Get the main character up a tree…

 Michael - Alternate Thursdays

“The writer’s job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up there, throw rocks at them.” - Vladimir Nabokov

First step
Man up tree

[I couldn't resist trying out Chat GPT as the artist to illustrate this topic. Man up the tree came out pretty well. I like his stare into the distance. Worried about the stone throwers, I'd guess.

Second step
Addition of stone throwers

When I asked for the addition of the stone throwers, the perspective became suspect and the whole affair rather biblical. But then that's not unreasonable if you're into stoning people.]

Back to topic. It’s obvious what it means of course - make life impossibly difficult for the main character. This is especially true for thrillers, but probably applies to all fiction. If you work at it, you can get characters into a lot of trouble. However, there are some issues that need to be addressed. The reader needs to care about the character, otherwise the reaction is 'so what'?  However, while it’s quite easy to get the character up there, then what? If it’s really impossibly difficult, the character has no hope. That’s the most intriguing scenario for the reader, but now you have to rescue the character from the impossible situation. Somehow. Unless you’re writing The Lord of the Rings, you can’t have an eagle arrive, invite the character onto its back, and fly off, taking evasive action to avoid the stones.

Jeffrey Deaver says that he plots his books in such detail because of exactly this issue. He needs to know how far he can drive the protagonist up the tree and how many stone throwers he can have and yet still save the character for the next crisis. He's got a point.

Stanley and I are largely “pansers” so we don’t plot more than a general outline. However, our character-up-the-tree is the bad guy, so we don’t expect the reader to identify with him. On the other hand, we need to get him down because we want the book to have an interesting and exciting conclusion. Also, his victim, a boy we hope the reader will care about, is depending on him to return or to tell someone where he is. He's up his own tree. Yet the bad guy is stuck. He has to find someone and has no way of going about that. (The tree.) The whole Botswana police force is looking for him. (The stone throwers.) How is he going to pull that off?

Actually, unfortunately we don’t know. We have some ideas, but most of them have flaws or are too much like the eagle approach. We’re working on it right now. 

So back to work. Hopefully I can give you positive update in two weeks' time.

To Be . . . or not to Airbnb?

 Sujata Massey

I recently finished writing an honest 5-star review for the charming cottage in East Nashville. As you probably guessed, I booked it through the business website, Airbnb. Isn’t that the first place one consults when looking for an overnight stay far from home? And while I was grateful for a smooth, uneventful stay in an air-conditioned house in what seemed like the hottest city in America, I didn’t feel 100 percent about it. 

I am trying to kick the Airbnb habit. But it’s hard. Looking at the photo above, shot from the porch of a Victorian home Airbnb in Bayfield, Wisconsin, you can see how much good luck I've had with Airbnb.

Still, I’ve heard a lot of negative chatter about Airbnb this summer. In June and July 2025, local people came together to mount mass demonstrations throughout Europe protesting the rampant and unregulated short-term rental culture in their cities and towns. It happens like this. Tourists and digital nomads blow into town during good weather—which in Southern Europe, can run most of the year. They book themselves into apartments for anywhere from a few days to six months. These mostly-millennial and Gen Z folk can pay rents that are sometimes quadruple the regular rate for long-term local renting. 

We stayed in the tall house just beyond car

This desperate situation has arisen because landlords are commonly evicting long-term tenants to turn ordinary flats into souped-up temporary rentals. Local people on salaries that might have allowed for 500 euros rent per month maximum are out in the cold. Now they may have to move from their hometowns to cheaper places, live in cars, or stay with their parents forever. In Crete and on other Greek islands favored by tourists, locals often can only find apartment rentals for 8 or 9 months of the year—the non-tourist months. I’ve seen news reports where Greek and Spanish working people have become homeless and live in their cars. A similar housing crisis is playing out in Dublin, Ireland, not only for reasons of tourism and nomadic workers, but because of mass permanent migration of wealthy foreigners taking advantage of low taxes.

Especially in Barcelona, the summer protests have involved firing flares and water guns at hotels, tourist vehicles and even some cafes where tourists are sitting. Less in-your-face protests in the Netherlands, Greece, Italy and Portugal. This is a spread from similar tourist protests in Spain in 2024.  Many tourists staying in countries during the protests have expressed an uncaring attitude, usually reciting the old cliche that foreign dollars make these countries prosper. Some people prosper, to be sure. But not the everyday Joe.

Our historic St Paul duplex lodging is on right

In the US, short term rental housing companies include the company VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner), and others in addition to Airbnb. And this tourism option has impacted lots of cities including my childhood hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. In St. Paul, downtown hotels are losing business, because businesspeople travel less frequently, and the parents visiting the area's college kids have the chance to stay a few blocks away in historic houses like the one pictured above, where I stayed in 2022 during a chilly weekend. In a variation of this concerned college-parent theme, I booked the Nashville cottage in order to have four or five days to help my college-bound son find and lease his first apartment. I liked staying in a quiet place with free parking and no buses full of drunken bridesmaids. 

