Friday, October 16, 2015

MURDER IS MORE FUN WITH AN ACCOMPLICE

Canadian crime writer, Melodie Campbell, always adds a twist...

That crime can be funny is something she's proven time and again. And  Campbell fans can rejoice-- there's a new book out with her name on it...along with that of an accomplice.

Guesting today on Criminal Minds at Work to introduce that new release is author, Melodie Campbell! 

 

MURDER IS MORE FUN WITH AN ACCOMPLICE (The Case for Co-writing)


To the elderly man in the khaki sweater who lifted his reading glasses to
stare open-mouthed…

To the unknown person who gasped and knocked over a chair behind me…

To the woman with the stroller who stared with horror, and then wheeled her toddler frantically away toward the exit…

False Alarm Alert: The two middle-aged women whispering about
murder in the Orangeville library were not fiendishly plotting how to do away
with a tedious husband.

They were writing a murder mystery!

I’m perhaps best known for writing the mob comedy caper series, The Goddaughter. But I also write classic whodunits with my close friend CynthiaSt-Pierre.  Our first book, A Purse to Die For, was great fun towrite.  And happily, it was a Top 100 Mystery on Amazon.com.

Our second, A Killer Necklace, is just out.

Thing is, I live in Oakville and Cindy lives two hours away in Newmarket.

Much of what we do is by email and Skype.  But every few months we like
to get together to hash out plot problems in person.  This means meeting
somewhere in between, like Orangeville.  And where better, than at the
place we feel most comfortable, that hallowed home for books, a library?

But my apologies to the patrons we may have alarmed.  I can imagine the
dinner conversation at several houses in Orangeville that night.

Which brings me to the question asked here:  Why write with a partner?

Simply put, it’s FUN!  There is someone sharing your lonely writing job
every step of the way.  Cheering when you surprise her with a twist in a
new chapter…moaning, when you both start the heavy work of editing.

Writing a novel is a lonely pursuit.  You spend months by yourself
before anyone sees the work you have been slaving over.  Having a
co-writer takes the loneliness out of being a writer. 

Yes, you give up a little autonomy over your plot and characters.  But
you also share the delight of incorporating new ideas and plot twists that you
would never have come up with on your own.

Take it from me: planning murder with a partner is much more fun than doing
it yourself.  Even our (very much still alive) husbands agree.


http://www.amazon.com/Killer-Necklace-Fashionation-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0161QKW2C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444404496&sr=1-1&keywords=a+killer+necklace

Who is the dead woman at the bottom of the stairs? A killer is determined to
keep her identity secret, even if it means killing again... 

"If Christie wore Armani and Louboutins..." (review of A Purse to
Die For)

A KILLER NECKLACE (Imajin Books) is sold in all the usual places.

on Amazon

on Kobo



4 comments:

Alison E. Bruce said...

I've started reading my copy of Killer Necklace and it is just as much fun as the first in the series (Purse to Die For). Not being a fashionista myself, I'm learning a lot too. ;)

Eileen Schuh: said...

We can all learn from Melodie! Thanks for visiting and commenting Alison!

Cynthia St-Pierre said...

I feel exactly the same way, Melodie. I'm glad you're enjoying A KILLER NECKLACE, Alison. Eileen, can you imagine the trouble we writers would get into if we all lived right next door to each other?

Eileen Schuh: said...

I suppose some would get in trouble, Cynthia! However, I'm notorious for my lack of team spirit, so I'd probably lock my doors, pull down my blinds and continue on in private. I admire those like you and Melodie who thrive on collaboration--or is that collusion?