Ask an International Guy of Mystery

Dear International Guy,
In preparation for a vacation in Las Vegas I just read Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion. I didn't find this book very uplifting, nor did it reveal any good gambling secrets. Do you know what this book is about or, especially, any good tips for gambling? Didion made Vegas sound negative. I don't go with negative, I go with positive.
J. "Jack" Cass, Jacksonville, Oregon

Dear Jack Cass,
Play it as it Lays is a chilling novel about the barren and immoral environments of both Las Vegas and Hollywood back in the 60s. Since then Las Vegas has become one of the happiest places on earth, with rides and pyramids and castles, so don't let old sourpuss Joan keep you from wishing upon a star or your favorite combination of numbers. Besides, from Didion's book I think it's only negative for women, not men. When I was there I saw huge lines of men getting their paychecks at the Paychecks Only windows, so how negative is that?
I just returned from the PSWA convention at the Orleans Hotel in Vegas (if you haven't heard about this conference, I just don't know, I may have to unfriend you on Facebook), and I did hit upon a winning system after a great deal of experimentation. My initial mistake was to continue throwing money into a slot machine that had a sign above it saying, "Baldo Won $5,600!" After a few hours I felt cheated, even wondering if Baldo is a real name. Then I found a machine that was tucked away from the main casino floor, near the elevators to the guest rooms, and I WON EVERY TIME! Sometimes I hit and got a Snickers, sometimes a bag of Bugles, and once a roll of Lifesavers! I felt like Minnesota Fats, especially since I gained several pounds.
Viva Las Vegas, Jack,
Guy

Ask an International Guy of Mystery

Dear Guy,
Can you explain to me what deja vu means? My uncle says it all the time. He spent years working a tungsten mine all by himself in Nevada, eating nothing but ramen noodles and cans of Dinty Moore beef stew while reading Robert Crais mystery novels. Does it have something to do with either of these things? He spent years all by himself working at a tungsten mine in Nevada where he ate ramen noodles with Dinty Moore beef stew and read Robert Crais novels. What does it mean?
Tyrone Chu Laces, Tigard, Oregon

Dear Tyrone,
Deja means leave it in Spanish, and I think vu might be some form of the word you or yours, so my guess is that deja vu means something like leave your stuff there. Or maybe leave it alone. I have to say that there's something about your uncle's story that intrigues me. When I read it I had this eerie feeling of having heard the whole thing before. Did I dream it? It seems like I might have overheard somebody at a bar in Nevada talking about a tungsten mine and noodles and stew and Robert Crais mystery novels. I have this feeling that it means something, but I can't put my finger on it. Oh, well, c'est la vie,
Guy

Interview with Performance Poet Warm Pie
The International Guy of Mystery managed to speak with Warm Pie during the Sydney Slamapalooza, which turned out to be Pie's third poetry slam victory in two weeks. The interview was cut short when adoring fans demolished part of the stage while demanding an encore from Pie.

IGM: Do you prefer being called Warm or Pie?
WP: Where is my cat?
IGM: I don't know. Let me ask you about your first collection of poems, which has sold over 500,000 copies in seven languages. The title poem, "I Peed," has been referred to as the most complete poem in the 21st Century by Yoko Ono. Would you mind performing it for us?
WP: I just did.
IGM: I mean, with the words and all.
WP: OK. "Sunlight through the blinds/ Cat whiskers. The world/ Smelled like milk./ Mama picked me up./ I peed."
IGM (weeping): Thank you! Thank you!
WP: Where is my cat?
IGM: I don't know. Who or what are your influences?
WP: Of course Wallace Stevens and William Carlos Williams, but I've always loved the Dadaists. Do you know where my cat went?
IGM: No, but I'm being told that you need to return to the stage, or what's left of it. Thank you, Warm! Thank you, Pie!
WP: I'm hungry.

Ask an International Guy of Mystery
Dear Guy,
I was wondering if you could tell me about a type of book, or genre I guess, called Steampunk. I was riding the Greyhound home to Baker City from a Star Trek convention in Vegas, dressed as Brunt (who as you know is a liquidator with Ferengi Commerce and doesn't like idle talk) when this guy boards in Greeley (how we ended up going through Northern Colorado still baffles me) and tells me I would love reading Steampunk. I told him I was only interested in supplanting Grand Negus Zek, which made him clam up. So, is there such a type of literature called Steampunk?
Baffled in Baker, Oregon

Dear Baffled,
Yes, I have heard that there is a literary sub-genre called Steampunk, and there are two logical descriptions. One would be mystery novels where annoying little punks, like Macaulay Culkin, get people very angry or steamed up (think Home Alone). The other would be about the punk subculture, people with Mohawks and dog chains, having lots of steamy sex (think Sid Vicious and the Sex Pistols, but don't think about the sex acts because they would likely involve bondage and sadism). I had a similar encounter with a stranger on a train who pulled my leg, trying to convince me that Steampunk was a type of science fiction based on 19th Century technology. I almost told him that, since there were no punks nor much sex in the 19th Century, and since (hello!) science fiction is about the future, not the past, his story made no sense, but he was dressed like a space alien with pointed ears, and I didn't want to rile him. I did titter a bit behind my train schedule, though.
International Guy

Interview with Marilyn Meredith

The International Guy of Mystery interviewed Marilyn Meredith after he had failed to find gold in a stream near her home in the Sierra Nevada foothills (the 150-year-old map he'd bought from a genuine gold prospector had the word Walmart written on its back--ancestor of the modern businessman?) Marilyn is a prolific author! She's published more than 35 mystery novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest River Spirits from Mundania Press. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel is Violent Departures, from Oak Tree Press. Marilyn is a member of two chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com

IGM:     If you had to give a quick, one-sentence description of your novel (or series) to a Hollywood mogul, what would you say?

