

A few weeks ago, Laura Ellen posted a list of her summer reads -- some great new MG and YA mysteries and thrillers to check out this summer. I thought I'd add a few more. Here are some brand new or soon-to-release mysteries that are tantalizing me . . . my reward for finishing my next revision! I can't wait! (All descriptions are from GoodReads).

1. Moxie and the Art of of Rule-Breaking, by Erin Dionne. (Release date: July 11, 2013, Dial/Penguin)

For fans of The Westing Game and From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler comes a clever, treasure-hunt mystery based on a real-life art heist. Moxie Fleece knows the rules and follows them--that is, until the day she opens her front door to a mysterious stranger. Suddenly Moxie is involved in Boston's biggest unsolved mystery: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist. Moxie has two weeks to find the art, otherwise she and the people she loves will be in big-time danger. Her tools? Her best friend, Ollie, a geocaching addict who loves to find stuff; her Alzheimer's suffering grandfather, Grumps, who knows lots more than he lets on; and a geometry proof that she sets up to sort out the clues. It's a race against the clock through downtown Boston as Moxie and Ollie break every rule she's ever lived by to find the art and save her family.

Art mystery + Boston? I can't wait! And I've been obsessed with the Gardner Museum heist for years. (Plus, Erin will be in our Interrogation Room answering some tough questions in just a couple of weeks!)


 2. Also Known As, by Robin Benway (already released, February 2013, Walker/Bloomsbury)

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

International intrigue! Spies! I've been hearing great things about this one. Sounds like it has plenty of humorous touches as well,  just what I'm looking for in a summer read.



3.Spies and Prejudice, by Talia Vance. (Just released, from Egmont!)

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either. So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death. But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

This one's hot of the press from Sleuths Spies & Alibis' own Talia Vance. I can't seem to get enough of spies these days (maybe because I have a few spies up my sleeve in my next novel), and I'm a longtime Jane Austen fan, so I can't wait to see how Talia pulls off this intriguing mix! (Did you miss Talia in our Interrogation Room two weeks ago? You can track down her interview here!)



4. The Wig in the Window, by Kristen Kittscher. (Just released! Harper Collins)

Best friends and seventh graders Sophie Young and Grace Yang have made a game out of spying on their neighbors. On one of their midnight stakeouts, they witness a terrifying, bloody scene at the home of their bizarre middle-school counselor, Dr. Charlotte Agford (aka Dr. Awkward). At least, they think they do. The truth is that Dr. Agford was only making her famous pickled beets! But when Dr. Agford begins acting even weirder than usual, Sophie and Grace become convinced that she’s hiding something—and they’re determined to find out what it is. Soon the girls are breaking secret codes, being followed by a strange blue car, and tailing strangers with unibrows and Texas accents. But as their investigation heats up, Sophie and Grace start to crack under the pressure. They might solve their case, but will their friendship survive?Perfect for fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Wig in the Window is a smart, funny middle-grade mystery with a REAR WINDOW twist.

Here's another just-released title from our of our own sleuths here on the blog! And -- yep, more spies! I love the Hitchcockian feel to this one, and the idea of friends teaming up to solve mysteries. The idea of this takes me back to my childhood game of pretending to be Harriet the Spy -- only I never turned up any mystery nearly as good as this one! (If you missed Kristen in our Interrogation Room last week, you can find the transcript of her questioning here!)


5. Escape from Mr. Lemencello's Library, by Chris Grabenstein. (Releases TOMORROW, June 25, 2013, Random House)

Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library. Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high. In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate library experience.

This sounds just delightful! Especially since I'm currently reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with my 6-year-old, and I forgot how much I love stories about wacky geniuses. And as a library lover, any mystery set in one automatically intrigues me. Don't you just love this cover, too? (If you missed our Interrogation Room interview with Chris Grabenstein last year, you can read it here!)

What are you reading this summer?

Diana Renn grew up in Seattle and now lives outside of Boston with her husband and young son. Her first novel, TOKYO HEIST (Viking/Penguin) just came out in paperback this month. Her next YA mystery, LATITUDE ZERO, will be published by Viking in 2014. She is also the Fiction Editor at YARN (Young Adult Review Network).

Author Rap Sheet: Talia Vance, author of SPIES AND PREJUDICE

Today in the Interrogation Room, we're questioning author Talia Vance on her new book, SPIES AND PREJUDICE, which releases today! 

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She's busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she's sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her "nothing amazing," it's no loss for Berry. She'll forget him in no time. She's more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother's death.

