Come, thou Fount of every blessing

"Come, thou Fount of Every Blessing."

It is, quite simply, my favorite hymn. Spiritual, beautifully written, simple and direct in its meaning. I'm listening to it as I begin to write this. One day -- long from now, I hope -- it will be sung at my funeral.

But this blog isn't about something so deep, spiritual or religious. It is about words. In particular, one word.

Now as a writer, I love words, of course. But there are some words I just love more than others. For example, there's both loquacious and logorrhea. Anyone who has actually spoken to me -- or, more correctly, who has listened to me -- would certainly say both can be applied to me, particularly when I'm nervous.

Then there's serendipity. I love the meaning but it's the wonderful sound of the word that truly touches me.

Serendipity.

And, of course, there's callipygian.

I started with the word callipygian in mind when I wrote an entire Kendall Hunter murder mystery story. It was my sole inspiration. (You can find my story titled Callipygian in The Fine Art of Murder, a short story anthology published by Blue River Press for the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime.) Plus, those who know me well will certainly testify as to why I love this adjective.

All this gets me to the single word I am thinking about today.

Fount.

It is such a niffy little word. Middle English, I think.

Although I am sure I have heard or seen it used before, I don't remember the word fount used in any context other than in the hymn, "Come, thou Fount of Every Blessing." It means source, of course, so in the hymn, the source of every blessing refers to Jesus.

Like I said, a niffy little word.

But I need to correct something. I didn't remember seeing the word used other than in the hymn until I ran across it last week while reading Rhys Bowen's newest book, In Farleigh Field. And when I read it, I sat up and poked my wife. She knows how much I love the hymn.

A character in Rhys' novel used it to describe his father as being a fount of knowledge about history. And he was right. The old man was.

So there you have it. A word I love. A word I find inspirational. A word I will probably start randomly dropping on people.

Now go forth and be a fount of knowledge about something.

And thanks for reading.

      



  

Cutting the cake: A celebration of SinC with Rhys Bowen

The Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime yesterday was proud to host a day with bestselling author Rhys Bowen as we celebrated the 30th anniversary of SinC.

And Rhys, as you can see, was happy to take a stab at cutting the first piece of the anniversary cake. She was a very good sport.

Plus, since I drove her around all day, we had a lot of time to talk. She offered me wonderful suggestions on improving my craft and on getting an editor and publisher for my work.

Thanks, Rhys, for everything.

And thanks for reading.

Bestselling British author Rhys Bowen

I am truly looking forward to the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime hosting renowned British author Rhys Bowen this coming Saturday, Feb. 25.

Rhys will speak at our monthly meeting at about noon at Barnes and Noble in Indianapolis, before heading over to a tea we are sponsoring in her honor from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the College Park community clubhouse in Indy and then back to B&N for a book fair and book signing at 5 p.m.

A portion of the proceeds from sales at B&N that day will benefit the programs of the Speed City SinC.

Rhys is a wonderful award-winning writer -- and a prolific one. Below is a list of her titles, not including In Farleigh Field, which comes out next week.

 Royal Spyness Series In Order:

Her Royal Spyness (2007)

A Royal Pain (2008)

Royal Flush (2009)

Royal Blood (2010)

Naughty in Nice (2011)

The Twelve Clues of Christmas (2012)

Heirs and Graces (2013)

Queen of Hearts (2014)

Malice at the Palace (2015)

Crowned and Dangerous (2016)

On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service (August 2017)

Molly Murphy Series In Order:

Murphy's Law (2001)

Death of Riley (2002)

For the Love of Mike (2003)

In Like Flynn (2005)

Oh Danny Boy (2006)

In Dublin's Fair City (2007)

Tell Me, Pretty Maiden (2008)

In a Gilded Cage (2009)

The Last Illusion (2010)

Bless the Bride (2011)

Hush Now, Don't You Cry (2012)

The Family Way (2013)

City of Darkness and Light (2014)

The Edge of Dreams (2015)

Away in a Manger (2015)

Time of Fog and Fire (2016)

The Ghost of Christmas Past (November 2017)

Constable Evan Evans Series In Order:

Evans Above (1997)

Evan Help Us (1998)

Evanly Choirs (1999)

Evan and Elle (2000)

Evan Can Wait (2001)

Evans to Betsy (2002)

Evan Only Knows (2003)

Evan's Gate (2004)

Evan Blessed (2005)

Evanly Bodies (2006)

Hope to see you some time on Saturday.

Thanks for reading.

