Getting Medieval

Interview with Brian Thornton

Never met a friendlier and more helpful fellow at a conference. I'd like to introduce to you Brian Thornton. And if you are a presence at all at conferences of the mystery variety or associated with mystery writing out there, you've probably already met him. I met him first online and we spotted each other at Bouchercon.

Brian Thornton's short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Shred of Evidence, and (the sadly now-defunct) Bullet Uk. He's also the author of several full-length works of non-fiction, including 101 Things You Didn't Know About Lincoln (Adams Media 2005). He has a Master's degree in history, and his historical articles and book reviews have appeared in Columbia: The Magazine Of Northwest History And The Pacific Northwest Forum. Brian is currently at work on a new historical mystery set in 19th century Washington, DC. He is an unabashed fan of both noir fiction and film noir, has the honor to serve as the current chapter president for the Northwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and makes his home in the Seattle area. He can be reached at: http://crimespace.ning.com/profile/BrianThornton

THE INTERVIEW

Let's hear about 101 Things You Didn't Know About Lincoln? What interested you about the subject? Are you a history buff or do you consider yourself an historian?

Thornton: Both. I've got the training and the advanced degree (MA) to hang on the wall. But "historians" are a funny lot: they self-segregate to such an interesting degree. When I was in grad school, academic historians (usually people with PhDs and tenure teaching at some university) used to look down on people like Barbara W. Tuchman (no advanced degree, Pulitzer prizes, off-the-chart book sales) and dismiss them as "popularizers" of history. I found that maddening. My advisor in grad school used to joke that the definition of "historian" was "someone who bones up on a tiny segment of the historical record and then writes lengthy tomes in fusty prose that no one reads." Imagine my surprise when I began my course of study and quickly realized that while the remark was funny, she wasn't joking, she was just referring to academic historians. As for me, I'm a history geek. I'm trained to do historical analysis, but my interests run wide and occasionally deep, and you're never going to see anything I've written published in THE WILLIAM AND MARY QUARTERLY or THE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

As for the Lincoln book, I'm an unabashed, life-long admirer of the man, and this book was a joy to write (It's still my favorite among all of the books on which I've worked). One of my grandmothers was a southerner who was proud to have been born on Lincoln's birthday, and I think that speaks volumes about how far this country has come since 1865. I dedicated the book to this grandmother and to my other one, a life-long Democrat who allowed that Lincoln was the only Republican for whom she would have ever voted.

I noticed you have also authored The Everything Kid's States Book and The Everything Kid's Presidents Book as well as Teacher Miracles: Inspirational True Stories From the Classroom. Brian. What gives? These are not mysteries. Yet you are visible at mystery writer conferences and in MWA. What's your secret?

Thornton: It's a bit like when I first got my teaching credential. Although I have an MA in history, I had to get a secondary endorsement in English in order to score my first three teaching jobs, because there was more demand for English teachers than there was for history teachers (still the case today, I might add).

With my writing, I have a track record of producing marketable nonfiction, and that means that I get my share of offers to write nonfiction stuff at a pretty nice salary rate. I made more money with my first book than most first-time fiction writers earn with theirs.

Since I'm a teacher (and get paid like one), that sort of scratch is tough to pass up. This is why I've juggled nonfiction and fiction for the past few years. Also, for the record, TEACHER MIRACLES is an anthology. I wrote one story and edited the rest. Note that I didn't say that I "only edited" the rest. That job involves a ton of work, and my hat is off to every editor who is good at their job.

Let's hear about the short stories. Do you have a long-term love with writing short?

Thornton: Not especially. I wrote a novel before I ever even attempted a short story. In fact, my story featured in last year's Bouchercon issue of ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE was only the fifth story I'd ever written. I began writing short stories on the advice of friend and uberwriter (Edgar award nominee) Al Guthrie, as a way of getting my name out there.

That said, I really enjoy *reading* short stories. I agree with Twain though that they're tough as hell to write.

Brian and I had an email tête-à-tête about what is noir. Tell us your definition of noir and why has this become your cause célèbre?

Thornton: Well, "noir" is the new black. Seriously, though, it's a hip phrase that has been beaten to death by both the New York publishing and Hollywood-based hype machines, in attempts to get their product marketed as "edgier." Want to be seen as "edgy"? Then you didn't just write a "thriller," or a "dark thriller," you wrote a "noirish thriller," or a "hard-boiled thriller with noirish undertones."

As a result, nearly none of what is currently marketed as "noir" these days is actually recognizable under the classic definition of noir (as I first heard it related by that High Priest of Classic Noir fiction, Eddie Muller: "You're f*cked on page one, and things go downhill from there.").

Of course words (and their definitions) are like anything else; they either change with time or they become colloquial as a prelude to disappearing from the collective lexicon altogether. That's one of the hallmarks of being a linguistic culture carrier in today's intellectual marketplace.

I heard that David Corbett once defined the differences between "noir" and "hard-boiled" thusly: if it didn't sell much (but was critically acclaimed), it was "noir." If it sold well, then it was "hard-boiled."

That sounds like the best modern version I can come up with.

"The New Noir" was a great panel at Alaska's Bouchercon. Can you recount some of the high points for us?

Thornton: Sure. We got very lucky in that we had a cracker-jack crew of authors willing to delve into the question of what noir is and is not, in the modern literary marketplace. Good authors make any moderator's job that much easier. We had two authors (Vicki Hendricks and Bill Cameron) who consider their own work noir, one author who doesn't consider his work to be particularly noirish (Sean Doolittle), although many of his readers might disagree, and one author whose work has dark elements, but whose writing might best be termed "traditional mystery" (Julia Spencer-Fleming).

The main point on which all of our authors seemed to agree was one initially made by Julia: that as our world has gotten darker (post 9/11, for example), our literature has taken on a duskier hue in order to reflect that. This as much as any other reason seems to be partly responsible for the over-use of the word "noir" as a literary descriptor.

So what is the difference between noir and hard-boiled?

Thornton: Here's the short answer: think DOUBLE INDEMNITY or PSYCHO, both terrific noir films. In each of them you have a protagonist (Fred MacMurray in the first one, and Janet Lee in the second) who leads a pretty unobjectionable life, right up until the moment they each make a decision that is completely out of character for them: he sets about committing murder and she steals her employer's payroll. Each of these acts sets in motion a chain of events that leads to the character's downfall, and as such, they are both, in the classic sense, "noir."

Hard-boiled is easier. It's tough, colloquial, usually either private eye or town-tamer fiction.

Some classic examples:

James M. Cain: noir

Raymond Chandler: hard-boiled

Cornell Woolrich: noir

Dashiell Hammett: hard-boiled.

There are other examples of great noir writing out there, from one-shot treatments such as Horace McCoy's THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? To Geoffery Holmes' wonderfully titled BUILD MY GALLOWS HIGH (which Hollywood adapted for the screen with the far more innocuous title of OUT OF THE PAST), to writers who developed quite a canon, such as David Goodis (SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER, and CASSIDY'S GIRL) Jim Thompson (THE KILLER INSIDE ME, THE GETAWAY), and Chester Himes (COTTON COMES TO HARLEM, THE REAL COOL KILLERS).

Lastly, in classic "noir" the protagonist is usually (although not always) in a pretty hopeless situation (after all, many of these books, such as Edward Anderson's terrific THIEVES LIKE US and William Lindsay Gresham's NIGHTMARE ALLEY have rural settings with the grinding poverty and utter hopelessness of the Great Depression as their back-drop).

And that's the short answer. Imagine how involved the "long" one could be!

It seems that noir is the new black. :) Is it authors who are redefining (or misdefining) noir, or is it all marketing?

Thornton: I think it's a bit of both, although the marketing machine certainly seems to bear most of the responsibility for the shift. What would have once been termed "gothic" these days is invariably cast as "noir" for marketing purposes.

Just think about all of the times you've read a blurb on either a film or a book and saw the following words in some sort of combination: "taut," "edgy" "stylish" "noir" "thriller."

"Thrillers" are not noir. They are by definition and in organization and structure very different sorts of books.

And then there are authors who term their work "noir," when, in the strictest sense, it isn't. This seems to be happening far more among writers of historicals. Writers such as yourself and Kelli Stanley (author of NOX DORMIENDA), who is marketing her book with the claim that she's "invented" a sub-genre dubbed "Roman Noir" (a play on the French phrase that means "black novel,: and was originally intended to differentiate that sort of book from something like a "Roman Policier," which would be a Police Procedural.). Kelli's play on it (and it could well turn out to be an effective one) is that she's setting a traditionally "noir" story in the mean (and unpaved) streets of the Roman colonial city of Londinium, sometime during the first century AD. Her protagonist is a physician named Arcturus.

I haven't read her novel yet (it won't be published till next year), but I've read a short she wrote involving Arcturus, and although I'd agree that the writing is "hard-boiled," it doesn't strike me as particularly noirish. This is not to say that I don't think it's good, or that I don't commend her for thinking about marketing and building up a buzz about her work before it hits the shelves. For me, it's just not "noir."

Others would doubtless disagree.

How about that novel? What are you working on? Is it noir?

Thornton: Since I've finally cleared my desk of pending non-fiction commitments, I'm hard at work on an historical mystery/thriller (see? I'm guilty of mixing my metaphors the same as everyone else!) set in and around Washington, DC during one climactic week in 1844. As for whether or not it's "noir," I wouldn't say so, but I'll leave that for the critics and my publisher's marketing team to decide.