Neel and Tony and I found him an apartment, but it was expensive than I expected. In Nashville, most apartments seemed to be in the $1800 to $3000 price range. Wistfully, Tony and I recalled an era when rental prices didn’t  rival house mortgages. In the mid-1990s, we rented a 2 BR, 2 BA apartment in a large 1920s Baltimore building for $1000 a month plus utilities, with just two washers and dryers for everyone to use in the haunted basement. We rose early to find a free machine to wash clothes, but we did manage to save money and buy our first house six years later.

We really liked our apartment, but we absolutely loved our first house, and the two that have since followed. Houses have personalies and quirks that feed into the allure of staying overnight somewhere, in privacy. 

There’s a bit of a gamble with each Airbnb. I punch in a code, turn a knob and hope that the place matches the pretty website photos. I feel lucky when the place is lovely, filled with comfy sofas, tasteful art, and more than one bed and bathroom.  There also have been times when the place I booked reeks or has uncomfortable bedding, anemic plumbing and no more than a two plates and two glasses in the cabinet. And what about the always-recording Alexa device left plugged in? Warning: if you leave a critical review about any of this on Airbnb—the owner might get their revenge by grading you as a terrible guest. 

During our recent two-week-long trip to Greece, Tony and I traveled widely. We stayed in three small hotels, but we started off with four nights in an Airbnb in Chania, Crete. Our abode was a tiny, traditional house just one room wide with a steep, winding staircase that went up three stories. It was a blessing to have a separate floor to tiptoe down to during restless nights with jetlag. More recently, in the East Nashville Airbnb, we enjoyed morning coffee on the back porch overlooking a yard and forested area. A good house, stocked by a caring person for guests, is a haven.

Silva Heritage is called "Home Stay" hotel in Goa, India

Silva's 300-year-old farmland seen from room's balcony

Airbnb meant “air bed and breakfast” originally. The first Airbnbs I heard about were spare rooms in someone’s apartment. This type of arrangement is similar to being a “Paying Guest” in someone’s bungalow in India, or pensione in Italy, or domatia in Greece. And speaking of domatia, I remember fondly staying in several during travels to the Cyclades back in the late 1980s. In the pre-internet days, the only method the owners could attract you was by coming in person to the port, calling out, and holding up signs with photos of the lodging.

I find the advantage to a true homestay is the cultural connection with its owners who can help you in so many ways. We were saved by the kindness of our Airbnb owner in Chania, who did live next door and communicated in Greek with the local airport to deliver our lost luggage. It seemed to me that the little house we stayed in was probably family property, rather than investment, because she told me that her electrician husband had done all the complex lighting in the house. However, a faraway management company had come to handle the bookings and billings in recent years. 

Here I am, pondering whether there is any chance for change--or if this is an inevitable, permanent reshaping of who gets to live where. Can governments fix this for the better? And what would shift things to send more tourists into hotels and thus save lodging for year-round people? 

Hilton and Marriott have been offering for years all-suite hotels that are budget- and family-smart, but rather short on charm. Different hotels could reshape their existing infrastructure to include more genuine, two- and three-room suites with homey features—including coffeemakers and microwaves, which seem to vanish the more a room costs. And why can't a good hotel have some washers and dryers, now that same-day laundry valet isn't always offered? 

Airbnb Victorian cottage in Lewes, DE 

Inevitably, travelers press on. We can dare to make our journeys with the intent to speak at least a few words of the local language, and to perhaps stay in towns where there aren't too many of us. I acknowledge there are some countries and towns where Airbnbs aren’t such a drain on the local housing market, and renting one’s house might be important income for someone who doesn’t have paying work. It's just that when a particular town becomes too famous and too popular, that the problems begin.

 

Right now, I am in the slow--planning stage of various trips to  the United Kingdom, Greece, and Spain. This time, I’m researching smaller hotels and actual bed-and-breakfasts. Do b&bs still exist? If you know a good one, tell me.

A Sinkhole in Singapore, Children's Stories and Celebrating Mr Subbiah!

Ovidia – every other Tuesday.

Here in Singapore we're celebrating Mr Subbiah--Construction site foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah--because his quick thinking saved the woman whose car was caught when two lanes of Tanjong Katong Road South collapsed.
A sinkhole in Singapore?

Singapore is often seen as a model of safety, stability and predictability. We're an island with a granite core and government after all. So the sudden appearance of a sinkhole was all the more shocking.

Workers at a nearby site saw a woman in the vehicle that plunged into the hole (rapidly filling with water) that appeared. Luckily she was conscious and said there was no one else in the car with her. Mr Subbiah coordinated the rescue effort (involving a nylon rope harness) and they got her out in under five minutes.

I found it all the more striking because during a recent story writing workshop at the Naval Base Primary School, in response to suggesting 'bad' things happening, one of the students suggested "An earthquake?" but this was dismissed by her peers as "Something that would never happen in Singapore!"

And yet... this sinkhole (not quite an earthquake but quite as traumatic if you were in that car) happened!

I think that murder stories, whether for children or adults, are a kind of preparation for things beyond the comforting illusion that life is safe and stable.
And when lives are not safe and stable (as for so many right now) they may offer hope that 'this too shall pass'.