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can't Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

Hmm, very interesting! I have lots of questions, but first, here's a little about our suspect:

Talia Vance is a practicing litigation attorney living in Northern California with her real life love interest, two-point-five kids, and a needy Saint Bernard named Huckleberry. Talia has been writing since she could talk, making up stories for every doll, stuffed animal and action figure she could get her hands on. She grew up hoping to write the great American novel, but her life ran more along the lines of tortured romance and fast paced thrillers, so that's what she writes.




SPIES AND PREJUDICE is billed as a spy novel with "a playful nod" to Jane Austen. What inspired this union? What challenges come with adapting (however loosely) a classic novel? 

I knew I wanted to write a story about a teenage private investigator who worked for her father’s firm.  That part of the idea came as I mined my own past for story origins.  My father has been a P.I. for decades, and I once spent a summer working for him.  Once I got the idea, Berry Fields appeared and my head and started talking to me about this boy who kept getting in her way. Berry was jaded and tough, I knew she needed an equally strong love interest, someone like a modern day Mr. Darcy.  Once I knew that Berry and Tanner’s romance would be loosely based on Elizabeth and Darcy, I modeled other characters on archetypes from Pride and Prejudice. 

One of the challenges was finding the balance of how many references to the classic I could include without deterring from Berry’s story, which was unique to her.  There were a number of compromises along the way.  A number of characters and subplots from Pride and Prejudice were not included.  Instead, I focused on a few key scenes and characters that worked with Berry and Tanner’s story.

What's the hardest thing about writing mystery/thriller for a young adult audience? What is the most rewarding thing? 

One of the difficulties of writing for a young adult audience is that you have teen characters doing adult things.  In Spies and Prejudice, there are teenage spies, and so there is naturally an element of fantasy to the story.  As an author, I had to choose between trying to make the story gritty and realistic or embracing the fun, slightly fantastic side of the concept.  Spies and Prejudice was always intended to be light-hearted and fun, and so I just embraced that side of it, complete with cool spy gadgets and electronics.

What is your writing process like? Do you have any writing tricks or quirks like only writing in a special chair or while listening to certain music?

I write in long stretches of 4-8 hours on the weekends.  I have playlist for each book, which helps me get into the mood and character of the piece I’m working on.  Outlining has become an important part of my process, especially after I’ve written a first draft.  I’ll make a rough outline of the story and then use that to evaluate pacing, story and plot holes before I tackle any changes in the manuscript. 

Your other published novel, SILVER, leans more toward fantasy. What were some of the differences you encountered in writing SILVER and SPIES AND PREJUDICE? Which genre do you find more difficult?

The two books were very different for me to write not so much because of genre, but because the characters were so different.  Brianna from Silver is a character who wants to be noticed and wants to fall in love, while Berry is a character who prefers to stay in the background and is far more guarded with her heart.  The characters had very different voices and different journeys.  Where Brianna starts out weak and ends strong, Berry starts out with a chip on her shoulder and gradually learns to accept her softer side. What was surprising to me was how similar the writing process was despite the difference in genre.  As I’ve mentioned, there is an element of fantasy to writing teen spies.  And both characters had a mystery to solve that would impact them on a personal level.  Both books were also difficult in their own way, but neither was unbearably hard.  Once I understood what the main character wanted, and what obstacles stood in their way, the easier the writing flowed.

  

What is something no one knows about you?

I am addicted to Starbucks.  Okay, the people at my local Starbucks are well aware of this fact.  But my obsession with the brand is part of what gave me the idea for the energy drink in Spies and Prejudice.

Thanks, Talia! We'd like to keep you in the Interrogation Room for a little longer, but you're probably very busy celebrating your release day, so I guess we'll have to let you go now. For more information, you can:

Check out Talia's website

Follow her on Twitter

Visit her blog

Buy Spies and Prejudice!

Pssst . . . .Want to enter to win a SIGNED COPY of Spies and Prejudice?? Click on the Rafflecopter thingie below! Giveaway ends 6/19/13.
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A Method to the Madness?

Recently, while reviewing edit notes from my agent on my new project, she raised an interesting question about my primary antagonist- aka my bad guy: what motivated him to do the things he did? Was he crazy? Or was there some reason for his actions?

My first reaction was that he was crazy, because the things he does are violent and shocking, so they could only be the work of a crazy person.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that while his actions might be crazy, he was scarily sane.  He could rationalize each and every one of his violent acts.  He understood the consequences, and willingly accepted them. 

We've all heard the expression that every villain is the hero in their own story.  In all of my other projects, I could see that clearly, primarily because my antagonists weren't inherently evil, they just wanted something different than the main character, and they had their own reasons for wanting it.