What can you recommend to newbies (like me) who are learning the ropes of networking and promotion?

Thornton: I'm hardly an expert. I guess that for starters, any way (aside from being drunk and/or obnoxious) you can raise your visibility is a good one. Also, things like Bouchercon, Left Coast Crime, the LA TIMES Festival of Books, Book Expo, ThrillerFest, Malice Domestic, Love is Murder, or any other events where authors and other publishing professionals congregate are good places for you to be. I've found the mystery community to be incredibly welcoming, and most published authors to be very free with their advice and their time.

After all, most people don't go to these things because they're NOT interested in seeing and meeting other people, including budding authors and fans.

Speaking of schmoozing, what are the dos and don'ts?

Thornton: Let's keep it simple:

Be polite. There is no substitute for it, and it speaks well of your professionalism. There's nothing wrong with bum-rushing an author you've been interested in getting to know, but it's probably not going to get you the result you're seeking.

Don't lie about having read someone's stuff if you haven't.

Be interesting as well as interested. It's astonishing how many people out there only know how to talk about themselves in situations like this. For example: I know someone who walked up to an Edgar-nominated author and told him that they LOVED a book written by someone else. It was a book with a similar title. They didn't catch that and he didn't correct them. If you DO foul up because you're nervous, you can turn that into an opportunity for all concerned to laugh about it then and later. After all, the only thing more rewarding for an author is hearing from someone who obviously HAS read their book and liked it, is someone who can demonstrate that they have a sense of humor about this business.

HAVE a sense of humor.

Cultivate positive relationships with booksellers wherever and whenever possible. They're your advance marketing team.

The rest sort of just flows from those five maxims.

In your travels, what town has the best bar to schmooze in?

Thornton: How long have you got? I guess if I had to pick just one, I'm pretty partial to the Overdraught in Toronto. Irish, basement place, dark, right across the street from the convention center. What's not to love?

Getting back to books, who are you reading?

Thornton: I've always got about five things going, in various stages of completion, and I'm working hard on a manuscript of my own right now, so it's taking me forever to get through them. Rhodi Hawk's A TWISTED LADDER (what imagery!); Megan Abbott's QUEENPIN (the best all-around writer in the field today, bar none); Michael Gruber's THE BOOK OF AIR AND SHADOWS (Lost Shakespeare manuscript, mystery, a writer of vision and skill, what's not to like?), and Jason Goodwin's THE SNAKE STONE (even better than THE JANISSARY TREE, his first novel, and all that one did was win the Edgar. Goodwin's non-fiction is terrific, too, especially LORDS OF THE HORIZONS), and Jean-Claude Izzo's TOTAL CHAOS (A recommendation from a friend, and a good read). QUESTION: Which authors have informed your own writing? Thornton: Hemingway, Austen, Fitzgerald, Shakespeare, Ambrose Bierce, Twain, historians like Tuchman and poets like Yeats and Hart Crane. Mystery writers would include the so-called "Big Three" (although they're very different writers in their own rights); Hammett, Chandler and Ross MacDonald. I'm a big fan of all three. Robert B. Parker, Carl Hiassen, Jason Goodwin, Megan Abbott, Ken Bruen, early Lehane, and Jess Walter, who won the Edgar by writing a great novel about my home-town of Spokane, Washington in CITIZEN VINCE. I wish I wrote half as well as these folks, and I feel indebted to them all, and in many ways, to every other author I've ever met, whether or not I liked their work, because I am always looking to steal another step, find a different way to say something, and these folks got chops.

Anything you'd like to add that I didn't ask?

Thornton: Yes, when can I get an advance copy of your new book? Dying to read it.

And I'm dying for everyone to. Thank you, Brian, for chatting with us. Again, Brian can be hailed at  http://crimespace.ning.com/profile/BrianThornton

Aztec Mystery

We’re all looking for the next great detective to read about. And those of you who adore historical mysteries are always certainly searching for that unique detective to fill your reading hours. Well I found him. He’s Yaotl, an Aztec. That’s right. I said Aztec. A former priest, Yaotl is now a slave in Montezuma’s empire on the cusp of the Spanish invasion. But that would be the least of Yaotl’s problems. He seems to get himself embroiled in the strangest problems. And, of course, murder.

Today we are talking to the author of Yaotl and his world, Simon Levack, who put us in Yaotl’s first outing in Demon of the Air.

Simon Levack grew up in a small town in England. He trained as a lawyer and practiced as a solicitor for twelve years. He has also been at various times a laborer, a bookseller and an author as well as doing meaningless work in offices. His passion for the history and peoples of pre-conquest Mexico was first kindled by reading Inga Clendinnen's classic study Aztecs: an Interpretation. A real-life mystery prompted him to write his first novel, Demon of the Air, which won the Crime Writers' Association's Debut Dagger Award. Since then his books and short stories have been published on both sides of the Atlantic and in three languages. He lives in London with his family.

THE INTERVIEW

Tell us a little about your background, Simon.

There's only a little to tell. I'm in my early forties, married with one son, and at the moment I live in London. I trained as a solicitor and besides practising law I've held a number of jobs connected with the legal profession, as well as dabbling in a few other things and a couple of spells of writing full-time. The common thread in almost all my occupations has been the written word. I remember once sitting in my office and thinking that if all the words I wrote in the course of my job were fiction I'd be writing about three books a year!

What got you interested in the Aztecs?

About 15 years ago, by chance, I came across a book by Inga Clendinnen entitled "Aztecs - an Interpretation" and was completely intrigued. Aztec culture was so utterly different from what we're used to that nobody could have made it up. With their richly-textured, many-layered mythology, unique art forms, and strange but smoothly functioning society, the Aztecs presented me with something unlike anything I'd ever read about, even in science fiction - theirs was a bizarre world in some ways but also very human. I wanted to learn more about these people and what became of them, and I suppose after a while it became something of an obsession.

What gave you the idea to set a mystery in that timeframe?

I was inspired by a real-life mystery. When the Aztec Emperor, Montezuma, started getting reports of strange pale-faced bearded men appearing in the East, he consulted sorcerers in an attempt to find out who they were. He had the sorcerers locked up when they didn't give him the answers he was looking for. However, when he sent for them again, they'd vanished from his own jail, as if by magic. He seems to have been genuinely baffled. I started wondering what might have happened to them, and Demon of the Air, my first book, was my attempt at an answer.

The easy thing about writing contemporary fiction, or even fiction set in Europe's middle ages, is that most everyone is already at least somewhat familiar with the culture, customs, and settings. But in your books, you have the unique problem of laying out a great deal of exposition for the reader, almost as much as a writer of science fiction. And yet, I felt you handled it with much skill and assurance. Tell us what problems you encountered with that. What did your editor wish for you to put in to make it clearer for the readers and what did he/she want you to take out?

I think science fiction and historical fiction have a lot in common, and I know a lot of people read both (as do I). The first problem is what to leave out: when I describe a scene in ancient Tenochtitlan, say, it's very tempting to try to put everything in, but it won't do - you have to limit yourself to the things that would impact on your character's awareness, and trust the reader to fill the rest in for herself. The other problem is to recognise that, while usually the last thing someone reading fiction wants is a lecture, there are occasions, maybe two or three in a book, when that's exactly what's required. It's at the point when so many questions are built up in the reader's mind that it's best just to answer them and move on. As for editors - in all fairness I've never had an editor ask me to take anything out in terms of historical detail. I have been asked for a paragraph or two here or there explaining the significance of a custom I've alluded to, which I've usually been happy to agree to.

I certainly understand how research can lead you into different paths in your plot—or give you ideas for new ones! What sorts of things did you discover in your research that made you rub your hands with glee?

The greatest discovery for me came when I obtained a copy of the General History of the Things of New Spain by Bernadino de Sahagun - better known as the Florentine Codex. Sahagun preserved as much as he could of Aztec history and culture in a remarkable twelve-volume encyclopedia which deals in astonishing detail with just about every aspect of Aztec life, compiled throughout from eyewitness accounts. For me it was like wandering into Aladdin's cave, and the plots of three of my books, not to mention many of the incidental details, arose out of what I found in there: the religious rituals in Demon of the Air, the featherworkers and psycho warriors in Shadow of the Lords and the midwives in Tribute of Death. I find knowing that what I write is rooted firmly in the accounts of people who were alive at the time gives me a sense of security. For an example of a discovery that particularly excited me, though, I'd mention the research Jerome Offner did into Aztec courts, which gave me an opportunity to write a courtroom drama - which I made the most of in City of Spies.

The religion of the Aztecs is brutal to modern, Eurocentric eyes, yet I wasn't long into the story when I accepted it. It is certainly an aspect of the culture that one could not shy away from. In fact, it is an important plot point in your first book. What were some of the challenges in presenting this work to readers? Did you have trouble with marketing because of it? Or was it never an issue (there are certainly more graphic serial killer books out there)?