I was really surprised and impressed by the young student-writers. And a bit intimidated by them.
When creating characters we asked and answered questions like "What's their favourite food?" and "What's their greatest fear?"
I was expecting answers like "failing exams" or other school issues, but I got responses like, "My character's greatest fear is death," and "My character's greatest fear is his parents going on Haj and dying and him not knowing why they don't come back."

It made me realise that when we're writing with and for children, we can't dumb it down because they're living in the same world and facing the same issues as everyone else.

I'd always had the impression that when writing for children, you don't talk about death.

But even as I write that I know it's not true. One of my favourite children's books, Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage, features a murder or two (or three, if you count the one that happened years ago).

Why do we read and write stories and books? For entertainment, sure. But also because it's a way to learn and see how other people work things out--and sometimes because it helps us figure things out.

The children I was working with had all read my middle-grade book The Mudskipper, which has a sort of villain character, Aunt Mona (somebody dies in the book, but she doesn't murder him). And one child asked, when we talking about villains, "From Aunt Mona's point of view, she might have thought she was actually helping by being so strict. Sometimes my parents are very strict with me, but they mean well. Maybe she meant well too" and we talked about writing paired stories, where the 'villains' of a story are the main characters of the other.

Yes, I was surrounded by twenty five eleven year Rashomon creators! And it was wonderful, I was so impressed by them.

But even more I'm impressed by the schools and teachers who create creative spaces and are constantly stepping up and ploughing down to bring out the best in these students.

I got the thanks, but they are the ones who deserve the credit!

And big thanks, of course, to Mr Subbiah--who has been working here for 22 years and said it's his first time being involved in a rescue effort but was matter of fact about it.

In his words (translated from Tamil) “We saved a life… whatever happens, that is all that matters,”

Talking Mysteries in Minnesota

Annamaria on Monday

When Stan Trollip  invited me to go to Minneapolis and appear with him in a presentation about his and Michael's Kubu detective series, I jumped at the chance.  Why wouldn't I, when the topic was a series I have greatly admired and enjoyed from its very beginning.

Me, the Kubu fan, in Mysterious Bookstore in NYC

in 2013, when Kubu was nominated for an Edgar!

Stan and I met at my first Bouchercon in 2009.  He was there to promote Kubu's 1 and 2 set in Botswana, a place I had visited twice quite recently and was fascinated with.  Also, the founding of Murder is Everywhere was a result of that conference.  Eventually, we co-edited the short story anthology, Sunshine Noir.

Stan's invitation was irresistible.  Minneapolis is, for me, the US city second only to my beloved NYC. In addition to its world-class theater, music, and sports teams, Minneapolis and its surrounding area offer crime writers some wonderful opportunities to connect with fans of the genre.  And Stan was inviting me to join him in an appearance before them. 

First on our list was Minnesota Mystery Night, a gathering for dinner in an attractive pub, followed by a mystery writer "in conversation with" someone in the field.  Our event, I am thrilled to say, drew a sold out crowd and was very well received.  The folks attending were enthusiastic and asked lots of great questions.  When we were signing books afterwords, the attendees hung around, chatting and full of energy - a sure sign that the monthly reception brings truly dedicated fans. 

Second on our agenda, on the following Friday, we were interviewed on Writers' Corner, a public television show that is distributed widely on scores of local PBS stations.

The pièce de résistance of the week for me was the capper: on Friday evening Stan treated me to my first-ever concert at Minneapolis Orchestra Hall.  What a knockout!  First of all, the acoustics of the hall are astonishing, in a class with  Carnegie Hall in New York and the best European concert halls I have visited.  The second half of the program was music I have heard all my adult life: Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Every other time I have heard it played live, it was by an orchestra, providing the music for ballet. It's lovely music under those circumstances. But I got to hear it in a whole new way - in a concert performance, and it was spectacular. The Conductor, Jonathan Taylor Rush imbued the music with energy and passion and without robbing it of its elegance.  Wow!  What a week!

How Tourism Has Changed for Tourists and Their Guides

Saturday––Jeff

I’ve been blessed in my forty years in Greece to have many friends involved in the tourist hospitality business. By that I mean hotels, restaurants, shops, transportation and personal services. When it comes to capturing a sense of where tourism is-–and possibly headed–– at the top my “likely most knowledgeable” list are Greece’s professional tour guides. 

Day in and day out they lead disparate arrays of tourists––made up of different nationalities, education, physical capabilities, and interests––along paths they’ve guided thousands before them.  Yet, these guides still manage to keep everything fresh. In no small measure because their experience has given them incredible insight into what will likely satisfy their groups’ independent interests and innocent peccadillos.

Yesterday, I read an interview conducted by Ekathimeri Editor-in-Chief of Cultural News Sakis Ioannidis with professional tour guide Konstantinos Sfikas, titled “Tourists don’t want museums anymore, just fun, fun, fun”

Chief Editor Sakis Ioannidis

In it, Mr. Sfikas talks about how and why the experience of exploring a new destination has changed for both tourists and their guides.  Here is that thoughtful interview.  I loved it.

