The Likeable/Unlikeable Gumshoe (Article) - 8/30/2020 10:06:36 AM
You certainly have covered the gumshoe from the novel and from the movies so thoroughly that I think you have spent a great deal of time exploring the subject. While you touched home with me many times with some characters that I love, you went too far more than I didn't love and that I've never heard of. That's a good thing, your thoroughness.
The one thing I noticed missing until the last paragraph about Edward Albee was the tendency towards alcoholism as a way of softening on the past dirt dumped on the character.
Thanks for all the wonderful information.
Ron
The Cozy Mystery: Death by a Thousand Cuts (Article) - 8/8/2016 12:43:22 AM
Immerse me into a literary world of grit and gore. I agree wholeheartedly with the bold brushstrokes you wield to paint an accurate picture of publishing. May more novels that buck trends and stereotyping rise above the fray.
The Cozy Mystery: Death by a Thousand Cuts (Article) - 7/13/2016 5:03:38 AM
I'm not a fan of mystery. I find that reading fictional mysteries especially those that are whodunits rather boring and like you wrote about the genre, cozy and always in the same, well-established formula that keeps these books in steady supply for their loving fans. I prefer real life mysteries although the famous ones develop wild conspiracy theories that really are fiction.
That said, this is one of the most well written and clearly stated articles that I've read in a long time. You have revealed that you are extremely well read, knowledgeable about your genre and all of the writers in it and are doing those like me who are lazy at this type of thing a great service with this article.
You are absolutely right that ebooks and shoddy POD publishing have ruined it for authors trying to break into established author houses and bookstores. However, I sense that the established book industry is crumbling and will be gone in the rapidly changing course of technology. And, there have always been over promoted but crappy books out there that appeal to the masses following one fad or another. Good work, if it is known, tends to stand the test of time. Cream does rise to the top. I think search tools in the future will be able to determine the difference between the cream and the dregs.
I love stories that are gritty and edgy, but they don't have to be excessively violent or have a twist at the end of every chapter, more likely confusing the reader than encouraging continued reading.
And you're right. It's all about the money. There are always those who are jealous of those lucky enough or good enough to make money with what they do and love.
Ron
The Cozy Mystery: Death by a Thousand Cuts (Article) - 7/12/2016 10:53:48 AM
Ah, Robb. Readers need cliches; they're what brings comfort to the afflicted, refuge to the bullied. Who is the reader who wants to become involved with a text? Challenged by sentence structure? It's all about the money.
