Irish

After this blog post, I'm using different blog software to do my biweekly posts and more easily tie them into my website at www.rayflynt.com. If you previously signed up to receive notifications about my blog, they will STOP after this post. On my new website blog, you can "subscribe" for future updates from me, which won't necessarily be for every blog post, but when I have news about new stories or novels. Thanks for your interest and I regret any inconvenience to those who have relied on the biweekly notifications. 

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I'm fascinated by the ads that offer to determine your ancestry by testing your DNA. If I ever get extra money, I may invest in such a test.

Based on what I know of my grandparents, my ancestry is firmly in the British Isles. Flynt is a Welsh name (the spelling has varied, and there is a county in Wales named Flint). My mother's maiden name is McBride. My great grandmother emigrated from Ireland (her family name was Kelly) and she married a McBride. Doesn't get much more Irish than Kelly/McBride.

When I look at other grandparents, I find the names Haines and Kirkwood, both decidedly English in origin. Another great grandparent had the surname of Yohe, also English, though there may be Germanic roots to that family as well.

As the saying goes, we all came from somewhere. The Flynt family arrived in America in the 1600s - no, not on the Mayflower, but not long after. While my Irish great grandmother arrived in about 1860. When I first heard about Ellis Island, I pictured my great grandmother arriving there along with her parents, but when I finally got a chance to visit Ellis Island, realized it hadn't even been built at that point.

In my opinion, it is great to celebrate our heritage, and to realize that all of us came from a diverse background/ethnic heritage.

As a writer, I know that having diverse characters strengthens a story (we wouldn't want everyone to talk or act the same, would we?), the same is true for our communities.

It is what helps make Life a Mystery.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit

I'm still reflecting on my recent experience doing my one-man play based on Ben Franklin, thus the title of this post.

One of the things that has struck me as I read Franklin's words is how much he talked about happiness and pleasure. He was the man responsible for adding the words, "Pursuit of Happiness" to our Declaration of Independence. For Franklin, happiness wasn't just idle carelessness. He remained engaged all of his life, in support of his business, his family, scientific and civic causes.

We all go through stages in our lives. As I've gotten older, I find that pursuing happiness is a worthy enterprise. I don't know how many years I'll have left on this earth (although a recent interaction with my investment brokerage firm suggests that actuarial tables give me 26 and a half more years on this planet. I figure I better make the most of it.

Remember the words of that old song, "Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative?" That's what I'm trying to do with my life.

Which brings me to Facebook. I feel as if I'm having a love/hate relationship with Facebook. I once enjoyed hearing what far flung friends were up to... new children or grandchildren in their lives, career change, a birthday or anniversary celebration, the publishing of a new book or work in a play. Lately, Facebook seems a place to argue about politics.

I have friends (and even relatives) of all political stripes. I appreciate the diversity of opinion among my friends. I'm just not sure I want to face it a couple of times a day when I log on - hoping to see what people are up to. Stay tuned. Life's a Mystery, right?

And what does this post have to do with being Irish? Like I said, stay tuned.

Q & A with Ben Franklin

On January 12 - 15, I will be performing my one-man play BEN FRANKLIN: AN INGENIOUS LIFE at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center in Orlando, FL. You can find more information and purchase tickets at http://benfranklin.eventbrite.com

I thought it would be fun to do a Q&A with Ben to get his perspectives on modern American life.

Q: Wondering what you think about our members of Congress?

Ben: Well, I don't know any of them, but if they are the way they were back in my day, I know that when we assemble representatives for the benefit of their joint wisdom, we inevitably invite all their prejudices, their passions, errors of opinion, local interests, and selfish views. How can a perfect product be expected?

Q: I understand that you only had two years of formal education, is that correct.

Ben: Yes, my parents were hoping to fit me for the ministry. It was not a good fit. I learned mostly from reading - every book I could get my hands on.

Q: Do you think education is still important?

Ben: The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.

Q: When you were flying that kite, weren't you worried you might get electrocuted?

(Franklin gives me a bemused look.)

Ben: Not with the proper precautions. The kite was out there in the storm. I was safely inside a doorway.

Q: Do you have any words of advice?

