Whodunit?

'eloquent tattoo' gary brown, canton rep review

gordon suggested that i post this on my blog. good idea? i, for one, think so!

About Books: ‘Eloquent Tattoo’: Audrey Lavin’s latest ‘whodunit’ hits stores by Gary Brown, Canton Repository

“Eloquent is the title, elegant and murderously amusing is this academic mystery,” writes Rhys Bowen, an Agatha prize winning author in review of “Eloquent Tattoo,” a murder mystery by Canton author Audrey Lavin.

The book is the third in Lavin’s “Eloquent” mystery series. The other mysteries in the series are “Eloquent Blood,” published in 2004, and “Eloquent Corpse,” published in 2007.

The “Eloquent Blood” title for her first book was derived from brainstorming done by the Wednesday Writers Workshop, she said in an interview published online by Case Western Reserve University in its Alumni News.

“When I wrote the second novel, I wanted to make an instant connection to the first,” she said in that interview. That “Eloquent” title has continued.

Long a writer of scholarly articles and academic manuscripts, the educator’s literary journey into fiction was an outgrowth of her own interest in reading murder mysteries. But, the scholar in her continues to emerge in her books, notes her publisher, Anaphora Literary Press,

“She has taught in 17 countries and brings some of her international adventures to her whodunits,” said the publisher, noting that she serves up “witty dissections of U.S. college life in her humorous series of eloquent murder mysteries.”

Another writer, Akiko Busch, author of “Nine Ways to Cross a River” and “Patience: Taking Time in an Age of Acceleration,” said Lavin combines the ordinary with uncommon creativity.

“Lap swimming, the work of Edgar Allan Poe, and a simmering romance are amateur sleuth Mary Beth Goldberg’s unlikely but invaluable tools as she confronts her latest mystery in ‘Eloquent Tattoo,’” Busch reviews. “Her native ingenuity figures in as well, and when author Audrey Lavin throws in a few slices of pizza and a handful of eccentric college students, these all add up to become the ingredients for irresistible storytelling!”

The book, set on Midfield Campus College in Midfield, Ohio, centers on students and professors from the school. Midfield is “a complete invention or rather combination of many campuses and many small towns,” the author notes.

“Readers will relate to Mary Beth, drawn into her conflicts, of her profession and of her personal relationships,” writes online book reviewer Angie Mangino, “trumped by her involvement in searching for the murderer of her friend.”

The softcover book is 161 pages and lists at $15.  It is available online at Amazon.com and the websites of Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble. It also can be purchased through those chains’ bookstores. It is carried in Canton at the gift shops at Lazar’s Art Gallery & Creative Framing, Cyrus Framers, and Tony’s Hair Design. The other two books in the series also remain available.

Other books by Lavin include “Made in Ohio” and “Aspects of the Novelist: E.M. Forster’s Pattern and Rhythm.”

She maintains an online blog on writing mysteries at http://bit.ly/OhAudrey. More information on Lavin and her books can be obtained at audreylavin.com.

 

audreylavin.com  http://bit.ly/OhAudrey

 

 

koenig, comments, and contest

REQUEST:

please vote for the cover of eloquent tattoo. the book is mine, but the cover is designed by li hertzi, who has entered it in a contest. hit or copy the url below, scroll to the bottom, and click on 'appreciate this' to vote for the cover. thanks so much.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Eloquent-Tattoo-A-Murder-Mystery-by-Audrey-Lavin-Cover/3279433

COMMENTS: 

'I think including the short creative inclusions to your blog is great......as long as they remain short and condensed.. People love "small world" stories and this is a special and good one!

 

Perhaps you could get responses on small world coincidences by inviting others to tell theirs.' scott t. canton

you can see that i have been following the first part of scott's advice, keeping my blog short. what about his second comment? what about sending me your 'small world coincidences' as long as they are printable! i would like to publish them in this blog. who knows if we could expand from there? they seem to be meaningful. see the following comment from russia.

'In your blog, short creative non-fiction pieces - like the story about Mother Angelica- influence our  emotions,  help us understand each other much better  and make the world around us interesting  and  attractive.' larissa, novocherkaask

'I found the account of the Mother Angelica meeting and enjoyed reading it.' w.y. st. paul

BOOKS:

False Negative by joseph koenig is the story of adam jordan ex-newspaper reporter, now true crime writer, who solves a series of murders. most of the story takes place in atlantic city in the fifties, at the time of four-martini lunches. the murder mystery is an enjoyable read. the only problem shows up if you are the kind of reader who likes some suspense. the title points toward photography(o.k. there could be a medical meaning). the cover is a picture of a man with a camera aimed at what we called in the fifties, 'a petty girl'. so when a man with a camera shows up in the story, a man who takes photos of miss america contestants, we pretty well know he's up to no good. still koenig is a good writer. 'why was it,' jordan asks himself, 'that every waitress in atlantic city sounded like she was auditioning for a part in guys and dolls?' adam jordan is a well drawn protagonist as are the dames he meets, the gals who inhabit the seedy side of n.y and atlantic city.

you'll enjoy this almost-noir novel published by hard case crime. it is 251 pages at $9.95. 

