(Jackie Houchin is standing in temporarily for another member.)
Before we go on to some inspiring quotes from a dozen great mystery writers, here’s a little housekeeping to help you get the most from our blog.
1. Have you ever been unable to see or post comments on The Writers In Residence blog? Here’s a trick to try.
When you first open the page, “click on” the title of the post. NOT the site title, but the new posting title. In this case, it would be “Housekeeping & Inspiration.” The page should adjust, and then you will be able to see the Comments section. Try it! PS: You will also be able to see the extended bio of the current posting’s author.
2. If you are curious about the rest of us bloggers, you can go to the top of the site and click on “About.” This will give you the complete list of bios by author.
3. From the sidebar, you can also search past postings by typing in an author’s name in the “Search” box and clicking. Recent articles by that author will appear. You can also type in a topic. If we have covered that, you will see them as well.
4. If you came upon our blog via social media and like what you see, you can enter your email address in the next box and click on “Subscribe.” Then you will receive an email every Wednesday with a link to the new post. We’d love for you to join us!
5. Further down the side bar, you will see “Recent Posts,” and under that, you can search by month and year in the “Archives”. We go back to 2009!
6. If you have any other questions, you can use the “Contact” feature at the top of the page, but (blush, blush) I’m not sure at this point, whom that will go to! Eek! If all else fails, and you are SERIOUS, you can email me. Photojaq@aol.com.
And now for the INSPIRING QUOTES! *
“The mystery story is two stories in one: the story of what happened and the story of what appeared to happen.” Mary Roberts Reinhart
“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.” The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
“Another dead body. Every year it is the same. Every year, another dead body…” Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters
“All things are poisons, for there is nothing without poisonous qualities. It is only the dose which makes the thing poison.” Paracelsus
“The best crime novels are all based on people keeping secrets.” Alafair Burke
“Revenge is sweet and not fattening.” Alfred Hitchcock
“Conversations are always dangerous, if you have something to hide.” A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie
“People are straightforward enough, on the whole, till one starts to look for crooked motives, and then, oh boy, how crooked can they be!” The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart
“Truth will come to sight; murder cannot be hid long.” The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
“There simply must be a corpse in a detective novel, and the deader the corpse the better.” S. S. Van Dine
“The great advantage about telling the truth is that nobody ever believes it.” Dorothy L. Sayers
“Very few of us are what we seem” The Man in the Mist by Agatha Christie.
*This collection of quotes is from The Bookish Sleuth, Mystery Reader’s Calendar by mystery writer, Sara Rosett
My fellow fish in the sea of writing, Writers In Residence in particular, have finished products that are enduring; books bound in soft or hard covers, given as gifts, re-read, treasured, shared among friends, and at the very least, end up on Friends of Library book shelves or even at yard sales at discounted prices to be bought and re-read again.
About being the odd man (woman) out…I actually feel comfortable among my book writing and selling sisters. And if I can promote them, inspire them, write about them or their books, I will. (Look forward in the next months for some blog posts in which I feature these WWWs, or WIRs – you know, the talented, passionate, fun, interesting friends in our little lake of scribes.)
The Writers in Residence 