Ben: Perhaps the words of Alexander Pope, "Blessed is he who expects nothing for he shall never be disappointed." (Franklin laughs) Actually, the best advice I can offer you is, "Well done is better than well said."

Resolved for the New Year

The new year will soon be upon us. As I have for the last several years on this blog, it is a time for reflection and renewal.

With the recent release of COLD OATH, I now have eight published novels, six in my Brad Frame series and two standalone suspense novels.

I've been mulling my next writing challenges. In 2017, I plan to write a Brad Frame short story, which will probably be in the 15,000 word range. My expectation is to share this story to introduce readers to the Brad Frame character, and hopefully generate more interest in the six novels that are already a part of the series.

I've enjoyed writing the suspense novels, and I'd like to tackle another one in 2017.

In mid-January, I'll be performing my one-man Ben Franklin play in Orlando at the John & Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center. I plan to seek additional performance opportunities for the play throughout the course of the year.

Maintaining my health is important to me (which means trying to lose a few pounds as well as staying physically active). My mental health is equally important, so I plan to love more and fret less. Life's a Mystery, but as the saying goes, "None of us gets out of here alive," so best to stop stressing about the small stuff (like Facebook posts that make me cringe) and devote my attention to the people and issues in my life that really matter.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2017!

Holiday Wishes

Whether you're a devoted reader of my blog, an occasional visitor, or stopping by for the first time, I wish you the best this holiday season.

Here is a link to a holiday story I first shared last year. It is my gift to you. www.rayflynt.com/spiritofchristmas.pdf

If you'd like to give me a gift (hint, hint) :-) just share that link with your friends. Hopefully, they'll enjoy the story and it will expose them to my novels. Hey, maybe they'll even buy one of my books as a gift for one of their friends this holiday season.

I look forward to spending the holidays with friends. There are a group of us that rotate among each other's homes for meals during the two week period of Christmas/New Years. It is a fun time!

No matter what holiday you might be celebrating, best wishes to you and your family.

What Do Readers See?

"Oh, that's too scary for me." With those words posted on social media, a person who had read several of my books announced that they wouldn't be reading EMBALMED because of their reaction to the cover.

That got me thinking about the broader topic of what reader's see (or don't see) in my books/stories.

I had started reading Agatha Christie's Poirot series about the time that the movie Murder on the Orient Express, starring Albert Finney as Poirot, was released. Thereafter, I couldn't read a Poirot without picturing Finney in the character. Later, after seeing David Suchet create the character, he became a more enduring image in my mind.

I've had readers tell me that they wish my Brad Frame character was more fully described. I'd prefer for my readers to conjure their own picture of him (although I do provide a few descriptors). At least until Hollywood makes a movie of one of my stories. :-)

In my novel, BLOOD PORN, a reader I spoke with had a Bate's Motel view (Creepy vibe) of the juvenile institution as it unfolded in the story. I was surprised when he said that, since it was not my intention (or the way I saw it). But it demonstrated that a reader's imagination was as important as my words in how one of my stories is received.

What about you? How important are descriptions when you read a book? Do you prefer to let your imagination run wild? Feel free to comment below, because after all, Life's a Mystery.

For Love and Money

From time to time I like to include links to my short stories on this blog.

I'm busy trying to wrap up my latest suspense novel, and thought while you were waiting you would enjoy a fun short story.

Here's one I wrote a few years ago with themes of Wall Street greed.

Feel free to comment.

Here's the link: www.rayflynt.com/forloveandmoney.pdf

Don't forget, "Life's a Mystery"

Vote

Election day is November 8th. Vote. It is your duty as a citizen. In a representative democracy, we chose who will represent us whether in the local courthouse or in the Congress.

I try very hard on social media, including this blog, to avoid politics. This post isn't about politics. It's about governance. Who's going to call the shots until the next election. The choices we (collectively) make are important.

There are quite a few people who have already made their choice in this election. In most places, there are options for early voting - either by mail or at early voting locations. Thus far, nearly 14 million people have already voted in this election. When I lived in Maryland, early voting was available at the local library. I recall the last presidential election that we tried to do early voting, but there were no parking spaces available. Being a good citizen can be hard work. If we want to keep our democracy, we have to work at it.

