Urban Legends

[Congratulations to the winners of the drawing for an autographed copy of Wicked Cruel: Ann Finkelstein and Carol Baldwin!]

by Rich Wallace

So after a couple of dozen sports books I've become a ghost writer.

A few years back I had a notion to explore an urban legend. You hear those things from time to time—the thumb someone found in a can of Spaghettios, or the hitchhiker who vanishes from the backseat when you cross a certain bridge. The stories show up all over, purported to be true because "It happened to my cousin's best friend's uncle."

But I knew one legend that seemed to be unique to the town I grew up in: the kid who got bullied all through elementary school, then moved away and died. Rumors drifted back that he died of a brain hemorrhage—
inflicted slowly but surely over the elementary school years by everyone who had ever smacked him around or bombarded him in games of dodge ball.

I remember that shared guilt from junior high school after the rumors began. Did I ever hit him? Was I part of the reason he died?

In Wicked Cruel, which Random House will release August 6th, I take that guilt a step further. What if the dead kid started interacting with my main character? He shows up in a video Jordan is watching, then starts texting him late at night.

Jordan's seen the obituary. This is a ghost. And when the ghost starts showing up for real, Jordan questions his own sanity.

The book is actually a trilogy of scary urban legends like that one. I've set them all in the small New England city of Cheshire Notch, which is an awful lot like the town I live in: Keene, New Hampshire. Keene is the home of the world's most spectacular pumpkin festival each October, and that event plays a big role in one of the stories. We also have a restored pre-Revolutionary War tavern right up the block here, and I used that as a setting for the third. I love to use the places I know best in my stories. Keene is a very cool college town, with great cafes, a classic theater, old cemeteries, and everything that's historic and spooky about new England.

http://www.countryliving.com/keene-pumpkin-festival#slide-1

Here's a short excerpt from the title story. That night, Jordan is in the attic of the abandoned house where the deceased kid used to live, surreptitiously going through a box of papers he found:

It looks like a form for a prescription, with Douglas Schuter, MD, at the top and the doctor's address, dated just before the Bainers left the country. 

I scan it. Cheshire Medical Center...Lorne Bainer...male, 11 years...

And then I hear my name. Clear. From the second floor. It's not a voice I recognize. Not Scapes or Gary or any guy. It sounds like the tone of a bell .Or a song. Just my name. "Jordan." 

I freeze and slip the paper into my pocket.

I've heard no footsteps. No one entering the house or climbing the stairs. I listen hard, but there's nothing. 

But there must be something. Something called my name. My breath is short and cold and the back of my neck is sweaty.

An attic step creaks every so slightly. I back against the wall, crouching behind the box. 

Those stairs are the only way out of this attic.

More to come? I hope so. I've started writing a second volume of these stories, and obviously I'm hopeful that this will take off as a series. I love writing them, and that's certainly an important part of the deal.

Cool cover, huh?

I'm giving away two signed copies of my new book here in a Swagger giveaway for US and Canadian residents. All you have to do is be a follower, and leave a comment. And you'll get an additional entry for each day that this post is up and you:
1. share an urban legend in the comments
2. Like my Facebook page. After the initial like, comment on my FB page
3. Tweet about the giveaway
4. Blog about the giveaway
5. Mention the giveaway on Facebook
6. Don't forget to let me know in the Swagger comments, or leave a message on my FB page about what you did

Two random winners will be selected on August 8th.

http://richwallacebooks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/richwallacebooks

Interview with "Best Fiction for YA YALSA List" Nominee Kristin Wolden Nitz

Today I am happy to welcome, Kristin Wolden Nitz to SWAGGER. Her most recent book, a YA mystery novel titled SUSPECT, has been nominated for numerous awards including the BEST FICTION for YOUNG ADULTS YALSA list for 2011.



The Kirkus review stated :

Nitz intertwines and then untangles relationships among the teens and guests, weaving a credible mystery for a wide adolescent audience. With clues and red herrings neatly scattered throughout, the book scores as a darned good little mystery. Intriguing, suspenseful fun.

