So, when's a crime novel NOT a crime novel?

By Guest Blogger E.J. Copperman
In explaining why my new book would not be reviewed by a specific venue recently, I was told that the venue in question “only reviews crime fiction,” and so mine did not qualify.

Now, keep in mind that we’re talking about a novel in which there are two murders, and the bulk of the pages are spent investigating those incidents and bringing the perpetrator(s) to justice. I didn’t ask why the reviewer I was conversing with didn’t classify such a story as “crime fiction,” because I really didn’t need to ask. I knew why.

Some of the characters in my series are ghosts. That’s why.

There are times that being classified as one type of story or another can actually be helpful to a book in finding readers. Some people, I’m sure, read my first Haunted Guesthouse novel NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEED because it has ghost characters.

And on another occasion recently, I was asked what kind of series the Haunted Guesthouse books might represent. Without thinking, I gave the stock answer; “paranormal humorous cozy,” I said, although I don’t see how talking like that is going to solve anything. The person asking lit up, “Cool!” And wrote down the name of the book for future reference.
So it doesn’t have to be a bad thing to be defined by sub-sub-genre.

Amazon, which is not the de facto arbiter of all things that can be sold legally in the United States (and many other places) classifies THE THRILL OF THE HAUNT in the following manner: Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Ghosts. Of course.

On those rare occasions when I think of my books as anything but stories that I hope people will like, I would probably classify them as comedy mysteries. The fact that two of the continuing are deceased really doesn’t enter into it for me.

I write Paul and Maxie. I write them as people who are able to float around, move through solid objects, contact other beings like themselves through a form of telepathy, and generally make my first-person narrator’s life miserable, which is exactly what they are intended to do. As my friend Ian Abrams says, “Nobody wants to watch your character have a nice day.”

Yeah, they’re ghosts. Of course they are; I designed them to be from the beginning. That was the idea. Does the fact that there’s an element of the “paranormal” in the books negate the whole rest of the story? I don’t think so.

It’s a reviewer’s prerogative to comment or not comment on any book ever written, and I respect that. But there are times when I bristle a little at the concept of being shoehorned into one little box or another because others don’t see past the accepted definitions.

Luckily, Lorraine offers the chance to let off a little steam.

What's bugging you today?
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E.J. Copperman writes the Haunted Guesthouse series, whose latest installment THE THRILL OF THE HAUNT was published on November 5. You can classify it any way you want. Next year, E.J. will team with Jeff Cohen to write a series about a sleuth with Asperger’s Syndrome for Midnight Ink. And there’ll be another Haunted Guesthouse book. Thank goodness there’s just no getting rid of some people.

E.J.'s Website:  www.ejcopperman.com
His blog:  Sliced Bread
Twitter: @ejcop
Facebook: E.J. Copperman

First Tuesday = new books!

First Tuesday means new books are out.  YAY! First up is mine.  Dark Waters, Jeff Resnick Mystery #6.

For Jeff Resnick, the trouble starts with a near-death experience.  Brenda's family comes to visit and one of them reminds Jeff of the thugs who mugged him. His brother has taken possession of an expensive boat.  The yacht holds a deadly secret, one destined to turn his world upside down. Will Jeff solve the puzzle before his vision of near death becomes a reality?

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Olivia Limoges thought gathering some of the most renowned storytellers in one place would be a nice, simple way for herself and the Bayside Book Writers to appreciate their talents. But things take a dark turn when the most famous storyteller in the nation—the captivating performer Violetta Devereaux—announces onstage that she will meet her end in Oyster Bay. When Violetta is discovered murdered after the show, everyone involved with the retreat becomes a suspect. There are rumors that Violetta, who grew up in extreme poverty in the Appalachian Mountains, possessed an invaluable treasure. Now Chief Rawlings and the Bayside Book Writers must work at a frenzied pace to solve the crime before someone closes the book on them.

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Watch the video!     Visit Ellery's website.

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Haunted guesthouse owner Alison Kerby may have only recently discovered her ability to communicate with ghosts, but for her mother Loretta, it’s been a lifelong gift. As Alison prepares her Jersey Shore guesthouse for what promises to be a huge storm, Loretta helps out by tackling a different issue when the winds blow in an unexpected visitor: the ghost of Sgt. Robert Elliot. His request? Help him find the POW bracelet from the Vietnam War that bears his name. But no sooner does Elliot make his appeal than he suddenly disappears, cutting off contact, and leaving Loretta to wonder...why here? Why now? And why the vanishing act?

