June Newsletter

Things have been a little slow at my house these past couple months. I've been working hard at revising my audio title, LETTER OF THE LAW,(2009 Spur Award Finalist in audio) for submission to print publishers. I'm adding new scenes to the story and sharpening (I hope) some of the dialogue. It'll soon be ready and I'll begin the querying process again.

Meanwhile, I have a two book signing events for ONE FOOT ON THE EDGE set up in June. The first is Saturday, June 13, at the Spokane Valley Hastings. 15312 E. Sprague, from 1 - 3 pm. Hope anyone who is within distance can drop by. The second will be Saturday afternoon, June 27, in the Spirit Lake, Idaho coffee shop. Joyce Nowacki is setting this up for me and I don't have all the details yet, so if anyone would like the information a little nearer the date, please email me. (ckcww@aol.com)

Along with the many reviews I write for Roundup Magazine (the publication of Western Writers of America) I've posted a new one on my book review blog, but in case you don't read blogs, here it is.

The Outlander
By Gil Adamson
HarperCollins 2008
Hardcover, 390 pages
ISBN 978-0-06-149125-2

This is a story that, from the blurb, I expected to belong in the western mystery genre. And it does. Sort of. Yet it’s not really genre fiction at all, but rather a weird combination of literary novel, western, suspense (I wouldn’t call it mystery), romance, with a study of mental illness and a lesson in the healing power of love thrown in for good measure. Did I say weird? Well it is. But the whole thing works in a story that grew on me until I was completely mesmerized. Adamson is certainly an auth or who deserves the accolades that come her way.

Briefly, the plot is thus: A bewildered young woman is running away from a murder—and she is the murderess. The brothers of the man she killed are following her, determined to bring her back to hang. The widow (as she is named throughout the book although we do finally discover her name is Mary) flees into the wilderness, stealing just enough supplies (and a horse) to stay alive. She hears voices and sees things that aren’t there, doesn’t know what’s real and what is not. The people she meets along the way are, for the most part, as confused about their own existence as she is. Most are kind to this poor muddled woman, certainly eccentrics with an unexpected generosity of spirit. The man she killed? Her husband. I think he had it coming.
You may want to read The Outlander more than once. I know it’s going on my keeper shelf.

I've been in cooking mode lately, although I've let my sourdough starter lapse. I'll begin a fresh batch later, when I feel like baking bread again. What I did discover was an excellent recipe for a small pudding cake, one that I don't feel so bad about throwing half away because two people can't eat a whole cake. Here's the recipe, which I found the S-R newspaper.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake with Dark Chocolate Rum Sauce
1 1/4 C sugar, divided
1 C.flour7 tablespoons cocoa, divided
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 C. milk
1/3 C. melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 C. hot water
1/4 cup dark rum
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 3/4 C sugar, flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt. Blend in milk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour into an 8" by 8" ungreased pan.
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 C. sugar, brown sugar, and 4 tablespoons cocoa. Sprinkle over cake batter. Pour hot water and dark rum over the top. Bake 35 minutes.
Yummy with a dab of Butter Pecan ice cream on top, but you can use whipped cream.

I'm not going to make the Western Writers of America Convention in Oklahoma City this year, so it's apt to be a very dull year, travelwis e. I'll hope for Knoxville next June. Meanwhile, I have a couple internet radio events planned for July, so I'll do armchair--or office chair--traveling for now. If anyone would like to know how to connect to the events, let me know and I'll give you the connection. Have a happy summer, everyone. If anything new comes up, I'll post it on my website at http://ckcrigger.com/ See you next time.

BOOK SIGNING DREAMS

After months—nay, years, of waiting for the release of One Foot on the Edge, it’s here at last. Time to relax and enjoy the process, right? Har! Not on your tintype. Now comes the real work, trying to make a few sales.

So I set up a Mother’s Day event at a busy grocery store. (It helps to have contacts within the store, in case you wondered.) I’ve got plenty of copies of my book on hand, a table, business cards and speaker brochures, bookmarks and a couple of good pens. I’ve even decided what to say when I sign the books—provided somebody actually buys one. I’m ready to rock, right?