I certainly had trouble with marketing (of which more later)! But whether this was because of the religion of my characters or the way I portrayed it, I don't know - the reviews suggest not, and as you say, there are more bloodthirsty contemporary thrillers aplenty. And of course Western societies have more than once proved themselves capable of appalling brutality on a scale the Aztecs could never have contemplated. The challenge in presenting their culture fairly is to try to get the reader to see the Aztecs as they saw themselves, not as we'd like to imagine them. As you say one cannot shy away from their religion, which pervaded everything they did, from eating and washing to sacrificing captives to the war god. What I tried to do in Demon of the Air was to confront this head on: I opened the book with a human sacrifice, and then explained the reasons for it. I wanted to show that there was a consistent world view which underpinned their practices, the fragile pact between humans and gods. Incidentally that's the only actual human sacrifice depicted in any of my books to date - most of my treatment of Aztec religion has dealt with the impact it had on their day-to-day lives, and there is much there that is beautiful and anything but brutal: the hymns, the delicate sniffing at the petals of flowers and the dough figurines in Shadow of the Lords, for example.

I was struck by how you achieved a truly realistic culture and mores for the characters that inhabit your novels. Though their lifestyles are foreign to us they are wholly empathetic to contemporary readers. Are you a big believer in creating character biographies or are you a seat-of-your-pants type author? What were some of these "foreign" concepts that you really wanted to get across to readers?

I'm very much a seat-of-the-pants type author - I learn about my characters by writing about them until they develop their own voices and quirks of behaviour. I think they acquire more depth that way, though there is always a risk that they will do something unexpected and make me rewrite a chunk of the book (it's interesting to me that in none of my books has the villain turned out to be who I thought it was when I started writing). I think what I really wanted to get across to readers was the entirely different way in which Aztecs saw the world. We are used to drawing sharp distinctions between the natural and supernatural which for Aztecs simply didn't exist. The magical and the divine were for them as real as the mundane, and my characters are as likely to interpret an event as having a supernatural explanation as a rational one. One of the things I most like about Yaotl is that while he never dismisses unearthly explanations altogether, his priest's training has made him profoundly skeptical about them - though even sometimes mistakes clues for omens, or human acts for the work of gods or sorcerers.

Did you travel to Mexico for your research? If so, what did you come away with?

No, I've never been to Mexico. I wish I had! On the other hand, I suspect that in some ways not having been there hasn't been a handicap. The places I write about were completely destroyed hundreds of years ago, with even the landscape being transformed, and to see what's left of them now might not help.

Let's go back to the problem of world building. Every author of historical fiction is beset with this conundrum. A certain level of realism is required which means that a certain level of research is also required. The writing must be tempered in such a way that the author is not spewing facts willy nilly. After all, it's fiction not a dissertation. When is enough enough? Did you keep a cadre of critique readers to tell you when to pull back or to add more when something was in question?

Every historical writer dreads being told "Your research is showing!" I think the key to selecting what to put in and what to leave out is - most of the time, anyway - to look through your character's eyes and ask what he or she would have noticed, and to draw that out. For example, it might be the fact that the wicker screen in front of a doorway is pulled back or left shut - simply mentioning that is enough to tell the reader how Aztecs usually closed their doors. There are a lot of tricks like that which allow the reader to pick up a lot of information along the way without having to endure a lecture, and as long as you don't stray too far from your character's point of view, I find you can't go far wrong. My cadre of critique readers - apart from professionals like my agent - basically consists of my local writers' circle and that harshest of all my critics, Mrs Levack!

Yaotl is quite a different detective. He's an amateur sleuth, usually caught in the middle and forced by circumstances to solve murders to save the innocent. In the forties, he'd be played by Jimmy Stewart (though I don't picture him that tall). Has this kind of sleuth always appealed to you—the everyman caught in the middle? And who would play him if you had the casting duties?

I find it easier to sympathize with the amateur caught in the middle (and liable to get it wrong more often than not) than with the competent professional whose flaws, if he has any, are often only skin-deep. Perfect heroes are boring. Now, the casting question - would you believe I've never thought about that one until now? I agree Jimmy Stewart is too tall. I think Patrick Troughton might have been good. Offhand I can't think what well-known living actor would be suitable; but of course all the characters in my books ought really to be played by indigenous Americans.

In today's publishing market, there seems to be a narrow margin of success that an author must squeeze through. The second book in the series The Shadow of the Lords takes up where we left off in Demon of the Air. Those two were published by St. Martin's Press. The third, City of Spies, was published by Simon & Schuster, and the fourth Tribute of Death you self-published. Your first, Demon of the Air, was Britain's Debut Dagger Award-winner, and rightfully so. It was truly original and well-written. With so promising a start, what happened? Tell us about your trials and tribulations getting Yaotl in print and keeping him there.

I wish I knew what happened! Judging by the reviews they garnered on both sides of the Atlantic both Demon and Shadow should have done very well, but in fact sales of both have been patchy at best. But in reality nobody knows what makes one book succeed commercially and another fail. I suspect that if there is any one explanation it is perhaps that the setting of my stories is too strange for many readers, and that what I thought of as one of their strengths - the absence of any modern Western perspective - was actually seen by many potential readers as a turn-off. Whatever the reason, after City of Spies Simon & Schuster (my UK publishers) decided enough was enough and nobody else wanted to pick up the series part way through. I decided to publish Tribute myself as a print-on-demand title because the book had been written and thoroughly edited and I didn't want to disappoint those readers who were waiting for the next installment. Also I think it's worth mentioning here that the books have done well in their Spanish language editions. Demon and Shadow have appeared in Spain and Latin America (under the excruciating titles of Sangre Azteca and La Sombra de los Dioses respectively) and City of Spies will follow them, so I have some hope of selling Spanish translation rights to Tribute in due course.

Can you give us a brief blurb of each book?

DEMON OF THE AIR: Mexico, 1517: The Emperor Montezuma rules the known world. Daily canoes and trains of sweating bearers carry tribute to his island capital, Mexico-Tenochtitlan, while squadrons of ruthless warriors enforce his will. Gold, silver, cotton, jewels and precious feathers change hands in his markets. The temples run with the blood of human sacrifices. All seems well, but Montezuma is troubled. Mysterious strangers have appeared in the East. Are they men or gods? Visions and rumours disturb his dreams. The soothsayers he turns to for guidance give him only enigmatic answers and he knows he cannot trust his advisers - especially his Chief Minister, the unscrupulous Lord Feathered In Black. Yaotl, the Chief Minister's slave, is troubled too. He was ordered to escort a sacrificial victim up the steps of the Great Pyramid, but the victim ran amok, uttering a bizarre and sinister prophecy and leaping to his death before the War-God's priests could cut out his heart. Then he learns that the Emperor's soothsayers have vanished.

The Emperor scents a connection between these two events and orders Yaotl to find it - on pain of death if he fails. But it soon becomes clear that whatever the connection is, Yaotl's own master will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep it secret. To get to the truth will take all Yaotl's wits and will to survive. It will lead him into confrontations with the peril destined to overwhelm his whole world and with a monster from his own past - and into the hands of a sadistic killer

SHADOW OF THE LORDS: The Aztec capital is awash with fear and rumours. A strange figure has been seen running through the streets. A being with the face of a snake, his body covered with glittering green plumage: Quetzalcoatl - the Feathered Serpent. Is it an omen? Or is it the god himself, come to warn of impending disaster?

Yaotl, the Chief Minister’s slave, has more immediate matters to worry about than omens and portents. Engaged in a desperate search for his son, he’s on the run from his vengeful master, the all-powerful Lord Feathered-in-Black. If the Chief Minister catches him, Yaotl can expect a grisly fate.

Attempting to escape his master’s bloodthirsty warriors, Yaotl stumbles upon a dismembered, unrecognisable corpse. As he pieces together the clues to who the dead man was and how he died, Yaotl finds himself drawn into an affair of greed, jealousy and lust among the ancient, secretive society of the feather workers, the Aztecs’ foremost craftsmen. And, as he is to discover, the answers to those clues will provide the key to the search for his son. ~Before he can solve the mystery, Yaotl will need his wits about him simply to stay alive – for Lord Feathered-in-Black and his henchmen are never far away.

CITY OF SPIES: 1518. Tetzcoco: the second city of the Aztec realm, a bustling, cosmopolitan town, a city of poets, artists and legendary kings; but also a place torn by unrest, as rival claimants fight over the throne and spies and assassins stalk each other through the streets and marketplaces.

Here Yaotl comes, seeking refuge from the wrath of his master, the Aztec Chief Minister. Lord Feathered in Black has finally decided to rid himself of his disobedient slave, and will have him sacrificed in the most gruesome manner possible - provided he can catch him first.

Also here are Yaotl's former lover, Lily, and her untrustworthy father. They have a mission of their own to carry out: one that goes badly wrong, as it leads to the discovery of a corpse and Lily's arrest for murder. She will be executed unless she can prove her innocence. Yaotl is involved in a desperate race against time to find the evidence she needs.

The search for the truth will take Yaotl on a perilous quest through palace corridors and darkened streets. It will bring him face to face with the most powerful and enigmatic figures. And it will lead him into a lethal trap, laid for him by a pitiless and implacable enemy.

TRIBUTE OF DEATH: Summoned back to the Aztec capital, Mexico-Tenochtitlan, to confront an old enemy who is threatening his family, Yaotl learns of a tragedy. A friend's wife has died in childbirth. According to Aztec belief, her remains must be protected from warriors and sorcerers who would use it as a talisman, before her soul is transformed into a ferocious, man-hating demon.

