Mulitple Points of View by Jenn McKinlay

First, we have a contest winner! Gail Donovan chose Gillian B as the winner of her book, Sparrow Always. Congrats, Gillian!!! You can contact Julia at juliaspencerfleming at gmail dot com to connect with Gail!!!

JENN McKINLAY: I recently did a summer reading event at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore with the fabulous authors Christina Estes and Allison Brennan. We talked about our upcoming books (naturally) but also what we're reading. You can watch the chat here:

Poisoned Pen Summer Reading Reccomendations

During the Q&A portion following our chat, a male reader asked how we felt about multiple points of view (not one or two but MULTIPLE) in novels. Did we use them? How did we manage it? And while Allison, is currently writing a book with something like nine points of view, I don't think I've ever attempted more than two. But the conversation did get me wondering if I could write more than one or two and how would that look. I have no idea. I'm still wrapping my head around it.

So I turn to you, Reds, to ask what’s the most POVs you’ve ever written? How did you manage it? And do you enjoy multiple POV as a reader?

HALLIE EPHRON: the most I’ve done is 2 viewpoints. And not until I was several books in and felt confident managing one. 

I’m reading a book now with 5 viewpoints and multiple timelines and nearly gave up several times when it felt as if I had to take notes to keep the characters and events straight. Make it hard to follow the narrative and you risk losing readers.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I love love love multiple POVs (when they work) and “when they work” means I have no trouble keeping track of the people or the situation AND that they propel the story forward instead of slowing it down. I love the dramatic irony it provides when the reader knows something the character doesn't.

Two seems logical for me, and many of my books have two. (Not the current one though, or the new one. Or the one after that. Hmmm.)

I think multiple PV in multiple timelines is a juggle only for the most proficient. (The Time Traveler's Daughter, yikes, but SO good!) 

Bottom line, I'm realizing that if the author can pull it off, it can be terrific. Interesting that on TV or in movies, it’s usually no problem. Because we can see the character and the setting, and don't have to imagine it or figure it out. 

I’m starting a book now that has five. We shall see.

RHYS BOWEN: I quite enjoy both reading and writing multiple points of view. In Farleigh Field had 5 I believe. But as Hank says it has to be done well or it’s jarring to be snatched back and forth, or, worse still, not know which time period we are in ( I’ve read a few of those)

LUCY BURDETTE: Most of my books have been in first person with one point of view. My break from that came with the suspense standalone, UNSAFE HAVEN. In that book I used three POV in third person, with occasional short chapters from the bad guy. (My agent hated those chapters so I cut them down!) It’s funny to me that I had to go back and browse through the book to remember what I did. 

I don’t like the whiplash of being jerked around from character to character if the writing isn’t done well, but it can surely be effective. I’m reading HEARTWOOD by Amity Gaige right now–it has several POV written in different ways, plus some press releases and diary entries. It took a few chapters to get into it, and I strongly prefer one of the characters, but it’s quite gripping. Have you all read this one?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I’ve always used multiple viewpoints, and I’d pull my hair out if I had to look back through in all my books and count them. Suffice to say, I think the book-in-progress has eight so far. Of course, Gemma and Duncan are the main POVs, but I love using multiples to show the readers the things that they can’t see. And to develop the other primary characters, like Kit, Melody, and Doug.

Oops, I just thought of two I left out, so make that ten viewpoints! I hope they won’t be too hard for the reader to follow.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Count me in on the multiple POV side! I only used two for my debut novel - the hero and heroine - but I quickly got hooked on the storytelling delights of switching narrators. Since Debs and I compared ourselves last week when talking about branding, let me continue the comparison. 

We both write about communities with many members the readers have come to know and love, and our mysteries usually involve a relatively wide geographic area, with lots of different sorts of people who have specialized knowledge. In Debs’ case, it might be a pub keeper, in mine a worker at a dairy parlor. This is exactly the sort of fiction that calls for multiple POVs. Which means when you have ten or eight narrating characters, it seems natural, and not a gimmick the author is using to create suspense.

How about you, Readers? Do you enjoy MULTIPLE points of view when you read or not so much?