I'll be Mother: A tea with bestselling author Rhys Bowen

I was fortunate last year to be elected president of the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime for 2017. And while to some, Sisters in Crime may sound like a group of recovering female prison convicts, it is, in fact, an international organization of writers of crime and mystery. I am very proud to the chapter's first male president. 

So I am a mister/sister, and this year the organization, the voice for excellence and diversity in crime writing for decades, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

The Speed City chapter of SinC is hosting internationally renowned author Rhys Bowen at a British tea and at a book signing on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Barnes and Noble book store on the north side of Indianapolis.

I am currently reading In Farleigh Field, a mystery Bowen set in England in 1941. Full of British upper class intrigue and spies, the novel officially launches on an Amazon imprint next week.

I read her Twelve Clues of Christmas back in December and was both surprised and delighted by the high-spirited young heroine, Georgiana Ranook. As the main character in Bowen's Her Royal Spyness series, Georgie, who was 35th in line to the British throne, was fun to read and discover. What also surprised me was that I was so into the book, which was set in the early 1930s in western England, that I didn't figure out the clues to the mystery until Rhys hit me over the head with them, despite the title of the book.

In addition to the book signing and book fair at B&N at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Speed City is also hosting Bowen with a British tea from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., also on Saturday. Co-sponsored with the College Park Book Club, the tea is in the College Park Community Clubhouse on Fordham Road in Indianapolis, in the shadow of the College Park pyramids.

It's at the tea when we will officially celebrate 30 years of Sisters in Crime.

I hope you can come out to one or more of the events on Saturday. It will be fun and I'm looking forward to it -- and to meeting a world-class mystery writer. And when the time comes, I will try to make sure that, as I pour Rhys her first cup of tea, I say, "I'll be mother."

Thanks for reading.

 

Magna Cum Murder

Going to a crime fiction writers conference this weekend downtown at the Columbia Club (an old GOP stomping ground. No matter). Magna Cum Murder is an annual conference that until four years ago was held in Muncie, Indiana, at Ball State University. It's a relatively small conference -- a couple hundred people at most -- but always well-attended by crime fiction writers from around the world.

It goes from Friday to Sunday.

Sisters in Crime is represented there by our Speed City chapter. We are sponsoring a luncheon on either Saturday or Sunday.

As with most conferences, it's a great way to network with other writers at the receptions and dinners to talk and exchange ideas. And, of course, there are the panel discussions and booksignings.

The chapter has a table to promote our books which I will have to staff some time on Saturday morning. And, for the third year, we are sponsoring a flash fiction contest. We provide a prompt for a 250-word short story. Members of the chapter judge the entries on Saturday night and I will announce the winner at the closing luncheon on Sunday.

I never stay downtown at the conference. Hotel rooms are too expensive, particularly since the conference itself is a little pricey. So I come home every night. But it's still a great time and well worth the time, effort and expense.

Looking forward to a great weekend.

Thanks for reading.

Callipygian is here

The Fine Art of Murder has arrived, and just in time.

The book launch is in two days, on Sunday, Oct. 23, from noon to 6 p.m., at the Barnes and Noble store at 86th Street and Keystone Crossing Boulevard on the northside of Indianapolis.

FAM is the fifth short story anthology published by members of the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime. There are 18 mystery stories, all involving fine art.

My story, Callipygian, is on Page 130. It's about a vacationing FBI profiler who is drawn into the investigation of an art theft and murder. The main character, Kendall Hunter, is one of my favorite characters.

Anyway, I hope you can come to the launch and if not, order a copy online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Walmart.

Thanks for reading.

Excerpt from CALLIPYGIAN, a short story in The Fine Art of Murder

As promised, here is an excerpt from my newest short story, Callipygian, which will be published next week in the anthology, The Fine Art of Murder. There are 18 stories in the anthology, all written by members of the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime. Our launch event is scheduled for Oct. 23, at the Barnes and Noble bookstore at 86th Street and Keystone at the Crossing in Indianapolis.

Kendall Hunter is a Philadelphia-based FBI profiler on vacation visiting her family in Indianapolis when she is drawn into the investigation in the theft of three extremely valuable paintings -- including one called Callipygian -- from a black art gallery. And things get interesting when the primary suspect is found murdered.

It's fun to write this character and I have several more unpublished stories featuring the character. Perhaps next year I will figure out what to do with them all.

But until then, enjoy. And thanks for reading.

____

"Wrap your lovely lips around this."

