What I Know So Far by Alison Henderson

I'm at that most wonderful/horrible point in the writing process--plotting and planning the first book in a new series. Possibilities abound. Yikes! Possibilities abound!! 

Who are these people, and what will they get up to? Those are the questions. My head is spinning. I've got a fun crescendo of events lined up for the first half of the book, and I know the exciting conclusion, but ugh, that third quarter. At the moment, it's a black hole. And I'd like to figure most of it out during the next two weeks because, while I don't do NaNoWriMo, I do belong to a wonderful group of supportive authors who promise to urge each other on during the month of November. Since OG and I are currently in Chicago working on PO&O's new condo AGAIN, I don't have much thinking time.

Here's what I know so far:

• The series will be set in and around Monterey County, from Big Sur to Monterey, and feature three artist sisters--a kinetic sculptor, a raku potter, and a glass blower.
• I know all the titles and the characters' names. Yay! This is critical for me. I can't seem to start a book until I've decided on these things.
• The heroine of the first book flees her controlling, and probably criminal, fiance and comes home to Big Sur. She takes a day job in an art gallery in Carmel.
• The hero of the first book is a Minnesota-farm-boy-turned-forensic-accountant for the FBI who looks like Chris Pratt. 
• The rotten fiance come to Carmel, where he is murdered by an agent of the Russian mob, who then comes after the heroine.
• The owner of the art gallery and his antique-dealer partner are mixed up in money laundering and meth dealing as a result of their gambling-related debts to the Russian mob.
• There will be a variety of minor but hilarious incidents straight from the Pine Cone police log.

Beyond all that, who knows? LOL

Alison

https://www.alisonhenderson.com

Looking for Local Color by Alison Henderson

Hello. My name is Alison, and I'm a plotter.

I'm currently working on plotting the first book in a new series that will be set in and around the quaint seaside hamlet of Carmel-by-the-Sea. I know most of the characters, I know who "did it," and I know the major plot points. Now, I'm looking for ideas to fill in all that extra space in the middle. Stuff has to happen. You know it. I know it. Readers expect it.

However you look at it, Carmel is an eccentric little town, filled with colorful characters. It relishes its quirky reputation and encourages individual expression. The town was founded as an artists' colony shortly after the turn of the twentieth century and is now a magnet for tourists from all over the world. As a result, some pretty odd things happen here. 

Carmel is blessed, or cursed--depending on your point of view, with a weekly local paper, The Carmel Pine Cone, which includes a day-by-day police blotter drawn from the call logs of the local department and county Sheriff's Office. For the past couple of years, I've been keeping a folder with some of the most unusual entries for use in futures stories. Now is the time to pull out my collection of cut-out slips of paper and start searching for items to spice up my story with bits of local color. 

There are so many good ones, I'm having trouble choosing, but here are a few of the entries I'm considering using:

"Report that a known subject used a knife to cut the head off a plastic flamingo on Highway 1." 

"Officer was conducting routine patrol at 0500 hours on Sunset Drive and located a large grey and black Rubbermaid travel bag. Bag contained male clothing, four boxes of window coverings, wood stakes, jumper cables, a black backpack with male's clothing and tie-down straps."

"Peace disturbance at a hotel on San Carlos Street. The hotel manager brandished a taser at a guest."

"A female reported a male howling from her driveway on Pine Hills Drive."

"Robinson Canyon Road resident reported a Buddhist monk kicked in the door to his trailer."

"Report a female on Red Eagle Alley had walked out onto her balcony in the nude and asked gardeners to be quiet. She agreed to put on some clothes."

"Report of a subject on Forest Avenue going through the garbage on private property. Subject has been admonished before. He was advised of the trespass warning. He later admitted to splashing holy water on the trash."

"Female reported that someone entered her storage area below her house on San Carlos Street and cut up some of her husband's sweaters."

"A male real estate agent reported one year ago he went to a home on San Carlos Street for a possible listing. Upon arrival, a female offered him alcohol and marijuana. He felt uncomfortable and left. Today the female called his office and said he should be fired."

Some of these are definitely going to make an appearance. Like they say, you can't make this stuff up!

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com

The Joys of Small Town Newspapers by Alison Henderson

Carmel-by-the-Sea is a small town by any count. It covers a little more than one square mile and boasts 3,722 full time residents. Of course, the number of people in town on any given day is many times that, due to the busloads of tourists who flock to to the area to enjoy the quaint town and astounding natural scenery.

Like any other self-respecting small town, Carmel has its own newspaper. The Carmel Pine Cone has been informing residents and tourists alike of the goings on about town since 1915, a year before the city was incorporated on October 31, 1916. The paper is a free weekly, available at numerous businesses in the area, but it takes itself VERY seriously as the main source of local information.

OG and I first discovered the Pine Cone as tourists and got such a kick out of it we signed up for an online subscription. Now that we live here, I make every effort to ensure I never miss a single edition. Like most small town papers, it covers every major occurrence in the area--which includes the towns of Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove and Big Sur, as well as Carmel proper and Carmel Valley. There are regular features, such as the column entitled "Sandy Paws", which profiles one canine the reporter met at the beach during the preceding week. Because we're a tourist destination, there is ample advertising for local restaurants and entertainment venues, as well as a huge real estate section featuring color photos of many of the spectacular estate properties currently for sale in the area (because who wouldn't want to live here, right?) And the prices are always good for a laugh.

However, my favorite section of the Pine Cone by far has always been the Police Log. It's a day-by-day account of calls to the local police and county sheriff's office from each of the local communities. OG and I have always joked that our goal is to never end up in the Pine Cone, and so far, we've succeeded. 

At least 50% of the calls are a combination of tourists losing their cell phones or passports at the beach or some sort of dog incident. The rest are a mix of everything from DUI arrests to confused elderly residents who are certain someone has been in their house moving things around. (Because we are a bastion of the very old, the police here are remarkably patient and understanding.) There's even a cartoon drawn by a local artist illustrating one of the more colorful entries in the blotter.

Every now and then, however, an incident appears that catches my attention as a writer. The account might only be a sentence or two, but it sparks an idea. Take this for instance, from last week's paper:

"Four juvenile females came to the police department to speak to an officer. The females reported that a friend of their father's has been showing up at their apartment when their father is not home. They also reported that he has broken into their home two times. Father was contacted and did not feel his friend was a threat. The females were told to call 911 if the male returns."

Tell me there's not a story there.

Or what about this one?

"Report of a man walking in and out of traffic on Forest Avenue at 1138 hours. The subject was described as wearing all black and dragging one of his legs."

Zombie apocalypse, anyone?

I'm currently at work on the third, and last, book in my female bodyguard series, and I plan to set my next series in a fictional small town around here. Every week, I scan the Pine Cone for story ideas and cut out anything that sounds promising to add to my growing file. By the time I write those books, I certainly won't have to worry about writer's block. I'll have a more than ample supply of possible plot points, courtesy of the Carmel Pine Cone. When the first book comes out, I'll have to send them a press release. Who knows, maybe they'll want to profile me in the paper. Then I'll have to face one of my greatest fears--appearing in the Pine Cone. LOL

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com