The Origins Behind A Spy With Scruples by Gary Dickson

A Spy with Scruples is actually the sequel to An Improbable Pairing, my first novel. I was inspired to write it because readers were always asking me what happened to that couple and their romance. In retrospect, it would have been easier to write a continuation of their mismatched love affair, but I decided that a plot with more intrigue was a better direction. 

The first book takes place in Switzerland where I did my postgraduate study, and this caused me to remember Geneva in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War. This small city by American standards was loaded with spies, posing as consular officials or working for the United Nations or even one of the international organizations headquartered in Switzerland. Added to these characters were the arms dealers and a host of types with quasi-legal deals and get-rich-quick schemes. In addition, there were the ordinary Swiss people, hardworking, honest—real straight arrows. Then there were many foreigners; some in private schools, a few in the university, some expats, journalists, as well as the Happy Few with residence visas.

Since I lived there for almost six years—my father thought I was a slow student—I became acquainted with at least one person in each of the categories. I moved easily within the various groups, and I have maintained many of these same relationships to this day. Plus, it did happen that on two different occasions I was approached by the intelligence services.

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I discovered quite by accident that if you write about something you know fairly well, then you don’t spend a lot of time researching and retelling what you’ve read. I simply put together an amalgam of personages, places, and situations and imagined how things might turn out if you were recruited by the CIA all the while keeping it a secret from your new wife and a baby only two months away.

Naturally, it sounds easy, but it wasn’t. A lot of good ideas turn to mush; others that charm you with their early promise turn into a cul-de-sac. The most important goal that I had was to create a spy novel that relied more on brains than gore. I’m not a fan of gratuitous violence either in fiction or in film. A critic delighted me when he posted, It’s complicated and intricate, yet understandable, no gadgets, no violence.

My friends in Switzerland are charmed when I use part of their names and part of their personalities for some of the characters in my books. And most of the hotels, restaurants, and cities that I mention in the book, I’ve visited. 
It took me about four months to write A Spy With Scruples because I had two problems to resolve, and they couldn’t be resolved one independent of the other. Entwined as they were, the timing of the dénouement was as critical as the punch line in a joke; much thought, much walk, much rewriting. I hope I succeeded.     

Find out more about Gary Dickson on his website: https://garydickson.us/

Creative Ways to Build Your Toddler’s Language Skills While Quarantined by Dr. Tinita Kearney

Like many families impacted by the Covid-19 quarantines, I have found myself bound to my home alongside a high-energy toddler, struggling to find ways to keep her two-year-old brain entertained (while also maintaining my own sanity). As many of us are finding out first-hand, homeschool life is not an easy one and finding ways to occupy our children’s time with fun, meaningful activities can be a difficult task. The learning has to go on, however, and one way to ensure that your child remains ready for the expectations of school is to work on his/her language and communication skills. This happens to be right up my alley since I am a speech-language pathologist, and I am happy to share some of the ways that I’ve put my skills to work each day with my own little one!

1. Tag Team Dressing

You’re probably already familiar with the growing independence of your toddler! Encourage this important development and also build expressive language skills by getting your toddler involved in the dressing process each morning.

Activity: Play “I Choose, You Choose,” where your child gets to select one clothing item that they would like to wear for the day, and you select another until a complete outfit is created. Spoiler alert: this game leaves NO room for meltdowns because your little one makes all the decisions — even on your turn! When it’s your turn to choose, make a show of not being sure which is the better choice (get as dramatic as you like!) and ask your toddler to help you pick something.

Language Booster: Use sentence-starters to encourage your child to use more complete sentences during this activity (e.g., Caregiver: “I choose…” or “I want to wear…” or “My choice is…”). Also, try giving your child 1 ‘silly’ option (e.g., a thick sweater as a choice in the middle of summer) and encourage your child to tell you why it’s a silly choice (e.g., Parent: “Is this sweater a good choice? No, it’s silly! It’s too hot outside! Tell daddy why this is silly.”). This exercise helps your little one to grow his/her critical thinking skills while also working on his/her ability to form more complex sentences.