But in this new project, the bad guys are BAAAAD.  And I've found that bad guys who are truly evil are hard to write without making them feel a bit like stereotypical super-villains.   Now that I knew my bad guy wasn't just a lunatic with an agenda, but a person with reason, I had to find a way to humanize him. And that's when I realized the comics had it right:  my super villain needed an origin story.

Every good super villain needs an origin story.  If we can catch a glimpse into the emotional trauma or events that shaped the way the character views the world, we can begin to, if not empathize, than at least start to understand how the character could do such inhuman things.  And, traces of his humanity need to show through at some point too. 

The bottom line:  my bad guy has too be more than his bad acts.  He's a son, a lover, a person who
needs and wants love and acceptance as much as anyone else.  And maybe it's his need for love and acceptance that allows him to be swayed toward certain actions.  Maybe he's conflicted about what he's doing.  Maybe he tries to stop.  But what if stopping leads to the death of the one person he really loved.  How would that guilt shape him?

Going through the exercise of trying to understand every aspect of my bad guy's motivations helped me to understand his actions as something more than just crazy acts of a crazy person.  These were desperate acts of a person who wants to be loved.

And that is a lot more interesting to write!

____________________________________________________________________________________

Talia Vance
 

website ~ YA Muses blog ~ blog ~ twitter

 

Talia Vance is the author of Spies & Prejudice (Egmont, June 2013),  Silver (Flux) and it's sequel Gold (Fall 2013).  She has worked as a horse trainer, a freelance writer and an attorney.  She lives in Northern California with her husband, children and a needy Saint Bernard named Huckleberry.  Talia always thought she’d grow up to write “the Great American Novel” but her tastes ran more along the lines of torrid romance and fast-paced thrillers. So did her life.  But that's another story.

Mystery Solved! (or not)

As a reader, I love trying to figure out the the mystery along with the main character, processing the clues and looking for hints in the subtext of the story.  But here's the rub- I hate when I solve the mystery long before the protagonist does.  Almost as much as I hate a solution that drops out of left field.  I'm all for plot twists and red herrings, but to be satisfying, the ending needs to be equal parts surprising and inevitable. 

As a reader, I want to go "Whoa!" and then, "OF COURSE."  I want to be kept precariously on the edge between feeling like I know exactly where things are going, and having the rug pulled out from underneath me.  A good mystery makes me want to immediately go back and reread, to see how the author wove in the clues from beginning to end.

Remember the first time you watched the movie The Sixth Sense?  It was a brilliantly crafted mystery- with a completely surprising but inevitable twist at the end: the psychologist played by Bruce Willis was really dead.  All the clues were there- Bruce Willis getting shot at the beginning, interacting with a boy who saw and talked to dead people. No other characters talked to Bruce Willis.  He even wore the same clothes in every scene.  Yet, it was completely surprising, because the writer used misdirection and red herrings to distract the viewer from the real solution, by focusing on  the boy's strange affliction and the psychologist's efforts to help the boy.  I didn't feel cheated because the psychologist did help the boy, and more importantly, the psychologist didn't realize he was dead until the same moment we discovered it. I loved that there was more going on than I ever realized.  And, once the reveal was made, it all fell into place.

I think that kind of ending is really hard to pull off.  Indeed, try as he might, M. Night Shyamalan has never been able to duplicate that kind of story-telling success.  I'm not saying that every mystery needs to end in an amazing twist, but I do think that there are some "rules" to good endings that mysteries should strive for.

1. The Clues are in the Text:  The reader does not necessarily have to be able to piece all the clues together before the big reveal, but once the big reveal happens, the reader should be able to go back and see that the clues were there all along.  That's part of what builds the inevitability of a good ending.  Perhaps a clue was there, but overlooked by the main character (and the reader).  Maybe the clue was misinterpreted.  Maybe the clue only had significance after a later discovery.  The reader should be able to see how things the main character discovered at the beginning of the book fit with the solution.  The reader should not have to be an expert in a particular field to solve the mystery.  If a particular piece of expert knowledge is required (such as the fact that the flowers in the garden are poisonous) make sure that this information is in the book. 

2.  The Main Character Should Not Hide Important Information from the Reader:  A solution to a mystery that is dependent on the main character withholding important information is sure to drive a reader insane.  Readers want to relate to and connect with the main character.  They don't want to be lied to.  And, while a glaring omission is not exactly a lie, it feels like one.  It's okay to tease and build suspense by making the reader work to understand a character's past or motivations, but if the central mystery is dependent on the protagonist withholding a key piece of information from the reader, the twist will feel contrived.