In SUSPECT, Jen's mother disappeared fourteen years ago but has been sending Jen letters and gifts during that time. Now, that has suddenly stopped, and Jen is facing a boring summer helping her Grandma Kay prepare a murder mystery weekend at the Shoenhaus -- Grandma Kaye’s bed-and-breakfast. As suspicions fly, Jen begins unraveling her own family mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

 GG: You've written an upper middle grade sports novel, lower middle grade contemporary fantasy, and several nonfiction sports books. What made you want to write a YA mystery?

KN: One of my favorite writers for adults is Barbara Mertz, who has written over 50 novels under the pseudonyms of Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels. She’s probably best known for her Amelia Peabody series. Peter Theroux wrote the following about that character in a review: “If the reader is tempted to draw another obvious comparison between Amelia Peabody and Indiana Jones, it’s Amelia—in wit and daring—by a landslide.”

In many ways, I think that I studied writing at the Mertz Academy with an emphasis on lively dialogue and interesting locations. While no one would probably make the connection in my upper middle grade sports novel or my lower middle grade contemporary fantasy, I’m guessing any fans of Ms. Mertz who were familiar with her earlier stand-alones would see any number of echoes.

Interesting old house?  Check.

Gorgeous garden?  Check.

Eccentric older lady whom people have given up arguing with?  Check.

Two competing love interests? Check.

Snappy dialogue? Check.  Or at least I'd like to think so.

And I even managed to slip in a CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK recommendation on page 54. That’s the first Amelia novel.

The kernel for SUSPECT came to me when I was reading an article about an old wine cellar being reopened after being closed since Prohibition.  I remember wondering what would have happened if they found a body.  The story moved well away from those origins. But after reading all of those Elizabeth Peters novels—not to mention works by Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, Charlotte MacLeod and Dorothy Sayers—I was ready.

GG: What did you find the most challenging about writing a mystery?

KN: Finding the right balance for the clues and the red herrings. I had already received some great advice on that from a writer named Constance Hiser: “Red herrings shout. Clues whisper.”  But it’s not always easy to apply.

GG: Jen is a strong female character that I found very well-balanced. Determined but not overbearing. Where does the inspiration come from for a great character like her?

KN: Writers are magpies. We collect little sparkly bits from all over the place. Naturally, my favorite authors provided wonderful examples of determined heroines. Since Jen’s family life was so different from mine, I knew that there wasn’t any real danger of her turning into me. That’s why I decided that she could be an extremely tall, girls’ basketball player who ran long distance. Because I have a long distance runner and a basketball player in the family, I was able to update things fairly easily.

GG: Do you have a writing routine? Is there a special place or time of day that works better for you?

KN: I’ve now gotten into the habit of writing first thing in the morning. When my kids were really young, I wrote during their naptimes. I will often write the first draft of a scene by hand. Then I type it into the computer and start the first round of revisions. I did try NaNoWriMo and wound up with an absolute mess before I gave up. I discovered that  I need to know exactly what happens to my characters before I move on.

GG: What advice would you give aspiring writers?

KN: Don’t just write what you know. Write what you care about. If you’re passionate about something, that will come through to the reader. Moreover, you’ll actually enjoy whatever research that you need to do in order to bring a project to life.

GG: Kristin Wolden Nitz created a whodunit that kept me guessing until the very last pages. I could hardly put the book down until I finished it, which didn’t take very long. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on a cold fall day. Thank you, Kristin!

Attention to those who SWAGGER: Enter our contest for a chance to win a 10-page MG or YA manuscript critique from Kristin Wolden Nitz.


All you have to do is share the following link: http://swaggerwriters.blogspot.com/

somewhere on the Internet - on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc., advertising our site AND follow us.

Then, leave a comment below with proof that you shared one of these links. If you tweeted it, attach your twitter url; if you posted it on FB, comment with your FB url ; if you blogged it, include your blog link, etc. To be entered in our drawing to receive a prize, you have to include the web address to the shared link in a comment.

For details on our other prizes for following and promoting us, go to the post for 10/12/11.

Gina Gort