Good day, book people, and Happy New Year! I look forward to the beginning of each day, week, month, and year. Every new day brings the possibility of something new, especially a new adventure taken via the pages of a new book. Whether it’s romance, fantasy, science-fiction, mystery, or thrillers, I don’t expect the story line to be wholly realistic but I do expect the characters to be reasonably realistic (well, except for characters in science-fiction or fantasy). I’m pleased to welcome back R.G. Belsky, author of Broadcast Blues to the blog today. Mr. Belsky will be discussing the inherent realism, or lack thereof, in his writings. I hope you’ll enjoy what Mr. Belsky has to share and will add Broadcast Blues to your new year’s reading list. Thank you, Mr. Belsky, for returning to visit with us. The blog is now all yours.
MAKE IT REAL? WELL, NOT TOO REAL….
By R.G. Belsky
Make your book real. Make sure your story is believable. Your characters authentic. And do lots and lots of research so you can back it all up with plenty of real-life facts.
That’s the advice given many times to aspiring mystery authors when they’re starting out - and some of them follow it throughout their careers.
Not me.
Because I’ve found out that being too realistic and believable and authentic in a mystery novel can sometimes be…well, boring.
I write the Clare Carlson mystery series, about a woman TV journalist in New York City who solves murder cases. The latest one is called BROADCAST BLUES. I’m a longtime journalist myself - who worked as a top editor at the New York Post, New York Daily News, Star magazine and NBC News. So a lot of the reactions to my books are along the lines of: “Belsky uses his real-life experience in the media to show what a big city newsroom is really like.”
Except my career in a newsroom - or working with the people there - was never anything like Clare’s.
For example, in all of my years in the media, I never once saw or heard of a reporter solving a murder on their own. Not one time. And yet Clare somehow solves at least one murder in every book of mine. She also finds her life in danger constantly; encounters romance in every story she covers; and does whatever she wants to do no matter what her bosses tell her. I did not do any of these things. But then Clare’s story is a lot more interesting than mine. Or any other real-life journalist who goes through the day-to-day drudgery without all the excitement in Clare’s world.
I think Raymond Chandler said it best a long time ago when someone criticized his iconic Philip Marlowe character as not being a very realistic private investigator. “Real PIs don’t get hit over the head every time they walk into a room or meet gorgeous blonde clients all the time in their office,” the critic pointed out. Chandler replied: “You’re absolutely right. But if I wrote about what a real private investigator does all day (going through court records etc.) no one would ever read me!”
That’s how I feel about me and Clare.
But the truth, of course, is that most of our most popular mystery characters aren’t very realistic or authentic or believable either.
The classic example has always been Jessica Fletcher of Murder She Wrote and her town of Cabot Cove. There are only 3500 people in the entire tiny town of Cabot Cove, and 274 of them have been murdered. It’s become a running joke about how dangerous it is to live in Cabot Cove with Jessica! But it sure has never hurt the popularity of her or the series.
It’s called suspension of belief, and pretty much every murder mystery story in books or on TV or the movies has it.
Do you actually think there could be a real-life homicide detective like Columbo wearing a tattered raincoat and solving murders on his own? Or a PI like Jim Rockford living in a trailer and getting beat up each week? Or Spenser? Or Harry Bosch? Or Kinsey Millhone. Or Jack Reacher…well, you get the idea.
I will tell you one more story about me and my writing career to make the point.
Many years ago, long before Clare, I was asked to write a mystery novel about another woman TV reporter. At the time, I had never worked in a TV newsroom. Never even set foot in one. My research for the book consisted of visiting a TV news studio for less than an hour and learning a few key phrases like “Give me some B-copy (file footage)” and “we need to do a crash and burn on this video (fast edit)”. I sprinkled these phrases throughout the book in the hope of convincing readers I knew what I was talking about. Sure enough, the reviews talked about “my exhaustive expertise and knowledge of how a TV newsroom really works.” Go figure.
Just to be clear, sometimes you have to be real. If you’re dealing with actual people, you have to use real-life facts about them. Same with specific locations - you can’t put the Empire State Building in Queens or anything like that. And any references to real-life events fall into that category too.
But most of the time I want my Clare Carlson character to live in the same fictional world as Jessica Fletcher and Columbo and all the rest.
Is that world a real world?
No, it’s not.
But it is sure a lot more interesting! ♦
BROADCAST BLUES
by R.G. Belsky
January 1-26, 2024 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
Wendy Kyle took secrets to her grave— now, Clare Carlson is digging them up
New York City has no shortage of crime, making for a busy schedule for TV newswoman Clare Carlson. But not all crimes are created equal, and when an explosive planted in a car detonates and kills a woman, Clare knows it’ll be a huge story for her.
But it’s not only about the story—Clare also wants justice for the victim, Wendy Kyle. Wendy had sparked controversy as an NYPD officer, ultimately getting kicked off the force after making sexual harassment allegations and getting into a physical altercation with her boss. Then, she started a private investigations business, catering to women who suspected their husbands of cheating. Undoubtedly, Wendy had angered many people with her work, so the list of her suspected murderers is seemingly endless.
Despite the daunting investigation, Clare dives in headfirst. As she digs deeper, she attracts the attention of many rich and powerful people who will stop at nothing to keep her from breaking the truth about the death of Wendy Kyle—and exposing their personal secrets that Wendy took to her grave.
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: January 2, 2024
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781608095315
ISBN10: 1608095312)
Series: Clare Carlson Mystery Series, 6 | All of the novels in the Clare Carlson Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order
Purchase Links #CommissionEarned: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Oceanview Publishing
Author Bio:
R.G. Belsky is an award-winning author of crime fiction and a journalist in New York City. His newest mystery, BROADCAST BLUES, was published on January 2 by Oceanview. It is the sixth in a series featuring Clare Carlson, the news director for a New York City TV station. The first book, Yesterday’s News, was named Best Mystery of 2018 at Deadly Ink. The second, Below the Fold, won the Foreward INDIES award for Best Mystery of 2019. Belsky has published 20 novels—all set in the New York city media world where he has had a long career as a top editor at the New York Post, New York Daily News, Star magazine and NBC News. He also writes thrillers under the name Dana Perry. And he is a contributing writer for The Big Thrill magazine and BookTrib.
Catch Up With RG Belsky:
www.rgbelsky.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @dickbelsky
Instagram - @dickbelsky
Twitter/X - @DickBel
Facebook - @RGBelsky
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