2.  The Bad Guy has a Role in the Story: Nothing is worse than narrowing down a field of suspects, only to learn that the bad guy is someone we've never met or heard of.  A good ending connects dots and capitalizes on clues that were planted at the beginning of the story.  The reader cares about the outcome because we care about the characters. 

3.  The Twists Don't all Come at the End: A good mystery doesn't save all the plot twists and turns for the final act.  A few well placed surprises prime the reader to expect the unexpected, and also keeps the reader guessing until the end.  A lot of twists at the end is not only exhausting, but it can make the reader start to lose trust in the writer, if NOTHING is as it seemed. 

4.  Not all Leads are False:  False leads and red herrings are important in a mystery.  Not only do they help keep the reader from figuring things out too soon, but they add layers to the story.  That said, some of the clues have to pay off, or the reader will lose trust in the story.

5.  The Mystery has Consequences for the Protagonist: the stakes in any great story should be deeply personal to the protagonist, but this is especially true in mysteries.  While it's possible to write a good story about a detective investigating a crime involving strangers, the best stories are filled with personal stakes.  There should be consequences that will directly affect the protagonist.  If the protagonist is personally involved in the outcome, the reader will be too.

Talia Vance is the author of Silver (Flux).  Her YA mystery Spies & Prejudice (Egmont) will be published in June 2013.

What do Readers Expect from Mysteries and Thrillers?

 Last week I hosted a monthly Twitter chat with fellow members of the Apocalypsies (a group of 140+ kidlit authors debuting in 2012). Fellow Sleuths Spies & Alibis members Laura Ellen, Talia Vance, and F.T. Bradley were among the participants, weighing in our topic of mysteries and thrillers.

A lot of interesting points came out of this discussion. I've been mulling over two of them.

1. The distinction between mysteries and thrillers. Sometimes these terms get used interchangeably. For books that have elements of both genres (such as Laura Ellen's BLIND SPOT), using both terms to describe them is fine. Many books, though, fall firmly in one genre or another, and readers may be misled by the wrong label. For example, sometimes my book, TOKYO HEIST, is described as a thriller. While it has its share of danger and thrilling moments, I would call it a mystery. A puzzle drives the plot. In the Twitter chat, we defined mystery as a story that revolves around a puzzle to be solved, and a thriller as a story focused on immediate, pressing dangers. Both mysteries and thrillers have tension, but problem-solving drives the tension in mystery and action/danger (or psychological suspense) drives the tension in thrillers.

2. Readers' expectations of mysteries and thrillers. We talked a lot about Nancy Drew (I admit we weren't exactly kind to her) and how YA/MG mysteries today have changed from the classic sleuthing stories. Technology, some of us felt, was a big factor. As Kristen Kittscher pointed out on this blog a few weeks ago ("Murder, She Blogged"), technology has totally changed investigative work in real life and in fiction.

But maybe other things have changed too, raising our expectations for YA/MG mysteries and thrillers. As Talia mentioned, Nancy Drew didn't solve (or even have) her own problems; she solved other people's problems. We don't have a sense of her as a real person; one participant in the discussion couldn't even remember Nancy's boyfriend's name. (It's Ned).

It seems that it's no longer satisfying -- it may even be laughable -- to have a series with a character who just bounces from adventure to adventure. We now expect:

• More character depth
• More plot twists and turns
• More action
• More details
• Faster/better pacing
• Some degree of realism
• Emotional impact

In short: More.

Whew. Much as I tend to agree with all this, I find myself missing Nancy a little. Life seemed simpler then. Well, mystery writing did, anyway.

Are any of these criteria for modern-day mysteries at odds? Can we have "better pacing" and "more action" while still reaching for more character depth and realism than a Nancy Drew type of sleuth? Character development does sometimes get sacrificed a bit to service plot or pace in mystery -- can we really have it all?

YA author A.C. Gaughen suggested, towards the end of the Twitter chat, that "with more books, more authors, more competition, the bar gets raised." Readers don't just want a good mystery; they want "GOOD FICTION."

Are mysteries and/or thrillers harder to write than ever? Is the bar raising because there are so many being published? Do we really expect mysteries/thrillers to have it all these days? (Even in middle grade/young adult markets, where word counts tend to be shorter?) How can mystery/thriller writers overcome the potential paralysis of trying to write the mystery/thriller that Has It All?

What do you think? What do you expect from YA/MG mysteries and/or thrillers? What would you like to see more of -- or less of?

