Catching Up with Friends

I drove from Southern California to the Bay Area last week and had a chance to visit with old friends. I stayed with a college friend, saw two friends from my working days and visited a cousin I hadn’t seen in a number of years. All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip.

Another Enjoyable Left Coast Crime Conference

Last week I attended the Left Coast Crime Conference in Bellevue, Washington. I was on a senior sleuth panel with Arthur Coburn, Susan McCormick, Paula Charles and Ellen Kirschman:

I also moderated the Meet the New Authors Breakfast, introducing 31 debut authors whose first mystery/thriller/suspense/thriller novels was published in 2023 or early 2024.

I caught up with old and new friends including two fellow authors with Encircle Publications: Sharon Dean and BJ Magnani:

Judging Writing Contests

I’ve been a judge a number of times for writing contests. In 2013 I was a judge for the Mary Higgins Clark award for Mystery Writers of America. I received over 130 books to judge. The criteria were a suspense novel in the tradition of Mary Higgins Clark:

·       "The protagonist is a nice young woman whose life is suddenly invaded.

·       "She’s self-made and independent, with primarily good family relationships.

·       "She has an interesting job.

·       "She is not looking for trouble–she is doing exactly what she should be doing and something cuts across her bow.

·       "She solves her problem by her own courage and intelligence.

·       "The story has no on-scene violence.

·       "The story has no strong four-letter words or explicit sex scenes."

 

Of the books I received to read approximately one hundred were cozy mysteries with a female protagonist, not a suspense novel. After reading a few pages, I could determine that these were not consistent with the guidelines. Over the next year, my wife and I read all the cozy mysteries and started chuckling about the cozy tropes. This inspired me to write A Mystery Yarn that will be published later in April and is now available for pre-ordering. It’s a parody that includes these tropes:

·       The protagonist is a woman who runs a craft store

·       She had a bad previous relationship

·       She has a sort-of relationship with a man in law enforcement

·       She finds a dead body and becomes a suspect

·       She has a dog

·       She has a cat

·       There’s a ghost in her store

·       Her best friend is a gay guy

·       There are recipes at the end of the book

It was an enjoyable exercise to write a humorous cozy. As an example, the protagonist can’t cook. Her recipes include toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese, scrambled eggs, and s’mores.

Jokes

Every day I email jokes to three friends and often post them on Facebook. Since I write humorous mystery novels, I’m a big fan of what I call “dumb dad jokes,” jokes we dads tell to our kids and grandkids to make them groan. Here’s one example of this very sophisticated form of humor: Which bathroom fixture is most likely to be submerged? The sink. Groan and bear it.

Table Co-hosting at the Left Coast Crime Conference

I’ll be attending the Left Coast Crime Conference in Bellevue, WA, in April. In addition to moderating the Meet the New Author Breakfast, participating in Author Speed Dating and being on a senior sleuth panel, I’ll be co-hosting a table at the Saturday night banquet with fellow author Bruce Rolfe.

Release of Three New Audiobooks

I have three audio books that have been released: Mystery of the Dinner Playhouse, The V V Agency, and Coronavirus Daze.

Mystery of the Dinner Playhouse on Amazon Amazon.com: Mystery of the Dinner Playhouse (Audible Audio Edition): Mike Befeler, Independently Published, Virtual Voice: Books 

The V V Agency on Amazon Amazon.com: The V V Agency (Audible Audio Edition): Mike Befeler, Independently Published, Virtual Voice: Books

Coronavirus Daze on Amazon Amazon.com: Coronavirus Daze (Audible Audio Edition): Mike Befeler, Independently Published, Virtual Voice: Books

In Mystery of the Dinner Playhouse a staged murder at a mystery dinner playhouse turns into a real poisoning death. Recently retired detective, Gabe Tremont, is called back to solve the crime, while struggling to figure out how to successfully retire. He discovers the playhouse director, the cast members and a spy from a competing theater all have reasons to want the victim dead. This book also deals with the topic of hoarding.

 

Imagine a dash of Philip Marlowe wrapped in an urban fantasy. The V V Agency is a paranormal mystery that spoofs the PI subgenre and introduces the transvictus—a unique shape shifter. Van and Vanna run a detective agency, but clients never see them together for a simple reason. A sexual encounter transforms one into the other, and nudity renders them invisible. This presents some interesting dilemmas for his and her love lives, but gives them a distinct advantage when doing detective work. Van and Vanna take the case of a woman suspected of killing her husband.

 

Coronavirus Daze is an uplifting and humorous story about a boy keeping a journal during the Coronavirus outbreak. Tad, a middle school student in Southern California, must deal with the boredom of being stuck at home with his parents during the Coronavirus pandemic and has a life transforming experience when he makes an unexpected discovery. Readers may shed a tear and will certainly have some chuckles as Tad recounts his adventures in a time of chaos and uncertainty.

Author Speed Dating at the Left Coast Crime Conference

I’ll be participating in the Author Speed Dating at the Left Coast Crime Conference in April. This is an enjoyable event where I will be speaking to 18 tables of mystery readers along with fellow author Tony Ollivier. At each table, we each will give a two-minute pitch about our latest mystery novels. Then we move on to the next table. It’s an excellent way to reach new readers. I’ve also found that by the end, we could give each other’s presentation. I always hand out postcards of my books as well.

Publication of Murder in the Museo Kircheriano

My  historical mystery novel, Murder in the Museo Kircheriano, is now available.

Print Amazon: Amazon.com: Murder in the Museo Kircheriano: 9781941271575: Befeler, Mike: Books

Or contact your favorite bookstore. 

