Answers? I've Got a Few

QUESTION: When will Make, Take, Murder be available on Kindle or Nook?

ANSWER: I have no idea. See, my publisher converts the files to a format that e-publisher can use. Then it's up to the e-publishers (Amazon or Barnes & Noble) to post the books. (Feel free to bug Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And tell me what you find out, okay?)

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QUESTION: Will Make, Take, Murder be available in large print?

ANSWER: I have no idea. So far, Wheeler Publishing has purchased large print rights to the other books in the series. You can contact them at Thorndike Press.

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QUESTION: What's the next book in the series and when will it be out?

ANSWER: I don't know. I used a working title of Ink, Red, Dead, but that's been changed. The publication date will be April, 2012. I have turned the book in.

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QUESTION: Will there be more books in the series after the book formerly known as Ink, Red, Dead?

ANSWER: I don't know. My editor has said she wants another book. My agent is planning on talking to my editor. I've written three chapters of a 6th book.

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QUESTION: Is it true you are writing another series? What's it about?

ANSWER: I've been blessed to sell a new series featuring Jane Eyre as an amateur sleuth. The first in that series will be out Spring or Summer 2012. The publisher is Berkley, and part of the title will be The Jane Eyre Chronicles.

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QUESTION: Joanna, how can you know so little?

ANSWER: I'm a mom. We work on a need to know basis. Seriously, authors have control over the universe they create, not over the details of the publishing world. I really do adore both my publishers. Obviously they have superlative taste! So when I get more concrete info, I'll pass it along. One nice tidbit of news...while I was at Malice Domestic my agent was contacted about foreign rights to The Jane Eyre Chronicles. That's a very good sign indeed!

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QUESTION: Where do you live these days?

ANSWER: I divide my time between Washington, DC, and Jupiter Island, Florida. If you become my friend on Facebook, you'll see that I often post photos from both places.

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QUESTION: How can I get an autographed copy of Make, Take, Murder?

ANSWER: There are lots of ways. 1.) Call Mystery Lovers Bookshop at (412) 828-4877. They have copies. 2.) Call ScrapbooksPlus! at
(703) 263-9503 3.) Email me at JoannaSlan@aol.com and put BOOKPLATE in your subject line. Then tell me how you want me to personalize a bookplate, share your postal address with me, and I'll pop a bookplate in the mail to you. (A bookplate is a fancy sticker.) 4.) Come to one of my signings. I try to post them at http://www.booktour.com/

He Beat Her Regularly--and No One Said a Word

Some stories stick with you a long, long time. Twenty years ago, a friend named Rob recounted a horrifying scene that he had witnessed at a local country club. Rob was seated where he could observe a group of members who had been drinking heavily. One of them, a prominent local man, grabbed his wife by the crotch and announced to everyone, “See this? I bought and paid for it. None of you can afford it!”

Rob later learned that this man regularly beat his wife, but the local doctors “owed” him, so they patched her up and sent her home. All the best local attorneys were in his debt as well, so there was nowhere for this woman to turn.

I knew of this man and his wife. After all, they were regulars on the society pages. I’d seen the woman around town and I often admired her beautiful clothes and jewelry. Now I winced to think of the shame and pain that she lived with daily.

In Make, Take, Murder, I called this abused woman Cindy Gambrowski. In the first scene of the book, my protagonist Kiki Lowenstein is Dumpster-diving for her lost paycheck when she reaches into a pile of trash and pulls up Cindy’s severed leg. (And yes, Gambrowski is a bit of a pun, since “gam” is slang for an especially attractive female leg.)

To write accurately about Cindy’s life, I consulted with an expert on domestic violence. I also talked to a judge and an attorney to get the legalities right.

I tried to put myself in Cindy’s place. To the outside world, she has everything. But she’s living in a cruel cage, and her jailer is her husband. Knowing that abusers don’t stop, I wondered, “What might a woman risk to be free?”

Readers will quickly learn that Cindy isn’t the only abused woman in the book. Again, my domestic violence expert filled me in on what happens when a woman with kids tries to escape her persecutor. My expert also explained to me one of the common ways that an abuser often tracks down his family. I also learned about some of the psychological baggage that later marks the psyche of an abused woman.

Even though I outline, there are often surprises along the way. In this book, I decided to create WAR, the Women’s Above-ground Railroad, a fictitious organization that would assist women who needed to escape from abusers. My imagination conjured up a dedicated and secretive group of women who would help their frightened sisters adopt new identities in new towns.

Wow, was I ever shocked when my domestic abuse expert told me that such an organization really does exist!

When I finished the book, I felt so passionate about the cause that I donated a portion of my advance to Lydia’s House, which provides transitional housing for abused women and their children in the St. Louis area. I also included information about abuse in my acknowledgement section. It’s my hope that one of my readers might recognize the signs of an abusive relationship early enough that she can escape the sort of torture that Cindy Gambrowski endured.

