This Week At The Tiki Hut - Ryder Islington

This week at the Tiki Hut, we welcome mystery and suspense author Ryder Islington as she pops in during her blog tour! The full list of Ryder's blog tour stops can be found at LL Publications and Ryder's Blog.

A graduate of the University of California and former officer for a large sheriff’s department, RYDER ISLINGTON is now retired and doing what she loves: reading, writing, and gardening. She lives in Louisiana with her family, including a very large English Chocolate Lab, a very small Chinese pug, and a houseful of demanding cats. She can be contacted at RyderIslington@yahoo.com or visit her blog at http://ryderislington.wordpress.com/.


Writing Mystery and Crime

Mystery and crime are not mutually exclusive, but they are very different beasts. Mystery is all about keeping the truth from the reader until the right time while giving them plenty of truth, along with a few red herrings. I love a good mystery. The best advice I ever got regarding mystery was to make the truth of the matter so plain that the reader would be saying, “Naw, it can’t be that easy.” To do that, you have to make sure there is a logical explanation for why it can’t possibly be that easy. Supplying just enough information, and creating characters the readers trust and believe in, can really divert the truth. As readers, we want the good guys to win, the bad guys to suffer, and the truth to be our own truth.

Writing crime is all about making the reader understand what really happened to the victim, and the truth behind the criminal’s motivations. First, you have to understand the nature of the crime. Kidnapping may be defined differently in one state than in another, so you have to do your homework regarding the definition and elements of the crime you’ll be writing about. If you have characters who work in law enforcement, you have to learn some of the codes they use, which again, vary from state to state.

Then there is the victim. Who is she? Why was she there? Why was she chosen? What was she thinking? What did she go through? How many times does she get close to getting away? Does she even try, or is she too afraid to move?

And finally, the criminal. Is the kidnapper the father of the victim? Or a boyfriend? Or a crazed maniac looking for fast cash? Is he big enough to overpower the victim? Or did he have to compensate with a weapon? Is he a coward at heart? Was he once a good guy that had terrible things happen, things he couldn’t cope with? Is he smart enough to plan the crime, or does he have someone else pulling his strings?

I personally like to write about the psychology of the victim and criminal. I like to get into their heads and make the reader feel some compassion for the bad guy, and some negative feelings about the victim.

And then you have to decide about the gore factor. If you’re writing a cozy, the crime is over with and the scene scrubbed. But I like the gritty stuff, so when a young boy sticks a hunting knife into the gut of a pervert, I want the reader to feel the knife going in, the blood running over his fist. And when the boy smiles and says, “Ooo, warm. Velvety,” I want the reader’s face to scrunch up as if she’d just bitten into a dill pickle.

While revising Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery, I kept returning to the gory scenes, upping the ante, spilling the guts, and then going to the psychological response to the gore, trying to make it disgusting but at the same time, believable. This is the stuff of real life. This is what officers all over the country face regularly. It’s not all tickets, and hauling drunks in to sleep it off. Every day there are murders, kidnappings, rapes and other violent crimes occurring. I’m hoping that reading my book will give you a glimpse into what can shape people into psychopaths, and how ‘normal’ the bad guy can seem.

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ULTIMATE JUSTICE by Ryder Islington

A Trey Fontaine Mystery

Special Agent Trey Fontaine has his hands full as he tries to juggle three different sets of cases in his hometown. While healing from a bullet wound, and on limited duty, he is charged with helping find out what's happening to young women who are disappearing without a trace. But that's just the beginning. Someone is beating and raping women in town, women who are related to his godfather, Detective Russell Coleman. And then the bodies of men start showing up, eviscerated. Are the crimes related? Or are has the town become a haven for all sorts of criminals?

Wile, Rocky, and Drew, three children from a violent home, take matters into their own hands and soon the small town of Raven Bayou, Louisiana is brimming with dead bodies. But the only victims are those whose background proves them to be deserving of such justice.

Can Special Agent Trey Fontaine stop the violence? Or will he only figure out the truth after someone he loves is dead?

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This Week's Special Guest - Betty Gordon

This week at the AuthorIsland Tiki Hut, we welcome mystery author Betty Gordon as she talks about Egypt and her new novel VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS.

Betty Gordon, a native Texan, moved from Dallas to Houston in search of her destiny. After careers as a dance instructor, sculptor, and legal assistant, she followed her dream to write books that would entertain and challenge readers.