I’m available to give presentations to book groups, libraries and service organizations via Zoom or in-person. Mikebef@aol.com

I’ll be presenting and signing at Mystery Ink Bookstore Fernhill Clubhouse 5472 Diamond Dr, Huntington Beach, CA on Sat., May 4, at 1 PM. and Book Carnival 348 S. Tustin, Orange, CA, on Sat. April 27 at 2 PM

In Murder in the Museo Kircheriano Jesuit priest Athanasius Kircher created the world’s most amazing museum in the mid seventeenth century Vatican. He was brilliant and reputed to be the last man to know everything. He also bordered on being a con man.

When Queen Christina abdicates her throne in Sweden, converts to Catholicism and visits Kircher’s museum, she and Kircher discover a dead body. They team up to solve the mystery of the murdered man, while encountering a secret nephews circle.

Postcards

When one of my new books is published, I always have postcards made with the cover art on one side and information about the book on the other side. I provide the text, and my daughter-in-law who is a terrific graphic artist designs the postcard. Then I have the postcards printed. I have a snail mail list that I send the postcards to, and I give them out at conferences such as the Left Coast Crime Conference and other events. I have Murder in the Museo Kircheriano being published in March, and A Mystery Yarn being published in April. The postcards have been printed and are on their way to me.

Pre-order for A Mystery Yarn

The third book in my Omnipodge Trilogy, A Mystery Yarn, following Old Detectives Home and Last Gasp Motel, will be published by Encircle Publications on April 24 and can now be pre-ordered.

Print Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Gasp-Motel-Omnipodge-Mystery/dp/1645994724

Print Barnes and Noble: A Mystery Yarn by Mike Befeler, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

e-book Amazon: A Mystery Yarn (An Omnipodge Mystery Book 3) - Kindle edition by Befeler, Mike. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Or contact your favorite bookstore.

I’m available to give presentations to book groups, libraries and service organizations via Zoom or in-person. Mikebef@aol.com

In A Mystery Yarn, while making the rounds to visit her fellow shopkeepers in Ominpodge Village Center, Pru Pendergast overhears an argument between her obnoxious landlord, Bart Cunard, and Sally Midge Cunard, Bart's ex-wife, during which Sally Midge accuses Bart of being involved in shady real estate dealings with developer Larry Ludwick. Pru also hears jewelry shopkeeper Jake Yalley defend Sally Midge and threaten Bart.

When Pru visits Flo Florrest's yarn shop, Bart comes in and gets into a shouting match with Flo. Pru next goes to Bea Potter's bookstore and listens to Bea complain about Bart sexually harassing her. Then Pru has lunch with best friend Herb Hanover-of Herb's Herbs-and he cries about Bart calling him hateful names while Herb is still sensitive over his partner's death.

Pru returns to her shop, Driftwood Creatives, to find Bart dead, garroted with driftwood handles and brown Vicuna yarn. She also notices that Bart's diamond ring is missing from his hand. Because his body is found in her shop, Detective James Moriarty immediately questions Pru and accuses her of murder, but she's certainly not the only suspect. Pru must escape attacks on her own life and avoid being arrested until she can find the real killer and solve the crime, all while trying to catch the eye of her new sort of boyfriend.

Senior Sleuth Panel at LCC2024

I will be on a senior sleuth panel at the Left Coast Crime Conference on Saturday, April 13 at 4 pm in Belleview, WA. Other panelists are Paula Charles, Ellen Kirschman, Susan McCormick and moderator Arthur Cohen. I’ve had the pleasure of being on panels with Ellen and Susan before. I will also be moderating the Meet the New Author Breakfast on Friday, April 12 at which Paula and Arthur will be presenting. Senior sleuths are a major part of my mystery writing since the majority of my mystery novels feature older amateur sleuths.

Meet the New Author Breakfast at LCC2024

I have the honor of moderating the Meet the New Author Breakfast at the Left Coast Crime Conference this April in the Seattle area. New authors will give one-minute pitches on the most important thing readers should know about their debut mystery novel. So far, we have twenty-two new authors who will be presenting on Friday, April 12. This is an event that has taken place at each Left Coast Crime Conference beginning in 2008 in Denver, Colorado.

Cover Reveal for A Mystery Yarn

Here is the cover for my novel, A Mystery Yarn, the third book in the Omnipodge Trilogy, following Old Detectives Home and Last Gasp Motel. It will be published by Encircle Publications in April. Pru Pendergast becomes entangled in more than yarn when her obnoxious landlord shows up dead in her driftwood creations shop. Pru must escape attacks on her own life and the threat of being arrested while trying to solve the crime and catch the eye of her new sort of boyfriend.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

I have participated in book signings a number of years at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. On Sunday, April 21, I‘ll be at the Sisters in Crime booth and will probably be at the Mystery Writers of America booth as well. The festival is April 20 and 21.

Advice from Publicist

I recently attended a Zoom call with a presentation by publicist Joe Marich. He had some excellent comments for authors. Starting with your story, ask yourself if this is a story worth telling. Second, why should readers care, in other words, what makes your story stand out. Third, which specific people will be interested in your book. Your story won’t appeal to everyone, so find your target audience. Fourth, prepare a five-minute segment that you can present to tell your story and why readers will be interested. He had other useful comments, but these where the core messages.

Giving Presentations

Over the next month I’m scheduled to give one zoom and two in-person presentations to book clubs. I haven’t given presentations for a month, so I’m a little rusty. I’ll be speaking about lessons learned as an author. I need to review my notes and practice to get back in shape. I always enjoy meeting with book clubs.

Family Gatherings

Over the last two weeks, we’ve had the opportunity to get together with our three kids and four of our grandkids. That has been the highlight of the holiday season. Next week will be getting back to normal with the grandkids back in school.