Then why, last night, did I have such an awful time trying to sleep? A horrible dream kept plaguing me, running over and over in a never-ending loop. The store of my dreams didn’t remotely resemble the actual place. I only recognized one person there. They’d placed me way down a dark aisle where they were remodeling and no patrons allowed to go. They’d asked me to bring goodies to eat, so I baked sourdough bread in a flat pan, and put it over a layer of asparagus. The asparagus was raw and the bread soggy. I was so embarrassed! And then the dream ended.

I sure wish someone could tell me the significance of that dream.

BOOK TALK AND A BIT OF A RANT



Recently, one of my cousins recommended a book she thought I'd enjoy. She was right, although it's not the kind of book I usually read. I'm more of a genre kind of girl, and go for the stuff that'll entertain me, pure and simple. I'm not looking for the meaning of life in my reading. I don't like anything too sad, since I think there's enough of that in real life already. Reading, to my mind, should not be depressing.

Therefore, it comes as a bit of a shock that I got through Lost Nation at all. Written by Jeffrey Lent, and published in 2002, the book is a historical set in the northeastern part of the USA bordering Canada, in the 1830s. I don't think I've ever read a book where I could feel the character's hunger, their cold and heat and all other sensory perceptions, including pain, so intensely. The politics of the day, which is a theme running throught the book, is expertly woven into the plot. This is also a love story, a romance, but it keeps you guessing as to who are the lovers. There's much of the day-to-day, but the story never lets down into boredom. Most literary books move so slowly (my opinion) I lose interest, but not this one.

While I'm inclined to give Lent's other books a try, I do have one rather large gripe. I just do not understand why a few literary authors are allowed to ignore convention and create their own punctuation. All it does is curtail the flow of words and make the reader work to make sense of the story. Reading, to my mind, should be effortless, with one's mind free to ponder the meaning and intent within the words. I've never read a genre book that allowed this. Two other authors that come to mind are Charles Frasier (Cold Mountain) and Cormac McCarthy (The Road). What are these writers trying to prove? Do they believe that when their publisher allows them this latitude that they're somehow showing superiority? I don't think so.

April Newsletter



Greetings everyone. Last time I sent out a newsletter was around Valentine's Day, and here it is Easter already. I do have a few items I hope you'll finding interesting. First business is a picture of Jingle. I've showed off the two little kids (Tomasella is a matted mess at the moment with an appointment to get her hair done tomorrow) and my best little friend is a bit jealous. I promised her this month it's her turn. Here she is.



We've been entertained this winter by deer coming into the field on the other side of our 6' chain link fence. Every evening just before dark 7 - 9 deer parade past. The dogs know exactly what time to start looking for them so they can make some noise. Which is fine. That's one of their jobs. However, a few weeks ago one young deer somehow got into the yard overnight, then was trapped by the fence. Unaware of the predicament, Gary let the dogs out for their morning ablutions and of course, the first thing Tomasella saw was that a deer had invaded her space. She took off after it with Roper, all three pounds of him, on her heels. They chased the deer back and forth while the poor thing tried to jump out of the yard. It hit the fence twice before finally managing to escape. It's a wonder Tomasella wasn't killed as the deer ran over her, but she came out from under its hooves unscathed. Jingle, wise little lady that she is, sat on the deck and watched.



On one of my regular blogs, the author posed a question I found intriguing, and thought you might too. She asked, "If you were unjustly arrested, what fictional private eye/investigator would you choose to save you?" Well, not Stephanie Plum, that's for sure. Maybe Elvis Cole. I'd put my trust in Sheriff Walt Longmire, because from what I can see, he's nothing like the Spokane Police. Whew. Stop me before I go on a rant on that subject. But Walt is thorough, sees beyond the obvious, and never quits until he gets at the whole truth. He also has some darn good people helping him, including a dog named Dog. Works for me. I'm rather fond of Will Thomas's Victorian detectives, too.



Gray Dog Press, a publisher based in Spokane, has begun a quarterly regional magazine named SpokeWrite, which features fiction, essays, poetry, book reviews and art. The inaugural edition has gone on sale at most local bookstores, including Aunties and the Hastings locations, or can be ordered directly from the website, http://www.graydogpress.com/. I've got both a short story and a book review in the magazine. Here's hoping Gray Dog Press can make a success of the new publication.