[PS - Have you entered this week's great giveaway yet? No? There's still time to win a signed copy of the just-released DOUBLE VISION by our own F.T. Bradley! Check out her great interview with W.H. Beck from Tuesday; the contest entry form is right below it. Oh - and how cool is it to have two initials before your last name? It just occurred to me that F.T. and two other blog members do this. I think I'm gong to declare a Double Initial Day in honor of DOUBLE VISION!]

D.C. Renn (aka Diana Renn) was born in Seattle and now lives outside of Boston with her husband and son. TOKYO HEIST (Viking/Penguin, published June 2012) is her first novel.

Spy Gadgets (indulging my inner MoneyPenny)

When I set out to write my first mystery, I knew that my character, a teenage private investigator, would need some cool gear to help her document the dirt she digs up.  But where to start?  These days nearly everyone has a cell phone with photo and video capability, but I wanted something more.

I started by thinking about what kind of tools Berry might have for listening in on conversations?  What about for filming video?  How would she scan or copy documents in a hurry and without drawing attention to herself? 

With these questions in mind, I started checking out websites that sold spy gear online.  I figured my character was likely to get her stuff online at first, but eventually, her best friend, an electronics whiz, would reverse engineer them and come up with even better gadgets for her to use in the field. 

One of my favorite gadgets in the book was discovered with a simple online search: ninja claws.  They're apparently useful for scaling walls.  Combined with a grappling hook and some foot spikes, you are ready to go.  You can buy the entire "Ninja Combo" here.  How awesome is that?  And, yeah, you better believe the ninja claws make an appearance in Spies & Prejudice.  Twice.  They are that awesome.

I also gave my character a pair of "Spy-glasses" - eye glasses embedded with a memory chip and video technology.  These are available to purchase too, although my character had a high resolution pair made by her best friend.  The great thing about the Spy-glasses is they made her look a little more goofy than normal, which set up the first scene where her "Darcy-like" love interest insults her appearance.

I interviewed a woman who worked for a company that made actual spy gear for law enforcement and government workers.  She couldn't tell me what kind of products they made, but she was willing to talk to me about my ideas, and let me know if they were plausible.  Turns out the "button cam" (a video camera embedded in a shirt button) is really a thing.  The tennis bracelet that doubles as a small fuse with explosives?  Not so much. (But I still kind of want one).

I also came up with an idea for a "receiver," a handheld machine that looks like an iPod, but magnifies sounds to help eavesdrop on people's conversations.  Turns out this one has a lot of technical issues, because it can't hone in on a specific sound, and will essentially magnify all of the sounds in the area.  So I wrote those "issues" into the scene where the gadget is used.

There are a few other gadgets that make their way into the story, but one of my favorites is an earbud that lets my main character's friends communicate with her while she's in the middle of a mission.  It was fun to place Berry in the middle of a scene and have her friends following what's happening and coaching her from the sidelines.

Writing spy gadgets into my story was one of the most enjoyable parts for the writing process.  I loved discovering tools for Berry, and then figuring out how to integrate them into the plot. 


Talia Vance

website ~ YA Muses blog ~ blog ~ twitter

Talia Vance has worked as a horse trainer, a freelance writer and an attorney.  She lives in Northern California with her husband, children and a needy Saint Bernard named Huckleberry.  Talia always thought she’d grow up to write “the Great American Novel” but her tastes ran more along the lines of torrid romance and fast-paced thrillers. So did her life.  But that’s another story. Her YA thriller Spies & Prejudice (Egmont) will be published in Spring 2013, and her YA debut Silver (Flux) is coming Fall 2012.

Under Cover #14

Time to check in and see what our detectives are reading!

Talia Vance: I'm reading If I Lie by Corrine Jackson. I love this spare, emotional story about secrets and the lengths that people will go to keep them. The characters still haunt me.  It's a story about a girl who honors her promise to keep her boyfriend's secret, but at a huge personal cost.  Heartbreaking and hopeful, this is a book that I devoured in a single sitting and can't wait to read again.



F.T. Bradley: I'm in a short story kind of mood, so I swiped my 12 year-old's copy of Neal Shusterman's DARKNESS CREEPING: TWENTY TWISTED TALES. They're not quite mysteries, but horror has to be mystery's dark cousin, right? I've only just started reading the book, but I'm totally hooked. Next up, I have GUYS READ: THRILLER on my to-read list. I guess summer calls for shorts... 

