BOOK CLUB FRIDAY -- GUEST AUTHOR MELISSA BOURBON

Today we welcome Melissa Bourbon, the author of the new A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series. Pleating for Mercy, the first book in the series, was released earlier this month. Melissa, who sometimes answers to her Latina-by-marriage name Misa Ramirez, is also the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series, the co-author of The Tricked-out Toolbox, and the author of two romantic suspense novels to be released in 2012. She also works as the marketing director for a publisher. Read more about Melissa at her website. -- AP-- AP

I’m so happy to be at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers today, and especially glad to be sharing a little about Pleating for Mercy.  It was released about 2 weeks ago, hit the Barnes & Noble mass market mystery list at #14, and hit Bookscan’s list at #19!  I couldn’t be more thrilled!!

This book is for anybody who loves cozy mysteries, dressmaking, sewing, and/or anything crafty to read.

As I was thinking about visiting here, I got to thinking about why I write mysteries.  All I could come up with is that they are close to my heart.  Okay, truthfully, books of any kind are close to my heart, but mysteries, in particular.  The mystery can be large or small.  It can be the central focus of the story, or play a supporting role.  It really doesn’t matter to me the scope of the mystery elements, as long as it’s there in one way, shape, or form.

My love of mysteries started, like most young girls of a certain age--ehem, we don’t need to talk about age, now, do we?--with Nancy Drew.  From there I graduated straight to Agatha Christie.  I have a distinct memory of going with my mom to our town’s library so she could check out the last Hercule Poirot novel, Curtain.  She was crushed that it was to be Poirot’s last, and her love of these book intrigued me enough to start reading them.

I spent almost all of my high school lunches in one classroom or another reading.

Now, I should say that I’m a light-weight when it comes to these things.  Horror movies and books are not for me.  I threw Silence of the Lambs across the room once or twice while reading it, and I cover my eyes during certain parts of Dexter (though he and the show are morbidly fascinating and I LOVE it).

But I love the deduction. 

So, of course, I when my passion for writing grew until it couldn’t be denied, it was no surprise that it manifested itself in the form of mysteries.  I began with the Lola Cruz Mystery series, published initially with St. Martin’s Minotaur, and moving soon to a new publisher with the next 3 books in the series.

Then I wrote 2 romantic suspense, which, of course, have strong mystery elements in them.  They’re based on Mexican legends, and these will be coming out sometime next year.

Finally, my cozies, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series with NAL, have brought me full circle to the kind of mysteries I love the most.  They are small town, feel good whodunits.  They are like comfort food.  They just make me want to curl up in front of a fire and escape into the town of Bliss (if only we weren’t on our 40 something day of 100+ degree weather). 

Mystery, mystery, mystery.  The characters.  The communities.  The crime.  The puzzle.  The deductions.  The justice.  All of it makes for such a satisfying read.

I’m particularly lucky to now be part of a dynamic publishing group.  I’m the marketing director for the new boutique publisher, Entangled Publishing.  Here, I get to help market so many books, some of them romantic suspense or mystery, many of them paranormal, urban fantasy, and sci-fi, most of them with some strands of mystery and romance elements in them.  There’s no better job, and it has been so exciting to be part of something like this from the get-go. 

I’d like to know what everyone loves most about mysteries, and how heavy the mystery element needs to be in books you read. 

Thanks for joining us today, Melissa! Readers, anyone want to chime in and answer Melissa’s question? -- AP

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY -- GUEST AUTHOR MISA RAMIREZ

Multi-published author Misa Ramirez, who also writes under the pseudonym Melissa Bourbon, is our Book Club Friday guest today. Misa teaches creative writing at Southern Methodist university-Cape as well as online and has contributed to The Writer’s Guide to ePublishing. Learn more about Misa at her website. You can also find Misa stripping down characters at The Naked Hero, giving away free books at Books on the House, and writing about Killer Characters. Find Misa's books at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. -- AP

The Inspiration Behind A Deadly Curse

Inspiration is all around us, and as a writer, I never know when it will strike…or how long after I’ll apply that inspiration to a novel.  This is true whether I’m writing my Lola Cruz Mysteries, my new Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, or my romantic suspenses (A Deadly Curse, available now, or A Deadly Sacrifice, coming in late May). My ideas usually stem from something I’ve read, heard about , or have in my memory banks. From there, it develops, often requiring research to flesh it out.

This was especially true when it came to writing A Deadly Curse. It’s based on the legend of la Llorona. My husband, Carlos, grew up hearing the tale. His parents, tias, and tios, and every other adult around, would tell the kids the story of the Crying Woman. Their purpose? To frighten them enough so they wouldn’t wander off alone.

La Llorona was the Mexican boogyman. I first learned about the legend of the Crying Woman after I met Carlos (we’ve now been married 20 years and have five children, so la Llorona has been part of my consciousness for a long time).

We’d go camping with his brothers and sisters and their spouses, sit around the campfire, and invariably, the stories would begin.

Before long, a low, haunting sound would float through the air. La Llorona. It was as if the ghost was right there, her wails drifting up from the banks of the river through the trees, circling around us as we huddled together.

It didn’t take long to figure out that it was my husband making the haunting sounds, but the legend itself was spooky and stayed with me from the first time I heard the story. A woman kills her children by drowning them in the river. After she realizes what she’s done, she drowns herself. Legend has it that the woman has been haunting riverbanks ever since, looking for her children. Kids are warned to stay away from the rivers so la Llorona doesn’t steal them, thinking they are hers. Creepy. Yet fascinating.

Slowly, the idea of la Llorona being the central element in a romantic suspense plot began formulating in my mind.  Before too long, it took hold completely and I began plotting A Deadly Curse.  But I needed to learn more about la Llorona.

Where did the legend start and why did she drown her children? These things, I figured, would inspire my plot. Little did I know that the legend of la Llorona was far more complex than I’d ever imagined.

What I learned was that there are actually four different stories behind the legend. My husband’s family knew only one of them. Everyone I’ve talked to since then has only known one, or possibly two different versions. No one has known all four of the stories.

The woman in each story was called something different: La Ramera (the harlot), La Bruja (the witch), La Virgin (the virgin), La Sirena (the siren). Needless to say, learning about the four different stories sent my plot in a new direction. The knowledge created new opportunities and obstacles for my characters.

My research into la Llorona opened doors for me, helping me take A Deadly Curse in fascinating directions I couldn’t have created if I’d tried.

I’m so proud of this book, thrilled to have used a piece of a culture I love, and I hope all of you will enjoy it, as well.  I’d love to hear from you.

The legend of la Llorona was new to me. What about the rest of you? Had you heard of it? If so, which version were you familiar with? Let's hear from you. -- AP