 | 2 Feb 11 |
I’ve gotta say, I’m a huge fan of the marvelous Julia Spencer-Fleming, she’s a multiple award winning mystery author (can you say the Agatha, the Anthony, the Macavity, the Dilys, the Barry, the Nero Wolfe, and the Gumshoe awards? Yep, she’s won ‘em all, in addition to being an Edgar finalist). I got to hang out with her at Bouchercon last October–trust me, the woman has moves on the dance floor–and in getting to know her, I realized she’s a terrific, funny, sarcastic, sharp person in person as well as on the page.
And here’s another great thing about Miz Spencer-Fleming, when she agreed to guest blog, she also generously offered up FOUR — count ‘em FOUR — ARCs of the seventh installment in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series, entitled ONE WAS A SOLDIER, which doesn’t release until April. This is one of the most highly anticipated books of the year in the mystery world, and by leaving a comment, you have a chance to score an early copy!
Without further ado, please welcome Julia Spencer-Fleming to Murder She Writes!
Writing Weather
Inside the farmhouse kitchen, a woman shivers and throws another log into the cast-iron wood stove. The insistent roar of the wind sets the old house creaking like a ship at full sail, the hard slash of snow against the windows the ocean’s spray accompanying her passage. The hot orange coals in the stove glow against the watery storm-light half-illuminating the surface of the kitchen table. The woman loses herself for a moment in the steam rising from her teacup before settling her woolen shawl more closely over her shoulders. She stamps her sheepskin-booted feet, trying to dispel the cold drafts spreading like a skim of ice across the wooden floor. She sighs and warms her hands beneath her laptop before resuming typing. “Blog for Murder She Writes: Writing Weather.”
I know, I know. The first thing a writer learns after, “Show, don’t tell,” is “Don’t open with the weather.” Usually followed by quote poor old Bulwar-Lytton’s immortal opening line, It was a dark and stormy night. No one ever points to the way Dickens’ brings us into the world of Bleak House:
LONDON. Michaelmas Term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln’s Inn Hall. Implacable November weather. Dickens takes the next four paragraphs to detail the mud, the soot, the rain and the fog and the chill of Victorian London, and by the time we finally get to Jarndyce v. Jarndyce it’s almost a disappointment to go indoors. Done in cliches, weather is a snoozefest. Done well, weather has power. Just look out your window for an illustration.
Obviously, weather can establish locale. Not the dark-and-stormy-night locale, but the deep texture of the place where characters reside; the environment that shapes them. The hiss of desiccating sand in Dune. The damp Florida heat of John McDonald’s novels. The snow-and-ice bound horizons of Steve Hamilton’s Alex McKnight books. Climate creates characters. A private eye in Buffalo is different than one in New Orleans, and it’s not just because one eats chicken wings and the other beignets.
Weather can precipitate (get it? Get it?) plot. In my fifth mystery, All Mortal Flesh, a major snowstorm traps the hero and heroine with a killer, enables a state police officer to catch another bad guy, and brings about what I hope is a shocking denouement. The deadly weather becomes another antagonist, one that can’t be reasoned with or escaped.
In a more subtle vein, weather is a mirror for the story’s events and the character’s emotions. The thick, clotted mud and foul, all-encompassing fog in those opening paragraphs of Bleak House will become metaphors for the impassible legal mire of the Chancery Court and the unreal, blinding ambitions of the litigants. In Carol Goodman’s The Lake of Dead Languages, the profound Adirondack cold seeps through the walls of a girl’s boarding school, freezing the nearby lake as thoroughly as the feelings and patterns of the past are frozen in the lives of the women who teach there.
Finally, weather can make readers feel. When Jocelyn Jackson describes an Alabama summer, you mop off your forehead and reach for an ice tea. Who didn’t need to wrap up in a sweater after reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s accounts of a South Dakota blizzard? If vivid writing creates a movie in the reader’s mind, weather and climate wraps it in Sensurround.
A gust of wind rattles up the chimney, scattering sparks from a half-burned log and startling the writer. She rises, jabs the logs with a poker already gone cold, and looks out the frost-etched window. The snow has drifted deep against the barn door and covered the porch stair. Her car is nothing but a white undulation. She peers toward the road, but there is no way to tell where the land leaves off and the highway begins. No one moving. No one getting through.
She hears a pounding at the door…
Julia Spencer-Fleming is the Agatha and Anthony-award-winning author of the upcoming One Was A Soldier, the seventh Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery.