Diana Renn: Last week I made a rare foray into the paranormal by reading an ARC of debut author Gina Rosati's AURACLE. I'm so glad I did! What a great read. And while it's not a traditional mystery, mystery/crime fans like myself will appreciate the crime at the heart of this novel, as three teens get swept up in a high-stakes investigation into the murder of one of their classmates. Did I mention that one of these teens is not actually in her body? Oh. Right. Enter the paranormal. 17-year-old Anna Rogan has an unusual talent: astral projection. (It was apparently triggered by an allergic reaction to peanuts as a child). She's learned how to leave her body and travel to exotic destinations for fun. But one day, while astrally projected, she witnesses the death of a classmate, a mean girl who then takes up residence in Anna's body and refuses to leave. Anna and her friend (and secret crush) Rei have to find highly creative ways to get Anna back in her body and to help their friend Seth avoid murder charges. Rosati balances the high stakes crime issues with moments of horror, humor, sensuality and romance. The book will be published next month by Roaring Brook/Macmillan. 

The Art of the Heist

Who doesn't love a great heist?  The heist is often used as a setpiece in movies and books.  Sometimes the story centers around solving the crime, other times the plot might revolve around planning for and then attempting to pull it off.  As we celebrate the launch of detective Diana Renn's debut,Tokyo Heist, I thought I would give you my list of what makes heist stories so much fun.

1. Bad Guys We Love to Hate (or just love to love):  With heists, the thieves are often  glamorized, portrayed as handsome, rich, and of course, having impeccable taste.  Think George Clooney (Oceans 11), Robert Redford (Sneakers) and Timothy Dalton (The Thomas Crown Affair).  In heist stories, the thief can be a kind of anti-hero, a charming rogue who has enough redeeming qualities to keep the audience firmly in their camp.  Or just a charming rogue.

2. Pretty Things:  Priceless art is often the object of a heist, and it can be fun to learn about priceless works of art even as you are breathlessly held in suspense.

3.  Complex Problems:  A heist usually requires an elaborate plan.  Priceless art is protected by several layers of security, and it's fun to discover how the heist was or will be accomplished.  And what happens to the art after the theft?  Priceless artwork is usually very recognizable.  How is it then sold or kept on the black market?

4.  A fun cast of characters:  Heists rarely can be accomplished by a single person.  The joy of a heist story is often in the characters.  Heists are usually undertaken or investigated by a team, and there is lots of room for colorful sidekicks and comic relief. 

5.  A fast-paced plot:  Heist stories naturally lend themselves to great pacing and suspense.  Finding out how the heist is pulled off is always a blast, but the stakes are often raised even higher, with characters' lives or futures dependent on the results.

6.  Gorgeous settings:  think castles, estates, museums, and grand homes in the European countryside, a cosmopolitan city or a corporate compound. 

Tokyo Heist has all the elements of a fantastic heist: the story involves the theft of priceless Van Gogh sketches (pretty things), but the stakes are raised higher still, as Violet must find the corresponding painting before she or her family are hurt or killed (fast-paced plot and complex problem). Throw in a gorgeous setting (Japan), and a character who uses Manga to help her navigate both a mystery and a foreign country (fun characters) and you have all the ingredients for a great book!

Well, except for George Clooney.  But hopefully Diana is working on that for the next one. 

Our Tokyo Heist / Malcolm at Midnight giveaway continues all week! Click here to see the giveaway info and to enter!

MYSTERIES AMONG US #11

Diana Renn: I always find airports to be intriguing places. Walk through the doors and you're instantly enveloped in mysteries. Who are all these people? Where are they going? Why is she hurrying? Why is he dragging his feet? What's in that bag? I'm also fascinated by the behind-the-scenes world of airports: the doors we never see behind, the corridors we don't enter. Boston's Logan Airport was in the news for a mystery a few weeks ago when a noxious odor made workers in a baggage room sick; four workers were hospitalized for evaluation. Bomb-sniffing dogs, et. al. were called in. The source of the odor was mice repellent. A couple had placed camphor in their suitcases. "To ward off mice." The repellent was disposed of, the room aired out, and the couple got to continue on their overseas trip. A happy ending, I suppose, though the mystery writer in me must wonder: okay, who does that? What's the story behind that story?

Laura Ellen: I know I can be accused of being a conspiracy theory freak and for always looking to strange, unnatural explanations when there are  perfectly normal, rational ones -- but I really do wonder what are behind CROP CIRCLES. Can it really just be a bunch of very creative (and obviously very bored) farmers getting together at night to create elaborate designs in fields? Okay, yes, I believe it is possible. My family and I go every October to a corn field maze that is quite elaborate and definitely man-made. Still, after looking at the photos here, I have to say, I am not totally convinced they are so easily explained away!