In mid-March I learned my latest audio book, Letter of the Law, became a 2009 Western Writers of America Spur finalist in the audio book category. Letter of the Law is published by Books In Motion. http://www.booksinmotion.com/.



I've been working hard on the galleys for One Foot on the Edge. The book, a historical/mystery/suspense, should be out soon. I'll probably send an announcement when it's available. I'm so stoked to finally have the book see the light of day. Hooray, hooray!Here's the back blurb:
The gay 1890s aren’t always. Gay, that is. Sometimes life is dangerous, especially if you’re next on someone's murder list.

In 1896, there aren’t many career choices for a young lady. China Bohannon has fled one bad situation, and is looking to start her life over as a strong, independent woman in the wild and woolly town of Spokane, Washington. Convincing Gratton Doyle to take her seriously as a bookkeeper is hard enough, and when it comes to working as an investigator in the Doyle & Howe Detective Agency, it’s well-nigh impossible.

But what if China is able to solve a murder case no one, including the city police, wants to take on, that of a young girl found dead, her body thrown in the river? If she can avoid being the next murder victim, will Gratton hire her then? There’s only one way to find out.



As part of my promotion for the new book, I'd love to visit libraries, book clubs, or anyone else who needs a speaker for a meeting. Heck. I'll even do parties. I have several topics I can speak on. If you know someone who might be interested, let me know and we'll work something out.



That's all for now. Have a nice spring, everyone.

Best,Carol



http://www.ckcrigger.com/

Doggie Dental Work:

Are our pooches important to our happiness? Yes, they are. Seems we end up spending more money on our three furry friends than we do on ourselves. The little kids need toys, our two girls need regular grooming. They all need their health check-ups. Vet bills have reached the point where we're thinking pet insurance would be a good idea. Today, for instance, Tomasella is in having the last of her baby teeth removed. She's reached the big seven--months, that is--with several still in her mouth. Poor baby has a bad overbite already, and doesn't need extra teeth cluttering up the works. Wonder if they have doggie braces. Well, maybe that's going overboard. It isn't like she's going to pass any of those faulty genes on, since she's been spayed. So, except for her own safety and comfort, who cares. Her funny little face is seriously cute regardless of whether her teeth are straight.

January/February, 2009 Newsletter. To sign up, send an email to ckcww@hotmail.com

Greeting to you all.

I hope your new year has started off well. Mine has, except for a diagnosis of glaucoma in one eye. I'm a walking advertisement for having your eyes and teeth checked on a regular basis, so any icky stuff can be caught early. We've added to our family again, and a tiny boy Pomeranian has become brother to our two girls, Tomasella and Jingle. If you think Tomasella is a cutie, which she is, how about my guy, Roper? (And an update on Tomasella since she got a haircut.)

I spoke too soon when I lamented the dirth of Spur entry books in my last newsletter. The end of December saw boxes full left on my front porch, and my mailbox crowded. I ended up with 51 books. A few were disqualified by things like copyright date or having been previously published, but I still have a great bunch of books from which to draw my favorites for a Spur. The problem is going to be narrowing down the list. This is tough stuff.

Have any of you kept lists of your favorite books of 2008, as I mentioned last month? I'd begun keeping a list, then the scrap of paper got lost amidst all the junk on my desk so I've had to dredge through my memory. I know I've forgotten some I wanted to mention at the time, but here are the ones I remember in no particular order:

Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson... a western mystery

Blue Heaven by C.J. Box...a mystery set in Sandpoint.

Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn...a Victorian mystery

The Black Hand by Will Thomas...a turn of the century mystery set in England

Winter Study by Nevada Barr... another mystery

Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris...a vampire story

Dead Silver by Neil McMahon...a western mystery

Killstraight by Johnny D. Boggs...a western

Soldier's Farewell by Johnny D. Boggs...a western

Baby Shark, Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues, Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption,

all three by Robert Fate...mysteries with a seriously kick-butt heroine set in the 1950s.

I know there are more; I just can't think of them now. Think I've got that senior's disease--what was it again?