During the course of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Ben Franklin was asked about what kind of government the delegates have created. His response: "A republic, if you can keep it."

So get out there and vote, so we can "keep" the republic.

Tinkering

I'm in the last roundup on my manuscript for COLD OATH. The critical question is, "When is it finished?" The story is written, and I've done a read through to make sure that I'm satisfied.

But I have two additional processes that I go through before the book is on sale and available to the public.

First, I have the manuscript reviewed by a line editor. That person goes over it with a fine tooth comb looking for typos, grammar or punctuation errors, or the badly phrased sentence.

Then I give "beta readers" a copy of the book. They read the story from beginning to end and let me know what they think. I truly value the feedback I receive from the beta readers.

As readers, we can devour a book in 6 to 10 hours of reading time, but as writers, the process takes months and the disconnected nature of trying to tell a story sentence by sentence, page by page, is often painfully evident when we go back to the beginning of the story - find that we've used two different names for one character, or that she had brown hair in one scene and a blonde in the next (not due to hair color, but author forgetfulness).

My hope is that at the end of the process, the book will be a "satisfying" read. Of course, not everyone agrees. The last time I went through the beta reader feedback process, one person said, "This is my least favorite book you've written." Two days later, another reader said, "Ray, I think this is your best book." Who was I to believe? The latter, of course. Because Life's a Mystery. :-)

All in the Family

Periodically, I enjoy dabbling in family genealogy. I knew that my great-grandfather's name was Chester Dana Flynt. As a boy, when I inquired of my dad what Chester had done for a living, I was told that he was a spy during the Civil War, and that he had been an inventor. "What did he invent?" I asked my dad. He didn't know.

Occasionally, when the spirit moves me, I've gone into a library or on the Internet to search for more details about this elusive relative. I tried a few years back to search online for Patent Office information that might tell me more about Chester's inventions. No luck.

Chester was married in the 1840s to Caroline Yohe, my great grandmother. When I lived in Pennsylvania, I visited the church (still standing) where they were married. I also trolled through the church's cemetery hoping to locate a few more distant relatives. No luck.

During a recent search, I stumbled upon information from another person seeking information about Caroline Yohe. In her post, she wrote: "I am also keen on finding out more about CAROLINE'S husband CHESTER DANA FLYNT, an artist who traveled from town to town as a portrait painter and inventor of the universal automatic lubricating pads for trains which are still in use today. a painting of his entitled "the good samaritan" was presented to the sons of temperence, wyoming division in Wilkes Barre, PA"

Wow! My dad was right. Chester was an inventor. I was then able to search and found the patent for the lubricating pads. It was filed in the 1880s. I learned a couple more bits of trivia. Caroline's family was among the first settlers of Pennsylvania, and Chester was living in Philadelphia at the time of his first patent application. Suddenly, my family history brings me a little closer to the location for my books, my interest (expressed via Brad Frame) in trains, and perhaps my fascination with Philadelphian Ben Franklin.

Genealogy helps unravel Life's Mysteries.

Friends

The picture to the left has absolutely nothing to do with this post. Why you ask? I didn't want regular readers of this blog to think that I'm always trying to hock one (or more) of my books. The picture is an historic area of Philadelphia, mostly preserved from the 18th Century.

Today I want to share a few thoughts about friends. I'm blessed with good friends. I'm not talking about just the Facebook kind of "friend." I mean the people in my life that though I may not see them for years, when we get together we can pick up exactly where we left off.

In less than a month I'm traveling out to Las Vegas to visit with my best friend. We used to live quite close to each other and visited often. Now we are a couple of thousand miles apart and manage to stay in touch via email, phone, and occasional visits. Two years ago, I traveled to Las Vegas to see him, and last October he flew to Florida to visit with me. Now it's my turn to go back to Vegas.

Recently, I was asked a "security question" on a website for the name of my childhood "friend." First, I'm not sure we have a good concept in childhood of what friendship means. Usually at that point it is a person you are hanging out with the most. When I was a kid, I had several "friends."

As I got older, some of the friends I had during college have drifted away. The internet and social media sites help with keeping in touch, but I always enjoy celebrating friendships of the lasting variety.

