Birthdays: Thomas Hobbes (1588), Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837), Booker T. Washington (1856), Richard Eberhart (1904), Robert Bloch (1917), Arthur Hailey (1920), Richard Peck (1934), Joseph Lelyveld (1937), Anthony Horowitz (1955), Anu Garg (1957), Deborah Harkness (1965)

Richard Eberhart was a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner.

Robert Bloch wrote horror and science fiction and was most famous for his book “Psycho” – adapted in the Hitchcock film.

Arthur Hailey wrote the books on which the movie “Airport” was based.

Joseph Lelyveld won the Pulitzer Prize. Most of his work centered on South Africa.

Quote: “If you are going to be a writer, you have to have self-belief. Every writer gets rejections. They say the difference between a successful and unsuccessful writer is an unsuccessful writer gives up.” – Anthony Horowitz

Tip: Do you have a website? You should. They are useful for promotions, fan contacts, and other information. If you don’t feel comfortable doing one yourself, hire someone to do it for you.

Jumpstart: You’ve just won the lottery. What will you do? How much did you get? What will change in your life?

Basket Case: A Gray Whale Inn Mystery by Karen MacInerney

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Novella

4****

Blurb: Innkeeper Natalie Barnes is hosting a Lithuanian egg-decorating workshop on quaint Cranberry Island when a killer decides to add a deadly twist to the festivities. With a peanut-laced drink claiming the life of unlikeable Justine Simonds, Natalie soon discovers that the workshop participants are cracking with motive. Was Justine’s daughter-in-law anxious to speed up her husband’s inheritance? Did the grudge of an egg-decorating neighbor turn deadly? Or is there another, deeper secret somebody was desperate to keep hidden? It’s up to Natalie to crack the case… before the Easter killer strikes again. This egg-citing cozy mystery is sure to leave readers hungry for more!

I liked this addition to the Gray Whale Inn series. The characters are great – especially Grandma! There were plenty of suspects even for a short novella and plenty of clues that kept me guessing. In this one, the characters are gathering at the inn for a workshop on Lithuanian egg decorating, so we have everyone in one place. And the challenges of living on a remote island where emergency people can’t get to you fast is shown nicely.

Oh, and at the end, after everything is tied up in a neat bow, we are treated to two delicious recipes and directions on how to do the egg decorating! I loved that!

Recommended. Note: Check out the first book in the series for insights into all the main characters and the setting.

Birthdays: George Herbert (1593), Washington Irving (1783), Jennifer Paterson (1928), Jane Goodall (1934), Harold Kushner (1935), Reginald Hill (1936), Vanna Bonda (1958)

Quote: “Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” – George Herbert

Tip: Show your characters no mercy. If your story has stalled, ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen to your character? Make it happen.

Jumpstart: You’ve gone to see a psychic who will answer your deepest question. What do you ask? Why? What will the psychic say?

Birthdays: Giancomo Casanova (1725), Hans Christian Andersen (1805), Emile Zola (1840), William W. Warner (1920), George M. Fraser (1925), Anne Waldman (1945), Sue Townsend (1946), Camille Paglia (1947), Daniel Okrent (1948), Joan D. Vinge (1948), Mark Shulman (1962), Scott Lynch (1978),

Joan Vinge won the 1981 Hugo Award for her book “The Snow Queen”

Quote: “Everything you look at can become a fairy tale and you can get a story from everything you touch.” – Hans Christian Andersen

Tip: Action verbs make your work more vivid and interesting. Each action verb paints a specific picture. Go through your manuscript and change weak verbs to strong ones. For instance, if someone is looking at a picture—are they gazing, studying, pondering, or staring at it?

Jumpstart: Finish this: I closed my eyes, held my nose, and took a drink…

Birthdays: Edmond Rostand (1868), Abraham Harold Maslow (1908), Augusta Baker (1911), Anne McCaffrey (1926), Milan Kundera (1929) Samuel Ray Delany (1942), Francine Prose (1947),

Quote: “That’s what writing is all about, after all, making others see what you have put down on the page and believing that it does, or could, exist and you want to go there.” – Anne McCaffrey

Tip: The first week of April is National Library Week. Think about when you go to the library. What genre do you read? Why do you read this one? How often do you go to the library?  Do you browse or go straight for your favorite area? Do you use the library for anything other than books? Even small libraries are huge sources of information. Go visit one and take a look around.

Jumpstart: This is April Fool’s Day. Would your character be the one playing the jokes, or the butt of them? Why? What would s/he do?