Note: The "official" release date for Make, Take, Murder is May 8, but most bookstores already have their copies in stock. But before you visit, call and ask if they have their copies of Make, Take, Murder. Also...whenever possible, please put your money where your house is and buy locally.

Kiki in the News

It's been a thoroughly Kiki type of month.

A couple of weeks ago while I was out shelling with my pal Nancy, I dropped my phone into the briney brink. Bad news. That meant I not only lost my photos, I also lost my ability to read email from the BlackBerry.

Then I had my skin broken by a neighbor's dog, except I didn't know the dog belonged to a neighbor and the health department suggested I get rabies shots.

But while I was having my share of "issues," Kiki was in the news.

First, let me share some great photos taken by Anne Smith at the Boynton Beach City Library event.

Here I am with Connie...

And here's the coveted armadillo vase.

In the hands of its new owner, Lane C.

And finally, the author (moi) with her book. (Since I've moved to Florida, I'm into much brighter colors. Hope you approve!)

I'm excited about appearing at the Virginia Festival of the Book, in Charlottesville, VA, on March 19 at the Omni Hotel. Our upcoming panel at the Virginia Festival of the Book is being billed as one of the 17 hot events that caught the eye of one of the writers at “The Hook” -- along with Kathryn Stockett, Kathy Reichs, Jim Lehrer, Alan Cheuse and top acts. Wow.

Here’s the link: http://www.readthehook.com/89147/books-time-twitter-hooks-hot-lit-picks-17th-festival

I am giving away a Kindle and other cool stuff to celebrate Barbara Vey's Beyond Her Book blog's 4th Anniversary. Go to http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/beyondherbook/?p=3145

And Kiki is up against Jack Reacher in Jen Forbus's World's Favorite Amateur Sleuth Tournament. You can vote here: http://www.jensbookthoughts.com/2011/03/let-voting-begin.html

Please do vote! I want to prove that nice girls do finish first!

Meanwhile, Make, Take, Murder is in production. Be sure to pre-order your copy from any fine bookseller today. The official release date is May 1, 2011.

The Art of the Cliffhanger and a Contest!

Okay, I know some of you don't like cliffhangers, but just so you know, I intend to keep writing books that sort of flow into each other. Someone once told me that the first sentence sells the current book but the last sentence sells the next one. I know that I simulaneously love and hate how my favorite television programs end with question mark. But even as I might curse the writers, I find myself eagerly tuning in each week for more.

So what cliffhangers can you expect in the upcoming Kiki Lowenstein books? More specifically in Make, Take, Murder when it comes out May 1, 2011?

First, you'll learn more about Bama Vess, Kiki's new co-worker. Bama (pronounced "Bam-ma" and named long before our president took residence in the White House) is a conflicted woman. She's spurned all Kiki's overtures for friendship. At the same time, Bama does a great job of organizing and running Time in a Bottle. Will she and Kiki make good business partners? What's stopping Bama from being nice to Kiki? Could it be that Bama is as jealous of Kiki as Kiki is of her?

Second, you'll see what happens with Sheila and Police Chief Holmes. This is an old flame, rekindled, but they have a big problem. You see, Sheila is Jewish and Police Chief Holmes is Roman Catholic. Since Sheila is so very, very inflexible...you might guess there will be problems ahead.

Third, Dodie's health problems. Yes, they'll have an impact on how the store runs, and who's involved in Time in a Bottle. That's a given.

Of course, the biggest snafu ahead concerns Brenda Detweiler. There have been hints about problems with her marriage, but what are those problems? And why is Chad Detweiler unwilling to say, "Goodbye?"

You know, I've rarely seen people up and divorce each other. There's always a back-and-forth, a questioning, a sorting out of feelings. I don't think that marriage is a commitment to take lightly, and I truly believe that most people don't. This would be Detective Detweiler's second marriage. Since he's clearly such a cool guy, you have to wonder, what's up? Is he not everything he seems? Or has he simply gotten lost along the way? (My sister keeps teasing me that everything I write seems to be about redemption. Well, I'm a big believer in redemption, the art of the second chance. Most days, I think it's all we have to live for, that hope that we'll be forgiven, that we'll learn something, and we'll do better in the future.)

CONTEST DETAILS

Meanwhile, I'm always curious. Which characters do you want to see return? And why? So here's the deal--you tell me, and I'll choose one of your comments to win a Kiki Lowenstein Fan Club tee shirt! You have until August 15 to comment. (Hey, why not get a friend to comment, too? Maybe she or he will let you share the tee!)

By the way, here's a sweet review of Paper, Scissors, Death,

Made my day!