Home Stretch

I've crossed the 60,000 word mark on my latest suspense novel, COLD OATH. It will probably top out around 70,000 words, so I'm definitely in the home stretch.

Reader Expectations

Recently I saw the title for a blog that asked the question: "Can a mystery still be good if no one gets killed?"

Of course, the short answer is, "Yes." But it got me thinking about reader expectations. So often, our life experiences - or our reaction to them - is based on how well it met our expectations. This is true of a restaurant meal, vacation, movie, play, or a book. We spend months planning a vacation, often having an idealized vision of what we will experience. Bad weather, airline delays, illness during the trip, are all factors that can turn "the trip of a lifetime" into a nightmare or at least a very forgettable vacation.

For much of my work career, my duties included organizing conferences, which were held in hotels.We always provided our participants with evaluation sheets, and would ask them to rate, for example, the conference meals. We provided a five point scale, and responses would be all over the place. I NEVER have high expectations for hotel banquet food, so if it arrives warm, looks good, and tastes palatable, I'd be likely to give it a rating of 5. For others it seems, they were expecting fine dining, and would rank low.

I often wonder how much a reader's reaction to my book is related to what they expected going into the read. A first time reader will be affected by the book's title, reading the short description on Amazon.com (for example), or perhaps even reading the first few pages online. Maybe a friend raves about the book, but then they don't quite have the same reaction. Or perhaps it is the other way around, a friend hands them the book and says, "I couldn't get into this, but you might like it."

Often, movies I enjoy the most are those I go into with ZERO expectations.

Similarly, with each new book I issue, I wonder what those loyal readers will think. Many of them have read all of my books, which definitely gives them an expectation level. I always hope I'm able to deliver.

Since "Life is a Mystery" do you have any thoughts you'd like to share on your expectations when it comes to a particular book or an author? Feel free to share your comments below.

More on Ben Franklin

Just about a month ago I wrapped up performances of my one-man play - BEN FRANKLIN: AN INGENIOUS LIFE at PACA in Erie, PA. The play was well received, and since I was back in a community where I had spent a chunk of my life, it was great to see so many friends.

This marked only the second time that I'd been able to do performances of the show. It was a different kind of experience for me. The first time I'd done it, in May of 2014, I was concerned about a lot of the technical aspects of the show. This included whether or not I'd be able to learn the 9,000 word script that kept me on stage for about 90 minutes. Although I'd previously done a workshop performance (which involved reading much of the material) and knew that those audiences had been pleased, it was still a bit daunting to see how the material would work with a regular audience.

I didn't need to have any fear. It all worked. And since I'd done talk backs following each performance to field questions about the play, Franklin, or whatever else the audience might have on their mind, I felt that I had a good grasp of audience expectations.

As I approached this second series of performances I felt I had a better idea of what worked well, and specifically how (as an actor) I might be able to "punch" a line for better effect. All of this held me in good stead, and the performances went well.

A live play involves interaction between the actor and the audience. Some of that is very obvious, such as when the audience laughs or applauds, but quite often I could hear a audience member's subtle reaction (a gasp) or a comment made to the person next to them. Or sometimes, just hearing an "ah" in response to one of Franklin's timeless aphorisms.

All in all, doing the play again was a fun experience. I look forward to more performance opportunities of the play in the future.

Irony

Mystery writers like to keep their readers in suspense and do the equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of the hat with a surprise ending. I'm no exception. I enjoy writing a nice twist to the end of the story (hopefully one the reader did not anticipate) as well as reading authors who accomplish the same.

I also enjoy the use of situational irony in my writing. When I wrote BLOOD PORN, I introduced the character of Oliver. He was a probation officer with whom Sharon had briefly worked before she joined Brad's detective agency. I got the idea for the character from a guy who had lived next door to me in my college dorm. He had lost his sight from birth, but enjoyed enhanced use of all of his other senses.

Fellow students would try to trick him, for example sneaking into his room, but he had come to know our footsteps and frequently called us out (to our amazement, I might add) when we were attempting to fool him.

The irony of Oliver's involvement in BLOOD PORN, was that in spite of all of the "sighted" people who had viewed an illegal porn video in an effort to determine where it might have been filmed, Oliver "heard" a distinctive background noise. This led to solving the case.

