As folks in the U.S. celebrate Labor Day, most people think about the people who labor in factories, service jobs and construction workers, because it started as a "workingmen's holiday".
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.
In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
I grew up near Detroit, so Labor Day was celebrated by the auto workers in a big way, so it wasn't until recently that I started thinking about other jobs that maybe aren't recognized in the same way: policemen, firefighters, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, chaplains, farmers, ranchers, retail sales people.... and the list could go on and on.
So thank you to all of them for the work they do to serve and protect and make our lives better.
Step into the minds of this group of talented, twisted, slightly psychotic crime novelists with a penchant for mystery, mayhem and murder. We write crime fiction or true crime that gets the heart pumping and the blood boiling.
Showing posts with label Maryann Miller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maryann Miller. Show all posts
Monday, September 05, 2011
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
There's an old Thanksgiving song that starts out, "Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go..."
When I was a child, my Dad would break into that song as we crossed the Pennsylvania border into West Virginia on our annual pilgrimage to celebrate the Holiday with his family. "The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, through the white and drifting snow..."
The closer we got to his childhood home, the heavier his foot rested on the gas pedal as our Chevy station wagon climbed the hills on twisting roads and flew on the downside. His rich baritone voice belted the song, and in my imagination we were on that sleigh behind dapple grays in their rhythmic trot. I could hear the clump of their hooves and feel the blowing snow bite my cheeks as we were carried along.
It was magic, pure and simple. A magic that continued for the few days that we stayed in that 'otherworld.'
Today as those memories float pleasantly through my mind, I can almost smell the wonderful aromas of sage dressing, pumpkin pie, and mulled cider that permeated my grandmother's house. And I can hear the bustle of activity accompanied by short bursts of conversation among the women in the kitchen. The front bedroom is where the men gathered and brought out instruments. Their music became another soundtrack.
My brothers, sisters, and I would join other cousins in the back bedroom in between our numerous trips outside. Our biggest challenge was to see who could roll down the hill and retain the most amount of snow, turning ourselves into living snowpeople. The second biggest challenge was to see who would have the honor of receiving the drumsticks. They were dolled out on a 'merit' system based loosely on which of us waited the most patiently for the great announcement, "Dinner's Ready."
With memories like that, it was hard for me to face the formidable task of creating Thanksgiving Days that would live in glory for my children.
We were living in Texas, so mountains and snow were out of the question, and my signing never could quite match my father's. I didn't possess even a tenth of the culinary skills of my grandmother and my aunts, so the meal would probably be lacking. And we were more than a thousand miles away from cousins to help distract my children from their impatience.
But despite those limits, we managed to muddle through. I did manage a passable dinner and my husband actually raved about the German dressing. The pies were a major hit, all ten of them, and everyone was willing to eat the broccoli for the promise of a second piece of pie. And after cheering the Dallas Cowboys to another victory, most years, we would all tumble outside for a family game of touch-football.
In sifting through all these random memories I realize that the memory itself is not what is important. What is, is the fact that we have memories and they don't happen by accident. No matter what we do to 'mark' these important occasions, it is vital that we do 'mark' them. Even if our process doesn't live up to a Martha Stewart image or our own fond remembrances of childhood.
So here's to our memories, no matter how we create them.
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Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends, from Maryann Miller who is so thankful for all the friends she has made this year on the Internet.
When I was a child, my Dad would break into that song as we crossed the Pennsylvania border into West Virginia on our annual pilgrimage to celebrate the Holiday with his family. "The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, through the white and drifting snow..."
The closer we got to his childhood home, the heavier his foot rested on the gas pedal as our Chevy station wagon climbed the hills on twisting roads and flew on the downside. His rich baritone voice belted the song, and in my imagination we were on that sleigh behind dapple grays in their rhythmic trot. I could hear the clump of their hooves and feel the blowing snow bite my cheeks as we were carried along.
It was magic, pure and simple. A magic that continued for the few days that we stayed in that 'otherworld.'
Today as those memories float pleasantly through my mind, I can almost smell the wonderful aromas of sage dressing, pumpkin pie, and mulled cider that permeated my grandmother's house. And I can hear the bustle of activity accompanied by short bursts of conversation among the women in the kitchen. The front bedroom is where the men gathered and brought out instruments. Their music became another soundtrack.