One Was A Soldier is available for preorder at: Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-A-Million Powell’s Books and your locally owned independent bookstore.
© 2011, Lori G. Armstrong. All rights reserved.
Lori G. Armstrong left the firearms industry in 2000. Her first mystery novel, BLOOD TIES, published in 2005, was nominated in 2006 for a Shamus Award for Best First Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America. The second book in the Julie Collins mystery series, HALLOWED GROUND, released Nov. 2006, was nominated for a 2007 Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original, a Daphne du Maurier Award and won the 2007 WILLA Cather Literary Award for Best Original Softcover Fiction. SHALLOW GRAVE, released in Nov. 2007, was nominated for a 2008 High Plains Book Award, a Daphne du Maurier Award and was a finalist for the 2008 WILLA Cather Literary Award. The fourth book, SNOW BLIND, released in Oct. 2008, won the 2009 Shamus Award, from the Private Eye Writers of America, for Best Paperback Original. Lori is a proud fourth generation South Dakotan and lives in Rapid City with her family.
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[...] Julia Spencer-Fleming blog post on Murder She Writes and giveaway [...]
by Lori Armstrong » Blog Archive » Mystery Author Julia Spencer-Fleming giveaway on Murder She Writes February 2nd, 2011 at 9:13 amMy choir director clued me in to your books, you sucked her in with the title “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
I like your use of hymns in your books.
Looking forward to April’s release.
by Barbara Chaple February 2nd, 2011 at 1:14 pmHi Julia,
Welcome to Murder She Writes! And congratulations on so many impressive awards. I cannot wait to read your books.
I know they say don’t open with weather, but like you, I have seen it done successfully. When used skillfully, I think weather can set the backdrop for a mystery story by adding tension and suspense. Lee Child has done this well in a few of his books.
by Laura Griffin February 2nd, 2011 at 9:20 amJulia, I do love the way you use weather as another character in your books. Is it just my imagination or do you use winter considerably more than summer as a setting? And if so, why?
by Annette Dashofy February 2nd, 2011 at 9:34 amP.S. It would make my day (week? Month!) if won one of those ARCs, so pick me! Pick me!
Annette, I do write winter more than summer, probably because winter in the Adirondacks seems to last 9 months of the year. Also, in that region, winter has more possibilities for death and disaster–accidents, stranded in snowstorms, power outages, etc. If I had set my series in California’s Central Valley, I’d write about drought, wildfire, sun stroke, etc.
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 10:55 am[...] Julia Spencer-Fleming — Writing Weather Blog post and ARC contest Share and Enjoy: [...]
by Western Wednesday…follow link to win an ARC from Julia Spencer-Fleming! | February 2nd, 2011 at 9:26 amLove Julia’s books! have been waiting for the new one for a long time!
by Suzze Tiernan February 2nd, 2011 at 9:32 amNothing wrong with weather. Nothing wrong with breaking any of the ‘rules’ if it’s done right. And location – which definitely includes weather – has a lot to do with both plot and character. As used to great effect in the Millers Kill books.
Can’t wait for the new book to be available. It’s been wa-a-a-ay too long since the last one!
by jennie bentley February 2nd, 2011 at 9:35 amHi Julia,
I can not wait for your new release. I was introduced to them by the organist from my church who is also a librarian and I have loved every single novel. I enjoy the mystery, the interactions between clare and Russ and the descriptions of the small town atmosphere. Keep writing!!!!
Stay warm,
by Lisa Vogel February 2nd, 2011 at 9:36 amLisa
Lisa and Barbara,
Clearly, I need to up the roles of the St. Alban’s choir director and organist, if I’m getting endorsements from their real life counterpoints!
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 2:54 pmYou have me hooked!!! I can’t wait to get my hands on your books!!!
by Karla February 2nd, 2011 at 9:51 amHaven’t read any of Julia’s books but I checked this series out and it sounds really good! I will have to put it on my TBR pile.
by Leagh February 2nd, 2011 at 9:58 amNo. NonononononoNOOOOOOOO! No new books. I have no time. I have a bookshelf and a Kindle full of books. Must. Not. Covet! *opens Amazon* *1-clicks to preorder* Welcome to MSW, Julia!
Like setting, weather can become another character, as you mentioned above, Julia. With deft words, a writer can lure the reader into the world s/he has created and put them right in the middle of the action. As I glance out the window at the foot of snow now sculpted into peaks and valleys by a fierce north wind, I long for tropic heat and the relentless rhythm of waves caressing warm sands. My protagonist might just have to run away today.
by Silver James February 2nd, 2011 at 10:15 amSilver, I might join your character on a tropical getaway today. The near-blizzard conditions we’re getting here in Maine makes me wish I had set my series in Oahu–where I would have to take a month-long “research” trip every February, natch.
