A to Z Reflections

Well, April is over. I survived the A to Z Challenge (and I trust you did too, Dear Reader). Time for the Reflections post, wherein we consider what and how we did.

First, I managed to do all 26 posts. Only a couple were written at the last minute, so I think I did pretty well at staying ahead, even though I was gone for the first week and had no access to my blog. So the basic requirement was fulfilled.

Theme: I enjoyed my theme, and I think readers did too. Using lots of photos was clearly a win, and also fun (but at times rather time-consuming, especially when a topic sent me to the slide archives and the scanner). This was really just a variation on last year's theme (National Parks and Wilderness areas), which was also a great excuse for a lot of pictures. My biggest concern was that it wasn't  what I usually do with my blog, which is mostly write reviews and short fiction. On the other hand, I did do some of those, and since last year I have been putting more photo days into my blog. So maybe I didn't go too far off.

Visiting: I get about a D- on this one. I was scrambling all month (not just with the blog; I had other things that ate up my time) and didn't have enough time or energy to go wandering about the blogosphere. I'll have the chance to remedy some of that during the A to Z Roadtrip, and starting with the Reflections. In a way, I like that better, as I am likely to see what the blogs are about when not doing A to Z. Sometimes I follow blogs during the event only to find that their regular subject matter is of little interest to me.

Visitors: I don't think I got as many visitors as last year. I think the reason for that is directly related to my lack of visiting. Let's be honest: A to Z is about building audience, and you do it, oddly enough, by being an audience. Tit for tat, as it were. I didn't do much tatting, so... On the other hand, the visitors I had seemed to enjoy themselves. I hope a few of them will also check out my guest from B is for Mt. Baker, because Tom Dempsey is a fantastic photographer, in addition to being my brother-in-law.

Bottom line:
Let's be honest. I blog in large part to let people know about my books. I do that in part, oddly enough, by writing about other people's books, as well as by writing short fiction. If my blog isn't making people interested in what I have to say, then there's a problem. The thing is, you also have to build an audience. A to Z is about that, and it is not a bad way to do it.

But...this year, I don't think it worked. I spent almost all my writing time on the blog, meaning my books didn't get worked on. And because I didn't have time for visits, I didn't get a lot of views. I think that, much as I enjoy the fiesta, I need to think hard next year about whether or not to do it. I might also need to ask myself if I'm doing too many other things and prioritizing them over my writing (answer: yes. Some of them need to be prioritized, some need to be ruthlessly dumped). I enjoyed creating my posts, but I need to work on my books. I committed a couple of years ago to making my writing a "real job," but it hasn't much looked like it this winter.

And one last, gratuitous photo to close with, an almost-abstract from the Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park that has nothing to do with the discussion at hand.

It's a long and winding road...

Mystery Monday: Double Duplicity

Today's review is part of a Great Escapes Blog tour. I received an electronic review copy, but the opinions expressed in my review are purely my own.


Title: Double Duplicity
Author: Paty Jager
Publisher: Windtree Press, 2015, 171 pages.
Source: Review copy

Publisher's Summary:
On the eve of the biggest art event at Huckleberry Mountain Resort, potter Shandra Higheagle finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She’s ruled out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove the friend she witnessed fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from her recently deceased Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than ever but just as determined to discover the truth.

Detective Ryan Greer prides himself on solving crimes and refuses to ignore a single clue, including Shandra Higheagle’s visions. While Shandra is hesitant to trust her dreams, Ryan believes in them and believes in her.

Review:

This is a decently-constructed mystery, with likable main characters and a pleasantly unlikable corpse. I found the murder plot adequate, but definitely second to the romance plot. The latter was, I found, very nicely worked out, with a convincing mix of rapid progress and hesitations. As in many cozies, the romance is between the main female character and the main male law enforcement officer (this isn't a spoiler; it was obvious within moments of his arrival on the scene). Point of view alternates between the two, so that the reader is spared an excess of "does he or doesn't he" angst.

All of that said, I found that the story did work better as a romance than as a mystery. As is too often the case, the amateur detective gets away with more than she should, and in this case her motivation for investigating on her own felt inadequate after the first few chapters.