 L.R. Giles: Two words. Ball. Lightning. Big (or small) spheres of arcing electricity manifesting after lightning strikes. It doesn't happen a lot. In fact, it's a meteorological phenomenon so rare, t's nearly impossible to study, but so beautiful it's really a shame we don't see more of it. Unless, of course, it's the result of deep space invaders trying to pierce the dimensional veil and take over earth. Or maybe that's just The Avengers I'm thinking about. Anyway, it's a fun little (super?)natural mystery that worth a mention, I think."

Kristen Kittscher: I pass by a number of intriguing houses each day on my neighborhood
walk with my dog. There’s the adorable bungalow on the corner that’s
been boarded up for years. The two-story Victorian that has just the
faintest touch of Manderley about it. The one with the child's
vegetable garden out front. None, however, seems quite as mysterious
to me as the beautiful Craftsman house with the tire swing, crooked
mailbox, weeds, and an ever-changing assortment of broken toys and
tools scattered around the yard. At times it almost looks like an art
installation. Last week I saw a large butcher knife casually tossed
on the grass next to a dirty blanket. Nearby a Pabst Blue Ribbon can
rested next to a headless Barbie—as if she’d snuck away for a rowdy
night of debauchery but instead met a horrible fate.

Most puzzling is how little changes besides the scattered yard
assortment. The mailbox has been off-kilter at the precise angle for
years. The chair next to the rope swing never moves. Even the weeds
seem to remain precisely the same length. If I hadn’t once seen a
child peering out of a window, I would think that the house was
abandoned—that someone was simply sneaking by to stage different
scenes to baffle passersby.

Maybe they are anyway…

Talia Vance: Nature or nurture?  Psychologists have long struggled with the mystery of what shapes a person into the people they become.  Are we born hard-wired for certain personality traits?  How much impact do our environment, family and life experiences have on how we look at the world and behave.  Why are some people motivated by adversity and others crippled by it?  Two siblings with the same parents and same upbringing can have vastly different personalities.  Yet, some identical twins can be so similar, that their personalities and lives can mirror each other even when they are raised in completely different environments.  What really makes us tick?

What's Your Writing Setting?

So....settings in mysteries. Wow, my fellow detectives have covered it all! It's always a little intimidating going last on these themes. First of all, I already feel a little like a fraud blogging about how to write mysteries because it's kind of mystery to me, but second, all the great topics have been taken! Like...Setting as Character, Being There Even If You Aren't, Settings in Middle-Grade Mysteries, Finding Your Way Through an Alien Landscape, and How Sashimi Led to My Novel's Setting.

Yeah, I was going to write all those. :-)

So what's left? Well, I started thinking about my own setting. You know, where I do my writing. You always read about how writers have rituals and routines to get in the mood for writing. A lot of these center around where they write. So I asked my fellow detectives to share a little about their own writing settings. And here's what they had to say:

Diana Renn: Here's the writing corner in my office.

I don't usually have the crime scene tape up -- it's something I was measuring for a promotional thing I'm doing with my publisher -- but sadly, it doesn't look so out of place in that disaster. I'd probably welcome a hard hat too. I write surrounded by cascading piles of paper and books. What you see here are projects (marketing, researching, drafting) all converging on each other. This space is actually clean compared to when I was into heavy revisions on Tokyo Heist last year -- then, for months,I had graphs, charts, and an enormous white board calendar all over the walls. Once a year I do a huge paperwork purge, and I can see I'm getting to that point. Because of the inherent dangers here, I've taken to fleeing the scene, writing in my local library or otherwise on the run.

Talia Vance: My favorite spot to write is the corner of my couch, complete with a cozy blanket and the Saint Bernard of Doom, Huckleberry.  There is even  a Saint Bernard in Spies and Prejudice that was inspired by him.

And here's Elisa Ludwig's writing setting: 

As for mine, well, behold:

I have an awesome office. I can say that because I had absolutely nothing to do with creating it. My husband did it all. Last summer, we were remodeling our bedroom and the wallpaper--oh, the wallpaper!--was taking FOR-EV-ER to remove. Finally, I took our sons to visit my brother and his family so that my husband could finish up the project in peace. Well, three days later, I came home to not only a redone bedroom, but a completely new office! New paint, new hardwood floor, new ceiling fan. And the best part of the story? When I asked him how he knew what colors I wanted, he said that he was standing in the hardware store with a handful of paint chips, trying to decide, when he realized that one was called "Storyteller."

Awww.

Unfortunately, it only looked like the photo for about a day. My office usually more closely resembles Diana's, with piles of papers and books. And more often than not, an extra kid or two, as well. Here's a more typical setting for my writing.