Professional Tour Guide Konstantinos Sfikas

Konstantinos Sfikas found himself in the limelight recently as the guide who took movie stars Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes on a tour of Thessaloniki during their appearance at the northern port city’s annual film festival last November. He took them to the historic quarter of Ano Poli and the Rotonda, as well as to a service at the Church of Agios Dimitrios, Thessaloniki’s patron saint. But Sfikas also took Binoche to visit the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist on the outskirts of Thessaloniki, which is home to the tomb of the Greek Orthodox Saint Paisios. The French actress’ reference to the visit on the festival stage the day after prompted a storm of commentary on social media and beyond.

“I really don’t understand people’s reactions sometimes. She converted to Orthodoxy and has every right to take a pilgrimage to the saint’s grave, which she waited three hours to see. We live in a democracy,” comments Sfikas over breakfast at the Acropolis Museum during a recent lightning visit to Athens.

Sfikas is discreet when talking about the celebrities he’s taken on tours, including Oliver Stone, William Dafoe, John Sayles, Chris Cooper and Alexander Payne. “My favorite, by far, was John Malkovich,” he admits to Kathimerini, looking back on a memorable incident.

“I’d heard from a colleague that Malkovich drinks three cappuccinos at a time, so when we sat down for some refreshment at the Museum of Byzantine Culture and I placed the three coffees in front of him, unasked; he smiled for the first time on the tour and asked five questions about history and architecture. They were very good questions. He displayed a kind of interest that we rarely see in tourists,” says Sfikas.

In fact, many of the foreign visitors he guides around Athens confuse the Acropolis Museum with the National Archaeological Museum. “Athens’ heart may beat here, but the flagship of all our museums is on Patission Street, even if it is only rarely included on group itineraries,” he says.

The omission of the country’s most important archaeological museum points to a growing trend in tourism, he explains. “Everything is simplified. The demanding programs we had up until just a few years ago are being changed because people want less. Americans, for example, want to have ‘fun, fun, fun’ and then maybe see a couple of sights. And everything needs to be done fast.”

Sfikas says that in the past, tourists coming to Greece were well-informed about its ancient monuments and museums. “Now, most of them are more informed about where to take the best photo. If you don’t show them where the three blue domes in Santorini are for their photos, it’s as if they never went,” he says, referring to a specific spot in the picturesque town of Oia that’s a favorite among snap-happy tourists.

“They go crazy when I tell them there’s a fourth dome,” he adds.

Is he at all concerned that people can find the domes and anything else they want with a simple mobile app and may not need his services?

“Not at all. Multimedia can only provide a small part of what a tour guide offers. A guide will answer every question you have – your phone won’t. A tourist might not remember a monument they saw after leaving, but they will remember the impression their guide made on them.”

The tour guide’s greatest curse is the “indifferent tourist,” he says, going on to talk about how much he enjoys his work and the contact with his clients.

“But once the season is over, I want to curl up at home or go on a long trip – and not speak to a single soul.”

According to the accredited guide, tourism did anything but slump as a result of the Covid pandemic. “People cannot seem to get enough of traveling,” he says. Critics even say that Greece has become saturated, but surely this is good news for a tour guide, right?

“I think that overtourism is bad for Greece. There’s no point in charging a passenger a few euros if they want to leave the cruise ship. They’re here. You can’t say, ‘Don’t get off at Mykonos or Santorini, or you’ll have to pay.’ They’ll pay. It’s a revenue-raising measure only. Cruise ships need to be scheduled to arrive at regular intervals, not seven of them at the same time,” he comments on one of the biggest challenges facing the more popular Aegean islands.

“We can’t take so many people; we don’t have the infrastructure. We can’t take so many swimming pools; we don’t have the water. We can’t take having to walk for half an hour to cover a distance of 200 meters on an island.”

We watch people climb up the Sacred Rock to the Parthenon across the way. It’s chilly and they seem to be enjoying the walk in the sun. But what about in the summer, when daytime highs can hit 40 degrees Celsius?

“We either go at 8 a.m. and leave at 9.30 a.m. or later, in the early evening,” says Sfikas, adding that the introduction of slots has helped regulate traffic at the popular archaeological site. “Things are very reasonable right now. We’ll see how it goes in the summer.”

Sfikas, whose parents came from Kozani and Olympus in northern Greece, had nothing to do with the tourism sector until the age of 40. “I had been in banking for 20 years,” he says. This changed with a voluntary redundancy and a visit to the archaeological site of Aigai, which prompted him to enroll at a state guide school.

Now aged 65, he has experience and know-how, taking discerning tourists across Greece’s mountains and seas – occasionally even taking them underground. “I’ve already conducted four tours of the Thessaloniki metro and have more booked,” he tells Kathimerini. “People loved what they saw. We fought hard so that the ancient artifacts would be kept in situ, but now it is what it is. We accept the situation and move on.”

As we wrap up our working breakfast with a slice of almond cake, we ask Sfikas what his impressions are of Greek tourists. Do they pass muster?

“Let’s just say they’re demanding,” he laughs. “We’re not the best tourists and we often have the attitude that we own the guide and don’t care if there are other people with us.”