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 11:07 amWeather’s certainly making an impression today! I would love to be curled up with Julia’s newest book right now.
by Kathy Franklin February 2nd, 2011 at 10:17 amI’m not sure of the setting for this latest work, but I find it best to read Spencer-Fleming when there is a lot of snow and cold outside and a roaring fire lending heat to a cup of steaming tea. Perhaps I will make an exception this time (let’s hope my world isn’t bitter cold and snow-bound in April). And, well, hey, an ARC? I want one, dammit!!!
by Argyle Scott February 2nd, 2011 at 10:22 amScott,
One Was A Soldier starts in the late spring, but most of the story takes place in August, September and October. We see the tourists leave, the woods turn, and the gradual encroaching of the cold.
Now, the book I’m working on now, Seven Whole Days, takes place in January during a terrible ice storm. So, back to form for me.
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 3:00 pmCool! (Literally). I look forward to another chilling tale. And now for a little gushing…I’m so pleased with your success. You’ve come a long way (well, maybe not so long) since junior high English with Al Marshall. You definitely had star potential and I’m glad to see you found an outlet we can all share that showcases some facets of your talent. I look forward to many more years of being entertained.
by Argyle Scott February 2nd, 2011 at 4:59 pmJulia, I adore your books. I’ve been dying to read more–it’s been a long time since the last one (which I’ve said more than once is the best book I ever read).
by Joyce Tremel February 2nd, 2011 at 10:35 amCongratulations Julia. Your writing and books are wonderful. I enjoyed this great post and the weather description was excellent.
by anne February 2nd, 2011 at 10:35 amWeather sure can make you feel. Right now, it’s making me feel truly sorry for much of the country. Even in my part of south Texas, it’s freezing and we’re having power outages.
Looking forward to your next book.
by LSUReader February 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 amYaaaah! My husband and I are eagerly anticipating One Was a Soldier…we love, love, love your books, Julia. Now we just have to arm-wrestle to see who gets to read it first LOL. Louise Penny introduced us to your books and we’ve gleefully devoured them – thank you for writing characters that we love!
by Karen Julien February 2nd, 2011 at 10:42 amKaren,
The great thing about knowing writers is that we’re all readers, so we’re going to suggest books! I’ve spent a lot of time pointing friends toward Louise Penny’s novels.
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 3:02 pmWeather is the big story today in NE but having read all of your books I sure wish I had an advance copy today. Being home with a snow day is great but that would be way better than hot chocolate and a fire.
by Katherine Stanwood February 2nd, 2011 at 11:03 amYour new release is compelling. Thanks for this introduction and the vivid weather aspect.
by pearl February 2nd, 2011 at 11:23 amI thoroughly enjoyed your post. It is funny how something as innocuous as the weather really can set the tone for a scene. I remember the descriptions of The Long Winter and being happy to be near our heater with a mug of hot tea to sip as I read.
by Little Lamb Lost February 2nd, 2011 at 11:40 amI haven’t read any of Julia Spencer Fleming’s books yet…have to remedy that…thanks for the introduction.
by Kathy P February 2nd, 2011 at 12:05 pmI love the examples of weather setting the scene and if done well, you do reach for that tea, ice or hot depending on the weather. Weather does play a big part in our lives, so why not in a book? Thanks for stoping by.
by Terri February 2nd, 2011 at 12:16 pmJulia! I love your books. And your descriptions of the weather impressed me the most. When I first read “In the Bleak Midwinter” it was a cool November here in TN, but as I read Clair’s drive up the mountains (and all that followed) I felt like turning on the Central heat and building a fire. Thank you for all your books. And April can not come soon enough.
by Lyssa February 2nd, 2011 at 12:23 pmTerri,
Good! I love hearing that I made people reach for a sweater. When I write, I want readers to feel along with the characters: fear, longing, joy–whatever they’re going through. It adds to the experience if they can also shiver or sweat alongside Russ and Clare.
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 3:12 pmJulia,
I love your books. The rules may say not to write about the weather, but you set such memorable scenes with the weather. I can still picture Clare hanging on to Russ for dear life in the flood waters, or running between the church and the rectory in the snow. So keep up the good work.
Thank you for many hours of entertainment.