When the body goes missing, along with one of the men guarding it, Yaotl gets the blame. Only by finding out for himself what has happened can he avert the bereaved husband's wrath. It does not take long to discover that there is more to the affair than meets the eye. An old associate of the dead woman's may not be all that he seems, and her family seems strangely reluctant to help Yaotl investigate him.

Yaotl has barely begun his enquiries before a series of violent deaths leaves him wondering whether he is hunting a thief – or a killer is hunting him.

To get to the truth and survive the brutal confrontation that lies in wait will test the wily slave to the limit. For this time, it seems, he has almost everyone against him.

What does the future hold for Yaotl? And you?

There are two Yaotl short stories coming up in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in the next couple of months: "One of Our Barbarians is Missing" and "Four Hundred Rabbits". I've just written another story and hopefully that will see the light of day eventually, and I expect I shall I write more. As for novels - at this stage I just don't know. I always intended the series to be a kind of worm's-eye view of the tumultuous events leading up to and surrounding the conquest (and utter destruction) of Aztec civilisation. There is a vast amount of material that I can draw on for Yaotl's continued adventures, if there is enough interest to make writing them worthwhile - but if there isn't then there may not be much more I can do about it, and I may have to move on to other projects. I've been working on and off on a series set in 18th Century India which I hope will be as exciting and fascinating as pre-columbian Mexico has been. One piece of good news, for me at least, is that from September next year I will (all being well) begin a Royal Literary Fund Fellowship, which is a scheme for placing authors in universities to aid students having problems with academic writing. So I will have the financial support I need to continue researching and writing fiction for a while yet.

Was there anything you would like to add that I did not ask?

May I point out that there are sample chapters from Demon of the Air and Tribute of Death on my website, www.simonlevack.com, as well as a complete short story? Apart from that I want to thank for a very thoughtful and penetrating interview.

And I want to thank you, too, Simon. See where research can lead you? I highly recommend this series. It's completely enthralling and a lot of fun, too! 

The Sword Maker

Today we are talking with sword smith Paul Binns, a 38 year old bloke living in the county of Norfolk, England, who happens to make swords and other weapons for a living. He can be found at http://www.paul-binns-swords.co.uk/index.htm  

THE INTERVIEW

These days we're supposed to be making ploughshares, not swords. How did you get into making swords? Did you have a mentor?

I can’t remember why I started, probably because in the 70s there were no swords for sale so I started making them from a very early age, by hammering copper tube flat on kerbstones outside my house, later I progressed to flattening out leaf springs from cars to make rudimentary blades. I just picked up knowledge from where I could.

One would think that re-enactment groups would not constitute enough work for a present-day sword smith. Who are buying your swords and what are they doing with them?

Mainly re enactors but also museums filmsets and individual collectors who want a well made blade, made properly, perhaps they have an original in their local museum they want a copy of etc.

Can you take us through the step by step process of making a sword, from raw material to finished sword?

Depends on what type of sword, the techniques vary considerably across time, also re enactors have a different set of requirements entirely. But to be truthful I keep a lot of it close to my chest, too many importer types out there looking for info to farm out to India/China etc.

How does the process differ from then to now?

The main difference is in material quality. Nowadays a craftsman can look up steel and read the mill specs on heat treatment etc back then the material varied in quality greatly; carbon content, mechanical properties in the grain etc all were different from batch to batch, even from billet to billet from the same batch. For example, a bar or rod could have a soft centre and a hard, brittle exterior, the smith would have to follow his nose, so to speak, when working to get the best finished product.

I think it would be pretty easy to become enchanted with things medieval while living in England. It's all around you. But why do you think people from all over the world want these things, (including, of course, folks in the U.K.)?

I really don’t know, the re enactors need a reliable product that does not fall apart in use. The collector also wants this, but demands traditional working techniques as well. I suppose the sword is a symbol of times past, an anachronism that is aesthetically pleasing, and also something that has been around in one form or other since the Bronze Age.

Do you also make mail and armor? If so, what is that process like?

Nope, totally different set of skills, I can’t think like a tailor and make stuff fit anyway.

Was there a resurgence of interest since the Lord of the Rings movies appeared, or has the Dungeons and Dragons set always brought interested buyers?

Not as far as I am concerned, the Lord of the Rings is a great story, but it’s just an echo of the old stories and sagas... I am not interested in fantasy swords.

Things are a bit different in England than they are in the U.S. For instance, you still have guilds that have survived from medieval times to the present. Do you have to belong to a guild?

Interesting question, as I understand it the guilds are in the city of London, they are descended from the medieval guilds that existed to control quality and unfair competition, normally from foreign merchants. I am not in any trade guild, but funnily enough I am a freemason, the origins of which lie in the guilds of travelling craftsmen that built the cathedrals of Europe, specifically who carved the ashlar stone which formed the linings and facings of the buildings, whilst no longer operative, I suspect some of the old craft ritual has survived into modern masonry.

What was the most interesting or noteworthy sword or object you ever made?

I don’t think I’ve made it yet! Though I like the technique of pattern welding which is earlier than medieval.

What were some clunkers? In other words, is there some object you will never attempt to make again?

The first re enactment swords were behemoths of doom! I have such a relic in my shed somewhere, over 5 pounds in weight, no fullergroove for lightness, the hilt wound with copper electrical wire the pommel a Victorian doorknob!.. priceless..

Do you ever use the swords yourself?

Used to, but one good hand or arm hit and I’m out of business.

Swords are still weapons, even if they don't have a trigger or a bullet. How do you caution your clients?

I don’t.. Maybe I should! Seriously, no sales of sharps to under 18s also I like to sniff someone out that they are sensible, or belong to an established group or society.

Do you ever travel to medieval fairs to display your smithing skills?

Used to, but I am a manufacturer rather than a trader, so I have bespoke orders to do.

Tell us about medieval sword smiths. Would they have specialized or were they expected to make a horseshoe as well? Did they stay put or were they itinerant?

I don’t really know.. this is a best guess. Please bear with me. Manufacturing trades tended to grow up near to the sources of their needs , in our case iron ores charcoal and water power for driving mechanical hammers and ore crushing machines, apart from people working on sites of construction, the masters would tend to stay put. Blade smithing was above general smithing ;a master smith of the time would not be asked to do anything beneath him, it would be a waste of his time, besides the guild would probably forbid him to make things which he was not entitled to.. it was not a free market as such. Journeymen smiths did exist and travelled, but they were probably not allowed access to the top forges for fear of departing with coveted secrets.

You also make axes and spears. Tell us about those. From what period do you derive your designs?

These are underrated, a good axe or spear was a far more commonplace and familiar object than a sword for the majority of people, they existed in all time periods.

If someone were starting out in the smithing biz, what kind of advice would you give them?

Wear ear muffs, for everything always.

Do you feel you are part of the larger history of "men behind the scenes" of great events; a long line of craftsmen?

No, I am a modern man who decided to make these things. " tradition is a meteor, which, once fallen, can never be rekindled" as someone more learned than me once said.. once upon a time somewhere...

How many years can a smith smith?

Until he is dead or disabled, check out metal work industrial injuries though…and do your best to prevent them.

Is the next generation ready to move into place? Is anyone apprenticing with you?

Again, apprentices are not a modern option, within a guild system yes, the law is laid out, but now it’s a minefield.

Are there many women smiths?

Don’t know of any, don’t see why not.

What is your next project?

I’m just coming to the end of a lot of stuff for the Isle of Man museum. Don’t know what’s next.

Others have written books about making swords. Have you ever considered it?

I’m a smith not an author; besides, mean as it sounds I think people need to keep their best concealed, too many traders wanting to cash in and using the resources of the 3rd world as the manufacturing muscle.

Thanks for sharing, Paul. Paul’s too shy to tell his secrets so in the next entry we’ll see some traditional techniques for making swords. And remember kids, a sword is not a toy!

Interview with Librarians

Shhh! Keep your voices down. We’re talking to librarians this week from all over the U.S. as well as far away in Frankfurt, Germany. Who are the people who immerse themselves in the nuts and bolts of books and research? Why do they do what they do? What is their influence in the publishing world? Let’s find out.

ANNE TOMLIN: “Born and raised in Central New York, I attended undergraduate school in Westchester County (NY) and got my MLS from the former library school at State University of New York at Geneseo. My first job was as a part-time Readers' Services Librarian at the local community college (5 years), then as director of the medical library at a non-profit hospital (22 years.) Currently I am principal consultant for Blue Norther Group which specializes in providing medical and general reference research services. I have a little paralegal experience, and have been hired to develop fundraising materials for a local foundation. I write mystery fiction (unpublished to date, alas) and was a regular contributor and author/columnist for a number of library publications.”

PATTY ANDERSON: “I've been a librarian since 1981 or so, have a Bachelor's degree in Library Science from the University of South Dakota and a Master's degree from Louisiana State University. Currently I'm the Library Director at the Devereaux Library at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, SD.”

ELKE JOST-ZELL: “Born in 1965 in a small town called Meerholz (Germany) which happens to be the current geographical centre of the European Union School: Grimmelshausen Gymnasium Gelnhausen (High school) Born and bred by a librarian mother, married to a librarian, with a three year old daughter who loves books since she could hold one in her tiny hands. Library: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (German national library), Frankfurt on the Main, since 1983. Working on her first whodunnit, set in a library, among lots of other things.” QIANA JOHNSON: “I got the MLS from Dominican University in Illinois in 2004, so I am a *very* new librarians. I work at a small branch academic library in Chicago, IL and have worked here for 2 years.”