––Jeff

Jeff’s upcoming events

2025

All Live Events

 

September 3 – 7 | Bouchercon 2025 | New Orleans, LA
Friday, September 5, 4:00-4:45 p.m.
New Orleans Marriott—La Galeries 5-6
Panelist, “Tips and Tricks for Keeping a Series Fresh,” with Anne Cleeland, Marcy McCreary, Charles Todd, Tessa Wegert, and Moderator Deborah Dobbs

Saturday, September 6, 10:30-11:25 a.m.
New Orleans Marriott—La Galerie 3
Panelist, “No Passport Required: International Mysteries and Thrillers,” with Barbara Gayle Austin, Cara Black, Joseph Finder, J.L. Hancock, and Moderator Mark Ellis

 

Wednesday, September 17, 6:30 p.m.
Greek National Tourist Organization
Presentation of the literary work of Jeffrey Siger
Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum
Kallisperi 12, Acropolis

On Writing ; Caro Ramsay

I was at the crime writing festival in Harrogate last week. I went down to meet some friends, talk to my agent and my editors. I actually spent most of my time chatting to my ex-editor, which was very enlightening.

I named my dog after her daughter, Mathilda with an H. Both parties were fine with this.

I noticed a few things, some good, some bad, some just worthy of a little observation, some to ponder.

The Harrogate crime writing festival is wonderful in many ways. It’s one model of the way a festival like this can run. One day is tutorials and workshops, then it’s events all held in one venue – usually one event at a time as the main function room is very big.

And when that big event is over, the ladies toilets have a queue like an execution ( as we would say this side of the water).

There are now little side events going on in the gardens of the hotel. There’s also a huge beer tent marquee with street food and all sorts of goodies. The tendency was for members of the public to wander in, to see what it was all about.

Now there’s security on the gate. The ticket office is outside the gates. You can buy a weekend pass, a event ticket, or a pass to get into the grounds to access the tent. I think that was £10.

My editor asked to meet me and to name the place.

‘I don’t know where I can go as I don’t have any kind of ticket,’ I said.

‘Neither do I. We’ll meet at the ticket office.’

Turns out that many of the professionals attending, do their meetings elsewhere. I’m sure it’s not an expense thing, more of a quiet space thing.

And I noticed that last year at my publisher’s dinner I was in the average age range. This year, I felt like I was their granny…. So young, so confident, so argumentative with their paymasters…. Mmmm.

Here is a slightly amended conversation between me, agent I know well and a writer who looked twelve;

Me; So what are you working on at the moment.

Writer ; Well seemingly I’m writing a third book as my second book was rejected.

Agent (very experienced and much older); I didn’t reject it, I said it wouldn’t sell. It’s set in Lincoln. Nobody wants to read a book set in Lincoln. Set it in Brighton where you first book was, people love books in Brighton.

Writer; So where do you set your books then?

Me ; West coast of Scotland

Writer; why?

Me ; Errr, I live there…

Agent; Scotland sells. Ireland sells, Wales, not so much. …Lincoln? No.

Me ( changing subject); Oh , my new novel has taken an unexpected turn…

Agent Worried face this book has tasty advance…'Has it?'

Me;  It seems to have some smut in it.

Agent ; Oh they’ll love that. Smut sells. The only thing that sells better than smut is filth!

So, another top tip.

What kind of writers really annoy an agent? I love asking that question, especially when they look round before answering.

Middle aged men who think they know everything about everything!  ( To be fair I don’t think that's just in publishing.)

And who are the best writers?

Agent – 'well you and Names very famous writer with current TV series. Send you two an email with a 17 page contract, and I get an email back immediately that says  ‘What ever you think is best. Those are me favourite writers.

You need to know when to choose your battles.

So I bimped into Co pilot wee annoying thing the question What do agents look for in a crime novel. I only include here as a matter of honestly and transparency....please see under Strong Sense Of Place. Or had it read what I had just written. Weird or what?

1. Compelling Hook

• A unique concept or premise that immediately grabs attention.

• Examples: An unreliable detective, a murder in a locked room, a killer with a poetic MO.

2. Strong Opening

• Tension, intrigue, or a shocking event in the first few pages.

• Agents want to be pulled in right away—first impressions matter.

3. Distinctive Voice

• A narrative style that feels fresh, confident, and engaging.

• Whether gritty, noir, or humorous, the tone should suit the story’s world.

4. Complex, Believable Characters

• Protagonists with depth and flaws—especially the detective or sleuth.

• Villains and suspects with credible motives and layers.

5. Intricate Plot

• Twists, red herrings, and surprises that feel earned.

• Agents look for smart plotting that keeps readers guessing but doesn't confuse.

6. Strong Sense of Place

• Vivid settings that enhance atmosphere and immersion.

• Whether it’s a foggy Scottish village or bustling Tokyo backstreets, it should feel real.

7. Pacing and Tension

• Momentum that ebbs and flows strategically, building suspense.

• Scenes should escalate stakes without unnecessary filler.

8. Market Awareness

• Awareness of genre trends and reader expectations.

• Does your novel fit well among recent hits but still offer something new?

9. High Stakes

• The crime should matter—emotionally, professionally, or morally.