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Emily Dickinson admirers descend on Cleveland, August 3-5\

Seldom are recluses compared to rock stars. But then Emily Dickinson was anything but common.

Long considered among America’s finest poets, Dickinson has inspired debate and adulation from the first major publication of her works four years after her death.  Next month 60 of her fiercest fans will come to Case Western Reserve University to explore how her 19^th-century verse links to modern-day music.

Registration required. For information, visit http://www.emilydickinsoninternationalsociety.org/node/120.

link to shooting, sara gran, & other comments

what a terrible day this has been. as do most of you, i take refuge in fiction and in connecting with you through this blog. i'm sure many articles will be written linking the horrendous crime of last night to the coarsening affect of reading/seeing comic books and other books of crime. i think most of us know the difference between fiction and non-ficiton.

 

COMMENTS:

again, i am limiting the comments to three at the suggestion of scott ('keep it shorter') from canton.

  

You may be working on it already,  hope so, it's a book  . . . wanted to read more about everything . . . please keep me posted . . . market for non-fiction . . .gary, ohio

 

Loved the Madre Angelica story, and the thought of the monastery brought back fond memories of the neighborhood. b.m. california

 

What a vibrant essay.  Madre, Chile, and your unexpected intersections all skip off the page delightfully.  Definitely keep doing this! s.g. new jersey (?)

REQUEST:

this request is from artist li hertzi, who designed the cover of my third mystery novel, eloquent tattoo. she has entered the cover in a contest and asks, 'Could you encourage your readers to go here http://www.behance.net/gallery/Eloquent-Tattoo-A-Murder-Mystery-by-Audrey-Lavin-Cover/3279433  and click on “appreciate this” on your cover?  I know it seem a bit self serving but there is a contest for book covers and the one who gets the most clicks gets a free year on Behance!'  

 

i've done what she asks for and hope you will, too. you have to scroll all the way down to find the little 'appreciate this' sign that you're supposed to hit. thanks.

BOOKS:

for those of you who like hard edged women who mix it up with drugs and mysticism, sara gran's claire dewitt and the city of the dead was written for you.  the story takes place in new orleans a short time after katrina, a very ugly time for equally as ugly crimes and people. claire is almost unprecedented as a private eye in detective fiction. she's not one of e. a. poe's unreliable narrators, but she is as unstable as they come. what is not unprecedented is her dependence on the book detection that falls into her hands as a teen-ager and becomes her bible. those of you who read mccall-smith will remember that the women who run the african (botswana) #1 detective agency also depend on a book of instruction written by a detective. how charming their meeting with him turns out to be. some of you might find claire charming, too. she certainly is different. and credit to sara gran for originality.

 

the book is published by mariner books. the paperback is $13.95 and is 273 pages.

audreylavin.com http://bit.ly/OhAudrey  

thumbs up-olshan; thumbs down-baldacci & your comments

this time, i'm only publishing three responses to the mother angelica story, because one of the thoughtful e-mails i received (to be published later)pointed out that my blogs were getting too long. i needed to be reminded. i could have cut the case western reserve university interview in half, even in thirds if i'd remembered in time!

 

here are today's comments:

 

1. great story about Mother Angelica and I liked the interview too, particularly  your generosity toward your teachers and others. 

. Thanks for all your suggestions about books particularly the British mysteries.  Whenever I feel down (not very often)  I am cured by reading a book which takes place in the British Isles, so it’s always good to have something hanging around that I haven’t read yet. s/m/b. mentor oh.

2. wonderful stuff u r doing-- yes include creative non-fiction pieces  based on the outstanding responses you got on Mother Angelica story which I loved!

 

go girl!!!!!!!

3. anytime non-fiction is around, it is a good thing r.z, canton 

the two novels i'm going to discuss today are both murder mysteries. there the similarity ends. true blue and cloudland could have been written on different planets.

mace perry, tougher than ever, is out of jail now after being framed for a crime she didn't commit and spending two years incarcerated. just as tough is her police chief sister. not as tough, but a willing pupil is attorney roy kingman. the three good guys race around solving murders in washington d.c in this so called thriller by david baldacci. it is baldacci's 17th novel, so he must have a strong fan base. if you are part of that fan base, you will probably like the fast motorcycle and gritty projects. but if you aren't already a fan this novel will not convert you. start someplace else in his oeuvre. man, those sisters are tough.

grand central publishing is the publisher of this 454 page novel, which sells for $27.99.

a much gentler novel: better written, more believable characters, a better plot, that also has lovely, sensual descriptions is cloudland by joseph olshan (i used to know an olshansky family as students at northwestern university when i was there. could this olshan be related?).