Tips & Tricks: Present your child with only 2–3 clothing item choices at a time to avoid spending 2 hours on this activity!

2. Match It Up!

Categorizing is a great way to grow vocabulary and to teach basic concepts (words that we use to indicate location [in/out], descriptions [little/big], feelings [happy/sad], time [always/never] or number [more/less]). It is easiest to teach categorization skills using physical items that your child is familiar with, such as toys, clothing items, familiar foods, common household items or school items. The goal of this activity is to work on building your child’s ability to categorize items by their attributes (e.g., an item’s color, shape, size, use/function).

Activity: Start by picking an attribute that you want to focus on (I like to start with colors, so let’s use this as an example). Gather 2–3 items around the house that are the same color (red, for example) then hunt for 2–3 additional items that are a different color (e.g., blue) and finally, 2–3 more items that are another color (e.g., green). Place all the items together on the floor, pick one up and ask your child to find another item in the pile that is the same color. Each time your child finds a ‘match,’ he/she gets a point; collect five points and win!

Language Booster: Label and describe each item as your child selects it to teach new vocabulary (e.g., “Yes, this magnet is red!”) and basic concepts (e.g., “This magnet is big and shiny”).

Tips & Tricks: Before starting this activity, allow your child to select a toy, game or snack that they would like to receive as a reward for ‘winning.’ Use this as a motivator during gameplay to keep them working hard!

3. ‘WH’ Question Basketball

Increase your little one’s vocabulary skills, verbal reasoning skills, ability to understand spoken language and grow expressive language skills with this fun game that combines answering who, what, where, and what doing questions with basketball!

Activity: Grab a basket or bucket that you can use to toss a ball into (think laundry basket, extra storage bin, empty wastebasket), a ball (if your home is ball-free, grab some sheets of paper and ball ’em up!) and an age-appropriate picture book. The object of this game is to earn chances to toss a ball into the basket by correctly answering ‘who,’ ‘what,’ ‘where,’ and ‘what doing’ questions about the story. Have your child sit with you to read a page or two of the story, then ask one question (e.g., “What is this girl doing?”). Each correct answer earns your child two shots at the ‘hoop’!

Language Booster: Give two answer choices if your little one finds it difficult to answer questions on his/her own (e.g., Caregiver: “What is this girl doing?” Eating or running?”). Be sure to encourage your child to form a complete sentence to answer questions before earning a turn to toss the ball (e.g., Child: “She is running” NOT “Running”).

Tips & Tricks: Pick a picture book that has colorful, vivid illustrations of characters engaging in different activities throughout the story to 1) keep your little one engaged, 2) allow you to ask a variety of WH questions about what is going on in the story and 3) provide visual clues to your child as they try to answer your questions.

4. Chore-Helper

Unfortunately, chores don’t take a break during quarantines. Little hands can be a big help though, so take advantage of the opportunity to get a bit of assistance completing daily chores while also teaching your toddler how to follow directions!

Activity: Pick a chore (e.g., loading safe dinnerware in the dishwasher, putting away folded socks, sorting their own dirty laundry, cleaning up toys). Set a timer for 10-minutes and have your little one see how much they can get done before time runs out. The idea is to give simple, specific instructions for completing the assigned chore — making sure to give only as much work as they can actually complete in the 10-minute time frame. If they can follow your directions to complete the chore in the given time, they get a reward!

Language Booster: Start with one-step directions (e.g., Caregiver: “Put the socks in the drawer”) then build on this by gradually introducing two-step and three-step directions (e.g., Caregiver: “Open your sock drawer and put your socks in”).

Tips & Tricks: Set your timer for 5-minutes and work your way up to 10-minutes if you think your little one will have a hard time focusing on one task for 10-minutes, even with your guided instruction. Also, if you’re looking to maximize your ‘me-time,’ give your child reward options that don’t require your direct supervision (e.g, coloring, playing with a favorite toy that doesn’t require your assistance, a short episode of a favorite TV program, etc.).

Happy learning!