• Agents want a reason readers will care beyond solving the puzzle.

10. Polished Writing

• Crisp prose, well-edited dialogue, and good grammar.

• It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should be professional.

Then I read the chilling bit at the end ;

If you’re crafting a crime novel, I’d be happy to brainstorm a gripping hook or help you refine a plot twist. What's the story you’re working on?

 

Carry-On Only

 Wendall -- every other Thursday 

 

 The FBI Special Agent gave an initial look. “Where is all your luggage?”
“I only do carry-on. Like any sensible person.”
“I can verify that,” Roger said.

 

My full complement of luggage for my last two week visit to Australia.

 

I’ve been getting ready for an upcoming work trip to Australia and frantically putting things in and taking things out of my carry-on luggage to meet the Qantas weight requirements, in the Cyd Redondo, Redondo Travel, tradition. 

 

After winding up with hundreds of thousands of dollars in endangered species in her checked luggage on her first trip abroad, she is now carry-on only. Me, too. 

 

Barry the chameleon was one of the items added to Cyd's checked baggage in Lost Luggage.

 

The difference between us is primarily that she doesn't have to carry a laptop and her "personal item" is a vintage Balenciaga, not a Rick Steves's day pack. 

 

Cyd's beloved Balenciaga.

 

Here are just a few bits and pieces from the four novels about Cyd’s carry-on policies and what winds up in her luggage and her Balenciaga bag:

 

 

 From Lost Luggage:

“Of course I had done a “practice pack” for an Africa trip. I grabbed my “absolutely necessary” list and did a quick check of my bags. I could put the “absolutely absolutely necessary emergency” things in the carry-on once we were out of the house. I’d found the lightest indestructible luggage set I could afford at Luggage World. I double-checked my passport. I touched all my obsolete globes for luck, pushed my luggage onto the fire escape, did a fake flush of the toilet, and headed down the stairs.”

From Drowned Under:

“I opened the closet door and yanked my “hot weather” carry-on bag onto the bed. I removed the navy polka-dot bikini (Donna Karan at Loehmann’s), as the bullet scar in my waist was still puffy and I didn’t have the heart or time to try it on. Who in their right mind would do that to themselves in December, especially if they’d been ingesting stress Oreos?

I checked for my emergency black sequin, boatneck, backless mini dress, for anything formal, then pulled out my luggage scale. Qantas had a serious weight limit—only two carry-ons in Premium Economy, neither weighing more than fifteen pounds. I’d gone heavy on the chiffon. Chiffon had to be dry-cleaned, but it weighed nothing and masked a host of ills, especially around the upper arms, where I was suffering from worry wings at the moment.

My tiny cosmetic bottles were always filled. I squished them, my makeup kit, my BlackBerry, and my Balenciaga into the smaller carry-on, then weighed the bags. One was still eight ounces over, but I could carry the extra half pound on my person at vital weighing points.”

 

From Fogged Off:

“I got back to 77th Street and dragged out my trusty twenty-inch carry-on. I would need casual and business/grief wear. I folded my sequined little black dress, a black pencil skirt, my navy Donna Karan peplum jacket, chiffon, silk, and cashmere tops and scarves, five sets of La Perla lingerie— just to be optimistic—one pair each of kitten heels, stilettos, and black knee-high boots, all patent leather in case it rained the whole time. Tights went into my set of flat nesting Tupperware, so they wouldn’t snag. There wasn’t a weight limit for carry-on on British Airways, but I still didn’t want a dislocated shoulder, so I’d wear the boots and my black Bendel’s winter coat on the plane.”

“As I walked up the stairs, I still felt something was off with my bag. It might look random to anyone who opened it, but it was a highly calibrated, technical environment, ruled by various Tupperware containers. I had a few extra things when I traveled, but the basic checklist included moisturized tissues, a penlight, a glow stick, a mini-lint roller, a mini-bottle of neutral nail color, plastic tweezers and nail clippers, a roll of quarters, which doubled as a sap, a small bottle of Jack Daniel’s, which doubled as hand sanitizer, plastic zip tie handcuffs—courtesy of the 68th Precinct—my regular wallet, my emergency emergency wallet, Band-Aids, travel deodorant, a black silk scarf, nesting Atlantic City shot glasses, a small blowtorch, Neosporin, Advil, Tylenol, dental floss, mini-toothpaste, mini- Listerine, push-up pads for my bra, Responsible Raisin lipstick, a pocket translator, various stationery supplies, a set of lock picks, my passport and my dad’s compass as well as two new additions in honor of my trip: a paperback Dickens novel and fold-up ballet flats, for stealth.

Since my last two trips, I had spent time in my attic room, practicing walking in flats. It was torture. No woman who was five-foot-two should have to do it.

So, when I felt a bit of extra weight, approximately five ounces, that hadn’t been there when I went to Shep’s service, I was concerned.”

 

From Cheap Trills:

“For the twenty years when I’d barely left the neighborhood, my emergency travel bag had been ready for all time zones and climates. Ironically, now that I’d actually been somewhere, my trusty prepacked carry- on was missing vital items.  