how could i not like this crime novel? catherine winslow is an adjunct english teacher (me, too!) or was before her relationship with an ex-student (missed out on that!). her computer research is on the same web sites i use, jestor and project muse. she doesn't like esther in bleak house either. she also taught in a prison,though mine was in spain, not in new england. much of the book is based on a wilkie collins novel (you loyal readers will remember that much of eloquent tattoo is based on e.a. poe).  the story is centered on cloudland road in vermont where catherine lives by herself with only a few neighbors in the area. catherine finds a body and we're off.

you will enjoy this book. olshan does a good job of writing in the first person from a woman's point of view. minotaur books is the publisher. the novel is 291 pages and sells for $24.99. worth it and there's always your public library.

its fun sharing this time with you. i'll be back in a few days.

audrey

comments and three whodunits: brett, loweecey, and white

 

  

 

COMMENTS:

the comments about mother angelica keep pouring in. i thank you all for taking time to write and i am taking your comments quite seriously. they have been about forty to one pro including stories and pro the mother angelica meets carl and audrey piece. i prefer to believe in the majority, though the problem with writing (or asking too many doctor's opinions) is you can never tell who is right. maybe j.r. from somewhere in florida, author of the first and only negative remark is!

  

 I'm pleased you suggested I read your interview which revealed your many accomplishments (two-time Fulbrights!) because its impressive citations made me wonder why you requested my response to the very light sister Angelica piece, which gave little insight to this incredible person.

 

now here are a half-dozen positive comments. i'll publish more some other time:

-One mystery of Santa Clara monastery revealed!  Good piece.  Sure, why not include some of these in your blog; would also suggest collecting them as discussed for your next book and for that organizing them in sections. m.l. chicago

 

What a great story. I think you should definitely include creative non-fiction. I would love to read more about your travels and your past, and present. c.l./ny

 

good idea. give it a try. j.m. chicago 

The Mother Angelica story was fun to read.

 I thought that the story of meeting Mother Angelica in Chile would be an interesting anecdote for one of your murder mysteries - disguised, of course. k. o'b. north canton

 

I can't speak for an audience who might read your blog for info on mystery writing, but I enjoyed the piece!  I think that anyone interested in good writing, period, should enjoy a variety of work a.a. somewhere in pa.

 

 I really loved this entry! It was one of those small world adventures, that makes us realize how much timing, and fate play in our lives! Thanks for sharing! j.d. someplace in oh

 

BOOKS and HOW TO WRITE:

      i find that i am combining these two subjects more than usual today, so i'll just go with it, the kind of expression b.r. myers (below) tells us not to use in a novel. i think blog use is o.k.

 

        i  quote two paragraphs from an atlantic article by this editor and writer (b.r. myers).

  

     'One opens a new novel and is promptly introduced to some dull minor characters.     Tiring of them, one skims ahead to meet the leads, only to realize: those minor characters   are the leads.'

     and 'The language a writer uses to create a world is that world and (the author's) strenuously contemporary and therefore juvenile language...."

  

these paragraphs come to mind as i think how to review back in the habit by alice loweecey, so pretty it hurts by kate white, and guns in the gallery by simon brett.

  

back in the habit is a return to the convent from whence she came for giulia falcone as she and detective frank driscoll solve a murder there.  i found the in-fighting, power struggles, and general malevolent atmosphere of the convent interesting. it sounds just like the english department of some universities i know. giulia and frank are both constrained by their catholicism, but even so, the sexual attraction is pitiful. if you, too, are an ex-nun, you'll get a big kick out of this book.

the book is published by midnight ink and is 296 pages. it sells for $14.95

  

  

so pretty it hurts by kate white uses contemporary slang and grammar on every page. people with shitloads of pressure are scared about artificial insemination and addictions to over the counter drugs and whatever other contemporary problem can be thrown in the mix. girl detective bailey wiggins, manhattan based true-crime journalist, has solved other crimes that i have enjoyed. if you are just starting the series, try another one first. harper collins is the publisher. the novel is 317pages.the cost is $24.99.

 

guns in the gallery is a little different. simon brett can and does create interesting characters. carol seddon and jude, neighbors and friends, are well drawn as is their complex friendship. they live in the small fictive town of fethering where they are invited to the opening of a local artist's work. fans of the fethering series (this is the thirteenth in the series) will continue to enjoy the conservative small town atmosphere. i'm not sure why suspects who tell nothing to the police will tell everything to carol and earth mother/healer jude, but they do. it bothers me terribly when the murderer, who steps into the room at the end with an 'i did it', turns out to be someone who is insane. this one believes that elvis presley tells him what to do (though to be fair, he is also protecting someone) but he says that the king guides him in everything. that's not playing fair with the reader, mr. brett. the book is published by creme de la crime and is 202 pages. it is listed at $28.95.

 

goodbye for now, readers. escape the heat in a cool book. audrey