Dr. Tinita O. Kearney is a speech-language pathologist who hails from New York. She owns a speech therapy private practice and lives to empower families to be their child’s very best advocate and resource. Check out her newest children’s book series at lolakoala.com and subscribe to get weekly communication tips and tricks.

Guest Post: Joshua Magnotta, author of A Sweet, Soft Glow

I started writing A Sweet, Soft Glow, my debut novel, sometime in early 2017. I had just started college for the second time, following the closure of a factory where I had spent the better part of the previous two years. My days consisted of going to class and talking about literature in the morning and afternoon. Then in the evenings, I returned home and spent time working on my novel. It was a writer’s dream come true. 

Prior to beginning A Sweet, Soft Glow, I hadn’t written a creative work in a number of years. Back in high school I had spent a lot of time writing short stories and poetry, but that was years ago. I really didn’t have any experience writing something like this, but I was ready for the challenge, or at least I thought I was. 

I read Stephen King’s On Writing and some of Hemingway’s notes on the craft, but otherwise I didn’t seek advice. I needed to figure out how I wrote best. I knew that if I asked for advice, I could probably get a million different answers on the right and wrong way to write a book. I once heard someone talking about photography and their advice to new photographers was to not open the manual until you had been taking photos for a year. That was kind of what I felt I needed to do with my novel. I had to try this for myself first, then I could look at what worked for other people. 

So, when I started my novel, I began with a prologue and went from there. I didn’t outline at all, I just had a rough idea in my head of where I wanted to go with my story and I slowly worked toward it. I can’t tell you the number of days I spent sitting at the computer struggling to get more than a sentence or two. But for every slow day, there were those days where I would sit down to write and churn out two or three thousand words in a couple hours.

Because I didn’t really outline there were times where I was surprised by the events in the novel. At times it was like the story wrote itself. Even if I wanted something else to happen, this was the way it had to be. I think watching the story sort of take on a life of its own was one of the most rewarding aspects of writing A Sweet, Soft Glow. 

In order to create my novel, I think a number of things came together at just the right time for me. I was first inspired by a podcast I had heard. Then I read some of Nicholas Carr’s work about technology’s impact on society and I was inspired even more. It was after reading Carr’s books that I began work on the prologue. At the time the only character I had developed was the villain, Harry Davis. Soon after, I began building a larger story consisting of multiple characters and storylines.

Throughout the novel those characters struggle to stay alive as a murderous crowd rampages through New York City. A black metallic armband worn on the forearm is presumed to have some sort of mind control over members of the crowd. With an understanding of what the armbands are, John Malley and Melanie Parker attempt to save the city from total destruction. Meanwhile, Maggie Wu and Walter Makichinski face personal struggles as the armbands take control of their lives. 

Josh Magnotta is the publisher of the science fiction anthology Odd Dreams and an award-winning reporter for a small newspaper in rural Pennsylvania. He continues to write and find inspiration in everyday life. A Sweet, Soft Glow will be released December 15, 2020. 

Q&A with Amber Garza, When I Was You

Please give the elevator pitch for When I Was You.

Two women in the same town with the same name. One goes missing and the other may know why.

What's the "story behind the story" with When I Was You?

There’s another Amber Garza who lives in my town. I’ve known about her for over ten years. We used to go to the same gym for a time, and I only know this because I would have to give my birthdate when I checked in, so they could differentiate between the two of us. We also went to the same doctor at one point. People who have met her say we look similar and both have friendly, bubbly personalities. We’ve never met, but I’ve often wondered about her. 

Also, I live in suburbia, and there’s so much comparison going on here. It’s that whole “keep up with the Joneses” thing, you know? And as much as I try to stay away from it, it’s so easy to get caught in that trap. After finding out about the other Amber Garza, I thought about combining these two ideas. What if two women with the same name met and wanted each other’s lives? And from that question, this novel was born.

Which came first: the characters or plot line?

The plot line. 

Why do you love Kelly and why should readers root for her?

Kelly is a mom who loves her son fiercely and would do anything for him. She may do some crazy things in this story, but deep down I believe she has good intentions. It comes from a place of deep love and loyalty.