I pulled out my laminated “tropical locations” list and added three-ounce containers of industrial-strength antiperspirant, Avon bug spray, anti-frizz hair serum, 55 SPF sunscreen, and waterproof mascara to my quart-sized “liquids” zip lock. They just fit.

I checked that I had water purifying tablets, cornstarch, a crushable sun hat, two pairs of high-heeled sandals and a few scrunchies. My Balenciaga was up to date.

As I’d be going through airports in two Muslim countries, a miniskirt--my preferred travel uniform—wouldn’t work. I crept down to my mother’s room. I remembered she had a flowy red knit maxi skirt that would be modest, but not dull. I added a black silk boatneck shirt with my beloved Hermès scarf, and a pair of nude Charles David patent-leather heels.

I triple-checked everything, zipped up my carry-on, weighed it on the bathroom scale by subtracting what I hoped was still my current weight, and carried it all to the landing.”

Wishes for safe, easy, joyful, and fascinating travels this summer for all of you from Cyd Redondo and me.

~Wendall 

 

Minnesota Mystery Night, Prologue

Annamaria on Monday

By the time this post launches, I will have arrived in Minneapolis for the event touted on the poster above.

Thanks to Stan Trollip's gracious invitation, this and other events - bookish and otherwise - will be keeping me involved for the next week.  For now (on Saturday the 19th), I ask your indulgence while I finish packing and get ready to fly early tomorrow.  In the meanwhile, go here to find out more about our presentation and about Minnesota Mystery Night.

And standby.  Next week, I will give you a full report.  

If You Wonder Where I Get My Plotlines

 

Saturday––Jeff

Soon after reading Michael’s Thursday post, “Mushrooms and motive,” I came across a July 14, 2025 headline story in “The National Herald”(TNH) –– New York’s Greek-American newspaper of record––titled, “UC Berkeley Professor Murdered outside Ex-Wife’s House in Greece.”

That’s not the sort of headline I’m used to seeing in TNH, and with Michael’s description fresh in my mind of an Australian mother’s conviction for having two years ago killed three of her ex-husband’s relatives (plus the attempted murder of a fourth) at a family luncheon she’d hosted – featuring beef wellington laced with deadly poison mushrooms – this new TNH story intrigued me.   

Details of the brazen 4^th of July assassination of an American university professor outside his ex-wife’s suburban Athens home was understandably hot news in many parts of the world.  TNH’s July 14^th article reporting on the then known details of the investigation gave rise in my deep dark mysterious mind to all sorts of potential story lines, some obvious, some not so obvious, e.g., international intrigues, familial disorder, industrial espionage, professional jealousy to name but a few.

I’m interested in what sort of plotlines come to your mind after reviewing TNH’s July 14^th article. It’s reproduced below. 

Once you’ve formed an opinion (or opinions), take a look at TNH’s July 17^th update on the investigation (also set out below) and see whether it changes your mind.  To me there’s always a big twist waiting out there for those willing to ferret it out.

 

The late professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski. (Photo: haas.berkeley.edu)

UC Berkeley Professor Murdered outside Ex-Wife’s House in Greece

July 14, 2025

By TNH Staff

ATHENS – Przemyslaw Jeziorski, a professor of marketing at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a father of twins, was murdered outside his ex-wife’s house in Agia Paraskevi, a suburb of Athens, on July 4, ABC 7 News reported. The 43-year-old victim, originally from Poland, “was reportedly in Greece to attend a child custody hearing,” ABC 7 reported.

The unknown perpetrator approached Jeziorski in broad daylight on July 4 at about 4:15 PM and shot him five times in the neck and chest, according to the Hellenic Police, the Greek newspaper Ta Nea reported. The perpetrator remains at large and the investigation continues with authorities examining video surveillance footage to help track the killer.

Jeziorski had arrived in Greece and had rented an Airbnb apartment in Kolonaki just days before he was gunned down.

His Greek ex-wife, an economist, shared custody of the children with Jeziorski and he would take the children abroad on summer vacation every year, Ta Nea reported, adding that on the morning of the murder, Jeziorski and his ex-wife had visited a child psychologist. In the afternoon, Jeziorski was expected to visit his ex-wife at her home in Agia Paraskevi to see the children, and at the time of the murder, he was outside his ex-wife’s house.

As soon as his ex-wife realized who the man who was murdered near her house was, she went to the Attica Police Department to give a statement. In fact, she also handed over her cell phone to the police, saying that she had nothing to hide.

UC Berkeley in its article on the tragedy noted that “Greek and international authorities are investigating Jeziorski’s death as a homicide.”

“I am heartbroken by news of the tragic and sudden death of Professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski, a beloved member of our marketing faculty and Haas community,” said UC Berkeley Hass Dean Jennifer Chatman in a statement. “While authorities are investigating what happened, our focus is on supporting our community during this difficult period. My heart goes out to Przemek’s family and loved ones. We will miss him.”

Jeziorski, a tenured associate professor of marketing who held the Egon and Joan von Kaschnitz Distinguished Professorship in Business Administration, “had a passion for teaching, and during his 13 years at Berkeley Haas he taught data analytics skills to more than 1,500 MBA and PhD students,” UC Berkeley reported, noting the praise of colleagues, one of whom called him one of the “leading scholars of his generation.”