My brothers, sisters, and I would join other cousins in the back bedroom in between our numerous trips outside. Our biggest challenge was to see who could roll down the hill and retain the most amount of snow, turning ourselves into living snowpeople. The second biggest challenge was to see who would have the honor of receiving the drumsticks. They were dolled out on a 'merit' system based loosely on which of us waited the most patiently for the great announcement, "Dinner's Ready."
With memories like that, it was hard for me to face the formidable task of creating Thanksgiving Days that would live in glory for my children.
We were living in Texas, so mountains and snow were out of the question, and my signing never could quite match my father's. I didn't possess even a tenth of the culinary skills of my grandmother and my aunts, so the meal would probably be lacking. And we were more than a thousand miles away from cousins to help distract my children from their impatience.
But despite those limits, we managed to muddle through. I did manage a passable dinner and my husband actually raved about the German dressing. The pies were a major hit, all ten of them, and everyone was willing to eat the broccoli for the promise of a second piece of pie. And after cheering the Dallas Cowboys to another victory, most years, we would all tumble outside for a family game of touch-football.
In sifting through all these random memories I realize that the memory itself is not what is important. What is, is the fact that we have memories and they don't happen by accident. No matter what we do to 'mark' these important occasions, it is vital that we do 'mark' them. Even if our process doesn't live up to a Martha Stewart image or our own fond remembrances of childhood.
So here's to our memories, no matter how we create them.
-------------
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends, from Maryann Miller who is so thankful for all the friends she has made this year on the Internet.
Friday, October 01, 2010
10 Shows For The Criminal Mind
There are many television shows that follow the lives of detectives and investigators who work on various crime cases. While some of the shows are summaries of real-life events and others are fiction, they are all definitely intriguing. The following are 10 shows that will keep criminal minds entertained:
Snapped is an American television crime series that airs on Oxygen that recalls the real life events of women who have committed or attempted to commit murder. Each episode details the events that occurred and includes clips of the trials, interviews with people that were involved in the case (family, law enforcement, attorneys, etc) and sometimes the accused themselves. The episodes end with the verdict and sentence of the case and an updated summary of where each defendant stands.
Cold Case Files is a documentary style series that airs on A & E that follows the investigations of cases that were never solved and have been reopened many years later. Referred to as “cold cases” by detectives, these cases have been opened again because of emerging technological advances in forensics, recent breakthroughs in the case, or witnesses who come forward years later. The episodes of this show have been known to be used by law enforcement agencies across the country for training purposes.
Forensic Files is a documentary type show that airs on Trutv and shows how forensic science is used to solve crimes. The show follows one case per episode, from the initial investigation to the legal resolution, with re-enactments and in some cases, name changes for privacy. The show also features medical examiners, coroners, and forensic detectives and specialists involved with the case. Clips of their interviews are shown. Some of the best and most well-known forensic analysts in the country have appeared on the show.
America’s Most Wanted is an American television show that airs on Fox and is meant to assist law enforcement in capturing fugitives. Many of the fugitives, who are wanted for murder, rape, kidnapping, child molestation, armed robber, and terrorism, and white collar crimes, are also on the FBI’s Most Wanted lists. The show has been fairly successful; over 1,100 people have been captured as a result of their story being aired.
48 Hours Mystery airs on CBS and presents true crime documentaries and mysteries. The show does not use a host. Rather, it is narrated by the reporter who was assigned the story and is also known to report on special cases such as past or current shocking events that made media headlines. This program has been quite popular and has received over 20 Emmy awards.
Law & Order is a police and law related drama series that is often based on real events that have made headline news. The show is separated into two parts: the investigation of the crime and the capture of the suspect, followed by the prosecution in the second part. The trial is usually shown from the prosecution’s point of view. At the time of its cancellation, Law & Order was known as the longest running crime drama on American prime time television.
The Closer is an American crime drama series that originally aired on TNT. The show centers around a police detective who leads teams that are assigned to deal with high profile murder cases. Each episode portrays the aspects of Los Angeles culture as it interacts with law enforcement and highlights issues of public policy, honor, faith, and government responsibility.