In another irony, I turned that same character into a love interest for Sharon. As to their future, I can only say, "stay tuned." Because Life's a Mystery.

Celebrating Four Generations

I have returned from a trip to Pennsylvania, which included a visit to see my mother. She is in a nursing home located near the Pittsburgh airport. It is always good to visit her, but this time our visit coincided with a trip made by my sister, her oldest daughter, and the newest member of the family - Arthur - at age four months.

My mother was particularly excited to see her great grandchild (one of three). The visit created an opportunity to capture a photograph of four generations of family members, which I have posted above.

I was also reflecting on the fact that (in addition to those pictured), in my lifetime I knew my mother's father and his mother, my great grandmother. So in my lifetime, I've witnessed six generations of family members whose birth extends back to the 1860s.

Life's a mystery! I can't help but think about how our memory of family keeps them alive in our hearts even when they are no longer with us. When he is old enough to appreciate it, I'm sure Arthur will be shown this photo and reminded of who all those people are. Their lives will become embedded in his consciousness, and he will go on to tell future generations about his mother, grandmother and great grandmother (and maybe even his great uncle, Ray.

I realize this blog post is more personal than some, but I wanted to share it with you.

Wishing you happy memories of your own family members!

Click Bait

Looking for ways in which the Internet can consume more of my time.

I learned a new term in the past year. No, not Brexit. Well, that too. I'm talking about "click bait." Apparently, anyone who has ever had a website desires as much traffic as possible to visit that site. We live in a world of numbers. How many Monday mornings do we wake up and learn that a movie "only" made $18 million over the weekend and is considered a bomb. I wonder what they would consider the balance in my checkbook? But I digress.

So, I'm minding my own business trying to educate myself to what's going on in the world. The news is too depressing. I find my eye drawn to an intriguing title of an article. For example: Eight foods you should not be eating. Okay, I'm hooked. And I click on the site (first mistake). Invariably, I don't even find the beginning of what I'd like to know. The headline was clear. I want to know what I should not be eating. I am consumed with fear that my diet consists entirely of those 8 things. I break out in a sweat and start to feel poorly.

But all I'm staring at is a screen that takes two hundred words to say what has just been said in the headline. At the bottom of that boring paragraph, it says, "Click here to change your life (or some such drivel of a claim)." So I click... again.

What I read now seems so obvious to me. I'm muttering to myself, "I know I shouldn't be eating that." It's at this point that a few expletives might pass my lips. But the article predicts even more dire news ahead. I'm wondering to myself if peanut butter is on the list. I mean, if I shouldn't be eating peanut butter I might as well go crawl in a hole somewhere and die.

I reach the bottom of that page and now I read, "People don't believe that the second item on our list could shorten their life by 10 years." Wow! I do a quick calculation. I'm almost 70. If it's a food I've been eating (please don't let it be peanut butter), does that mean my time is almost up?

My hand is quivering as I grip the mouse. Should I click or not?

I realize that I've already invested three page clicks, and if I follow through with their entire list I will have succumbed to their "click bait" for a total of 9 or 10 pages. I quickly exit the page, and am able to breathe again.

The following morning, I see another interesting article. This time, the title is 23 places that should be on your bucket list. OH, NO!!!

Disclaimer: Clicking on blog posts, especially named "Life's a Mystery" will not cause severe harm to your health. Just sayin'.

Social Media and Writers

Yes, that's the Facebook logo to the left. I'm having a love - hate relationship with Facebook right now. I look at it a couple of times a day, and it seems to take longer each time to scroll through all of the posts on my "news feed." I've spent as long as a half hour to get through all of the "new" posts since the last time I looked.

I'm sure Facebook loves that I'm spending more time with them, which means they can tell their advertisers that people are spending X amount of time on the site, thus justifying what the advertiser pays for the exposure.

Unfortunately, the "news" I'm really interested in takes up about 2 minutes or less of my time. Why? Because I keep seeing repeats of the same posts that I've already read and reacted to. But each time another person "reacts" that same post appears again. Grrrr!

I enjoy following my friends, but that doesn't mean that I like everything that they enjoy. If Joe Schmoe on my friend's list "likes" or "reacts" to a post about a topic in which they are interested, It pops up on my news feed with the caption "Joe Schmoe reacted to this" or "commented on this."

