MGOC Contributor News: Victoria Thompson's Murder in Chelsea

Many Genres One Craft contributor Victoria Thompson has a new book--Murder in Chelsea

DESCRIPTION:
Book 15 of the Gaslight Mystery series

Sarah Brandt is shattered when she learns that a woman has inquired at Hope’s Daughters Mission for Catherine, the abandoned child she has taken as her daughter. The woman claims she was Catherine’s nursemaid, now acting on behalf of the girl’s mother to reunite them.

Unwilling to simply hand Catherine over to a complete stranger, Sarah asks Malloy to investigate. But when he goes to interview the woman at her tenement in Chelsea, he finds she has been murdered.

Though her death leaves Sarah’s claim to Catherine unchallenged, her sense of justice compels her to work with Malloy to find the killer. Their search takes them from the marble mansions of the Upper West Side to the dilapidated dwellings of lower Manhattan and into the deepest and darkest secrets of Catherine’s past.

And while Malloy helps Sarah determine the fate of the child she loves, he faces a challenge of his own—and his decision could change both their lives forever…

EVENT: Seton Hill WPF Residency 2013

EVENTS

Many Genres One Craft contributors were in full force at the Seton Hill University Writing Popular Fiction MFA Residency this month. The keynote speaker was Kevin Hearne, New York Times Bestselling author of the Iron Druid Chronicles.

Kevin Hearne and Heidi Ruby Miller

Albert Wendland

Lee Allen Howard and Jason Jack Miller

Heidi Ruby Miller and Victoria Thompson

Anne Harris and friends

Heidi Ruby Miller and Jason Jack Miller

Elaine Ervin and Lee Allen Howard

Heidi Ruby Miller and Albert Wendland

MGOC Contributor: Victoria Thompson

VICTORIA THOMPSON

EXCERPT from "Ruining Everything: Tips for Plotting a Mystery" by Victoria Thompson in Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

Plotting your first mystery can seem like an overwhelming prospect. Keeping suspects and clues and red herrings straight is like juggling squirrels. Here is a strategy to help you get all your suspects and clues to line up neatly and perform for you. It won’t give you a great idea, but it will help you turn that great idea into a viable mystery.

First thing you need to do is create your “Mystery Eternal Triangle,” which is different from the romantic one. This triangle consists of the victim, the killer and the sleuth. You can start with any of them, but for this exercise, let’s start with the victim.

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Victoria Thompson writes the Edgar-nominated Gaslight Mystery Series, set in turn-of-the-century New York City and featuring midwife Sarah Brandt and detective Frank Malloy. Her latest book in the series is Murder on Lexington Avenue. She is also the author of 20 historical romances. A popular speaker, Victoria has taught at Penn State University and currently teaches in the Seton Hill University master’s program in writing popular fiction. She is online at http://victoriathompson.com.