The answers begin to materialize when Alison’s lone remaining guest shows up unwittingly holding a clue to the case—on his wrist. A coincidence? Hardly. And Loretta has good reason to believe that the sergeant’s spirit has a secret he’s yet to share. Something he’s been holding on to for more than forty years. Something he’s dying to put to rest.

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Sony          Visit E.J.'s website!
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E.J. Copperman's true confession ...

By E.J. Copperman

It bugs me when people ask me what I read. There. I said it.

Mind you, I don’t think the question is the least bit rude or inappropriate. Actually, I consider it natural that if a reader likes an author’s work, she might wonder what the author reads for fun—maybe even as a possible source of new writers, or an affirmation of the reader’s own taste. It’s something that authors get asked, and I should have an answer prepared in advance.

Except, I don’t.

The sad truth of the matter is that I’m a very bad representative of the publishing business in general and the crime fiction publishing business in particular. I should probably be shunned, exiled, or at the very least subjected to a finger wagging. I do not promote the industry the way I should.

I honestly don’t read very much, and when I do, it’s rarely a mystery novel.

Now, that wasn’t always the case. I was a voracious reader from childhood on, and some of my favorite authors were mystery and crime fiction writers all the way from Agatha Christie to Robert Crais. I read Lee Child and Robert B. Paker. I was inspired by Donald J. Sobol when I was a kid and by Dashiell Hammett when I was in college.

But now I write for a living. And unlike, say, all the other authors in existence, I have found that by the end of the day, my eyes have seen enough words, and can see no more. My brain overloads. I can’t concentrate on someone else’s story. I’m still turning my own over and over in my troubled head.

I will often tell those who ask that I don’t read while I’m writing (which is pretty much all the time, anyway) because I’m concerned that I will subconsciously “pick up” some phrase or plot turn and forget where the idea came from in time to include it in my own work. While that is at least nominally true, it’s not a really deep concern, and the fact is that if I wanted to read other crime fiction authors (like Lorraine, for example), I could be reasonably sure I wouldn’t steal from them. Certainly not purposefully.

There are other reasons I don’t read the way I used to: Now that I am a published author, I’ve been to conferences and conventions, panels and discussions, with other authors.  A number of them have become cherished friends (like Lorraine, for example). If I’m asked who I read, and I mention one and not another, I’ll feel badly about omitting a friend. The friend might actually never find out about it, and in most cases wouldn’t mind at all, but I would be mortified at having slighted someone I care about. So I don’t mention names.

At the core of it, I really don’t read very many books these days. I read newspapers, and I read screens, and I quite often will read whatever it is I’m typing out on my keyboard every day, just to make sure I’m not repeating myself or making some hideous error. I put my all into the books I write. And I do read sometimes. In the car on the way to a teaching gig in Philadelphia every week, I will listen to audiobooks. But reading for pleasure at the end of the night? I’m exhausted. I’m overloaded on words. I just can’t do it.

I know. I’m a terrible author and a worse person. Feel free to snub me. Wag your finger. I’ll understand.

But if someone asks you who you read, if you could mention my name…
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E.J. Copperman is the author of CHANCE OF A GHOST, the latest in the Haunted Guesthouse mystery series, which published February 5. You can find out more at www.ejcopperman.com

CHANCE OF A GHOST:  Even with a blizzard bearing down on New Jersey, Alison can count on at least two guests—Paul and Maxie, the stubborn ghosts who share her shore town inn. Then there’s her widowed mother, who hasn’t just been seeing ghosts, she’s been secretly dating one: Alison’s father. But when he stands her up three times in a row, something’s wrong. Is he a lost soul…or a missing apparition?

Their only lead is an overdramatic spirit—stage name Lawrence Laurentz—who doesn’t take direction well and won’t talk until they find his killer. Alison will reluctantly play the part of PI, but when the clues take a sinister turn, the writing is on the wall: If Alison can’t keep a level head, this will be her father’s final act—and maybe her own.