Valentine's Day will soon be here, so I'm including two pertinent lists from Jessica James, author of Shades of Gray, posted on Amazon:

Top Five Reasons Why Guys Should Give Books as Gifts

5: She can't connect with a new sweater like she can with a book.

4: Hey guys, they're easy to wrap!

3: They come in all sizes, shapes and colors--what could be easier?

2: It's cheaper than a romantic getaway but can produce the same result.

1: Books are gifts of love and joy--and can create everlasting memories.

Top Five Reasons Why Girls Should Give Books as Gifts:

5: They're easy to store--on coffeetables, bookshelves, nightstands or countertops.

4: They never go bad no matter how long they're stored--and they can be used quickly or savored over time.

3: Books can teach, educate, entertain--and distract him from football.

2: It's a small investment that can return dividends for life.

1: Books are the perfect gift of enjoyment that don't require him to leave his chair.

With all the snow we've had this winter--and more is coming down as I write this--I decided to use the weather as inspiration in a story I just sold. Gray Dog Press, publishers of SpokeWrite, a new regional journal of art and writing, is seeking submissions of short fiction. I told my cousin, Sue Ellis, about the notice, thinking her writing is more suited to arty type magazines than mine. Of course her submission was accepted, her writing is unique. Anyhow, I had a story outside my usual genres percolating in my head and wrote it up. Yay! Looks like I'll be doing some book reviews of local author's books for the magazine, too.

Meanwhile, I've heard nothing new on the release date for One Foot on the Edge.

That's it for this time. Happy Valentine's Day, ya'll. Be sure to tell your nearest and dearest you love them.

Two posts in one day! I'm setting a new record, but since this blog is supposed to primarily be about writing, I thought I'd better get back on track.

Letter of the Law is my latest book release, which came out earlier this fall. This one is in audio, published by Books In Motion. http://booksinmotion.com/ LETTER OF THE LAW By C.K. CRIGGER

A western set in a fictional town in North Idaho, here's the blurb:

Diggett Monroe’s gang of outlaws wants to take over the town of Endurance, Idaho. To this end, they ambush Sheriff Pelham Birdsall, leaving him for dead. But Birdsall, thanks to his young wife Delight, doesn’t die, and as she strives to get him back on his feet in time for the inevitable showdown, more and more of the sheriff’s duties fall on her shoulders. In this, she is assisted by an unlikely deputy and a three-legged dog, but in the end, it takes all of them to vanquish the outlaws.

As an historical aside, a sheriff’s wife was often called upon to provide meals and other amenities for prisoners in her husband’s jail. In return, depending on the prisoner’s character and his crime, he might chop wood for the stove or do other chores. Neither the sheriff nor his wife was paid extra for prisoner provisions or for her work.

Read By Rusty Nelson

Approx. 7.23 Hrs.

7 CD'S Rated PG

Eastern Washington and northern Idaho have been innundated with snow this month. We've set a new record for most snow in a single month. with more falling and predicted to continue over the next two days and into the new year. All that white stuff is piled high, I assure you. Darn good thing for 4-wheel drive pickups!

Anyhow, aside from the fact the year had previously been darn short on moisture (and this snow is dry so it takes a lot) the beauty of the snow, the depth, and the cold, all lend themselves to becoming fuel for a writer's fire. Is that a mixed metaphor or something? No? Just confusing?

I'm currently writing a story that takes place at least partially in the winter. This is one way to set the mood.

This picture was taken only after the first week. It's gotten much deeper!

Four months have gone by without me blogging here. The subject of my August 4th post took a lot of life out of me, although the overwhelming sadness is better now. For one thing, I started taking 5-HTP, a serotonin supplement which has helped ease the depression and SADD even during these cold, dark autumn and winter months. I had terrible reactions to prescription anti-depressants, so this has been a God-send to me.

Also helpful has been inviting a new puppy to live at our house. Tomasella joined us in October and has really livened up our old place. She's urged my older dog to come out of mourning, too, so she's been a winner all around. It doesn't hurt that she's cuter than cute can be. She's a hybrid (they're calling mixed breed doggies either hybrids or designer dogs nowadays) of Maltese and Shih Tzu. The breeders call her a Shima. Nice.