Thursday, November 19, 2015

Guest Post- Toni L.P.Kelner

I am delighted to have Toni L.P.Kelner with us today.Toni writes the Laura Fleming Mystery series Some of you know Toni as Leigh Perry where she writes The Family Skeleton Mystery series featuring Sid.



Welcome Toni, so happy you are joining us here today.






A Writer’s Thanksgiving, or Only Turkeys Diss Their Copyeditors By Leigh Perry / Toni L.P. Kelner

With Thanksgiving approaching, I thought it only appropriate to publicly express gratitude to some of the people and things that make my authorial lifestyle more productive, richer, and a whole lot less embarrassing.

THE INTERNET! I admit it’s a time sink, and I’m as likely as anybody to get sucked into articles about where the stars of The Brady Bunch are now or to use Google Earth to check out houses where I haven’t lived in forty years. I may even play more games that is strictly necessary. But when I need to know what time sunset was on April 3 on Cape Cod, or read first-hand accounts of haunted house scare actors, or figure out how long it would take to drive from Hickory NC to Greensboro NC, there is no substitute for being able to find that information almost instantly. So the internet deserves a big dish of mashed potatoes with gravy! THANK YOU!


SOCIAL MEDIA! First off, social media provides even more research opportunities because if you can’t find a site with the information about small-town murder investigations, you can get in touch with a friend who was herself a cop in a small town and knows where are the bodies are buried. And how they’re investigated. So THANK YOU! Second, never have writers been able to have so much wonderful interaction with readers. Meeting people at events and bookstores is great, of course, but instead of two-and-a-half minutes of chatting with somebody as I sign a book for her, I can actually have a correspondence. Instead of a rare fan letter forwarded from my publisher, I can find out how people liked a book the second they’re done, sometimes when they’re in the middle of reading. A couple of weeks ago, I heard from a young person who was delighted that I’d referred to a character not seeming to have a boyfriend or girlfriend. In other words, I didn’t assume the character was straight—that tiny bit of inclusion meant the world to that person and reminded me that little things make a big difference. You guys get all the stuffing you can eat, from Grandma Ward’s special recipe. THANK YOU!



REVIEWERS! So few newspapers and magazines review books these days, and there are so many books to review that it’s easy for books to get lost in the shuffle. So an extra serving of cranberry sauce for all the pro reviewers; bloggers; people who post to Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble; and people who go on Facebook and say, “Hey, I read this great book the other day.” THANK YOU!


COPYEDITORS! My other thanks have been for relatively new players in the world o’ publishing. (Well, they seem new to me. I’m old, okay?) But copyeditors have been with us since somebody noticed mis-numbered verses in the Gutenberg Bible. Now you’ll often hear writers at convention bars moaning about copyeditors who don’t realize that nonstandard punctuation is a style, not a mistake, or that Southern dialect isn’t expected to be grammatically correct. I myself have complained about one copyeditor I dubbed the Semicolon Queen for the way she rearranged my sentences. Then there’s the copyeditor who fixed half a dozen quotes in one of my Laura Fleming books. I had an edition of Shakespeare's plays with tiny little print, and messed up my Act and Scene numbers repeatedly. And there’s the copyeditor who realized a character’s hair color had changed—not just between chapter, but between BOOKS. And most recently, the copyeditor whose husband is an adjunct professor, like my character Georgia in the Family Skeleton series, and she cheered me on for getting details right and corrected one I didn’t have perfect. You guys get turkey and gravy, for making sure I don’t look like a turkey. THANK YOU!


READERS! I don’t know how to put this without sounding as if I’m sucking up, but the fact is, the best book in the world means nothing without somebody to read and appreciate it. So readers get the extra slice of pumpkin pie for my Thanksgiving. (Only it’ll probably be chocolate mousse because nobody in my house likes pumpkin pie that much.)




Leigh Perry / Toni L.P. Kelner is grateful for pseudonyms. As Leigh Perry, she writes the Family Skeleton mysteries featuring adjunct English professor Georgia Thackery and her best friend, an ambulatory Skeleton named Sid. The Skeleton Haunts a House is the third and most recent. As Toni L.P. Kelner, she’s the co-editor of paranormal fiction anthologies with Charlaine Harris; the author of eleven mystery novels; and an Agatha Award winner and multiple award nominee for short fiction. She recently released Crooked as a Dog’s Hind Leg, a collection of short stories No matter what you call her, she lives north of Boston with two daughters, two guinea pigs, and one husband. (She’s grateful for the husband, daughters, and piggies, too.)