Betty graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown with a B.S. in Professional Writing and from U of H-Clear Lake with an M.A. in Literature (Creative Writing), and an M.A. in Visual Arts. She attended law school for a year before leaving for the world of art and writing. She continues her education with on-line writing workshops and conferences.

A supportive husband, three grown sons, and a Maltese who thinks he's another son complete her family.

Publishing credentials: Murder in the Third Person, Deceptive Clarity, The Magic of Christmas (a mini-ebook collection of short stories for all seasons), Valley of Obsessions (Coming Soon), and The Common Thread (co-authored with CC Smith) Release date 2011. Numerous short stories in L&L Dreamspell's anthologies, Dead and Breakfast, A Death in Texas, A Box of Texas Chocolates, and Twisted Tales of Texas Landmarks.

Betty is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Writers' League of Texas, The Final Twist, Houston Writers' Guild, and Bay Area Writers' League.

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VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS
by Betty Gordon
BEHIND THE SCENES

VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS and the delights of exploring ancient Egypt were just mustard seeds when I was trying to convince my husband to make San Antonio, Texas, our vacation spot some years ago. Beautiful scenery, festive restaurants, and shops await visitors as they follow the Riverwalk that borders the San Antonio River. We had been to San Antonio more times than you could count on one hand, but I enjoyed it every time.

My husband acted interested and said he would check on travel details. I was happy and began the imaginary journey during the days that followed. A few days passed. He hadn’t said anything about the trip and I couldn’t stand it one more minute. So, trying not to sound plaintive, I asked how plans for the trip were coming. He smiled but didn’t say anything. I’m not known for my patience, so this time – not caring if I sounded plaintive or not – I started in on him.

“If you don’t want to go, just say so.”

He hugged me and let me in on a secret he managed to keep from me. I’ll never forget his next words as they made a dream of a lifetime come true.

“How would you like to take a journey down the Nile?”

The rest is history. We went to Egypt and had the experience of our lives. I only wish I could go again and experience more, but with the unrest in that part of the world, I doubt it will happen. Truthfully, it doesn’t matter. I was there, I saw as much of Cairo and the monuments as possible., I made a voyage down the Nile via a boat that allowed passengers to disembark at historical sites, I saw King Tutankhamen’s Tomb, and I relived it all in VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS.

The concept for the story and characters began when I made this trip to Egypt some years ago. The pharaohs, the monuments – everything about the country intrigued me and had done so since childhood when I could only look at pyramids in picture books. I decided during this memorable trip to write about my adventures although the actual words wouldn’t come to life until much later. Many unbelievable things happened during my journey to this impressive country and these happenings are woven into the story. Of course, not ALL occurrences are real and even those that are have been fictionalized to a certain extent. Sketches of prominent story sites are included as well as one photo I took while in Egypt. I had numerous photographs, of course, but sadly they failed to transfer well. The history of this country, the majestic and memorable pyramids, and monuments wrapped themselves around me impatiently waiting to see print.

My characters usually evolve from my imagination when I first enter the twilight zone at night. Unfortunately, oftentimes these thoughts keep me from sleep and I end up at the computer describing a character or creating a budding plot. Desiree Roberts, the protagonist in Valley of Obsessions, is a natural for me as I wore a hat as a paralegal/legal assistant for many years. So, I understand this woman who searches for ways to unite with a fascinating country in a special way and find love at the same time.

Most of the time I am what one would call a “pantster.” I develop the story as I write, but this novel evolved in a way that required some outlining. Even though I write down the characters’ traits when I begin the story, their personality quirks develop much later and are capable of changing the direction of the story. My Muse usually takes over at this point and uses the personality quirks to create numerous tantalizing threads in the cast of characters. I think, and hope, that these tantalizing threads lead to a conclusion that is both challenging and surprising for readers.

VALLEY OF OBSESSIONS by Betty Gordon

Desiree's passion for ancient Egyptian culture leads her on a dangerous trip down the Nile.

Can Desiree Roberts leave her law career in Texas and become a 1980's Egyptian?

Will the country that has captivated her since childhood embrace her, or will it lead her down dangerous paths fraught with deception and betrayal?

As Desiree follows her dreams and treks through shifting sands, she enters portals of pharaohs long since entombed. Her obsessions lure her into alien territory filled with suspicious characters - where someone wants to end her fantasies.

How far will he go?

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WIN - Leave Betty a question this week at the Tiki Hut because TWO lucky readers will receive their choice from Betty's book list check out her website for your choices! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you are one of this week's TWO winners!! Good luck!