I'm in a pickle...I hope!

 JENN McKINLAY: Anyone who follows me on the socials knows that this year I decided to lean all the way into gardening trowel first. Usually, I have flower pots and a sunflower patch, containers of tomatoes and peppers, and a seasonal herb garden, but this year, I went a little overboard. We now have two raised beds with sunshades and plans for two more. Mornings are spent in my pajamas, drinking my coffee and talking to my crops. 

It has been a bountiful year for zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and shishito peppers, while the eggplant and pole beans quit on me. Now it seems it's the cucumbers time to shine and I am pretty thrilled as I love me a good pickle. Of course, I've never made pickles before so I'm also a tad nervous. This is where anyone who reads this is successful with pickles give me advice in the comments!

Of course while contemplating my future pickles, I went full librarian and had to do some research on facts about pickles because...the more you know. So, here are some little tidbits that I thought I'd share.

• Pickles have been around since ancient times. Some believe the first pickle was created in Mesopotamia in 2400 B.C.E. Others believe it was as early as 2030 B.C.E.
• Ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra claimed pickles made her beautiful (although, there is some pushback on the accuracy of this tidbit).
• When the Philadelphia Eagles thrashed the Dallas Cowboys in the brutal heat of September 2000, the players attributed their win to one thing: guzzling down immense quantities of ice-cold pickle juice.
• The phrase “in a pickle” was first introduced by Shakespeare in his play, The Tempest. The quotes read, “How cam’st thou in this pickle?” and “I have been in such a pickle.”
• Sweet pickles are made by soaking dill pickles in strong Kool-Aid and are very popular in parts of Mississippi.
• You can hear the crunch of a good pickle at 10 paces.
• In Connecticut in order for a pickle to officially be considered a pickle, it must bounce. (I'm from CT and I did not know this).
• The majority of pickle factories in America ferment their pickles in outdoor vats without lids leaving them subject to insects and bird droppings! But there’s a reason. According to food scientists, the sun’s direct rays prevent yeast and molds from growing in the brine. (I don't think I needed to know this).
• Pickling vegetables not only improves their flavor, it can also make them more nutritious and easier to digest. During fermentation, bacteria produce vitamins as they digest vegetable matter.
• The Department of Agriculture estimates that the average American eats 8.5 lbs of pickles a year. (I fear I might be consuming more than my share--no regrets!).

For more info, check out:

https://www.history.com/articles/pickles-history-timeline

So, Reds and Readers, who are the pickle fans among us? What's your favorite type of pickle?

Research 101: a.k.a. Learning to Kill (on paper!) by Allison Brennan

Jenn McKinlay: Last week I had the very good fortune to sign books at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore with the extremely talented Allison Brennan. Of course, I asked her to visit us and she very graciously agreed. So here she is to talk about the warm and fuzzy topic of writing what we know or rather what we don't know.

BUY NOW!

Allison Brennan: Later this year, I’m presenting a workshop titled How Can I Write What I Know When I Haven’t Killed a Man?

It’s a fair question. Especially when writers are constantly told: “Write what you know.”

Well, if I only wrote what I knew? My books would be mind-numbingly dull. I’m a mom. A daughter. A wife. You know—like millions of women. I once worked in the California State Legislature, which sounds more exciting than it was. (Spoiler: it wasn’t.) I went to a college prep high school, dropped out of college after two years, and my first job was at a bookstore, where I had to prove I could alphabetize and make change. I've also been a bartender, admin, hostess, a waitress for roughly two minutes (I was terrible), and spent a summer at Marine World learning how carnival games work—yet still couldn’t win a single one.

 The truth is: if you're writing crime, thrillers, or suspense, you cannot rely on television for research. Just because a fictional FBI agent tracks a suspect cross-country doesn’t mean the real FBI lets agents hopscotch around the country like Jason Bourne on a road trip. (Yes, I made that mistake once.)

 Some authors do write from specialized experience—doctors writing about doctors, veterans writing military thrillers. It adds a layer of authenticity that’s hard to fake. Tess Gerritsen made Maura Isles come alive with her medical background. John Grisham nails courtroom drama. Tom Clancy practically was a submarine. And Jack Carr? Real-deal Navy SEAL turned bestselling author.