What was your last 5 star read?

The World that We Knew by Alice Hoffman

What is one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

To be patient. I feel like I always want things to move faster than they are in this industry. It’s definitely been teaching me patience. But, honestly, I feel so blessed and grateful. And I do get why things take so long to happen. There’s a lot of work that goes into releasing a book successfully. So, even though I spend a lot of time refreshing email, I know it’s all worth it. 

Do you have any specific writing rituals?

No, not really. I often write with music playing in the background, but I can just as easily write without it. I’m actually a person who needs a lot of variety. I get bored frequently. So, I write in different rooms of the house, including outside. I go to coffee shops when I can. I mostly work on my macbook, but sometimes I’ll switch to my desktop. I have an office, but I rarely write there.

Which character in this novel is most like you and why?

Kelly (1) for sure. Not in her craziness, I hope. Ha! But we are similar in a lot of practical ways. When I wrote this novel, my husband was working in the Bay Area and my son was nineteen. I, myself, was wrestling with some loneliness, and felt challenged by the changes in the relationship with my son. I was essentially discovering who I was outside of being a wife and mom, so much of that is explored in Kelly (1)’s character. 

What can you tell us about your next project?

The working title is WHERE I LEFT HER. It’s the story of Whitney and her fifteen-year-old daughter Amelia. One evening, Whitney drops Amelia off at a friend’s house for a sleepover. From the car, she watches Amelia walk up to the front door, sees the friend let her in. The next day Whitney returns to the house to pick her daughter up but is greeted by an elderly woman who has no idea what she’s talking about. 

Guest Post: Birth of a Novel by Elisabeth Amaral, author of A Vanishing in Greenwich Village

One day I saw a view that grabbed my heart, a wide, gorgeous view from a high floor window of a building in the heart of Greenwich Village. That was the germ of my novel, that view was the genesis of the protagonist, Ellie. She is a real estate broker who lives in a wide, grand brownstone at the northern edge of the Village with Patrick, her philandering cosmetic dentist husband, her college-bound son and two tenants. Louisa is a waxer in a men’s salon and Betsy is a housekeeper to the rich and almost famous.  

Ellie is asked to visit a nearby loft and on the hot summer day of her visit she is captivated by Valeria. A strange bond develops between the successful broker and the delicate blonde beauty with a horrific past. It is during this visit Ellie that meets the man who will change her life, who will pull her out of her mental anguish and help her find herself again. Find love again. 

It took me ten years to complete this book, which started out as a mystery. There were snags I was unable to untangle and in frustration I put it aside and wrote my memoir, Czar Nicholas, The Toad, and Duck Soup. The title refers to the two Cambridge, Massachusetts businesses I co-owned with my first husband during my twenties and early thirties. That was easy to write as I knew exactly where I was going. It was my life, after all. After I published it, I returned to  A Vanishing with the comfort of putting on an old pair of jeans, but the original problems returned. 

Fortunately, after a few critiques from fellow writers, some of them uncomfortable to hear at the time, it began to make sense. My book wasn’t a mystery at all. It stunned me, but it felt right. It became easy to complete the story. The characters became a part of me, even the cheating spouse. These were people I cared about more deeply. Ellie became my new best friend as I accompanied her on her real estate showings, her walks around the city she loved, her fight for survival and her ultimate success in finding her true self. The story began to pull me in new directions. To my surprise, what started out to be a mystery became a love story. 

Q&A with Helen Cullen, The Dazzling Truth

How did you get the idea for THE DAZZLING TRUTH?

The Dazzling Truth was initially inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi – the practise of repairing broken pottery with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. The breakage, and the repair, remains visible to show the history of an object rather than something to be disguised, and so the pots become even more beautiful than before they were broken.

As any family spans decades, both hairline fractures and critical breaks, can damage its foundations. Some tragedies seem insurmountable; we can’t go on, and yet we do. Some cracks feel irreparable, but then often reveal themselves to be the gap we squeeze through so that we can find a way to keep moving.