Roba
by Roba February 2nd, 2011 at 12:55 pmJulia, Love your books in any weather! (I’m still waiting for our big snow this season. So far they’ve all gone north of us.) I love that Clare is a priest because not only am I an Episcopalian, I work for an Episcopal church. You have many fans in Central Virginia! I’ve pre-ordered your book but would still love an ARC.
by Gayle Rhodes February 2nd, 2011 at 12:58 pm*shameonme* I haven’t read your books yet, but that will immediately change and I will keep them in mind for my next shopping trip… I love books where the weather is part of the story
thanks for sharing!
by Melanie S. February 2nd, 2011 at 1:14 pmHi Julia, welcome to MSW! It’s a pleasure to have you here and I love the way you used weather to set the tone, then increase the tension!
by Jen Lyon February 2nd, 2011 at 1:19 pmThanks, Jen!
I’ve taught at USM’s Stonecoast Writers Program, and one of the topics I’ve covered in session is using weather/climate for all the above-stated purposes. I’ve omitted the follow-up writing assignments for MSW, however!
And Gayle, having lived for several years in Northern Virginia, I’d know a good bout of weather there can be even MORE disruptive than it is in Millers Kill, NY!
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 3:34 pmI love the description of the winter weather; I just came in from standing in snow that reaches above my knees. Lol.
Julia, I absolutely love your books and I own every single one of them. I received I Shall Not Want the day after it was released, read it in one day and have been waiting for One Was a Soldier since that day. Clare and Russ are so much more real than many characters in other books. I love Clare; it’s nice to read about someone who’s tastes are as eclectic as mine!
by Jordan D. February 2nd, 2011 at 2:22 pmThis looks great!! Good luck
by SArah February 2nd, 2011 at 2:22 pmHi Julia welcome to MSW!! I hate to admit that I have never read your titles before but after that intro and post how can I not. I love what you wrote about weather. It so sets the mood whether romantic, suspenseful or downright frightening. I’m going to check out your website now
I love nature pics and that banner pic on your website is gorgeous!
by Miranda February 2nd, 2011 at 3:09 pmMiranda,
Isn’t it pretty? Those are islands in Lake George. One of my favorite spots on earth.
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 3:40 pm[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Murder She Writes, MagdalenB. MagdalenB said: It's all-weather all-the-time today at Twitter RT @JSpencerFleming Talking about Writing Weather at Murder She Writes. http://bit.ly/hD4DnO [...]
by Tweets that mention Welcome Julia Spencer-Fleming! Chance to win an ARC of ONE WAS A SOLDIER! | Murder She Writes -- Topsy.com February 2nd, 2011 at 3:43 pmHi Julia! Welcome to our little corner of the internet, where it’s always warm and cozy! I loved your blog – especially today when the social networks are full of FREEZING, snowed-in people and I’m squinting at the sun reflecting off my palm trees. (Florida!) I’ve been thinking a lot about weather. I tend to shy away from using it much in my books, but I really liked the idea of weather as a character that you presented. Thank you for that insight!
Great to have you here and I can’t wait to read one of your books!
by Roxanne St. Claire February 2nd, 2011 at 4:09 pmRoaxanne,
If you’d like me to come down to Florida and personallydiscuss using weather in fiction, I stand ready to assist.
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 8:32 pmSince weather influences our daily lives this description was perfect.
by diane February 2nd, 2011 at 4:32 pmI haven’t read any of Julia’s books yet but I plan on it from what I’ve read about them they sound really good.
by Sherry S. February 2nd, 2011 at 4:46 pmWhy do I do this to myself?! Now I have another author to add to my TBR mountain! Sounds good AND there are already a bunch of books in the series! Eeee!
by Jen B. February 2nd, 2011 at 5:44 pmI think people who say not to write about the weather must live where there isn’t weather. How dull would it be if you weren’t checking the weather channel and downloading the latest satellite image to plan your day/week/month? I think weather can be it’s own character and certainly can be moody, bad tempered and forgiving and definitely drive a plot as much as any “human” character. Bring on the descriptions of ice and snow and cold – especially since I won’t have to shovel it!
by Alison February 2nd, 2011 at 6:00 pmJulia, thanks for being here and giving us such a great post!
by Debra Webb February 2nd, 2011 at 6:18 pmI loved this post! Especially since I woke up this morning to a surreal landscape of drifts and blowing snow, not to mention the lightening and thunder!
by Janel February 2nd, 2011 at 6:25 pmWhat a wonderful post! I love how you talk about the weather (ha!) and it’s something I’ve always had problems with — I tend to be bland when I describe the weather. The only exception was TEMPTING EVIL because in that, the weather was also a character in a way because the blizzard and snow was integral to the plot. I love how you remind us that weather can parallel emotion and theme. Thanks to Lori for bringing you here today!
by Allison Brennan February 2nd, 2011 at 7:18 pmAllison,
I thank Lori, too!