QIANA JOHNSON: "I got my undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago and my library degree at Dominican University. I am working in my first librarian position at a branch library at Northwestern University where I am a reference and instruction librarian. In my spare time I read and spend way too much time
cooking and planning to cook and keeping my two cats away from what I
cooked."

PATTY STREET: “I attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, graduating with a BA in psychology and eventually, after dabbling in counseling and creative writing, a Masters in English Education. (It's a long story.) I currently live in a small town, Fort White, which is about 30 NE of Gainesville. I live on 10 acres of woods, close to the Santa Fe River, with my husband and son, another son already moved out and living in Gainesville, attending UF. I am 56 years old. Fort White has one traffic light, no fast food, no grocery store--yet. I run a branch library, part of the Columbia County Library system, which comprises of a Main library in Lake City (county seat), and two ranches, one west of Lake City, and one in Fort White.”

SHANNON JENSEN: “I do not have a Masters in Library Science (MLS) – I actually have my degree in Sign Language Interpreting from Iowa Western Community College with plans to work toward my Bachelor’s Degree in Languages. I work in a small public library in Evansdale, Iowa (pop. 4526), the town I was raised. I’ve worked here since 1997 and I work a combination of part-time at the library and part-time for the city making for a full-time job. I have just one other staff member, Anne, who works 20 hours a week and is my rock of Gibraltar. I am a hungry reader reading everything from self-help guides to biographies, chick-lit to young adult fiction. Suspense and thrillers are my favorite genre and science fiction and westerns being my least favorite, however I’ve becoming more tolerant of both since working in the library. I have a husband who is a police officer and reads maybe one book a year (and that’s probably stretching it) and a mini dachshund who thinks he’s more important than anything in print. This is my story.”

THE INTERVIEW

What made you decide to venture into library science?

ANNE TOMLIN: I always enjoyed libraries, and enjoyed the "Aha!" factor of tracking down information - sort of like detective work without the blood.

PATTY ANDERSON: A love of both reading and of information. I love finding it and sharing it.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: I'm afraid it's very cliché. I loved books so much that I became a librarian. It was a bruising fall from paradise when I discovered that library science and book loving must not necessarily go hand in hand. My parents were by the way more attracted to the fact that I would have a safe job;-)

QIANA JOHNSON: My grandmother used to take me to the library when I was little--about 4 years old--because I loved reading. I thought it was the coolest thing ever that hanging out with those books was someone's job! When I got older, I loved (and still do) research and the idea of helping people with their research, so being a librarian is the best job for me.

PATTY STREET: It kind of fell in my lap. A good friend who also lives in the area was instrumental in getting the branch set up in Fort White. I worked for her as a volunteer while working part-time first as a school-teacher and then at the Post office (another long story) and having a couple of kids. When she moved on to other aspirations, I took over as the branch manager, having a little experience in ordering books and a college degree which was the education requirement. It was a perfect job: I would work close to where my kids went to school, get paid well enough, NOT have to drive to Gainesville to work, and work part time.

SHANNON JENSEN: It was actually luck of the draw. I have always been a voracious reader and had come home from college to take care of my grandmother when the job opened up. I just seemed like something I would enjoy, and for the most part, have.

In It's A Wonderful Life, George Bailey's alternate universe reveals that his beloved wife is—horrors!—a Librarian! It's the end of the world! Hopefully that image has changed since the forties. When people learn you are a librarian are you overwhelmed with stereotypical expectations?

ANNE TOMLIN: Uh, no. 

PATTY ANDERSON: Seldom, I'm one of those with short hair, a very youthful face (that Scandinavian look) and I'm perpetually cheerful at work, so all the stereotypes don't fit me. However I often get "do you Shush people?" which in an academic library seldom happens.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: Unfortunately, yes! People either think I'm a walking encyclopedia or a poor library mouse waiting for a life beyond the books.

QIANA JOHNSON: It's more of the subtle "You're a librarian!?!" I did get one person, only half jokingly, say, "But you're a fun person." Mostly people ask me what I do all day. When I tell them and explain most days I barely make it out of the door on time, they realize it's an exciting job.

PATTY STREET: Not really. Every now and then, someone will say, you aren't a typical librarian, are you? But for the most part, I think the image has changed, because the role of the library has changed. Libraries offer so much more than books: computers, meeting rooms, literacy tutors, a myriad of programs for babies, kids, teens, and adults. Have you met a young adult librarian lately?

SHANNON JENSEN: I wouldn’t say that I am overwhelmed; more amused. I started as library director when I was 27 and I have tattoos. I always snicker when someone says, amazingly, “but, you’re a librarian.” I think for the most part, stereotypes are dissipating but there are some that I think will never die. Like the shushing librarian…I think no matter what, librarians will always carry the torch of shush with them. Even if they are DDRing for fines and whooping it up with the kids. I think it’s just expected of them to keep the peace in the sanctuary of the library.

Give us a brief Library 101 course. What is it like to be a librarian? What is an average day like?

ANNE TOMLIN: First, there is no average day - one of the joys of the work is you never know what someone may ask you. As a former medical librarian I was a solo, so I did EVERYTHING, from research to collection development to interlibrary loans to teaching, plus daily administrative stuff like scrutinizing invoices and filing papers. I might have student nurses working on reports, an administrator calling for healthcare statistics projected out five years, a doctor looking for case studies, another reviewing surgical techniques, or a patient's family member searching for a local support group.

PATTY ANDERSON: Average day? Start with reading email and catching up on phone calls. If I'm working Reference than I'm ready when a patron comes in to ask questions. I will teach classes on how to use the library when called upon. I also teach a class on Web Design that is a "for credit" class - that actually takes me away from the library. Dealing daily with patrons who need information, have problems with machines (computers, fax, copiers, printers), mediate when the issue of fines becomes a problem. I'm not a front line librarian, much more administrative so some of my duties are outside a Library 101 course.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: It depends on where you work. Being in the office is nice, quiet and concentrated work. Out in the reading rooms it's battle station. Library users need all kinds of help and advice, which is satisfying and stress all the same. The telephone seems to ring all the time, faxes and e-mails arrive by the zillions. Most people are polite, calm and even delightful - especially American professors are absolute dears. Nonetheless there's always need for chocolate in the reading room. In special cases we share it with our patrons, especially those who rush in shortly before exams and find that all the pages in those university library's books they badly need are ripped out and now they seek help, the complete books and nerve soothing from us. But back to the question. In every single department there's a lot of computer work, from cataloguing to research of the kind "Dear Sir, dear Madam, when I was a kid I loved this delightful book where the rabbit meets the frog. I don't remember the title but it was green with a brown rabbit on the cover". Or really heavy stuff when you stand in front of a million reference books and need to find bibliographic data on an article in a scientific journal. Of course you don't know in which year that article has been published. Browsing can be an exhausting thing o do.

QIANA JOHNSON: It differs for every librarian depending on what type of librarian you are--cataloger, reference librarian, bibliographer, digital resources librarian, etc. I'm a reference and instruction librarian at an academic library. I have a daily shift on the reference desk, meaning I man the desk where people can come up and ask questions. That can be anything from "Where are the bathrooms?" to "How to I do research on the racial makeup of Chicago neighborhoods and how has that changed over the past 100 years?" I also teach several library instruction sessions for undergraduate and graduate classes, where a professor brings his or her students in to learn about library resources that will help them with an assignment. I also serve a library committee. So on any given day I am doing or preparing for several of those things.

PATTY STREET: Since I run a small library, I have to do many things. For many years I had only one other person working with me, now I have two. We are all part time. For part of the day, I work the circulation desk, which is checking out books, reserving books that aren't on the shelves at the moment, giving out information to anyone who walks in and needs to know something. If this involves research, I do that. I order books, read reviews, consider requests for purchase. I read stories to school groups who visit. Or, I go visit classrooms, talk about the library, etc. (I used to visit daycares, do a little program for the kids once a week, but I have trained another employee to do this.) I solve problems the other employees can't, or aren't allowed to solve, making exceptions to delinquent patrons, overriding protocols, etc. In the course of one day, I could do everything just mentioned. (But the visits don't happen every week.)

SHANNON JENSEN: Aah…being a librarian is like nothing in the world. I am looked to as one of the smartest people my patrons know. They give me a plot or book cover color, I give them the book. They want to learn about sign language and I teach them. They need tax forms and I got those too. But there are so many other things to handle that they don’t see.

My typical short day goes like this:

Check mail and check book drop for any book returns, turn on all computers, photocopier, phone, printers and raise the blinds. Open doors for business. Usual library business such as checking out books to patrons, requesting books to patrons, signing up patrons to use public access computers commences. We make photocopies and have fax service for the public as well as printer copies from the public access computers. Check books in, put away. Read mail. Place orders for any office supplies or book supplies we may need. Weed the collection, withdraw books from catalog, library and our statewide catalog online. Process new books, videos, DVDs and magazines and make shelf-ready. Automate into system. Put out for circulation. Write article for biweekly newspaper. Maintain website. Read online and print catalogs for new acquisitions. Help a five year old put together a puzzle in the children’s department. Help someone find information on dogs. Perform updates on computers as needed. Sneak in lunch at the desk. Prepare for school rush and all of our teenagers who love MySpace. Work on accreditation report due at the State Library. Check library email and answer as needed. Read list-servs. Answer phone and tell someone the number to the post office. Refill tax forms caddy. Put more books away. Fill out and process an interlibrary loan request. Review the unattended children’s policy. Make notations for suggestion to the policy committee. Ask the girls at computers 3 & 4 to keep it down. Explain why the computer just shut down five minutes before closing. Help a last minute check out. Lock the library doors. Lower blinds. Power down equipment and make sure books are all put away for the next day. Go home until tomorrow.