Still my office, but, yeah. That's my novel revision on my laptop--and that's a kid practicing percussion six inches from my elbow. PERCUSSION. Luckily, I work in an elementary school and have nerves of steel. And headphones.

So what about you? Where do your mysteries unfold? Do you have a special spot to write? Tell us about it in the comments.

---

W.H. Beck is an elementary school librarian by day and a middle grade author by night (or sometimes, really early mornings). Her first novel, MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT, stars classroom pets at midnight and is available in September from Houghton Mifflin.

BOOK 'EM: FIVE 2012 TITLES I CAN'T WAIT FOR

As one of the Apocalypsies (2012 YA and MG Debut Authors) I have been fortunate to get to know a lot of authors with books coming out that I cannot wait to get my hands on!  I definitely don't want to miss the 2012 books from our own Sleuths:  Malcolm at Midnight by W. H. Beck; Blind Spot by Laura Ellen;  Pretty Crooked by Elissa Ludwig; an.d Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn.

Here are two follow up books that are on my must read list for 2012: 

TIMEPIECE by Myra McEntire

From Goodreads: Kaleb Ballard's relentless flirting is interrupted when Jack Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, timeslips in and attacks before disappearing just as quickly. But Kaleb has never before been able to see time travelers, unlike many of his friends associated with the mysterious Hourglass organization. Are Kaleb's powers expanding, or is something very wrong?

Then the Hourglass is issued an ultimatum. Either they find Jack and the research he's stolen on the time gene, or time will be altered with devestating results.

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their unusual powers to find Jack. But where do they even start? And when? And even if they succeed, it may not be enough...

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts


From Talia:


HOURGLASS was a twisty, time travelly (yes, I made that word up) blend of science fiction and paranormal romance.  The mystery surrounding the phenomenon Emerson experiences is page-turning, and has far reaching consequences.  I expect TIMEPIECE to delve into some of those bigger mysteries, and it also features Kaleb, my favorite character from HOURGLASS, in the lead.

PERCEPTION by Kim Harrington:

From Goodreads:  When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.

Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.

From Talia:  I read CLARITY in one sitting.  I love the idea of a girl using her psychic abilities to solve crimes.  And Kim Harrington does a great job of mixing mystery, thrills and light romance. 

There are dozens of fantastic looking 2012 debuts!  Here are a few that might not be your radar yet, but are definitely on mine:

SKINNY by Donna Cooner (October 2012):

From Goodreads:

About a girl whose obesity and negative thoughts stand in the way of her dreams of becoming a singer and finding love, until she begins a long, hard journey of self-discovery and reinvention culminating in gastric-bypass surgery, only to find that love was never dependent on her size.

From Talia: 

Donna is a critique partner, so I've cheated and read this one early, but it is amazing in so many ways.  Funny and moving, this book speaks to anyone who has let their own voice of negativity hold them back.








STARTERS by Lissa Price (March 13, 2012)

From Goodreads:


Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . .

From Talia:

This one looks intense.  What evil plans does Prime Destinations have (aside from renting out young bodies for seniors to use)?  Can't.  Wait.


KISS THE MORNING STAR by Elissa Hoole (April 1, 2012)

From Goodreads:

The summer after high-school graduation, a year after her mother’s tragic death, Anna has no plans – beyond her need to put a lot of miles between herself and the past. With forever friend Kat, a battered copy of Kerouac’s DHARMA BUMS, and a car with a dodgy oil filter, the girls set out on an epic road trip across the USA. Maybe somewhere along the way they’ll prove or disprove the existence of God. Maybe they’ll even get laid . . .

It’s a journey both outward and inward. Through the Badlands and encounters with predatory men and buffalo. A crazy bus ride to Mexico with a bunch of hymn-singing missionaries. Facing death, naked in the forest with an enraged grizzly bear . . . Gradually, Anna realizes that this is a voyage of discovery into her own self, her own silent pain – and into the tangled history that she and Kat share. What is love? What is sexual identity? And how do you find a way forward into a new future – a way to declare openly and without fear all that lies within you? 

From Talia:  I love a good road trip!  And one that explores the mysteries of God, self and sexual identity?  Um, yes!

There are more, many more, books I'd love to recommend.  I have over 100 Apocalypsies books on my TBR list this year.  You can check them all out here. 

 Our GIVEAWAY continues! Click on the "Read More" link below to find the Rafflecopter form and enter our latest contest! We are giving away a signed ARC (Advance Readers Copy) of Peter Abrahams' new middle grade mystery, Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood Street. The contest runs January 16-23. And come back tomorrow, January 18 to read our interview with him in the Interrogation Room!