Taken aback by the sudden and unwanted flirtation, Kendall Hunter turned. And despite her government training, her heart nearly stopped. She was face to face with the most gorgeous man she had ever seen in person. As she opened her mouth to voice her indignation, a fork full of cake passed between her lips. The frosting was a delight to her taste buds and the man a delight to her eyes. Both were a creamy chocolate. She imagined his face -- with its light-brown bedroom eyes, full lips and well-defined cheek bones -- was chiseled personally by the gods.

Kendall took all this in in the span of two seconds, and hoped he didn’t notice her brief bewilderment. "It’s delicious. Thanks," she managed after swallowing.

His smile was charming and his white teeth were a perfect counterpoint to his dark skin. "My name is—" he started.

"Hampton Simmonds," she finished for him, having recovered her composure. "It’s you we’re all here to celebrate."

"Ah, yes, well, I suppose you are right about that," he said, sounding modest and nearly embarrassed as he looked around the art gallery at the crowd of beautiful people in their best formal attire. Men generally look good in a tux. But Hampton Simmonds’s six-foot frame looked positively spectacular.

He handed the plate with the remains of the cake to a passing waitress. "You can just call me Hamp," he said to Kendall.

She wore a form-fitting blue evening dress with a modest neckline and spaghetti straps. Her white pearl necklace and pearl earrings were her only accessories. "I’m Kendall Hunter."

Hampton smiled again and his right hand engulfed hers in a strong, confident, but not crushing grip. "It’s nice to meet you." He didn’t release her hand, but guided her toward the wall to her right. "Let me personally escort you through the gallery."

When Hampton released her hand, he seemed to carry her along through the force of his personality. They moved into a room of contemporary paintings. One wall was dominated by a 10-foot-wide painting in off-white with five diagonal splashes of deep red. Kendall stopped, stared, and frowned, but felt Hampton observing her.

"You don’t like?" he said.

"I can’t wrap my mind around what it’s supposed to mean," Kendall said. She studied the information card on the wall next to the painting to avoid looking at the luscious man next to her.

They started walking again and took the stairs to the second floor. "I don’t get it, either," he said with a chuckle. He lowered his voice to a conspiratory whisper. "I’ve never liked that artist. She’s tremendously overrated."

Kendall began to relax as they continued, with Hampton pointing out bits of information as they passed more art. Occasionally, someone would catch his eye and nod but no one interrupted them. Kendall’s sister’s eyes bugged out when she spotted them together but Kiara quickly turned back to a sculpture of a pair of steepled hands.

"Are you a collector?" Hampton asked. "I think I’ve met all the major black collectors here in Indianapolis. But I don’t think I’ve seen you before."

"I’m originally from here, but I live in Philadelphia now," she said. They entered the main room on the second floor. On the opposite wall were three abstract paintings.

 "And what do you do in the City of Brotherly Love . . . and Sisterly Affection?" he said, flirting directly once again.

She didn’t skip a beat. "I’m a special agent with the FBI. I specialize in criminal profiles."

That stopped him in his tracks. "Really?"

Kendall smiled and started them moving again. In social situations such as this, she loved revealing her occupation, as if being a tall, attractive black woman and an FBI agent were mutually exclusive.

"I’m home for a short vacation. Visiting family. As a matter of fact, you know my sister, Kiara. She works for Mitch, the gallery owner. Does the PR. She had an invitation, of course." Kendall held up the embroidered invitation in her left hand. "I’m her plus one."

"Oh, yes, Kiara. I do know her," Hampton said, turning to look back over his shoulder to where Kiara had once stood, then back at Kendall. "And I’m certainly glad you’re her plus one. Otherwise, I might have been bored out of my mind this evening."

The waitress appeared again, this time carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Her presence was announced a second earlier by the fragrance she wore. The waitress offered them sausage-stuffed mushrooms, which Kendall declined. Hampton popped one into his mouth as the woman moved on.

"Those are your paintings, aren’t they?" Kendall asked.

Hampton reached around her waist in a particularly intimate way and pulled her toward the wall where the paintings hung. "What do you think? This is my series celebrating the female form."

Kendall stared. "I’m not sure what to think."

"The one on the left is called A Woman’s Eyes," Hampton said.

It was an abstract with bright primary colors and broad, yet soft brush strokes for the facial lines. In the profile facing to the right, both eyes appeared on the same side of her face.

"The one on the right is simply called Bosoms of Love," he commented.

Like the others, it was in a simple dark frame. But it didn’t look like the breasts of any woman Kendall had ever seen.

"You can see the outline of the torso from the neck down to the narrow waist." Hampton continued. "But see how the painting draws your eyes to the center of the female form. It’s not sexual but it encompasses the wholeness of womanhood. Do you see that?"