The story has an interesting setting, both in the physical sense (small Montana town just outside Glacier National Park), and in the sense that it deals with both the art world and to some degree Native American culture. I enjoyed reading it, despite some moment of irritation with the story development and with editing issues. (My loyal reader[s] know that I am easily annoyed by grammatical errors or ill-chosen words, far more than most readers). I found places where the tense wandered a bit, and at least one substitution of a near-homonym that jarred.

Recoomendation:

Although I probably won't continue with the series (though I admit I kind of want to see how the love story works out), I think that those who enjoy a good romance with a bit of mystery in a Western setting will like this book and want to follow the series.

Full Disclosure: I was given an electronic copy of Double Dublicity as a participant in the blog tour, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

As part of the blog tour, there is a giveaway for this book--enter to win!

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Mystery Review: Bitter Creek, by Peter Bowen

I didn't expect to be posting on May 1, and if I did I suppose it ought to be a bit of fiction (did that on Tuesday).  I had a number of requests for reviews in early May, and I couldn't pass up this one when it was offered. Since the book's release date was April 28, I wanted to get it out as soon as possible.

Title: Bitter Creek (Series: Gabriel Du Pre)
Author: Peter Bowen
Publisher: Open Road Media, 2015. 187 pages.
Source: Electronic ARC from publisher

Publisher's Summary:
 When he awakes one morning to find a strange car parked across the street from the house where his girlfriend, Madelaine, lives, Gabriel Du Pré knows that trouble can’t be far behind. Lieutenant John Patchen has come to Montana to persuade Chappie, Madelaine’s son, to accept the Navy Cross. But first Du Pré and Patchen must find the wounded marine, who was last seen drinking heavily in the Toussaint Saloon. They locate him soon enough, disheveled and stinking of stale booze, but a sobering visit to a medicine man’s sweat lodge reveals a much greater mystery: the unsolved case of a band of Métis who were last seen fleeing from General Black Jack Pershing’s troops in 1910 before disappearing.

Strange voices within the sweat lodge speak of a place called Bitter Creek, where the Métis encountered their fate. To find it Du Pré tracks down the only living survivor of the massacre, a feisty old woman whose memories may not be as trustworthy as they seem. But when Amalie leads Du Pré to Pardoe, an out-of-the-way crossroads north of Helena, he senses that they are about to uncover long-buried secrets. Discouraged by the US military, their lives threatened by locals whose ancestors may have played a role in the murders, Chappie, Patchen, and Du Pré bravely pursue the truth so that the victims of a terrible injustice might finally rest in peace.

Review:
This series is full of profanity, characters who drink and smoke and drive fast, and lots of politically incorrect opinions--and I love it. Okay, I wish Du Pre would stop smoking, because those things are going to kill him, if the drinking and driving doesn't do it first, but it's a great ride in the meantime. Bowen creates a seductive mix of humor, mystery, suspense, and adrenaline that keeps me reading every time, and this one does not fail. 

In general I'm no fan of the supernatural, but again, the story is compelling and the mysticism of the mysterious Benetsee fits the setting and the culture. The voices heard in the sweat lodge start it all off, and a certain sensitivity to the historical ghosts help Du Pre find his way, but there is also a very real and modern murder to be solved through the exercise of the little grey cells. The threads that lead us to the killer are a little thin in my opinion, but with care I was able to track them back--so that is probably about right. I'm still not sure there wasn't at least one leap of faith required, but as that is followed up by some evidence and a confession, it does work.

This is a good and much-awaited addition to the Du Pre canon, though I wouldn't have minded a little more fiddle music beyond the one key song that provides the clue to the 1910 massacre. I do hope he's not losing his love of music. The author continues to weave the land and the culture into the heart of the story in a way that makes both come alive.

Recommendation:
Not for the easily offended, but for those who can handle some cussing and some hearty condemnation of values you may hold dear, the story is compelling and the characters engaging. I don't consider it the strongest of Bowen's mysteries, but it is a pleasure to have Du Pre back. If you like mysteries that have a strong and essential setting, read this series.

Full Disclosure: I was given an electronic ARC of Bitter Creek by the publisher, but received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."