What most people don’t understand about our job is that we wear the 500 hats like Dr. Seuss’ character Bartholomew Cubbins. Not only do we check in and out books, but we are babysitter, IT person for the computers, purchasing agent of the library. We make the books ready for people to check out, we make sure there is shelf on the room for more books. We make sure that we always have enough staples and tape and paper and ink for the photocopier and printers. While doing all this, we also recommend a favorite book, show someone how to learn to crochet and teach a second grader about the differences in snowflakes.

It’s not as cut and dry as, “I thought all you did was check books in and out and then read all day.” That would be nice, but highly unlikely.

Obviously, a love of books comes into play in your decision to be a librarian. Is it all work and no play? Do you still get a lot of reading in?

ANNE TOMLIN: One thing that surprises many "civilians" is that most of us do NOT get paid to sit around and read - would that it were so. On the other hand, with my "reviewer's hat" firmly in place I can legitimately read books about which I'm assigned to write.

PATTY ANDERSON: No reading at work, no time for that. Still read a lot at home, both print and using books on tape to listen while doing fun things like exercising. The type of reading that gets done at work is paperwork and literature on the profession, journals, etc.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: Well, if you're in the right library department you MUST read, at least large parts of the books. Subject cataloguing and DDC is still intellectually done by librarians, and in order to do that correctly, we need to know what the books are all about. It belongs to the nicest - and most difficult - jobs in a library. Otherwise, no, there simply is no time for reading all those books, just taking in snippets, and making lots of serendipity, which cost many a librarian quite a fortune. Yes, yes, we could read the library books, but it's so much nicer to buy our own copy.

QIANA JOHNSON: I am an avid reader and am never without a book. I often have a commuting book and an at (work) book. The joys of public transportation.

PATTY STREET: Only on my own time. Everyone thinks librarians get to sit and read all day. We read, but it's a computer screen, doing all the above activities. I read book reviews while at work, or library journals, but no "pleasure" reading. We all do that on our own time. It takes me a couple of weeks to read a book, mainly because I'm a little obsessed with crossword puzzles at the moment, after seeing the documentary WORDPLAY.

SHANNON JENSEN: Yep…all work and no play. I read a lot – but at home. I do manage to read the List-servs that I belong to at work because that is all part of the job – but actually putting my feet up and reading a book at my desk? Doesn’t happen.

How do you decide what books to acquire for the library?

ANNE TOMLIN: We use selection guides, recommended titles from professional journals, requests from staff (depending on budget, of course). Final selection comes down to maintaining authoritative and current titles to cover the specialties of our institution.

PATTY ANDERSON: We work closely with our faculty on what materials to add. My background is liberal arts and I'm at a science/engineering campus, so their knowledge of what is needed is invaluable. Often what is purchased depends on what is in stock when we have funding available.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: I don't. My library is a national archive, so we collect all the books published in or about the country. We are fortunate to have a right of legal deposit which means that every publisher in the country is obliged to send us two copies of a book, journal or any other media for free. But we do have special collections where we need to buy books. The Deutsche Exil-Archiv (German Exile Archive) for example where we collect books, magazines, letters and photos by German writers and artists who emigrated during the years of Nazi terror. Of course we need to buy media for these. We acquire what we think belongs to the collection - if we can afford it.

QIANA JOHNSON: Reading reviewing sources, like Choice, reviews in scholarly journals, some newspapers and magazines, and patron requests.

PATTY STREET: Mostly, by popular demand. All bestsellers, all the popular authors. I have a budget for each category--adult fiction, adult nonfiction, juvenile, juvenile nonfiction, DVD's, books on CD, etc. Since I have worked at this library for years and years now, I just know what gets checked out. True crime, for example, is a popular nonfiction category. All the animal books, kid and adult, the gardening section, history. Medical books get replaced as soon as they are out of date, which is sometimes as soon as we purchase them! I consider all patron requests and often purchase those if I think the book will circulate. If the book is too old or obscure, I will do an interlibrary loan--get the book from another library outside our system. If I still have money to spend at the end of the fiscal year, I consult catalogs sent to us by book publishers, of which I have a drawerful.

SHANNON JENSEN: My purchases are based on several issues – Policy, demand and patron request.

What goes into the decision? Is it based on your locale? Finances?

ANNE TOMLIN: See above. In real estate it may be "location, location, location" but in libraries (in particular, special collections) its "funding, funding, funding." Most libraries are cost, not revenue, centers and so have to cheerlead hard to make their budget case every single year. Nothing can be taken for granted.

PATTY ANDERSON: Driven by the curriculum of the campus and paid for by available funding.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: We have strict acquisition guidelines for all our collections. And yes, we need money and never seem to have enough of it. If you want to buy a letter written by Albert Einstein you need to go to an auction and bid with a lot of competitors. Most of them have more cash than the library.

QIANA JOHNSON: Finances always play a part, but we also look at whether materials will benefit the programs supported by the library. WE also look at where the departments seem to be heading.

PATTY STREET: See above. Also, the town now has a high school, so I have more kids coming in to do various kinds of research, mostly on the computer. But I have increased my nonfiction purchases with teens in mind. And we do have a collection development policy, which protects us when someone objects to a book. (This has never happened in a formal way, although people complain and whine sometimes.) The policy basically says we order according to the needs/wants of the community. Someone could complain about Harry Potter all they wanted, all we'd do is prance out the circulation statistics.

SHANNON JENSEN: Yes and yes. Those are both factors in my decision. We also have other criteria such as the scope of our mission statement, usefulness and interest, format, durability, price and availability, and relevance to existing collection.

Is there anything given your location that you do not have on your shelves? If so, why?

ANNE TOMLIN: Books on medical specialties not covered by our staff; we have no specialist in plastic surgery or tropical medicine, for example, so these areas would be very low on the priority list.

PATTY ANDERSON: We do have some fiction but it is a small part of our collection. We purchase best sellers from the NY Times and from Publisher's Weekly. It's a small collection but very popular.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: If there are empty spaces in our shelves where a book should stand, it might be it has suffered an early death due to photocopying or it's been stolen. Sad but true. On the other hand we find a lot of missing books by frequent shelf tidying.

QIANA JOHNSON: Unfortunately, since we are a branch library with limited space, we don't have room for "popular fiction." Fortunately, the Main Library has a Leisure Reading collection that our patrons can request materials from.

PATTY STREET: God, yes! We are small, our shelves are crammed, and we still don't have everything anyone might need or want. If the book isn't at another library in our system, there is a process to get a book from another library who is willing to send it, called an Interlibrary Loan. You just can't anticipate every request! Plus, we also have a "mission statement" and set of goals that kind of helps us determine our focus--popular materials and lifelong learning and literacy, I think our goals for 2000-2005. Every five years we do a "Long Range Plan" involving community leaders and library patrons who help us decide where to focus our time and monies for that period. We also have to do periodic weeding to make room for the new stuff. If a book hasn't circulated in some many years, it gets withdrawn. Then sure enough, someone will come in and want that first book in a series, and this series started 15 years ago!

SHANNON JENSEN: There are a lot of things that we do not have on our shelves and our biggest issue is space. We are a small library (1400 square feet) serving a population of 4500. We have been working on getting a new library, but that takes money and it’s not a quick process so we do the best we can with what we got and hope that the money gods hear our plea and rain moolah upon us.

What's the best thing about the job?

ANNE TOMLIN: Flexibility, at least as a solo. It's rather like running your own business with someone else's money, though of course you are accountable for it.

PATTY ANDERSON: The people, both those I work with and those who come into the library for help - it's great.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: I'm a regular library tour guide, exclusively for English speaking visitors ... although I think I would survive a German tour as well;-) That's a lot of fun, and you meet people from all over the world. I simply love it.

QIANA JOHNSON: Helping patrons answer questions and find materials for their searches. There's nothing better than finding something that seemed unfindable (and I'm pretty sure that's not a word. ;)

PATTY STREET: Helping people find what they need/want. Their gratitude is often abundant.

SHANNON JENSEN: I think the best part of the job is working with people. As I mentioned earlier, we are a small library in a small community so it is almost a given that my staff and I know most of the people who walk through the door, most on a first name basis and many by their reading or library use preference. I also enjoy helping my patrons with whatever they need help with and I love to see when someone is comfortable enough with the library that they do not even hesitate to bring in a typewriter and say, “I need help setting the tabs on this thing!” because they know we will help them do it. And I love to stand around and talk up books to people. Especially if it’s a new author or something that I know the particular individual will enjoy. How can you not like getting paid to talk about new and/or old books?

What's the worst thing?

ANNE TOMLIN: Outside of universities and major corporations, pay is not great and in smaller libraries there's little opportunity for promotion without job-hopping.