Giveaway: Leave a comment and email by November 22nd for a chance to win THE SKELETON HAUNTS A HOUSE and a gently used Velma action figure.

23 comments:

  1. kat8762@aol.com. I am a "Google-holic!" I follow up on news reports, movies, books, and snoop on my fav authors, actors, and baseball players. I Love Facebook! I've met so many wonderful people, and have become a fan of "cozy" books! It's been a great way to reach out and be reached by my favorite authors.

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    1. You can find me on Facebook, Kathleen! Leigh Perry Author or Toni L.P. Kelner Author.

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  2. I loved the first book in the series.

    kaye dot killgore at comcast dot net

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    1. That give me--and Sid--a big smile, Kaye! Thank you!

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  3. Velma!! And what did we do without google?? Walk to the neighbors house to borrow an encyclopedia... Thanks for the chance to win!

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    1. We did have an encyclopedia, but Google is so much easier to work with. And I'm all about the easy.

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  4. The Internet has opened many arenas for those of us who are not as mobile as we once were. It has allowed me to find many new books, many new authors, many new websites that offer me the opportunity to learn about so many different things such as cozy mysteries. I love Sid and Toni's books and would consider it a privilege to win a copy. robeader53@yahoo.com

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    1. Thank you so much, Robin. And I'm with you--I've found some many books to read online.

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  5. Toni / Leigh, you have given us insight into how busy the lives of successful authors are - I think that we readers are not aware just what is expected of authors now. It isn't like John Boy Walton plunking away at a typewriter in a cabin away from his family...thank you for this great interview! And this reader totally forgot that you ... uh, Toni .... is writing another series. Personally, Sid has not only been the reason that I have returned with both feet into reading cozy mysteries, but given me something to look forward to and someone to LOL with! I am really looking forward to reading his newest story! jeaniedannheim (at) ymail (dot) com

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    1. Good ole' John Boy. I remember him trying to explain to his grandmother that a form rejection slip wasn't intended as promising.

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  6. Thanks for this lovely and delightful feature and giveaway. If not for authors and their talent and writing I would be lost. I have been reading forever and this is my only form of entertainment which gives me such pleasure and enjoyment. Mousse is my preference as well. Thanks and best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I confess the mousse we make is from a mix--but so GOOD!

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  7. This was captivating and interesting. Reading transports me to another place, era, realm and allows me to imagine, dream and is soothing. Love books and reading since it is so vital for everyone in life. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I get really antsy when I walk into somebody's house and there are no books around. Of course, these days they could just as easily be using a tablet so I have to be careful.

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  8. Ohhh, I get extra cranberries and pumpkin pie! Yay! And you get extras of everything for writing books for us to read and review! Thank you!

    ElaineE246 at msn dot com

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  9. I would love to read this book—thanks so much for the chance to win a copy!

    skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

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  10. This sounds like a fantastic book. Thank you for this opportunity.

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  11. And the winner is....

    Mama Cat!!!!

    Thanks to all of you for entering. If you'll email your mailing address to me at Leighperry@mindspring.com, I'd like to send you each a small consolation prize. It's a microfiber wipe for phones and glasses with a specially commissioned illustration of Sid. (My daughter is in art school, so I get my art free! Other than the tuition payments, that is.)

    Shelley, if I haven't sent you one yet, the offer holds for you, too.

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  12. Oh, and please put Shelley's Book Case into the subject line so the message doesn't get lost.

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  13. You guys don't like pumpkin pie? I can't imagine not loving pumpkin pie, but I'd take the chocolate mousse, too. I've loved pumpkin pie all my life. Sometimes I leave reviews online and have received books to review. I keep up with authors and publishers on Facebook, mainly for giveaways. I have books all over the place. I have an encyclopedia that I bought at Kroger in the '90's when they still sold them that way. I even ordered by mail the volumes that I couldn't find in the store.

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    1. I know, I know. It's odd not to like pumpkin pie. This year it's not mousse--it's chocolate sundae pie. YUM!

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