You've the Right to Six Words - Lucky Number 13

A little off our regular schedule but still a fun group of authors to share with you this week. Since it's Week 13 and there are superstitions associated with 13, I couldn't help but notice commonalities that seem to run among our crime writers.

Take for instance our first memoirist this week. Vicki Delany is from Canada but she spent eleven years in South Africa. She was able to retire early from her job as a systems analyst and these days she writes whenever she wants to. I envy the fact that she doesn't need to wear a watch. But before she retired, she was raising three children while working full-time, so her writing was restricted primarily to Sunday afternoons. Bruce Springsteen kept her company as she wrote.

Whether writing on Sunday afternoons or whenever she so chooses, Vicki claims a police procedural series, the Smith & Winters series, as well as the Klondike series which takes place in the Yukon during the Gold Rush of 1898. In November of 2009 the third book in the Smith & Winters series, WINTER OF SECRETS, made its way to bookstores, and in March of this year, the second book from the Klondike series, GOLD FEVER, saw print. As if those aren't enough to keep her busy, Vicki also has three stand alone novels, the first of which, WHITEOUT, earned her an Eppie Award.

Despite a lot of hard work and determination that definitely went into Vicki's accomplishments, she says,

I know how lucky I am.

And we know how lucky we all are who also get to reap the rewards or her labors.

Next up is an author who was born in California but spent most of his youth growing up in Hawaii. Robert Gregory Browne has been a musician, a screenwriter and a novelist, as well as a janitor, a flower delivery boy, a Hollywood messenger, hotel room maid, criminal intake processor, legal secretary, magazine columnist, AND a video editor. I'd say he has a wealth of experiences to draw from in his writing!

Rob ultimately made his way back to California with his wife, whom he met in high school. Working his way into his screenwriting gig, Rob developed screenplays for Showtime, Viacom and Marvel, among others. He even racked up an AMPAS Nicholl Award. But all of that didn't keep him from jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire of novel writing.

Rob's first novel KISS HER GOODBYE is in production as a pilot for CBS Television. Fitting since Rob first envisioned the concept as a screenplay. The pilot is called ATF and will star Dylan Walsh, Michael Rapaport, Terry Kinney and Sandrine Holt. Rob's most recent release was DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN which came out this past May. He's now hard at work on a supernatural thriller, PARADISE CITY. When he isn't busy with all of his novel writing or his wife, two grown children, two cats and two dogs, you can find him blogging at Murderati or his own writer's advice blog Casting the Bones.

With all of this action to juggle, it's a no wonder that Rob tells me he's chronically sleep-deprived, which in turn explains his memoir:

I'd rather be home sleeping.

And wrapping up our memoirists this week we have a woman who works full time as a paralegal in Los Angeles. When Sue Ann Jaffarian comes home from the day job she goes back to work, this time writing. She has five books in her Odelia Grey mystery series about a paralegal - hey! The most recent book in the Odelia Grey series came out in February and it's titled CORPSE ON THE COB. The first book in the series, TOO BIG TO MISS, has been optioned for film. She also has GHOST A LA MODE which is the beginning of her Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series, and next month she's going to unveil MURDER IN VEIN, the first book of her Fang-In-Cheek mystery series.

Don't think these are Sue Ann's only accomplishments. Oh no! My hat goes off to this woman who last summer completed...not just participated but completed the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. Those are some serious runners out there folks and she completed the event. Not bad for a woman working full time as a paralegal! Somehow, though, she still finds time to blog at Babble 'N Blog, present as a motivational speaker, socialize on Twitter and Facebook, and fight the good fight against all that cat hair. I don't know about you all, but I'm pretty darned impressed. What does Sue Ann think about it all?

The fat little engine who did.

She sure did! And I love it.

So many thanks to all of our authors contributing today. If you haven't experienced any of these authors, I encourage you to check them out. Visit your library or you can use the links I've supplied to find their books at super wonderful indie mystery bookstores. I just love these little glances into the lives of the creative, talented folks who entertain us with their gifts. I appreciate their time and I appreciate all of you stopping by to share the fun with me.

Next week we'll be back to our regular post on Wednesday as the countdown to the end of Season 2 continues. Happy Reading!

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