MM: Two violent departures and a haunted house baffle members of the Rocky Bluff P.D.

IGM:   What inspired you to write this series (personal experience, books you love, real people and events, etc.)?

MM: First, yes, I did enjoy reading police procedurals, but never thought about writing one until my son-in-law became a police officer. My daughter didn’t like to hear his stories, so he told them to me. He took me on my first police ride-along. We also lived in a neighborhood with many law enforcement families, so I observed a lot about how what was going on with the job affected the family, and what happened at home affected the job. A theme that flows through all the books in the series. Yes, I do use some real events, but they are greatly fictionalized.

IGM:     What gives you the most joy as a writer?

MM: There’s nothing better than having a reader tell me how much they liked a book I wrote. I do have some fans who are really great about sharing what they enjoyed most about a book.

.

IGM:     What is the hardest thing about writing?

     MM: Writing is the best and most satisfying part of the whole process—but it

     doesn’t stop here. Next comes the rewriting and the editing, and I enjoy            

     both. But what takes the most time and effort is promoting the book and     

     I’m usually doing that while writing a book in my other series.

IGM:    How did you come up with the titles?

MM: Some titles are easy and come about from something that jumps right out of the plot. The title, Murder in the Worst Degree, was given to me before I ever wrote the book. Towards the end, I was scrambling to figure out how to tie the tile in with what I’d written. A few times I’ve asked my critique group (who hear all my books chapter by chapter) for suggestions.

IGM:    Tell a little about your process. Do you know how your novels should end before you start?  

MM: The short answer to the question is “No.” I often begin thinking I know—but more times than not, I even change who I think the murderer is as I’m writing.

As to the process, because I write series—I have ongoing situations with characters that must progress—and actually, that is helpful because it gives me minor plot threads to weave into the main story. Next, I need to come up with a murder: how it happened, motives for more than one person, who those suspects are, and other crimes to occupy the police department.

IGM:     Pretend you are fielding a baseball team with your favorite writers. List them by position.

MM: The only baseball I ever watch is when kids are playing so really don’t have a good answer for this one. I have many favorite authors—really too many to list. I enjoy reading new writers’ books too.

IGM:   Pretend your book is being made into a movie. What actors would play the lead characters? (Note: if your book is being optioned for a movie, you may wish to send several thousand dollars to the International Guy of Mystery Foundation as a tax write-off).

MM: I’ve been asked this question before, and because I already see my characters as individuals, I have no idea who would play the leads in a movie.  I know some authors, especially those who write romance, who pick out specific actors and base their characters on them. I’ve never done that. What I have done is pick particular characteristics and appearance of people I’ve met and give them to the people in my books.  Fortunately no one has ever recognized him or herself.

Here's a blurb for Violent Departures:

College student, Veronica Randall, disappears from her car in her own driveway, everyone in the Rocky Bluff P.D. is looking for her. Detective Milligan and family move into a house that may be haunted. Officer Butler is assigned to train a new hire and faces several major challenges.

Interview with Filmmaker Progress Hornsby

The International Guy of Mystery met internationally famous independent filmmaker Progress Hornsby on a floating birthday party for Danny DeVito aboard the cruise ship Monkey Business on the San Francisco Bay (Note: Mr. DeVito was not on board). The International Guy found the enigmatic Hornsby on deck as The Monkey Business crossed under the Bay Bridge.

IGM: Progress, I guess the first question is about inspiration: where do your ideas come from?
PH: Wait. Will you say that again? I'd like to shoot you doing that.
IGM: What? Oh, um, I guess the first question is about inspiration...
PH: No, do it like before, you were sort of picking your nose.
IGM: I was not.
PH: Wow, that's crazy! Nice! You did it again. Keep talking.
IGM: Where do your ideas come from?
PH: People are crazy beautiful, I love to watch them.
IGM: What makes a good movie?
PH: It has to have legs and be crazy beautiful.
IGM: What do you mean by legs?
PH: Oh, do that again, look down at your shoes, man. Your bald spot is great.
IGM: I don't have a bald spot.
PH: Sweet! Hey,it's been lovely, but I need to go. Ciao, Baby.

Interview with Book Critic Mimi van Gogh

The International Guy of Mystery spoke with world famous book critic Mimi van Gogh in the backseat of her parents' car as she was rushing from the Frankfurt Book Fair to catch a flight to Paris for a gala library opening.

IGM: What an honor to finally meet you, Ms. van Gogh!
MvG: It is nothing.
IGM: Is Mimi van Gogh your real name, or is that a nom de plume?
MvG: Go fish.
IGM: What are you currently reviewing?
MvG: The London Times has requested a review of this "Alphabet Book" by an obscure author I will not bother to mention. I find it terribly predictable.
IGM: How so?
MvG: Who does not know that A is for apple?
IGM: Oh, yes. Do you dislike most books that you review?
MvG: Most American books for children are unfortunately childish.
IGM: Are there authors or books that you particularly enjoy?
MvG: I went through a Marcel Proust phase, but now I prefer something with more fictive elan, more muscular diction, and less self-conscious ontological ennui.
IGM: I...I feel the same way. Do you see any trends in publishing?
MvG: There is only one trend, and that is to make money. I must say adieu now.
IGM: What does that mean?