PATTY ANDERSON: Dealing with people when they are upset, often about fines or lost materials.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: The bureaucracy. In the age of the internet administrations slow down everything. And the lack of money. It won't be long until we need to bring our own towels, soap and toilet paper.

QIANA JOHNSON: Enforcing rules such as no cell phone usage in the library, etc. I agree with them, but I'm not good at confrontation.

PATTY STREET: Meetings! We have manager meetings twice a month. And some workshops I am asked to go to end up being boring or the same ole thing.

SHANNON JENSEN: In my opinion, severely overdue or non-returned items is the worst thing about the job. It just kills me that people who pay taxes to a city to support the library would then, in turn, steal from that same institution. And I detest sending out overdue notices. Once again, I have to pay money from my budget to “baby-sit”, if you will, people who cannot be responsible to bring materials back on time. Then, these same people will whine if they get their overdue notice late and have to pay a fine. It kills me.

It is said that librarians have a lot of influence in marketing writers. How do you view this statement?

ANNE TOMLIN: Well, public and school libraries are bulk buyers, particularly if they are part of a regional or state consortium. And especially in the fiction market there is a sort of symbiotic relationship with writers - we love them and they appreciate libraries and librarians. Most authors have fond memories of the libraries they frequented while growing up, and have found librarians to be some of their strongest supporters.

PATTY ANDERSON: They can, probably more at a Public Library than at my type of library.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: They do indeed. It's us who confidentially lean over the reading room desks and whisper the newest published secrets with correct author names and book titles in our patron's ears. It's us reading, and buying, books by the thousands. It's us lending our books to family and friends, so they can spread the message and it's us buying book presents for family and friends. We are competent customers and a much underrated marketing source for publishers.

QIANA JOHNSON: I believe public librarians can do a lot to help market writer, especially with author talks and in-library book signings. Librarians are built-in advocates of books and readers.

PATTY STREET: I met a writer once who said she hated libraries because we lessen her royalties!! She apologized pretty quickly, and I forgave her lapse in judgment and intelligence. Patrons often ask our opinions on books, and we keep a huge display of what's current as full as we can keep it. It's not hard to push a bestseller, and I don't read them. I try to read other writers, lesser knowns, or who get a good review in more than one publication. These are the writers I push, but I have to be discriminating about who I recommend them to. In bigger library systems, multiple copies of books are bought--20 or 30 I would imagine. Think of the number of people who are reading each book! And people have told me they buy the book because it was so good. Even if a writer gets a poor review (think bestseller here), we still have to purchase the book, multiple copies, and the writer still gets read. Average Joe doesn't read reviews; he just knows what he likes.

SHANNON JENSEN: I think librarians are a strong frontrunner for marketing writers, sure, because we provide services to our patrons other than checkout and money receiving. One of the most important being reader’s advisory. I have been to bookstores where store clerks have recommended things but only because they know that I am a librarian. I have never been to Barnes and Noble and had an employee approach me and say, “I see you’re looking at Janet Evanovich’s books. Have you read anything by Stephanie Bond , Laura Durham or Jess Lourey? You might take a look at those also.” But you just might hear me say those exact words in my library.

According to the U.S. Patriot Act, the FBI can retrieve any information about a borrower that the library has, including books they have checked out, searches they have done on the library computer and internet, when and where a patron signed up to use library computers, and notes librarians have taken when helping with questions. It also prohibits the library from notifying the patron under suspicion, the press, or anyone else that an investigation is underway. The Patriot Act would seem to go against all the principles of free speech and the free exchange of ideas and information—the root motivation for the existence of a free lending and research library. Without being too specific (since I know you can't be), has it been difficult navigating through the restrictions of the Patriot Act or is it all hype and no action where you are?

ANNE TOMLIN: Given our collection it was highly unlikely anyone would have been under investigations covered by the "Patriot Act." So no, I can't say (ahem) that it affected us at all.

PATTY ANDERSON: Thankfully we've had no interaction or problems here - but it is a serious problem for some libraries and something I would vote against if it came to that.

QIANA JOHNSON: Unfortunately, I can't really answer this question because I don't know my library's policy on the Patriot Act. I know we have one, but I'm not familiar with what it is. It's probably a good sign because it means that I and no one I work with have had to refer to the policy.

PATTY STREET: It's pretty much no action here. Florida has a law that states police must have a warrant to secure a patron's library record. I'm sure the FBI can get around that. But we had a director once who refused to give up a patron's record until a warrant was produced, citing the Florida law. This was before 9-11. But the thing is, we don't keep records! Once a patron returns a book, the history of that check-out is deleted. We have written instructions at each computer terminal telling a person how to clear their history when they are finished. Our computer sign-up sheets have only library card numbers on them, and they are destroyed each month. We keep few notes on how we help people, and if we do, they are also destroyed in a timely fashion. Now, I guess a computer geek could get some of this info from our computers; I don't pretend to understand how that is done. I think libraries, specifically the ALA, has been on the frontlines of this issue since the beginning, protecting people's right to privacy. And most librarians, I believe, support this idea wholeheartedly.

SHANNON JENSEN: Again, I think where we’re located and the size of our library really does make a difference, but at the same time, one can never be too safe – however, for the most part, it’s all hype and no action in our small town, although we have made some changes to better safeguard our records, as it is.

How has the Patriot Act changed the way you "do business"?

ANNE TOMLIN: We have always cleaned/deleted circulation records once an item is returned, tracking only call numbers for statistical reports.

PATTY ANDERSON: Currently it hasn't - but a college campus is not the normal area for lots of public coming in to use the computers like they do at a public library.

QIANA JOHNSON: For me personally I don't think it has.

PATTY STREET: Other than telling patrons how to clear their computer searches, I don't think it has. And we shred records more than we used to. Now, the CIPA act required us to install filters so we could still get the fed's money, and they create problems.

SHANNON JENSEN: We’ve implemented small changes, such as installing software on our public access computers that cleans the hard drive upon shutdown, including wiping the history and removal of cookies. We’ve also become more vigilant about obfuscating circulation records. It’s actually made my job more difficult because one of the “services” we used to provide our patrons, many of whom are elderly, is referral to books read in the past. We can no longer do that because our circulation program erases all of that information. It’s a shame really.

What do you suggest we do to repeal sections 215 and 505 of the Patriot Act?

ANNE TOMLIN: Contact your members of Congress.

PATTY ANDERSON: Vote in people who understand that freedom of information is not served by this restrictive law.

QIANA JOHNSON: Definitely, contact you Senators and Representatives and let them know the specific part of the Act you object to and why. Specific concerns are things are seem to be addressed.

PATTY STREET: I had to do a little research to see what those sections were, and hopefully more laws will be passed with the new congress to water down some of these provisions. Support the ALA! and any politician who champions individual rights.

SHANNON JENSEN: Change the people in our government that are making these types of decisions.

Getting back to books, how has fiction changed since you began as a librarian, or has it changed?

ANNE TOMLIN: Some of it is considerably more graphic and definitely geared for short attention spans.

PATTY ANDERSON: It cycles, there are more explicit books available to the general population and more topics covered for children, but adult fiction is still in genre's like science fiction, mystery, romance, westerns and people are still looking for a good story.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: Sure it has. It has become more violent, and more disgusting when it comes to thrillers and crime fiction. People like Hannibal Lecter are considered heros by some, which I find very disturbing. On the other hand there are wonderful books like the Harry Potter series which has brought children and their parents alike into the library, and in the book stores, by the millions.

But in my opinion there is a basic and very simple principle for fiction that won't be changed. Write a good story, see it published and it will work its magic.

QIANA JOHNSON: I'm still very new to the profession, so I haven't been around long enough to see any changes. I'm looking forward to being around long enough to witness changes, all for the good I hope!

PATTY STREET: Goodness, yes, and that is good thing! I appreciate a writer's style probably more than plot, and I'm always looking for writers who try to be innovative. Remember Elmore Leonard? Pages and pages of dialogue, and funny, too! And if a writer spends too much time on description, sorry, I'm returning that book. There is so much out there, so many styles, so many genres--you'd have to be a pretty lame librarian not to be able to find a book to please everyone. When people complain to me, there's nothing decent to read anymore, books have too much sex or too many bad words, I say, there's nothing further from the truth, we have plenty of books to please everyone. And I can find them a book they will be happy with. I can only hope that fiction stays in constant flux.

SHANNON JENSEN: I haven’t seen much change but then I’ve only been a librarian for ten years. I imagine the change is huge for some of the lifers out there.

What's being checked out the most? Is that different from days past?

ANNE TOMLIN: Authors may change but topics seldom do: health issues, economics, and personal relationships top the list.

PATTY ANDERSON: At our library it's pretty much the same, science and engineering materials to supplement their class lectures or to help with research.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: In my library, it's mostly all the works students and scolars need but can't find in their university or city library.

QIANA JOHNSON: For my library, it's primarily academic non-fiction--business guides, literary criticism, etc, as well as classic fiction. I'm not sure if it's changed in the past few years.

PATTY STREET: Bestsellers are the most popular. Some people come in, look at the list we keep posted, and just order everything on it (fiction only). It's been like this for several years. Teens are into the anime and graphic novels; I've had to spend more money in this area than ever before, and I'm getting more of this crowd now. (but that is also due to the presence of a local middle/high school.) It would be hard to pick one area of nonfiction that is the most popular, maybe impossible. I'd have to see circulation stats for each subject area!