CSI is an American drama television series that follows crime scene techs who find the evidence to solve brutal murders. Many episodes feature lengthy scenes that focus on technical work, experiments, and tests that usually involve high-tech technology and gadgets that don’t exist. The series is also known for using unusual, close-up camera angles, and graphic and sometimes gory portrayals of murders.
NCIS is a drama television series that premiered on CBS that revolves around a fictional team of agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. This team conducts investigations involving the Marine Corps and the US Navy and is often assigned to high profile cases including terroristic threats, deaths, kidnappings and bomb situations.
Bones is a crime drama series that premiered on Fox and is based on forensic anthropology. The show focuses on cases concerning the human remains found by FBI detectives and given to a forensic anthropologist for analyzing. The show is based loosely on the life of Kathy Reichs, who is a forensic anthropologist and also produces the show.
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Shared by Jay Smith of the Criminal Justice University. This piece first appeared on their Web site before Jay offered to let Maryann Miller post it here.
Snapped is an American television crime series that airs on Oxygen that recalls the real life events of women who have committed or attempted to commit murder. Each episode details the events that occurred and includes clips of the trials, interviews with people that were involved in the case (family, law enforcement, attorneys, etc) and sometimes the accused themselves. The episodes end with the verdict and sentence of the case and an updated summary of where each defendant stands.
Cold Case Files is a documentary style series that airs on A & E that follows the investigations of cases that were never solved and have been reopened many years later. Referred to as “cold cases” by detectives, these cases have been opened again because of emerging technological advances in forensics, recent breakthroughs in the case, or witnesses who come forward years later. The episodes of this show have been known to be used by law enforcement agencies across the country for training purposes.
Forensic Files is a documentary type show that airs on Trutv and shows how forensic science is used to solve crimes. The show follows one case per episode, from the initial investigation to the legal resolution, with re-enactments and in some cases, name changes for privacy. The show also features medical examiners, coroners, and forensic detectives and specialists involved with the case. Clips of their interviews are shown. Some of the best and most well-known forensic analysts in the country have appeared on the show.
America’s Most Wanted is an American television show that airs on Fox and is meant to assist law enforcement in capturing fugitives. Many of the fugitives, who are wanted for murder, rape, kidnapping, child molestation, armed robber, and terrorism, and white collar crimes, are also on the FBI’s Most Wanted lists. The show has been fairly successful; over 1,100 people have been captured as a result of their story being aired.
48 Hours Mystery airs on CBS and presents true crime documentaries and mysteries. The show does not use a host. Rather, it is narrated by the reporter who was assigned the story and is also known to report on special cases such as past or current shocking events that made media headlines. This program has been quite popular and has received over 20 Emmy awards.
Law & Order is a police and law related drama series that is often based on real events that have made headline news. The show is separated into two parts: the investigation of the crime and the capture of the suspect, followed by the prosecution in the second part. The trial is usually shown from the prosecution’s point of view. At the time of its cancellation, Law & Order was known as the longest running crime drama on American prime time television.
The Closer is an American crime drama series that originally aired on TNT. The show centers around a police detective who leads teams that are assigned to deal with high profile murder cases. Each episode portrays the aspects of Los Angeles culture as it interacts with law enforcement and highlights issues of public policy, honor, faith, and government responsibility.
CSI is an American drama television series that follows crime scene techs who find the evidence to solve brutal murders. Many episodes feature lengthy scenes that focus on technical work, experiments, and tests that usually involve high-tech technology and gadgets that don’t exist. The series is also known for using unusual, close-up camera angles, and graphic and sometimes gory portrayals of murders.
NCIS is a drama television series that premiered on CBS that revolves around a fictional team of agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. This team conducts investigations involving the Marine Corps and the US Navy and is often assigned to high profile cases including terroristic threats, deaths, kidnappings and bomb situations.
Bones is a crime drama series that premiered on Fox and is based on forensic anthropology. The show focuses on cases concerning the human remains found by FBI detectives and given to a forensic anthropologist for analyzing. The show is based loosely on the life of Kathy Reichs, who is a forensic anthropologist and also produces the show.
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Shared by Jay Smith of the Criminal Justice University. This piece first appeared on their Web site before Jay offered to let Maryann Miller post it here.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
A Bit of A Problem
But rather a nice problem to have in a way. I am busy trying to finish the second book in my mystery series while doing early promoting on the first one. I feel like a juggler at times, and a poor one at that.
