A few updates

I added two new links to the page. One is for Shred Of Evidence, a free online magazine that serves up short fiction. Pretty good stuff...maybe one day they'll publish one of my stories...of course it would help if I sent them one, huh?

The other link called "My Favorite Bookstore" is just that...a link to a fantastic bookstore in Houston Texas that deals with nothing but mysteries and suspense. When I was living in Texas, I would go in there and spend five or six hours -- no exaggeration -- and hundreds of dollars purchasing mysteries by little-known but very good authors.

One Cool Monk

I'm not a big fan of historical mysteries, with one exception, Brother Cadfael.

The character Brother Cadfael is featured in a series of novels by the late Ellis Peters, whose real name was Dame Edith Pargeter. They were brought to greater fame in a series of television shows you can often catch on PBS as part of their Mystery! series. The shows star Derek Jacobi and Cadfael and are intensely loyal to the books -- and perfect for family viewing with no graphic violence, no foul language and no sex.

Cadfael is not your typical monk. In his youth, he took to the Middle East, fighting in the crusades and helping to liberate Jerusalem. He then spent several years as a sailor in the Mediterranian. He has drank, fought and killed, loved and made love to women, traveled the world, waged war and in general lived a full and rich life.

At the age of 40 he becomes a benedictine monk serving at Shrewsbury in the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul. He is an expert with herbs and flowers, a knowledge that plays a part in his solving of crimes. Shewsbury and the abbey really do exist and are quite the tourist attraction these days.

The thing I like is that he solves crimes with his mind. He calls upon his experiences in the world, which give him insight into the workings of the human mind and emotion. He combines that experience with his intellect and gift for rational thinking.

Add to the great story telling and crime solving a back drop of inner-abbey politics (which makes Congress look tame) and England being involved in a civil war for much of the series, and you've got great drama, whether you read it or watch the series.

It's good stuff!

Jessie

Today I finished a short story titled "Jessie." It is one of those rare stories that I find genuinely disturbing. It started as a "crime" story but has evolved into something much more.

Anyone who knows me knows I have a soft spot in my heart for kids, and maybe that's why my story is so disturbing. It focuses around a boy who is sexually abused and decides to extract revenge on his abuser. It is 11:30 at night and that story is stuck in my head, keeping me awake.

You see, I think I stepped too close on this one. I knew that to make the story powerful, I needed to push the envelope in terms of comfort. Any type of abuse of children has always bothered me, and I often have a very hard time watching movies in which bad things happen to children. I wrote the story in a fit -- several thousand words in one manic sitting of a few hours. And the whole time, I was pushing the limits of my comfort level harder and harder.

One thing I accomplished for certain, and this is a common theme in much of my writing, is that you have a person perform an evil act for a good cause. I think this story definitely raises the ethical debate about whether or not an evil action in the name of good is morally acceptable.

I gave the story a quick read over when I finished the rough. I didn't find the scenes I'd written detailing the abuse to be too graphic. And honestly, this is one of my cleanest pieces of fiction in terms of language. But there's something about it -- the subject matter -- or perhaps the idea that there really are people out there who lure youngsters in and rape them. Maybe the other disturbing part is the idea that a young person -- a young teen -- is driven to extract the kind of revenge taken out in this story. Definitely does something to the concept of the innocent child.

Another thing is I'm waffling on my thoughts. Generally, I'd say "no" to the idea of an evil action in the cause of good. But on this story, I truly thought to myself, "maybe this is how things should be. Teach these people a lesson."

The one positive is that it is 11:30 at night and I finished this story about 15 hours ago. Usually, when I finish the rough draft, the story's gone, but not this one. It prevented me from working on other stuff today, and that makes me feel that either the writing or the subject matter, or both is powerful stuff.

I will revise it and send it out. Not sure when though. I know that I need to get some distance between me and this story before I spend anymore time with it.

Now that I think about it, I believe what bothers me most is it is true horror. Writers spend countless hours entertaining us with stories of vampires, werewolves, monsters, aliens and things that go bump in the night. Even in the field of mysteries, our murderers are far more lethal and far more clever than their real-life counterparts -- most of whom are caught within a few hours of the crime. But my story touches on a true horror, something truly scary and something that exists in our world.

