To celebrate publication of our new mystery (and maybe draw a few more readers into our web), we're giving away Kindle editions of our first book, "Murdermobile," on May Day (Thursday, May 1). FREE is a very good price; click here to order. And at the end of the story, new readers will find a sample chapter of "Corpse of Discovery," just to encourage them to keep reading. Tell your friends! And if you like either or both of our books, please write a review on Amazon or Goodreads. A good review is our best promotional tool. Thank you! -- Barbara and Brian
We're celebrating the birth of our second mystery "child," and it's the size of a bookmobile. Does anybody have a cigarette? No, Hester and Nate don't smoke, and neither do their authors, but lifting a glass of bubbly wouldn't be out of hand, we think. We published this second book exactly one year to the day after the first. If you enjoyed "Murdermobile," this second story in the series has lots to like (we hope), with many of the same characters and settings. But what a different story, with quirky new characters showing up, ranging from the has-been cult of Rajneeshees who let it all hang out at a nude beach, to the great-great-great grandson (or something like that) of Sacajawea, and even the second-cousin twice-removed (or something like that) of Nazi propaganda-meister Joseph Goebbels, now the bratwurst king of Portland. Oh, and Lewis and Clark play a little role. History buffs, here's your cozy murder mystery. Thanks for reading. -- Barbara and Brian Cantwell Happy holidays from the Murdermobile family! And welcome to new readers who are discovering us through our recent holiday giveaway of more than 1,100 copies of "Murdermobile" for Kindle. We are spending the Christmas holidays at our cabin in the San Juan Islands with our daughter and two cats, Bosun and Galley, and doing lots of writing on "Murdermobile 2: Corpse of Discovery," which is clicking right along for our goal of April publication. If you're one of the freebie recipients, we hope you like the book, and please let your friends know -- or write a review on Amazon. Good reviews are our best marketing tool! And remember that "Murdermobile" is also available in paperback. :-)
Exciting news: "Murdermobile" is published in paperback! Go to https://www.createspace.com/4481587 or click on the link from our home page. Buy it through this link and the authors make more money than if you buy it elsewhere. ;-)
Two bits of news:
1. We did our first author 's talk last night, at the lovely and welcoming Lake Oswego Public Library, in a suburb south of Portland. It was fun to talk about "Murdermobile" and our writing process and all that's involved with publishing a digital book. Brian read aloud from the first chapter of "Corpse of Discovery." Saw some old friends from Barbara's days at Multnomah County Library, and it was great to reconnect. Thanks to the sponsoring Friends of Lake Oswego Public Library. 2. "Murdermobile" is coming out in paperback this month. Yes, a real book you can hold, with pages you can dog-ear, and spill coffee on, and stuff in your backpocket, and read in bed at night with a flashlight! We've submitted it to CreateSpace, another Amazon creation, which will make it available as a 194-page paperback on sale for $9.99. Brian had fun playing graphic artist and designing the print book's cover and back cover (above). It still uses the great bookmobile and Mount Hood artwork created by our friend and "second daughter," Stevie Lennartson, but with a few graphic additions (lightning bolts, among other things, to go with the fact that the story starts and ends with big storms). The paperback will be on Amazon, but also available to order through your favorite bookstore, or for sale to libraries; just ask for ISBN 978-1492980711. Not really.