In a 2017 study co-authored by Nicholas Economides of NYU’s Stern School of Business, Jeziorski analyzed transactions of 1.4 million customers of the Tanzanian mobile company Tigo, reaching the surprising conclusion that customers were using the service not just for payments but to avoid theft.

“This loss is a profound tragedy that reverberates throughout the entire Berkeley community,” said Professor Panos Patatoukas, the L.H. Penny Chair in Accounting, a colleague and friend. “I am deeply shocked, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends around the world.”

Jeziorski is survived by his mother, Alicja Jeziorska; his brother, Lukasz Jeziorski, both of Gydnia, Poland; and his two children, Zoe and Angelo. He was predeceased by his father, Marian Jeziorski, in June 2025.

Jeziorski’s brother Lukasz Jeziorski, set up a fundraising campaign on WhyDonate, the European version of GoFundMe, writing that “my brother, Przemyslaw (Przemek) Jeziorski, was tragically killed in Athens on July 4, 2025. He was the victim of a terrible crime, and the perpetrator is still at large. Our family is heartbroken, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served.”

“To pursue legal action and support ongoing investigations, I have secured legal representation in Greece and will also need support for future legal processes in Poland and the United States,” Lukasz Jeziorski continued. “These efforts come with significant and urgent costs that my mother and I cannot manage on our own. We are asking for your help to raise funds for legal fees, the repatriation of Przemek’s remains to Poland, and related expenses.”

“Przemek was a loving father to two young children and a beloved professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley,” his brother wrote. “He was a leading scholar in marketing science, industrial organization and data analytics. He loved teaching and sharing his passion for the intricacies of marketing analytics and marketing science with his students.”

NOW ON TO THE FOLLOWUP HEADLINE STORY

 

The suspects arrested for the murder of the 43-year-old Polish professor in Agia Paraskevi appear before the prosecutor, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (EUROKINISSI)

Ex-Wife of Murdered US Professor Charged With Arranging Killing

July 17, 2025

By TNH Staff

 

 

The suspects arrested for the murder of the 43-year-old Polish professor in Agia Paraskevi appear before the prosecutor, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (EUROKINISSI)

ATHENS – The former wife of a Polish man who was an American professor as charged with arranging his shooting death while he was in Athens to visit their 10-year-old twins amid a custody dispute.

She was not named under Greek privacy laws but police charged her with orchestrating the murder of Przemyslaw Jeziorski, who taught at the University of California-Berkeley, and authorities said her current partner was the triggerman.

Jeziorski, 43, was shot five times in broad daylight on July 4 in the upscale Athens neighborhood of Agia Paraskevi while walking to her home to see their children.

A masked man gunned him down and three other men, two Albanians and a Bulgarian, were charged with complicity after reports they were supposed to intimidate him. Police said the three foreign nationals transported the alleged shooter to the scene and provided him with a Tokarev model automatic handgun used as the murder weapon.

Authorities said the victim and his ex-wife, who is Greek, were in the midst of a bitter custody battle over the children. Mega TV said the ex-wife called police to notify them of the shooting and gave her cellphone for inspection and said she had “nothing to hide.”

It wasn’t said what evidence led police to charge her and the others but she reportedly admitted the custody fight and claimed her ex-husband was “abusive,” among other complaints about him.

Hours before the killing both the victim and his ex-wife had visited a child psychologist, the TV station said. She and the alleged accomplices were given until July 21 to prepare their statements after appearing before a magistrate.

The man identified as the gunman faces charges of premeditated murder, illegal possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon. The ex-wife was charged with incitement to commit murder, while the others face charges of complicity.

She was said to be a 43-year-old economist and real estate company owner based in downtown Athens’ Kolonaki district but denied any involvement in the killing while the four men allegedly confessed, said Kathimerini.

Sources not named told the paper the ex-wife was driven by a major financial dispute over business dealings in the US, where the pair met and married and had children there.

In her initial statement to police, she also said he had a drinking problem, and that they would often fight about custody and visitation rights. Those allegations have since been disproven, according to reports, the paper said.

SO, WHAT’S YOUR THEORY?

––Jeff

 

Jeff’s upcoming events

2025

All Live Events

 

September 3 – 7 | Bouchercon 2025 | New Orleans, LA
Friday, September 5, 4:00-4:45 p.m.
New Orleans Marriott—La Galeries 5-6
Panelist, “Tips and Tricks for Keeping a Series Fresh,” with Anne Cleeland, Marcy McCreary, Charles Todd, Tessa Wegert, and Moderator Deborah Dobbs

Saturday, September 6, 10:30-11:25 a.m.
New Orleans Marriott—La Galerie 3
Panelist, “No Passport Required: International Mysteries and Thrillers,” with Barbara Gayle Austin, Cara Black, Joseph Finder, J.L. Hancock, and Moderator Mark Ellis

 

Wednesday, September 17, 6:30 p.m.
Greek National Tourist Organization
Presentation of the literary work of Jeffrey Siger
Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum
Kallisperi 12, Acropolis