If I've acurately captured that true horror, can tell the story, and maybe motivate someone out there to do something, maybe in that case, I've taken a step forward as a writer today.

But it still bothers me.

What I'm reading

Today, I started reading Postmortem, the first Dr. Kay Scarpetta book by Patricia Cornwell. I've read other Scarpetta novels and enjoyed them, but thought I'd go back to the beginning to see how the character has changed over time.

I'm on a "beginnings" kick lately. On deck to be read is Motor City Blue by Loren D. Estelmen. It is the first novel in his series featuring PI Amos Walker. Also on deck is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova -- not a mystery -- but historical fiction with slight horror connotations, at least that's what I gather from the book jacket.

Anyway, that's on my nightstand at the moment.

Progress, progress

Yesterday (Friday) I wrote quite a lot.

Finished the rough draft of something I've been calling a literary/mainstream short story. It is written as fiction, though it is actually a first person account of dealing with the death of my best friend when I was 19. It was tough to write and it has put me in a fit of mild depression for the last few days I've been working on it. Gonna set it aside while I decide whether or not to revise it and try to publish it. Not sure it should or will see the light of day. We'll see how I feel about it in a few weeks.

Finally had a minor breakthrough on the book Death of a Bluesman. I've been stuck for a few days, so I followed Raymond Chandler's advice -- I introduced a man with a gun and made sure he had nothing but evil intentions for my boys Addison and Barnacle. The words are flowing again...which is good. The rough draft should be finished by Christmas, then I plan to work fast and hard on the revisions -- hopefully get it in the hands of the agent by Feb. 1.

Kind of have some ideas for the second "Addison and Barnacle" book, but have to do some work on the bad guy -- he/she has to be pretty tough as my boys don't scare all that easily.

Still working on the two mystery short stories and the horror. Actually, the horror is about done in terms of the rough draft -- I just need about an hour to work on it. One of the mysteries is nearing completion -- at 5,000 words it has become the longest short story I've ever written but I think it is pretty good and it stars "the boys."

Thinking about going to the "Love is Murder" mystery writer's conference in Chicago in February. It will be a great chance to meet editors and network, but damn it is costly. We shall see -- my goal is to attend 3-4 major conferences in 2006.

Reading Recommendations

Gone for Good by Harlan Coben (really, any of his stand alones).

The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais (the first in the Elvis Cole series).

The Jessie Stone novels by Robert B. Parker.

Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned by Walter Mosely.

The "Alphabet" series by Sue Grafton. The first book is A is for Alibi.

Any of Nevada Barr's "park ranger" books. I especially liked Deep South.

If you are interested in writing and writers, I recommend three books.

On Writing by Stephen King. By far the best book on writing I've ever read. King demonstrates how he applied his life experiences to horror fiction and includes a great section on the actual craft of writing.

The other two are Speaking of Murder, volumes I and II. These books are loaded with interviews with mystery and suspense writers and are an amazing resource. You get to see how different writers work, what influenced their development as writers, how they are motivated, and their views on the world of publishing. It is fascinating stuff.

My final recommendation today is a memoir. I Want To Thank My Brain for Remembering Me recounts columnist Jimmy Breslin's surgery to repair an anneurism, and discusses his history as a columnist. Great reading.

What I'm working on...

Ok,

Got a couple of short stories out there making the rounds trying to find a home. I've fired one off to Alfred Hitchcock -- the largest mystery magazine in the world. It is my best story yet, so keep your fingers crossed.

At the moment, I'm hard at work on the novel "Death of a Bluesman" (working title). It is a Barnacle and Addison Carlysle story and is literally pouring onto the page at a rate of about 2,000 words per day.

I'm also working on revising two mystery short stories that I feel are quite good. I'm in the midst of writing an actual horror short story and something a bit more literary -- a coming of age story about a boy dealing with the death of a friend.

Busy times right now!

The Declining Short Story

There are few masters of the short story left writing today.