Kendall wanted to say no, but just nodded instead. Finally, Hampton brought her attention to the painting in the middle.

"This is Callipygian. My masterpiece," he said, almost as if in a dream.

"Callipygian? What does that mean?" she asked.

Hampton smiled and scratched his shaved bald head. "You’ll just have to figure that one out."

While it was still abstract, Kendall was able to discern the curve of a woman’s back, from just below the neck down to the round, full hips, sweeping inward again to reveal muscular legs. The brush strokes were soft and feminine, the colors bright and vivid.

It was obvious Hampton was a man who loved the female body. He put his hands on the curve of her hips as he leaned in to whisper into Kendall’s ear, "You should come model for me sometime."  

SinC Retreat

Next weekend, the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime will hold its second writers retreat at Bradford Woods, a rustic conference center (I guess you'd call it that) about 30 miles south of Indianapolis.

I plan to get a lot of writing done during the retreat, which starts Friday afternoon and ends early Sunday afternoon. I have both an essay and a short story about Kendall Hunter I want to finish.

It does mean that weekend I will miss the first air show held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in more than a century. (I think they held a balloon race in 1909 or '10.) This year's race is part of the series sponsored by Red Bull for single-engine planes.

But anyway, I got a lot done at the first retreat in 2014. I finished writing Miss Hattie Mae's Secret during the weekend. And that short story is the last story in Decades of Dirt.

Well, I didn't have a lot to say today but I wanted to mention the retreat, which I hadn't done yet.

Thanks for reading.
 

FAM front cover

Here it is. The final, corrected front cover for The Fine Art of Murder, which will be published at the beginning of next month. Preorders are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and online at Walmart.

FAM is a collection of mystery stories by members of the Speed City Indiana chapter of Sisters in Crime. The collection includes my Kendall Hunter short story, Callipygian.

The official book launch is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9, at the Barnes and Noble bookstore at 86th Street and Keystone Avenue, on the north east side of Indianapolis. The chapter is celebrating a Day of Mystery at the store that day, starting at noon. While the launch is at 2 p.m., SinC members will be there all day signing books, and having games and prizes for mystery lovers.

Hope you can come out to celebrate this newest anthology. The proceeds will support the programs of our chapter.

Thanks for reading.   

Kendall Hunter: In person

One of the most-read blog posts I've had this month is on Kendall Hunter, the main character in my upcoming short story, Callipygian. In my post on Aug. 2, I spoke of my love for the character. She is tall, beautiful, single, smart and very, very clever. As an FBI criminal profiler, she is one of the best and is at the top of her game. And I love writing her because she is interesting and fun, is well-dressed and has killer instincts.

Callipygian is one of 18 short stories in The Fine Art of Murder, an anthology to be published in early October by the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime. Our official launch and book signing will be Sunday, Oct. 9, at the Barnes and Noble bookstore at 86th Street and Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis. But you can pre-order the book now on Amazon ($12.99) or on Walmart ($9.41).

When I think of Kendall Hunter, I think of her as she might appear above -- in the FBI field office in Philadelphia, working to solve some horrible murder. She works hard in a what many consider a man's world and, in the process, has become very good at something historically considered as male.

Anyway, here is Kendall. Get the anthology and enjoy all the stories and characters therein. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for reading.

The Fine Art of Murder

I had planned to blog today about lines in novels, song lyrics, plays and movies that awed or inspired me. But I learned something big today.

The Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime's newest anthology, The Fine Art of Murder, is now available for pre-order on Amazon and Walmart. (If I didn't screw it up, the links are below.) And my short story, Callipygian, is in the collection. It's about an FBI profiler who, while on vacation in Indianapolis visiting family, is drawn  into the investigation of three pieces of stolen art, including a painting called -- you guessed it -- Callipygian. Things get interesting when the prime suspect in the theft is murdered.

Edited by Brenda Stewart and Diana Catt, the collection is wonderful. I, of course, have seen a draft copy and have read the stories, and they are great. (Mine, in particular, of course.) It's a good collection and you'll enjoy it. Plus, proceeds benefit the education programs of the chapter.

The anthology's publication date is in early October but you can order it now. The pre-order price on Amazon is $12.99, while Walmart's discount price is $9.41. That's a discount of about 28 percent. (I have no earthly idea how Walmart came up with that price.)

Anyway, get The Fine Art of Murder today.