For a little while, I'm a writer, hacking away at the latest scene in Stalking Season. Then I get up, walk around my office chair and become my publicist. I contact places to send the ARCs for review. Work on the promo pieces that go out with ARCs. Write the cover letters that go out with ARCs. Did I mention I have a few ARCs on hand?
The first book, Open Season, introduces Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson, homicide detectives who are unlikely and unwilling partners. When people start dying in area shopping malls, the detectives find themselves up against a killer who has his own race card to play. Some people have described it as "Lethal Weapon" in Dallas with female leads.
Here is an excerpt from Open Season, which will be released in December from five Star Cengage/Gale. I will post another excerpt in a few weeks.
Sarah took a deep breath and faced Quinlin in the stuffy cubbyhole of an office. The room was hot and musty. Dust motes floated in the slivers of sunshine that had penetrated the haze of accumulated grime on the windows of the old building. The scent of his cologne hung heavily in the still air. Chaps. Rich, masculine, and too easily a distraction.
Dressed in a dark, somber suit, Quinlin didn’t speak. He watched her with the careful scrutiny of a snake considering a field mouse. A trickle of perspiration ran down Sarah’s back and dampened her white T-shirt. Shifting in the wooden chair, she contemplated the wisdom of taking off her jacket, then decided against it. He would interpret it as a sign of weakness.
She thought she was prepared for this. She’d rehearsed it a million times, remembering the images, nailing down the sequence, readying herself for his opener, “Detective Kingsly, tell me what happened that night.”
She recalled the moon playing tag with a few heavy clouds, casting weird, disorientating shadows on the crumbling buildings. She remembered wishing the clouds would give way to rain, anything to relieve the oppressive heat that had pounded the city relentlessly for weeks. She remembered thinking the heat made people do crazy things.
Maybe that’s why it had happened.
The rest of it flashed through her mind like a sequence of freeze frames.
Franco and the boy turn.
A glint of metal in the moonlight.
John pushes her away, reaching for the gun tucked in his waistband.
The clasp on her purse sticks.
A flash of gunfire.
The sharp report of return fire.
Struggling to get her gun.
Franco is down.
The kid swings his gun toward John.
She fires the same time the kid does.
The coppery smell of warm blood.
Hers?
No.
Goddam it, John, get up!
Why is everything so quiet?
Where is the kid?
There’s a big gaping hole in the cheap sequined evening bag.
The first book, Open Season, introduces Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson, homicide detectives who are unlikely and unwilling partners. When people start dying in area shopping malls, the detectives find themselves up against a killer who has his own race card to play. Some people have described it as "Lethal Weapon" in Dallas with female leads.
Here is an excerpt from Open Season, which will be released in December from five Star Cengage/Gale. I will post another excerpt in a few weeks.
Sarah took a deep breath and faced Quinlin in the stuffy cubbyhole of an office. The room was hot and musty. Dust motes floated in the slivers of sunshine that had penetrated the haze of accumulated grime on the windows of the old building. The scent of his cologne hung heavily in the still air. Chaps. Rich, masculine, and too easily a distraction.
Dressed in a dark, somber suit, Quinlin didn’t speak. He watched her with the careful scrutiny of a snake considering a field mouse. A trickle of perspiration ran down Sarah’s back and dampened her white T-shirt. Shifting in the wooden chair, she contemplated the wisdom of taking off her jacket, then decided against it. He would interpret it as a sign of weakness.
She thought she was prepared for this. She’d rehearsed it a million times, remembering the images, nailing down the sequence, readying herself for his opener, “Detective Kingsly, tell me what happened that night.”
She recalled the moon playing tag with a few heavy clouds, casting weird, disorientating shadows on the crumbling buildings. She remembered wishing the clouds would give way to rain, anything to relieve the oppressive heat that had pounded the city relentlessly for weeks. She remembered thinking the heat made people do crazy things.
Maybe that’s why it had happened.
The rest of it flashed through her mind like a sequence of freeze frames.
Franco and the boy turn.
A glint of metal in the moonlight.
John pushes her away, reaching for the gun tucked in his waistband.
