Out of My Rabbit's Hole

I've been intensely going at my third novel which seems to be wandering in all directions. I've finally realized I have four stories and that's why it's been so tough. But man, I've got to get out of my rabbit hole. There's a whole world out there.
I missed the film The Constant Gardener when it was playing in the theaters, but I've recently subscribed to netflix--what the heck--I thought I'd try it, and I've been seeing a round of movies, including the abovementioned The Constant Gardener. Hey, I didn't realize it was a John Le Carre invention--I would have flown to the theater to see it. No, he didn't write the screenplay, but he wrote the novel on which the movie is based. I have not kept up with him--and I don't know why that is. Maybe I thought he was deceased. But no, he's still writing! I read the Spy That Came in From the Cold many times and I don't do that that often with books. I also read other books of his--I was hooked, and then I dropped off his radar--so I was shocked when I learned he wrote that book. Sometimes I'm just so unaware. Angela mentioned the good news news, which is great--but often I just skip the news--it's too depressing and I often know nothing of what's going on in the world. But of course, people are going to tell you anyway. They can't help it. It's social--what happened in the news today. A conversation starter. A cab ride conversation. An opener on a date.
Now, of course, I have to get the book and read it. Which is totally backwards for me. No one sees the movie first and reads the book. Do they? Except me. But I'm dying to read it. A thriller with the premise of how American drug companies used African countries and their people as guinea pigs for drug testing and cover up the evidence of deaths and dying. Reminiscent of the syphillis testing in the U.S.
Greed, greed, that's what fuels this country! I don't get a good feeling about being an American as I used to. Those first pictures of troops in Afganistan and the first acts of running to the oil fields to keep them intact has stayed with me quite a long time, no matter what patriotic rhetoric is being blown up my ass.
Well, I certainly didn't mean to go there, but hey, that's what blogs are for, n'est-ce pas?

I'm going to be with my girl Pamela Samuels-Young at Bouchercon--a first for both of us. Pamela told me she'll be trying to re-start the defunct Authors of Color sub-group of Sisters in Crime. I think it could be useful to start a group like that--only because our publishing problems take on a different color--no pun intended. The character of the problems are a little different, I think. Or maybe not, perhaps it's just the different publishing houses and different philosophies of publishing. I'd like to hear other authors of color comment about that.
We've talked before about how the new African American lines within the various publishing houses have a different "flavah" now as opposed to days of old, different product, etc.

Okay, shutting up now. Until next time.

Gammy

Same Name Game

Have any of you been noticing lately how many books have the same title? I was flipping through the September issue of Ebony magazine and saw that Walter Mosley's new Paris Minton/Fearless Jones novel will be out next month and is called Fear of the Dark. The title sounded so familiar. Then I remembered that another mystery writer, Gar Anthony Haywood's debut mystery, which introduced his stellar private eye Aaron Gunner, was also called Fear of the Dark.

Currently, I'm listening to the audio book for Jonathan Kellerman's latest Alex Delaware mystery called Gone, earlier this summer I listened to the audio book for Lisa Gardner's thriller also called Gone. As a matter of fact, I'm currently working on a thriller that was tentatively titled Gone. I've since changed the title.

Remember last summer when two books called Bliss were published? One by Danyel Smith and the other by Fiona Zedde? Two completely different books but with one thing in common. The female main characters of both books escape to an island paradise to seek answers to the problems plaguing their lives. And four years ago an author named Garbrielle Pina wrote a mystery also called Bliss. Don't know if an island was featured in that one.

Both of my books, The Company You Keep and Tangled Roots, share titles with other books. Author Neil Gordon's The Company You Keep was published in 2003 and is a about an ex sixties militant who's new identity is uncovered and goes on the lam for a long ago bank robbery. Mystery writer Taffy Cannon's book Tangled Roots was published in 1995 and is the second book in her series featuring trial lawyer Nan Robinson.

My editor came up with the title The Company You Keep, which was originally The Pleasure of His Company, and I came up with Tangled Roots, which had originally been The Braider's Tale. The original title for my third book, which is about the murder of an actress, was One Dead Diva. My editor thought it was too harsh so it was changed to Diva's Last Curtain Call. Personally, I suck when it comes to thinking up book titles. I wonder what authors and publishers would do if book titles were copyrighted? I guess we'd be forced to think more creatively.

Angela ; )