April 29, 2018
Hey there, friends!
I have a confession to make: I've been misbehaving.
I should have
been spending my days hunched over the computer pounding out the next Mottley book. But, you see, it's
spring! The garden is burgeoning, absolutely glorious. The summer veggie seeds need to go in. The baby plants for my long-anticipated herbaceous border need to go in. And the weeds won't stay out. You can see some of the photos
on my Facebook post. And there's a question for you there, too - I'd love to hear your answers.
I haven't been a total slacker -- there's a new sneak-peek excerpt for you
from Mr Mottley & the Plushbottom Conundrum on my blog. The link is below.
Okay, now it's time for the serious question. There's a new literary prize open for the first time this year:
The Staunch Prize.
The founders are concerned about the explosion of violence toward and exploitation of women in contemporary thrillers -- books, TV and movies. The lingering gaze on a beautiful corpse has been a standard trope in thrillers since The Duchess of Malfi. But it's hard to argue against their point that stalking, beating, molestation and violation have
become so ubiquitous in media that our culture is in danger of being totally desensitized to it.
The purpose of the Staunch Prize is to highlight mysteries and thrillers that don't use women this way - it's open to any style of mystery published in the last 18 months "in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered."
I'm thinking of entering Mr Mottley & the Dying Fall. It's my first
submission for any kind of literary prize, and I'm second-guessing myself a bit. There are some moments where female characters are in danger or have to defend themselves, but not because they're women, if you see what I mean - they're just witnesses that the villain wants silenced.
If you've read the book already, what do you think - does it qualify? You can read more about the Staunch Book Prize
on their website. I'd really appreciate your opinion.
Finally, I've got a first-in-series mystery recommendation that's on discount for
you.
Enjoy!
Ellen
ellenseltz.com
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