The Moone family of the new book are no exception and as their narrative revealed itself to me, I became more and more convinced of how powerful it can be to confront the past, to stop burying inconvenient, uncomfortable or hurtful truths. Telling the story of Maeve, an actor from Brooklyn who arrived in Dublin in the 70s, her husband, Murtagh, and their four children, Nollaig, Mossy, Dillon and Sive, I was inspired by the power of the truth – how it can give your legs the power to keep walking, your heart to keep beating. And the setting for their story is very special to me - their lives on a fictional island on the west coast of Ireland was inspired by my own time spent on the Aran Islands in Ireland and in particular on Inis Oírr.

Where did the title come from?

It comes from an Emily Dickison poem, Tell all the truth but tell it slant. The theme of personal truth is a very important one in the novel - and in particular, how personal truths may not always align with what can be considered universally accepted truths. Sometimes it is only with acceptance of that that we can find peace. And sometimes that truth or awareness needs to creep up on us slowly as it would be too blinding if confronted too quickly or head on. My working title as I was writing the book had been Kintsugi as mentioned above but I wanted the title to reference the truth that is at the heart of the novel. I had spent some time thinking of it when one day the Emily Dickinson line just came me as I was sitting on the London tube. In the UK and Irish edition, the title is the full quote, The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually, but in America we opted for The Dazzling Truth.

Who was your favorite character to write and why?

I always really enjoyed spending time with Murtagh Moone, the father of the family, as he was the first character that came to me out of the ether and where the story began for me. He isn’t based on my own father at all but his great love for his children definitely is a mirror of how devoted my own father is to his six children and so I have a huge spot for him.

Which character do you relate to most and why?

I think it’s true to say that I relate to all of the characters in different ways– if I didn’t I’m not sure I would be able to write them with any empathy or authority.

How important is music to your writing process and to the novel itself?

It’s incredibly important to me. Every day, before I begin to write, I choose a song to listen to that encapsulates for me the energy or the feeling of the scene I want to work on. Sinking into the music, the physical world around me slips away, and I am able to cross the bridge from reality to the wonderland of the imagination. I also love working out the musical tastes of all the characters and curating a soundtrack for the novel as I’m writing – there is so much music scattered throughout. The song, Moon River, is definitely the theme song for The Dazzling Truth and I listened to it on vinyl record a lot while writing the book.

Do you find it easier or harder to write character and dialogue for the opposite sex?

 The gender of the character doesn’t really affect my approach in that way – as individual characters some just tend to evolve more easily than others for lots of different reasons.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?

I’m a pantser. I would really struggle to plot out a novel in advance and think if I did I would get bored with following the plan. I find the most exciting and engaging writing I do is usually a result of the narrative taking a surprising turn. At the beginning I tend to know in a big picture way what the story loosely is and what the closing image is that I’m working towards – everything else is a mystery until I discover it on the page.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Anxiety – if I’m anxious about anything that is happening in the real world I find it really difficult to disconnect and focus on the writing. It would be amazing if I could use the fictional world as an escape pod but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that for me.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I’ve learned not to become too superstitious or precious about where I can write as those things just become excuses for me not to get work done in the end but I do love escaping on writing retreats where the only thing I have to focus on is whatever book I’m writing. I’ve been to the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annaghmakerrig in Ireland a few times and absolutely love it there – despite the fact that I’m scared out of my wits by the resident ghost Miss Worby.

What book have you read recently that you loved?

There are so many wonderful books coming out of Ireland at the moment that it feels like a glorious age of literature. One of my all-time favourite writers and literary heroines, Anne Enright, published a new book this year called Actress which is unsurprisingly phenomenal. I recommend it whole-heartedly but also every single book the genius has written.

The book's title comes from a line from Emily Dickinson, "The truth must dazzle gradually." What appealed to you about that quote, and how was the title chosen?

What are you working on next?

I’m working on what will hopefully be my third novel and preparing a commence a PhD in October at the University of East Anglia.

What was the first book to make you cry?

I don’t remember the first book that made me cry but the last one was probably My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout which I loved.

What are you reading?

I’m always reading multiple things at the same time. Recently I’ve started Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell and Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante.