The Mystery Search

Last week I introduced a feature to my chat group (McKenna Jeffries List) in which I explored a search I’ve been working on. I decided to share it with you. Come on and share in my search …

Before I became a writer I was of course an avid reader (and I still am). Nothing is more thrilling than the hunt for a good book. Although I love romance I read all genres. I also write work in most of them. I like to mix up my reading. My bookshelves are filled with anything from Laurell K. Hamilton to Brenda Jackson.

At the end of last year I picked up a book I had on my shelf for a while. It was a Nora Roberts novel The Villa. It was good and I was hooked. I love Nora Robert’s work. She can go from contemporary to suspense without blinking an eye. She also writes as JD Robb. The In Death series is phenomenal. Before the Nora I had recently read Janet Evanovich, Plum and Full series (they were a funny). With Nora I always find something different and since I love me some Nora Roberts she opened my appetite for some more. This led me to my search for more romantic suspense/ mystery books. I went through Julie Garwood, Linda Howard, Kay Hooper, Lisa Gardner, and Tami Hoag. This is just a few of the authors I found. I am still in the process of reading to catch up on their various series.

Although I had this great list of authors I was still on the hunt because if you notice there is not an African American mystery writer or a book that features a heroine/hero in the bunch at least not from the one’s I’ve read so far. Beside this being one of the markets that I write novels for I as a reader wanted to read more. So for sometime now I have been on the hunt to add to my already growing list of mystery/romantic suspense writer’s some good quality African American author’s or books that features heroine/hero.

With my search I checked my own to be read pile on my bookshelf and came up with a copy of Body of Truth by Deirdre Savoy. I read it in a day. It was good and I wanted more. I asked around to my friends who share my passion for great books and although I got a list of great authors (some I already had) none was what I was searching for. Since then I have been on the look out searching the book store for more. The other day I took my search to the web and stumbled on a site I wanted to share.

Mystnoir ~http://mystnoir.com/

Directly from the site:

MystNoir features mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels written by or featuring African-Americans.

I was so happy to find this site and after exploring I came to find out the creator of the site is actually Angela Henry who is also a writer. I went out quickly to search for her book The Company You Keep which was released in May 2005 under BET Book's Sepia imprint. I took me a little time to find it but I have and am in the process of reading it. So now with the help of the info on the MystNoir site I have added to my already growing list (the authors I listed above) romantic suspense/mystery. What I love about the site is they also give you a breakdown of the Author’s and the characters that they write about. Yes there are a bunch of author’s who has continuing series that follow the same characters. I didn’t realize. For those of you out there who did why didn’t you share the wealth? LOL. Now onto my question.

I am still looking for more reads. Both with African American heroine/hero and without. As long as it is a good story I’ll read it. Yes it’s a miracle my shelf still has space.

Who are you favorite romantic suspense/ mystery author and why?

A Month in the Writer’s Life ~ March 2006

March was my month of catch up. Catching up on my wirting, groups, email, and so on…..

I sent out Conquering Jazz to my agent and am now playing the waiting game. As a writer you learn to wait to here. Now I’m not saying that I am patience while I wait. I look at the phone and sometimes feel like yelling. “Come on and ring damn you.” I conatin myself. LOL. So now as I wait I am working on other projects I have. Another things about writing you shoud always be writing. Writing to build the amount of completed novels.With each book there are so many dynamic to explore and discover.

For now I’m working on exploring Turning the Tables, the next Hamlin family & friends novel. Jermaine Hamlin and Rhonda Carrington has a diverse, intense, and sometimes voliatle history. It is taking careful planning for me to lay the layers of who they are. There wants, needs and expectations. I know what I want to write. I alredy have the outline for Turning the Tables and the three novels in the Hamlin family & friends series. My work on Turning the Tables is very hot and emotional.Look for what is going on with my alter ego Kaitlyn St. James under the blog’s usually titled Kaitlyn St. James Happening’s.

That’s all so far in my A Month in the Writer’s Life until next month.

McKenna

Kaitlyn St. James Happening’s ~ March 2006

I’ve been working on Johannes. Shifted some things around and cut some others. The time I am taking to build the society and world around my Guardians is paying off. Each day is another layer of discovery. They are coming clear and crisp from my head down onto my computer screen. My hope is that when it gets published (no dates yet I haven’t submitted it) it will come to life for you as it has for me. With eachj new thing I am surprised and pleased. There is a blurb and excerpt on the Kaitlyn St. James site for Johannes.
The next issue of the St. James Chronicle my bi-monthly newsletter will be posted around in April around the 15 th of the month. I’ve decided that it will be posted on a bi-monthly basis around 15 th of the month from now on.Until the next issue us out you can check out the January /February 2006 here.

Until next time, look for the unexpected!

Kaitlyn St. James

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