Last night, I read a short story by one, Neil Gaiman, though he's not a mystery writer. It is called The Price and it appears in his short story collection "Smoke and Mirrors." Great stuff.

A lot of writers will write the occasional short story for an anthology or collection, but they don't do so with enough regularity for me to call them masters.

Ed McBain wrote one of my all-time favorite mystery short stories, and there are others. Perhaps the best short story writer in crime/mystery fiction is Walter Mosely. His short stories featuring ex-con Socrates Fortlow are amazing in their ability to project you into the world of a dirt-poor black man who spent decades in jail and is now trying to make his way in the world. Check out "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned," for some great Socrates Fortlow stories. You won't be disappointed.

Fortunately, short fiction isn't entirely dead. There are plenty of places to read short mystery fiction, if you desire. Mysterical-E is a wonderful free e-zine. You can read their stuff at www.mystericale.com. I also like Crime Spree magazine, though it is a little tough to find on the news stands. Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen's mystery magazines, available at most news stands, offer up the goods monthly. Back to online, Shred of Evidence is an excellent free e-zine and can be found at www.shredofevidence.com. And there are many others out there.

In print, I make it a habit to read "The Best American Mystery Short Stories," an annual anthology edited by Otto Penzler and a different guest editor. They do a great job of selecting 15-20 short stories, though more and more they are leaning toward "crime" stories as opposed to the traditional "who done it" mystery.

Take some time to read short stories. And if you read one you enjoy, try to drop the author and the editor a quick note -- let them know the shorter form is still appreciated.

Dr. Watson, I presume

I thought I'd get things rolling by taking on what I think is one of the biggest misconceptions of mystery fiction.

Beginning in 1939, a series of Sherlock Holmes movies staring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and comedic actor Nigel Bruce as Watson were made. These movies are quite enjoyable and had sustaining popularity -- they still air frequently on television.

However, they portrayed Watson as absent-minded and bumbling. In the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he was anything but.

Keep in mind that Watson was a medical doctor though he may lack Holmes' insight and skills at observation. Watson was a veteran, having served in Afghanistan and was wounded in the line of duty. Often, Holmes would rely on Watson's moral character and his physical abilities. More than once, Holmes would exclaim, "Quickly Watson, get your service revolver!"

Watson was even instrumental in clearing up the mystery in the novel The Hounds of the Baskervilles, his intelligence earning the praise of the great detective himself.

One of my own observations is this. Sherlock Holmes has a great analytical mind and is keenly observant of his surroundings. However, he is not a "people person" and is not so keenly aware of the impact of emotions on our actions. That's where Watson comes to play. Having been a soldier and a medical doctor, he understands human emotions and how they affect us. He understands that people often react emotionally, something Holmes can't quite fathom. The pair play to each other's strengths, creating a team that cannot easily be beat.

Furthermore, a "Watson" has become an important writing tool in mystery fiction. Often, sidekicks are generically referred to as "Watsons" and novels are full of such pairings where an assistant or a minor character records the deeds of the detective and even assists in certain matters pertaining to solving the crime. The most notable is Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, who is accompanied by Captain Arthur Hastings and Earl Derr Biggers creation, Charlie Chan and his sons, usually "son number 1." Even modern pairings, where the partner may be more active and less of an observer, such as Spencer and Hawk, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike and others, can trace their roots to Dr. Watson.

Indeed, the good doctor has earned his place in the mystery fiction hall of fame and not as a bumbling oaf as often portrayed in movies.

A hearty welcome

Well, welcome to my new blog. Mostly, this initial post is just to get things started and give you an idea of what I'm about and what this blog is about.

My name is Clay Morgan and I'm a writer. My non-fiction is published under the name Clay Morgan and my fiction under the ever-so-clever psuedonym E.C. Morgan, so as to avoid confusion with horror and science fiction writer Clay Morgan, who lives up north somewhere.

It is my hope to do a couple of things with this blog. One is to keep folks who might be interested posted on what's going on with my writing career. Another is to hash out ideas and thoughts, almost like and online journal. And a final is to share my thoughts, views and tips on writing, reading, literature and other related subjects, especially as they pertain to mystery fiction.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!