And thanks for reading.

https://www.amazon.com/Fine-Art-Murder-Collection-Stories/dp/1681570238/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1471896943&sr=8-4&keywords=the+fine+art+of+murder


https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Fine-Art-of-Murder-A-Collection-of-Short-Stories/52607722

Rejections III -- Update

I wrote and posted a blog five days ago on rejections. Specifically, I mentioned an award I had submitted to and was waiting to hear the decision, fearing the inevitable rejection.

The e-mail rejection arrived today.

Amazingly -- and quite gratefully -- I don't feel bad about it. I must be getting old. (Stop laughing out there. I see you.)

Though I edited some of it down, back in late June I submitted the first 5,000 words of An Untidy Affair, a detective novel with private eye David Blaise, for the 2016 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, which is sponsored by the national office of Sisters in Crime. This is the third year for the award, which grants $1,500 to its recipient.

The winner this year is Stephane Dunn, whom I don't know. But congrats to her. I'm sure she is more than deserving.

The award is named after Eleanor Taylor Bland, a pioneer in crime fiction who passed away six years ago. As it says on the SinC website, the goal of the award is "to support the recipient in activities related to crime fiction writing and career development." I can use some support in both those areas. And it is all the more important given that the latest survey of SinC shows fewer than 5 percent of its members are black.

I knew it was a longshot but I had nothing to lose. And I'm sure the organization, of which I have been a member for nearly a decade, would have preferred a woman, since the stated goal of SinC is the advancement of female mystery and crime writers. But one of my favorite things about Sisters in Crime is that the organization supports and promotes female writers but doesn't discriminate against us Mister Sisters. I am proud to be a member of Sisters in Crime and currently serve as vice president of the Speed City chapter of SinC. Speed City covers all of Indiana and our next short story anthology, The Fine Art of Murder, comes out in early October.

But rejection is common in writing, as it is in more creative areas. So I'm okay. I will just keep on keepin' on. There are more novels and short stories to write and more agents and publications to submit to.

So watch out world. I'm still coming for you.

Thanks for reading.

Kendall Hunter

I'm in love. Deeply. Passionately. Completely.

I often get a thrill just thinking about The Woman.

Her name is Kendall. Kendall Hunter. And she is currently the love of my life. Well, kinda.

Now, this would be more than a bit adulterous, except in this context. (It still might be, even in this context, but I don't think so.) That's because Kendall is fictional. Created from whole cloth from my brain. (Am I sounding messianic?) That's not to say I didn't have some inspiration for the character from a friend, a muse who has proven to be very helpful as I develop Kendall. But all that Kendall is comes from me. I just don't know yet what's going to happen to her.

Kendall Hunter is the main character in my upcoming short story, Callipygian, which will be published this October by the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime in their anthology, "The Fine Art of Murder." Closer to the publication date, I'll drop an excerpt. But for now, I'll just say it's the story of an FBI criminal profiler (Kendall) who, while she is on vacation in Indianapolis visiting family, is drawn into the investigation into the theft of three valuable paintings, including one called Callipygian. The plot thickens, as they say, when the main suspect is found murdered.

(Callipygian. I also love that word. I was listening to an interview by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air about two years ago and her guest used the word. Terry, who is smart, well-educated and well-prepared in interviews, didn't appear to know the word, which I didn't either. When I looked it up, I decided then and there to somehow use it. So I built this short story around it.)

While this will be my first published story with this character, it isn't the first time I have written this character. The first story is called Black on Black in Black. White folks may not get that but it should ring a bell with black folks. In that story, Kendall is called in to profile a serial killer.

Kendall is a tall, beautiful, single black woman, who is smart and clever. Very clever, in fact. Work is her focus, and she does it extremely well, but she needs to get a personal life. And she harbors a deep secret from her past that could turn her life around. It's what I'm trying to explore in each new story -- there are four in total, including my current short story WIP (work in progress). Discovering who she is is why I'm so in love with her. She's interesting and fun, occasionally funny, brainy, well-dressed and has a killer body. (I like big butts and I cannot lie. What else can I say?)

But like I said earlier, I don't know yet what's going to happen to her. I can't keep her forever, even as I start publishing her stories. It'll be sad when it's over.

But I know it will come to an end, even if she doesn't. I am a fickle lover and I know in time I will fall madly in love with another fictional characters. Those I have loved in the past have just let it go and moved on. I only hope Kendall Hunter will do the same and not become  a jealous lover, willing to do anything to hold on to me. Because that WOULD be scary.

I'm having fun with her now. And after the story is published, I hope you will enjoy her, too.

Thanks for reading and keep on writing.