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 2nd, 2011 at 8:36 pmYou are a new to me author. Your books sound great!
by Estella February 2nd, 2011 at 7:36 pmthis book looks great. I will have to keep my eyes open for it.
by jeanine Lesperance February 2nd, 2011 at 8:20 pmJulia, “Thank You” for writing such a marvelous series of books – I’ve read every word of every one. Like so many others, I anxiously anticipate and await “One Was a Soldier”…
by Susan Thomason February 2nd, 2011 at 8:29 pmWhen will “Once Was a Soldier” be released in Canada? I am looking forward to the next installment of Russ and Claire. I was afraid that the last one was the end. (BTW, I sit with my map trying to “see” where the action takes place. Near Glens Falls, right?) Thank you for all the hours of reading enjoyment!
by Marilyn February 2nd, 2011 at 9:03 pmMarilyn,
The Canadian release should be simultaneous with the US edition, April 26. That’s what it shows on Amazon.ca.
Bethany,
Suzanne Brockmann is one of my auto-buy-the-day-it-comes-out authors. It’s an honor to be put alongside her!
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 3rd, 2011 at 8:38 amI have not read your books yet Julia but I’m definitely interested!
by Diane Sadler February 2nd, 2011 at 9:16 pmI love your books, Julia and can’t wait for this upcoming one.
Living in Canada, and just coming in from shoveling a foot of snow, I understand how ominous a storm can be – the cold, the dangerous roads that emergency vehicles can’t even get through. I was thinking as I was standing out there in the blinding wind, what would you do if you were trapped on a night like this with a killer? Great stuff for a mystery!
by Anne MacFarlane February 2nd, 2011 at 9:51 pmCongrats on your new release! I have not read your books before but this one sounds fabulous and I would love to read it.
by Quilt Lady February 2nd, 2011 at 10:56 pmYou have no idea how much I want an arc! I have read the whole series multiple times and have converted my mom, my aunt, and several friends into being fans. Julia and Suzanne Brockmann are my two favorite authors–and I read a ton! The long gap between books was so hard! I hope the next one comes quicker, but more importantly, I wish Julia continued good health to keep writing!
by bethany February 3rd, 2011 at 1:54 amI just finished the last two books in 3 days…loosing sleep. This series is soooo awesome and totally underrated. I told all my friends about it. Can’t wait to read more about Russ and Clare. Would love to read it right now!!!!
by Claudia Thoss February 3rd, 2011 at 5:31 pmI think the weather really does add to the sensory feeling of a story. It feels like the weather is almost like another “character” in your books. Would love an ARC and still excitedly waiting for One Was a Soldier in April!
by Gail Pace February 3rd, 2011 at 9:23 pmStay warm!
Thanks for being here and congrats on your new book. I like the usage of weather as its own character; it’s intriguing. I can’t wait to read your book!
by Lisa G. February 3rd, 2011 at 10:47 pmI haven’t read any of Julia’s books! sooooooooo looking forward to have the chance to read one
by Mariska February 4th, 2011 at 1:06 amHi, Julia-
You’re a new to me author which is unbelieveable for one who has won so many awards.
Your books sound great especially All Mortal Flesh.
by Anne February 4th, 2011 at 10:45 amI’ve been wishing for one of those “can’t stop reading, must know what happens, on the edge of my seat, it’s the only thing I can think about books”. I found it in No Mercy and Mercy Kill. I’m waiting on the Julie Collins books to come in the mail, but I checked out Lori’s website and followed a link here. And I haven’t stopped reading since Thursday. You guys are both amazing.
I’m a vet student in Edinburgh, and it’s a great city, but reading about the winter and snow and mountains has made me homesick. I think that’s when you know the north east is in your blood- stories about blizzards and freezing and ice make you yearn.
by Liz February 15th, 2011 at 5:14 pmLiz,
My husband and I honeymooned in Edinburgh and parts north. Even in August, there were days we wore wool sweaters when we were in the Cairngorms. That’s when I finally understood WHY my ancestors settled in the Adirondacks instead of someplace with warm and fertile soil, like the Ohio Valley. The blizzards and freezing and ice made them feel at home.
by Julia Spencer-Fleming February 16th, 2011 at 8:36 am