 But here’s the thing: Tess had never been a cop, and she still gave us Jane Rizzoli. Lisa Gardner has never been a man, but writes in the male POV quite well. And I’m reasonably certain Gregg Hurwitz has never moonlighted as a government assassin. (But if he has...I take it back. Great job. Very convincing.)

 So no, I’ve never killed a man. But I have a vivid imagination. And if I can picture it? I can write it.

 And I’ve pictured some very fun, er, interesting, um, diabolical … well, let’s just say my husband definitely doesn’t want to get on my bad side,

 Let me introduce you to my best friend: The Book of Poisons. That book has helped me off more characters than I care to count.

 Back when I was writing my second novel—my debut wasn’t even published yet—I needed to figure out how to sabotage a car so it would break down after only a few miles of driving. This was before Google answered all of life’s weirdest questions. So I called mechanics in my town.

 “Hi, I’m Allison Brennan. I’m writing a novel. What could I put in a car’s gas tank to make it stall a few miles down the road?”

 Shockingly, no one answered my question. Instead, they hung up. I suppose I’m lucky they didn’t call the cops.

 Desperate, I brought it up at my niece’s baptism (as one does), and my brother-in-law said, “Hey, my buddy’s a mechanic. Let me grab him.”

 Five minutes later, I’m pitching this mechanic my scene, explaining that sugar doesn’t quite work unless the gas is low. He nods and says, “You want to clog the fuel filter. That’ll do it.”

 We brainstorm. He suggests molasses—heavy, slow, perfect for settling at the bottom of the tank and causing problems right on cue. Boom. Sabotaged car. Kidnapping scene secured.

 Perfect.

 Since then, I’ve:

 * Observed an autopsy.

* Played both hostage and bad guy during FBI SWAT training.

* Toured Quantico.

* Done countless ride-alongs.

* Interviewed experts about everything from blood spatter to bomb tech.

 All to make my stories more authentic—even if I’m still making stuff up for a living.

 My latest book, Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds, is my 49th novel. It’s a little lighter than my usual thrillers (read: fewer corpses, no blood), but the research was still essential—especially since I’d never been to the Caribbean.

 In the first draft, I had my characters taking a hot air balloon ride. Very romantic. Except... there are no hot air balloons on Caribbean islands. At all. I researched how they work, and realized there’s a very good, very scientific reason they’re not floating around out there. I’ve since forgotten what it is—but the balloons had to go.

 Then there’s the fictional island of St. Claire, where my protagonist Mia Crawford is sent on a mandatory vacation. I made a rough map to help with continuity. Then midway through the book, I hit a problem: a scene required Mia to hike from point A to point B, but there was no path. I panicked. My entire mountain-trekking sequence was ruined.

 Until I remembered: St. Claire isn’t real. I made it up. I can put a path anywhere I want.

 Waterfall too far north? Slide it south. Boom. Problem solved. Magic of fiction.

 Now, I have made mistakes. Some on purpose, for the sake of the story. Others? Honest goofs. Like the nurse who emailed me to say she threw my book across the room because I miscalculated a Valium dose by about... 500%. Whoops.

 The thing is, we don’t know what we don’t know. That’s why research matters. But I try not to let my research show. It should be invisible. Seamless. If readers are too busy noticing my fun and clever facts, they’re not fully immersed in my story.

 My rule of thumb? Willing suspension of disbelief.

 If the characters are compelling and the story is gripping, readers will go along for the ride—even if a detail is a little off.

 That said… if I were to plan a murder, I’d want to do it right.

 I mean, I’d want my characters to get away with it. Definitely just my characters. Wink wink. (Ha! Just kidding! In case the NSA or someone is reading this …)

So tell me: Do you appreciate when authors get the research right? And are you willing to overlook a few missteps if the story's too good to put down?

 

Allison Brennan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author best known for her Quinn & Costa FBI thrillers and the Lucy Kincaid series. She lives in Arizona with her family and assorted pets. Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds is her 49th novel.