One fun part of our current writing project on "Murdermobile 2" is the weekend research trip we just made to Portland. A great discovery on this trip: The site of our next literary murder was the homesite of a notorious 1850s settler who, we learned, murdered his son-in-law and was, as a result, the first person legally hanged in Portland (note the word "legally," which is how it was worded on the historical marker we came across). We had already chosen the location in Lower Macleay Park just for its scenic, woodsy character, and because it has a trailhead to adjoining Forest Park, where our detective, Nate Darrow, goes trail running. Learning that the site was also home to a famed murderer from Portland history just adds a satisfying shiver to it all. We also scoped out the Irvington neighborhood where librarian Hester grew up -- a fantastic area of lovely old houses among giant maples -- and revisited the real-life Egyptian-themed apartment building on which we based the Luxor, where Hester and Nate live. We also dropped by some favorite old Portland eateries. (It was a great excuse to eat some "Escape from New York" pizza.) We even visited a nude beach on Sauvie's Island. You'll just have to wait and see where that figures into the next book. So we got a mini-vacation out of it, and now it's time to get back to writing. Wouldn't it be ironic if a book tweaking the book-banning crowd were targeted by book banners? Hmmm. We have a new one-star review of "Murdermobile" on Amazon that raises that specter. Here's a response we've posted that we think deserves as much attention as that one-star review. -- Brian and Barbara Cantwell
We believe in letting fair criticism stand on its own, so we don’t usually respond to negative reviews. However, this review offers some pointed accusations that demand a response. First we should say that we stand firmly with the American Library Association in its longstanding and eloquently stated opposition to book banning (see http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned), and our “Murdermobile” heroine, librarian Hester McGarrigle, shares that widely held view. We take exception to this reader’s leap of thought that says opposition to book banning equals bias against Christians, or any church or faith. The reader implies that Christians want to ban books; we do not make that implication. Nowhere in “Murdermobile” will you find a statement linking the book-banning group to Christianity or to any church. The group could just as well be atheists, or Hindus, or simply a social club that opposes open library shelves. One blanket statement we will make: Book banners are people who want to tell others what they or their children should or should not read. That’s something against which we profess a bias without regret. We stand firmly on the side of freedom of speech and freedom of thought; that's a very American tradition. Perhaps we portray the book banners as a little clownlike, with our tongue planted firmly in cheek. Call it artistic license -- it is a work of fiction -- but it is based in part on research in which we attended a public school-district hearing where a book-banning proposal was being aired. A careful reader might also note that “Murdermobile” has its share of fun at the expense of “tell-it-like-it-is” books for teens with ludicrous titles such as “Boy Krazy” and “Cheerleader Mom.” Nobody gets off scot-free here. Finally: This reader makes some assumptions about us having "a big problem" with "normal" (her loaded word) families. In fact, we’re an old married couple who just celebrated our 40th year together and enjoyed watching our daughter graduate from college in June. We believe healthy and happy families -- and we draw a wide circle there -- are the foundation of civilization. The reader assumes we never step foot in a church. We won’t dignify that with a response other than to say that our personal spiritual life is OUR personal spiritual life, and nobody’s business but our own. It's no big surprise that "Murdermobile" is collecting fans from Portland or with links to Oregon, since that's where the story is set. A couple of samples, with commenters' real or online names: SUSAN HANSON: I used to live in Portland and I'm familiar with the area. This librarian with the improbable name of Hester Freelove McGarrigle is not a prim spinster as her name might imply. I enjoyed the book because her character seems like a real person rather than a caricature. I liked roaming the streets of Portland with Hester and her magenta bookmobile. The cop-meets-the-heroine romance takes a satisfactory turn when the case is solved. The book is just a fun read. HAPLU: I have to preface this by saying I am a native Portlander and therefore enjoyed all her references to places in Portland But we are a little surprised -- pleasantly so -- at another focal point of "Murdermobile" fans: the great big state of Texas! We have no idea what makes it fertile ground for a story about a red-haired bookmobile librarian and a trail-running, pizza-gobbling cop who hang out in lefty-liberal Portland, but here are a couple comments from the Lone Star State: JUDY BROWN EYES (TEXAS): The book is so much fun! The biggest plus is having the Portland Bookmobile come alive by the talented pen of Ms. Cantwell. Do yourself a favor and get started on this series, it a great buy for the price. MYSTERYANDSCIFIWOMAN (IRVING, TEXAS): This was an entertaining cozy mystery, great for fun, light Summer reading. The major characters were interesting and the descriptions of Portland and surrounding areas allowed me to easily visualize them. I look forward to a second book in this series! In any case, thanks to all you readers, and especially those who liked the book and took the time to write thoughtful reviews. Ms. Cantwell (and Mr. Cantwell, too) are hard at work on that second book.
We have a body found in odd circumstances in Portland's Forest Park. And the bookmobile is involved in a strange and unpredictable way. TV reporter Misty Day is poking her nose -- her new nose -- into it all and provoking the police chief with visions of Oregon's most infamous cult: the Rajneeshees. Those are latest developments in "Murdermobile 2," from our long weekend in the San Juan Islands. Stay tuned.
It's finally summer in Seattle, with 93-degree heat today. We sat out in the cockpit of the boat and enjoyed the marine breezes while doing some writing on "Murdermobile 2." Glad to see a nice review of "Murdermobile" on Cozy Mystery Book Reviews (click here to see it). June sales matched the 900+ in May, so we're closing in on 2,000. (Going viral soon, we just know it.) We're heading to the cabin in the San Juans for a long Fourth of July weekend and some intense mystery writing. Several nice reviewers have wished for another story from us. We're on it.
|
AuthorBrian and Barbara are the B.B. in B.B. Cantwell. Here we'll share occasional updates on coming stories, plus general observations on the good, the bad and the ugly in the process (mostly the good). Please feel free to join in with a comment or question. Categories
All
|