by Betty McMahon
I'm a pretty good writer and a not-so-bad novelist (writing awards and book reviews suggest this).
But sometimes, I read a portion of prose that's so delicious, or a plot so beautifully executed, that I marvel how someone can “do that.” Making comparisons like this almost kept me out of the writing biz. When I was young and couldn't help writing because it was such a part of me, I despaired of making it a career because I didn't think I could write like Dostoyevsky, Pasternak, or Tolstoy (I was in my Russian author phase).
I made a few false starts in life, but the one constant was writing. Finally, I succumbed to the “calling,” went to University to learn the craft, and carved out a writing career. In school, we read plenty of examples of good writing and I learned to take from the examples what could be applied to my own voice – instead of drooling over someone else's style.
For we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Bookstores can't thrive on Russian novelists only, any more than readers would be content to read only poetry, or mysteries, or literary novels. A variety of genres makes the reading and writing world go 'round.
One of the best things that can happen to a writer is to have her keyboard expel an ingenious turn of phrase, a perfect metaphor or an inspired description. Or watch her characters take on lives of their own.
In my mystery, “A Rendezvous to Die For,” I hope readers will recognize that my crafty computer created some of these inspired phrases, metaphors and descriptions. And that my characters wove a plot that's entertaining – and full of mystery.
I think you'll like Cassandra Cassidy, the 30-something photographer who gets involved in a murder -- that's somehow connected to a couple more. She's a little inept when it comes to investigating, with photographic skills her main talent. Along the way, this New York-trained photographer has to deal with a cast of possible suspects – from Indians, mountain men, and horse trainers, to real estate shysters, property owners and, yes, even her friends.
A Rendezvous to Die For
Paperback
Author: Betty McMahon
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: lulu.com (November 11, 2011)
Kindle Edition
File Size: 408 KB
Print Length: 274 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1257931326
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Betty McMahon; 1 edition (March 12, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
About the book:
Exciting action on the Rez! A brand new sleuth sorts out clues from an 1830s world! All photographer Cassandra Cassidy wanted to do was settle into the peaceful Minnesota countryside and lick her New York-inflicted emotional wounds. But a photo gig she couldn't pass up has her up to her f-stops trying to get to the bottom of a gruesome hatchet job that left her nemesis dead and left her near the top of the suspect list. Smoking out the real killer will lead the mystery world's new reluctant sleuth deep into the colorful re-enactor culture and into dangerous political intrigue at the Indian reservation. See what develops as Cassandra uses her non-existent detecting skills - and short list of acquaintances - to track down the real killer before she becomes more valuable to him dead or alive.
Exciting action on the Rez! A brand new sleuth sorts out clues from an 1830s world! All photographer Cassandra Cassidy wanted to do was settle into the peaceful Minnesota countryside and lick her New York-inflicted emotional wounds. But a photo gig she couldn't pass up has her up to her f-stops trying to get to the bottom of a gruesome hatchet job that left her nemesis dead and left her near the top of the suspect list. Smoking out the real killer will lead the mystery world's new reluctant sleuth deep into the colorful re-enactor culture and into dangerous political intrigue at the Indian reservation. See what develops as Cassandra uses her non-existent detecting skills - and short list of acquaintances - to track down the real killer before she becomes more valuable to him dead or alive.
About the author:
I've worn many hats in my 30-year career as a writer -- newspaper reporter, newspaper editor, magazine editor, copywriter, marketing communications specialist -- and now, finally, author.
Here's what made such a career possible:Â a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Minnesota in 1982, and then lots of persistence to make that degree work for me. It had to work because I love writing and couldn't imagine doing anything else.
A RENDEZVOUS TO DIE FOR grew out of the intersection of my wide-ranging interests and my writing experience. Before spinning this mystery novel, I was an award-winning short story writer, and also won numerous awards in the field of journalism. A RENDEZVOUS TO DIE FOR actually became a finalist in mystery-writing contests.
I love the idea that A RENDEZVOUS TO DIE FOR takes place in a small Minnesota town and centers around the fictional Prairie River Trappers' Rendezvous, a weekend reenactment festival involving local citizens and Indians from the nearby reservation. It was a great setup, just asking for a mystery story.
I'm still writing (do writers ever stop writing?) and have some scenes sketched out for Cassandra's next adventure.
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