I want to see pictures of Joe's kids, or dogs, or to hear that he got a promotion at work, etc. But if he "liked" a lodge in the Rocky Mountains because he's planning to go there next November for vacation, I honestly don't care. Seriously, I don't.

I also have a diverse group of friends. Not all of my friends share my political beliefs (nor do I expect them to), but if they "like" or "comment" on a post of political persuasion with which I strongly disagree, at best it prompts me to roll my eyes. I try not to think about unfriending in situations like that. I'm more likely to think of giving Facebook a vacation until after the election. :-)

I'm also sure that I've liked a few posts that have caused sneers among my "friends."

But social media is also a cost effective way of getting the word out to people that I have a short story to share, or about a great review I received on one of my books, or the fact that a new book is about to be published, or the performance dates of my Ben Franklin one-man show.

I also TRY very hard not to use social media to "push" my books on my friends and acquaintances to the point where everyone sighs and mutters under their breath, "Ray, give it a rest." :-)

How about you? Any thoughts to share about your reaction - especially to authors - via social media? After all, "Life's a Mystery."

Writing Goals

Later this year, I'll be publishing my eighth novel. Six of them have been mysteries in my Brad Frame series. COLD OATH will join KISSES OF AN ENEMY in my suspense novels.

Even as I'm still working on a project I have to think ahead. I've got an idea for a new Brad Frame novel. But I've also been thinking about working on a Brad Frame short story. I've written five short stories (all available for free on my website), but haven't attempted a Frame short story.

In terms of overall goals, I'd like to build my readership -- expose new readers to my material. I've recently heard from a number of people who, having found one of my books, end up going out and buying all of them. That's exactly what an author wants. In my case, it might boost sales so that I can afford to buy French onion dip to have with my potato chips. :-)

For me, writing has never been about making a lot of money. Good thing, right? I enjoy entertaining people with good mysteries and suspense stories. But there is a part of me that would like an expanded readership. My goal has always been to write good stories. Marketing is not my strong suit, but these days it goes with the territory of being a writer.

I "put my stuff out there" on social media, but I try not to do it so frequently as to elicit eye-rolls every time a person sees a new post from me on Facebook.

Still, the most important goal in my opinion is to write the best mystery/suspense possible. I'm always gratified by the feedback I receive from readers. Thanks to those of you among my very loyal fans.

Recent Reviews

You've heard that phrase: "Can't live with them, can't live without them."

I feel that way about reviews. I've been blessed with many fine reviews, and I'll share a few below. But every once in awhile I see one that makes me wonder if the "reviewer" has even read the book. Are they posting reviews on Amazon to create mischief? I'm only a mystery writer, but my guess is yes.

In response to one such "1 star" review, I posted a comment indicating that I was sorry the person was disappointed with the book and offering to refund their money. I never heard from the person.

In another recent review of FINAL JUROR, which is actually two stories in one, the reviewer wondered if Rachel (a character who wanted Brad Frame to investigate her father's death) was being honest with the detective about what she knew. If the person had read the complete book, there would be no doubt on that question. The reviewer might also have made mention of the second - and larger aspect - of the novel. <sigh>

Here are a couple of review snippets from my most recent books:

FINAL JUROR

Shows readers both sides of a trial by following the closing of a cold case and the jury tribulations on

a scandalous murder trial. A solid entry in the Brad Frame series, a welcoming introduction to new readers, and an overall fantastic read.

In more than one scene, there is a sense of strong ambition on the writer's part for Brad Frame to appear like Myron Bolitar (created by Harlan Coben) and Alex Delaware (created by Jonathan Kellerman). Characters were believable and the excellent development of character relationships with one another made this an easy read. I was left intrigued to the end and could not wait to finish this good mystery read.

EMBALMED

This is the second book I have read by Ray Flynt. His concoction of a mystery can keep you glued to your seat while you become engrossed with Brad Frame's latest case...Highly descriptive, plotted to perfection and very entertaining. If you like James Patterson, Harlen Coben or Robert Galbraith, Brad Frame is a detective you must read about. Highly recommended for its plot.