The clasp on her purse sticks.
A flash of gunfire.
The sharp report of return fire.
Struggling to get her gun.
Franco is down.
The kid swings his gun toward John.
She fires the same time the kid does.
The coppery smell of warm blood.
Hers?
No.
Goddam it, John, get up!
Why is everything so quiet?
Where is the kid?
There’s a big gaping hole in the cheap sequined evening bag.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
I'm So Excited
The first book in my mystery series will be released this coming December and I have just received the coverart from my publisher. I really like what the artist did. The skyline is Dallas, where the story is set, and the badge is an official Dallas PD badge. I have had a number of people tell me that the cover is great and would make them pick up the book.
What do you think?
Also, I have just received blurbs from two authors whom I have the greatest respect for.
"Open Season is a solid police procedural with fully developed characters and provocative social issues." --- L.J. Sellers, author of the Detective Jackson mysteries
“Detectives Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson are crisply drawn characters. The hard-edged story of racial tension in Dallas could be drawn from today’s headlines. Open Season is a smart, spirited page-turner.” —Bruce Cook – Tommy Gun Tango
In his e-mail Bruce also thanked me for letting him read the book in advance and wrote, "It was great fun, with likeable characters and a strong plot."
Wow, what a terrific week this has been. It is the kind that gives a writer a real boost, and I'm sure all the writers reading this are nodding heads in agreement. The business of writing is so intense and challenging at times that we may wonder why we keep doing it.
This is why....
Open Season will be coming out in hardback in December from Five Star Cengage/Gale.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Introduction
Since I'm listed on the masthead for this blog, I thought I should introduce myself. Can you tell I have a lot of experience with newspaper and magazine work? If you are a good detective you would note my use of a word not often used in the blogging world.
My writing career started when I wrote a humorous column for a suburban Dallas newspaper many moons ago. From there I went on to do a lot of journalism for regional and national publications - columns, feature stories, reviews, and news stories - but my heart was always in fiction. I've written short stories, novels, screenplays and stageplays - not all of them published or produced, but I keep on trying.
I love mysteries, especially police procedurals and some of my favorite books were the 87th Precinct series by Ed McBain - alter ego of the amazing Evan Hunter. Reading his work taught me a lot about how to handle an ensemble cast in a series, and I hope I have mastered even a smidgen of his ability in my series that will debut this December.
Open Season introduces two women homicide detectives in Dallas, one white and one black, who deal with racial issues that are impacting the department and the city. They both see the pairing as better PR than policy, but they can't let that hamper their efforts to find the killer who is murdering people at area shopping malls.
My earlier books are One Small Victory, a romantic suspense first out in hardback, and now an e-book through Smashwords. Play it Again, Sam, is a woman's novel in e-book format from Uncial Press. I have self-published a young adult novel, Friends Forever, for Kindle, and put a short story up there, too, The One O'clock Nap.
I am honored to be a part of this blogging group and hope that readers find my prattling worth the read.
------------
Maryann's Web site
My writing career started when I wrote a humorous column for a suburban Dallas newspaper many moons ago. From there I went on to do a lot of journalism for regional and national publications - columns, feature stories, reviews, and news stories - but my heart was always in fiction. I've written short stories, novels, screenplays and stageplays - not all of them published or produced, but I keep on trying.
I love mysteries, especially police procedurals and some of my favorite books were the 87th Precinct series by Ed McBain - alter ego of the amazing Evan Hunter. Reading his work taught me a lot about how to handle an ensemble cast in a series, and I hope I have mastered even a smidgen of his ability in my series that will debut this December.
Open Season introduces two women homicide detectives in Dallas, one white and one black, who deal with racial issues that are impacting the department and the city. They both see the pairing as better PR than policy, but they can't let that hamper their efforts to find the killer who is murdering people at area shopping malls.
My earlier books are One Small Victory, a romantic suspense first out in hardback, and now an e-book through Smashwords. Play it Again, Sam, is a woman's novel in e-book format from Uncial Press. I have self-published a young adult novel, Friends Forever, for Kindle, and put a short story up there, too, The One O'clock Nap.
I am honored to be a part of this blogging group and hope that readers find my prattling worth the read.
------------
Maryann's Web site
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