Dark. Night. Moon up there somewhere. Temperature in the low teens and the raw wind
numbed my nose. We stumbled across an ice-rutted parking area in the industrial heart of a suburb somewhere on the northern fringe of the city. Box trucks, vans. Shiny automobiles. Harsh floods bolted high on the concrete walls of the narrow parking space sent needle-sharp shadows caroming off dingy windshields. Behind me a faulty compressor rattled in its cage against the concrete block wall. The wind moaned low.
I slowed and scanned the area, noting two small huddled clusters of figures. Male or female it was impossible to tell. They were plotting a move or sharing a joint. The lone point of color was a garish red orange sign, OPEN, over a glass door. Behind the door, a raucous crowd sampled beer from Bent Brewstillery, ate Jimmy John sandwiches, told each other jokes and lies.
I pushed my way through the tables, heading to the bar. Behind a tall iron-barred barrier, two-story fermenting tanks stood silent sentry duty. Overhead, set against the ribbed ceiling, big televisions sprayed silent electrons of colorful light from sports competitions that the crowd mostly seemed to ignore.
The trim bartender in a tight t-shirt raised her plucked eyebrows at me. I pointed at the menu and gestured for a small glass of beer. We were checking out an event hosted by a microbrewery. The server poured a glass of rich amber fluid and took my money. My companion and I eeled through the press to the middle of the room where we found a table and two empty chairs. The crowd, a mixed range of ages, got louder and bigger. In another time the atmosphere would have been thick with cigarette smoke. People shifted and surged around the room. I glanced around again slowly, wondering how many were carrying.
A large bearded fellow in a dark woven stocking cap aslaunch on his forehead picked up a wand and cleared his throat into the sound system. He looked like he could handle himself. He looked like he could be competently employed at any of a dozen downtown bars as door minder or bouncer. He muttered an expletive and welcomed the crowd. The beer was excellent. Applause rattled the pile of old board games. Another Noir at the Bar evening of dark readings by local crime writers about nasty, violent crimes, was about to begin. There were a few minor celebrities from the local crime scene in the audience.
The mob organizer of the evening, dressed in in a long dark floor-length gown took the 
mike. She stared malevolently at us until the restive crowd subsided. Her reading was followed by excerpts read by several local authors. In between readings we all had a few drinks. I read a few paragraphs, a teaser, from my latest detective story, “The Case of the Stolen Case.” There were few questions. I thought it was well received. We drank a little more and I contemplated the sometimes doleful role of the author. Did we sell any books? I can’t say for sure. Later, a short indie film was projected on the painted block wall. We escaped with our lives into the cold and windy winter night.
Authors find themselves promoting their books in some surprising circumstances. The cliché that we lead solitary and lonely lives is just that—a cliché. And even those of us who concentrate at the darker end of the writerly spectrum, often enjoy a relatively normal life with friends, lovers and other writers
Before he became a mystery writer and reviewer, Carl Brookins was a counselor and faculty member at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Brookins and his wife are avid recreational sailors. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Private Eye Writers of America. He can frequently be found touring bookstores and libraries with his companions-in-crime, The Minnesota Crime Wave.
He writes the sailing adventure series featuring Michael Tanner and Mary Whitney. The third novel is Old Silver. His new private investigator series features Sean NMI Sean, a short P.I. The first is titled The Case of the Greedy Lawyers. Brookins received a liberal arts degree from the University of Minnesota and studied for a MA in Communications at Michigan State University.
https://www.facebook.com/carl.brookins?fref=ts
@carlbrookins
Buy links:
The Case of the Yellow Diamond http://www.amazon.com/Case-Yellow-Diamond-Sean-Mystery/dp/0878398163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448218939&sr=8-1&keywords=the+case+of+the+yellow+diamond
Come and enjoy a time of conversation with author Carl Brookins as he talks about translating his sailing adventures to fiction and creating fictional characters that feel like old friends. Brookins is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Private Eye Writers of America. He can frequently be found touring bookstores and libraries with his companions-in-crime, The Minnesota Crime Wave.