SHANNON JENSEN: In our library, it is contemporary, current fiction: Danielle Steel, Sandra Brown, Mary Higgins Clark, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, John Grisham and the like, but not because we push them. We usually try to promote the lesser known authors similar to the chart-toppers.

Who is the most borrowed author amongst mystery writers?

ANNE TOMLIN: Our in-house clientele skews towards 60+, so the classic Agatha Christie type mysteries are in heaviest demand.

PATTY ANDERSON: I'm not sure at our library. Patterson, Child, Turow, Grisham as well as multiple others are in the library and seem to circulate quite well.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: That's hard to say. The Scandinavian mystery writers are hugely popular in Germany, Henning Mankell in particular. The years before the Scandinavian period Elizabeth George and Minette Walters were the most beloved. Minette Walters still is. But Ingrid Noll is THE bestselling German mystery writer and I suspect her to be the top borrower.

QIANA JOHNSON: We don't have any mystery authors in our collection, but the Main Library has a large collection of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers.

PATTY STREET: That's a hard call as sometimes mystery writers are catalogued in mystery and sometimes in general fiction. I have no idea why this happens. Evanovich, Patterson, Kellerman all come to mind, if they are considered mystery. Robert Parker is up there, too, along with Michael Connelly, who is just recently being widely appreciated. Oh, yeah, and the Cat Who did whatever, Braun. Mystery is a huge genre, in a library with a bigger population, the favorites might be different.

SHANNON JENSEN: Define mystery. Do you mean cozies, fem-jep, romantic suspense or hardcore thriller? In our library, Mary Higgins Clark and Nora Roberts are regularly checked out. John Grisham and Dean Koontz are other favorites. Janet Evanovich has gotten a strong following because she is my guilty pleasure and I recommend her to anyone who is willing to listen. Other authors are patron favorites but they don’t seem to write fast enough: Sue Grafton, Linda Fairstein, PJ Tracy, Karin Slaughter, Mariah Stewart, PJ Parrish, Robert Crais, John Sandford, and the list goes on.

Do writers often approach you and your branches for promotional purposes?

ANNE TOMLIN: Very seldom but ours is not a public library so that's not surprising.

PATTY ANDERSON: A few local authors do but we are out in the boonies and so get no "big names" here.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: My library is lending her congress centre rooms for readings but it's the publishers or book sellers who approach us for that. To my surprise writers rarely visit the library for promotional or other purposes. Some authors prefer writing in reading rooms to working at home or in their office. I suspect most writers in Germany don't know very much about libraries which leads to the fact that they don't see opportunities here.

QIANA JOHNSON: Sometimes, but the authors usually aren’t the best fit for our libraries, for example, children's writers.

PATTY STREET: I get a few emails and letters but usually don't pay them much attention. If a writer sends a copy of the book, then I will add it to the collection if I think it will circulate. I've been approached by a few local people who have self-published. One man gave me several spiral-bound books of his poetry. I put one in my collection; poetry isn't a popular subject around here. Another man gave me several copies of a pamphlet he wrote on the end of the world and revelations. I put one in the collection, only because he was so insistent. Later, he wrote on his website that he thought librarians should be shot because we wouldn't let him spend all day on our computers. He was trying to manage his website through public access computers! Anyway, I took his "booK" off the shelf.

SHANNON JENSEN: Unfortunately no, however I wish they would. I’m all about the service.

How can authors best partner with libraries?

ANN TOMLIN: Be there in the trenches with us come funding time.

PATTY ANDERSON: They seem to be doing quite well in their local areas and that is still what works the best. Putting themselves out there for signings at libraries is a tried and true method.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: Readings in the reading rooms are wonderful events. Best with a supply of food and drink.

Reading nights for kids are very popular - the children, librarians and some of the parents spend the night with cushions, blankets and candlelight reading children's crime fiction or ghost stories. Feeding and serving coke and coffee highly recommended.

Medieval banquets in costumes with contemporary food and music and a reading of medieval mysteries would be an idea but maybe a costly one.

I would even suggest readings in the stack rooms but only for mystery or horror short stories because it's awfully cold and spooky in there.

Exhibitions of one author's work or a period or a genre can be great opportunities for both the writers and the library. Of course you need to select a library with exhibition rooms.

QIANA JOHNSON: Contact local public libraries about doing author talks or book signings, especially if you book has a local connection. If you will be in another town at a book store doing a signing, contact the local public library about whether they would be interested in having you visit. Many libraries have book clubs that would love to pick an authors brain.

PATTY STREET: Every library has a support group, a "Friends" group who pay for all kinds of people to do programs at the library. A writer could do a workshop on writing for adults and/or for teens--on writing memoirs or journals or short stories, whatever. Or, speak to a group on the subject they write about--they could probably at least promote their books, but I don't know about being able to sell them. (Also, an author could just volunteer at the library.)

SHANNON JENSEN: I think authors should do more book readings or meet and greets at public libraries. Library patrons would get a thrill out of meeting a favorite author, it gets the author inside the door of the library to meet the director or main purchasing agent and it would get them just as much exposure, if not more, than promoting at a bookstore. Why? Because libraries advertise that kind of thing on their websites, in the local newspaper, by telling everyone they know to bring outside people into their library, whereas bookstores might just advertise in-store to already existing customers.

How can authors get you to stock their books?

ANNE TOMLIN: Write good quality stories or handy non-fiction titles with wide appeal.

PATTY ANDERSON: Write about South Dakota or hit the best seller list - right now that would be all we purchase in fiction.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: Free copies are most welcome! Nearly every library has limited finances, so if the librarians consider the books appropriate for their readers, everyone wins. Because if those readers demand more the library will get more.

PATTY STREET: See above about the self-publishers; donating a book is always a good way to get the book in the library. A lot of librarians now have blogs or even a spot on Myspace. Most libraries have web-based catalogs, etc. I don't know how blogs work, how you get your blog noticed by others, but there has to be a way to find librarians on the net, start a conversation, etc. I guess pestering might work.

SHANNON JENSEN: I personally like the silent sell vs. the hard sell. I prefer getting a postcard with book highlights or a flyer with a website address on it. I understand some people feel that it is more effective, but there are few things that I like less than someone who stops in at a library with a book in hand without an appointment, wants me to look at it right then and there and then make a decision while they are looking at me. I will not hesitate to hand it back to them and tell them I’m not interested at this time and then go back to work. However, when I get a promotional item such as a postcard, I can look up the book on bookseller websites, look at the author’s website, read about the book, read excerpts from the book, read reviews of the book and make an informed decision harking back to all of the criterion used for acquisitions but on my own timeline. That works much better in my case and makes for a happier book buyer in the future.

Can you offer any research tips for us writers out there?

ANNE TOMLIN: Well, other than "make friends with your local librarians" I would suggest joining or at least lurking on discussion groups which center on writing, especially if you write genre-specific fiction. Romance, sci-fi and mystery writers can all benefit from reading and contributing to these lists. Established authors are often members and you'll find some who are happy to share "their" experts, contacts, and other resources with new writers. As long as you give credit where due and don't make a pesky nuisance of yourself, you will find most folks accommodating.

PATTY ANDERSON: The best thing to do is to make friends with a librarian. They can help in so many ways by shortening your search time or by identifying sources that you never would have thought of, many have a long history at their library and know that something in "this book" is exactly the kind of thing you were looking for. . . They also have a different network than you as an author have, so could tap into that network for an answer that isn't readily available at the local library.

ELKE JOST-ZELL: My first research tip is - Google as much as you can. Or go to wikipedia.org. That's a free encyclopedia with a nice set of links under each article. Both are basic research tools and help a lot. High rank scientific research can or should be done with special databases and the good old journals, online or in print, both should be accessible without any fee in any library. If you have one source, have a look in the appendices and the bibliography at the end of a book or an article. These might be treasures and lead you to other books or journals of interest. Worth a try is "ask a librarian". That service is being offered by all distinguished libraries. Bibliographical research of small or large scale can also be done by the library, but it costs a little, at least in Germany.

Many libraries have special collections, find out which one has a large collection of medieval literature, for example, and call a librarian there. You might happen to get more information than you could ever dream for.

Universities - there are inhabited by lovely scholars who happily chat along about their subject of heart. Google them, tell them you're a writer in need of information and you'll be emailed to death.

QIANA JOHNSON: I would always start with your library's catalog which will let you know about the materials your library has on a particular subject. You'd be amazed at what you can find that way. Then move to WorldCat, which will let you know about materials owned by other libraries on your subject. Most libraries offer a service called InterLibrary Loan where they will borrow materials from another library for you. And then, always ask your friendly neighborhood librarian. They are they to help you and would love to point you in the right direction.

PATTY STREET: Write about what's local, and local can be broad. I buy just about every book I can find on Florida's past, or any work of fiction set in Florida. Actually, I'm not sure what you mean by this question!

I understand that some of you are writers as well. Tell us about that.

ANNE TOMLIN: I've been writing since I was ten. Back around 1992, I read Peter David's Star Trek novel, "Imzadi" and loved it. A little voice inside said "I wish I'd written that!" and another replied, "well, why not?" So I sat down and in pencil on legal pad wrote a Star Trek: The Next Generation novel in about 2 months. And, if I do say so mys