This was not one of those, “He was such a nice, quiet neighbor” situations. He was a creep by all measures, but no one in my hometown suspected a murderous heart beat within him.
I remember one occasion, probably among a few, when the Maltese family visited our house. The adults sat in the small kitchen, drinking coffee, discussing local politics (Joe no doubt having the last word) while we kids surrounded a table in the living room, playing Monopoly. The Maltese boys cheated. We were appalled and politely tried to give them an out, a way to recover their error without embarrassment, but they snickered and pressed on, sure they had the upper hand.
..until years later when my mother called to tell me Steve had murdered Gloria. Joe had died less than a year before, older son Mike had taken on the bulk of the business, and Steve glided from family handout to jail time and back.
Yuma Baby, Ellen Behrens’ second Rollin RV Mystery, is now available in print and ebook formats. She’s been writing fiction since she could hold a fat pencil in her six year-old fingers, and is the author of three novels, a short story collection, and a nonfiction book. She learned as much about writing by being a fiction editor for a literary magazine as she has from writing itself, and is the recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Fellowship. She blogs about writing at ellenbooks.com and about her travels with her husband as a full-time RVer at 
Details about her books and information on ordering can be found at 
BIO: Jan Christensen grew up in New Jersey and now resides in Texas. Her nine published novels include three series and one stand-alone. She’s also had over seventy short stories appear in various publications, among them a collection, The Artie Crimes, from Untreed Reads. She’s past president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and a member of Mystery Writers of American, and Sisters in Crime. Learn more on her website: 
McClellan Mystery series, has successfully rocketed skyward from Camel Press’ launch pad. The early reviews have been positive. My publisher is excited about the sales prospects, and my dog still loves me. I’ve even generously given myself a little pat on the back.
this to say on the subject:
My agent called this morning with some heartening news that added more sugar to sweeten the week: a fat royalty check is on its way from the sales of my previous Mac mystery, Deadly Dunes. (Oh, be still my heart!) I know, I know, it’s only money. But wait, it’s more than that. It’s redemption! People are actually buying my books out there in Readerland. True, most writers would write if they never made a dime. Writers write! We must, it’s what we do. It’s in our blood. It’s either write, or explode. I’d also wager that writers would rather get paid for bleeding at the keyboard then to bleed for free. Through the years I’ve made money with my writing. Barring a miracle I’ll never get rich from my work, but knowing my “babies” are being cuddled and appreciated by others in this cold, cruel world means a lot to me. My ultimate dream is that someday, somewhere, a future reader will dust off a yellowing copy of one of my books, read it, and say: “Hey, this is good stuff. Never heard of the guy, but this is really good stuff!”
Prizes include a $25 Amazon gift card; 2 print copies of Deadly Spirits, and 4 ebooks. Contest runs from January 16-30. Very easy to enter—simply visit their blogs and answer an easy question in the comment section. Here are the URLs:
I was born in Georgia way back in the last century, but grew up and lived most of my life on the Gulf Coast of the Florida panhandle in Panama City (beautiful beaches, girls galore–ah, the memories!). In 2004 my wife and I moved to the Upstate region of South Carolina in the shadows of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, a land of stunning vistas and numerous waterfalls. I enjoy playing guitar, fishing, camping, and bird watching. Mac, Kate, and other recurring characters continue to bug me until I sit down and write their stories as they dictate.
In stories, characters are driven forward – they seldom reverse course and start again! But just like real life, they should be affected by the other characters and events. We’re all familiar with events that affect characters directly – murder, an argument or injury, for example. But there are other events that create an atmosphere that influences characters in a subtle way. For example, the recent U.S. election results have left some feeling confident and others uneasy, and that mood will affect the decisions and actions of many people in coming months.
Katherine, a geologist and IT specialist, stepped away from the international petroleum industry to follow her passion for writing. An avid traveller with an insatiable curiosity, you never know where you’ll find her next! But most days, she’s in Vancouver, Canada quietly plotting murder and mayhem under the watchful eye of a cat. She is an award-winning presenter and the author of the thriller THIRST.
nonetheless very important to the plot.
