Guest Post: Author Carl Schmidt & "Dead Down East" Book Spotlight

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming author Carl Schmidt to Melissa Lee's Many Reads. He will be sharing his thoughts on "Writing with Humor". Also be sure to check out his mystery novel "Dead Down East".

Writing With Humor(by Carl Schmidt)

Humor involves surprise and misdirection, and requires that the reader, or the listener, not take things too seriously. Consider the third verse in Bob Dylan’s song, “Memphis Blues” for example:

Mona tried to tell me

Stay away from the train line

She said that all the railroad men

Just drink up your blood like wine

An' I said, ‘Oh, I didn't know that,’

But then again, there's only one I've met

An' he just smoked my eyelids

An' punched my cigarette

At this point in the song, Dylan doesn’t wait for you to get the joke; he charges into the chorus, “Oh, Mama…” while his droll juxtaposition of “eyelids” and “cigarette” is just beginning to take shape in your mind. This sudden change of direction makes the refrain even wittier.

Many of us think of intelligence as the comprehension of truth and beauty, and that mirth lies in some separate region. I don’t. Humor expands the intellect, making it more complete and satisfying. Intelligence without humor is like a fine meal without wine, dessert or espresso.

In his poem, Ode on a Grecian Urn, John Keats penned the famous line:

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, – that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

To which I reply, “Without humour, ye be living in a wasteland.”

When writing fiction in the first person, internal dialogue reveals the inner workings of the protagonist’s mind and is a great place to inject comedy into the narrative.

Jesse Thorpe is the narrator/private detective of my mystery novel, Dead Down East. Jesse has a cheeky sense of humor, which he allows to leak out now and again, not just because he likes to have fun, but also to maintain calm when things get perilous. The first really dicey moment for him occurs in the middle of chapter four, as he is trying to worm his way through an FBI roadblock. In the first draft, I had chosen that moment to insert a rather lengthy internal monologue, to expose the witty side of Jesse’s nature. I was having so much fun with it that by the time I was done, it was almost fifteen hundred words long. And while I liked the tension it created by suspending the dramatic moment in mid-air—for several pages—eventually I decided that it would be more effective as a prologue for the book. This way, on the very first page, the reader gets a preview of the inner workings of Jesse’s mind, a snapshot of his modus operandi and a quick peak at his girlfriend.

What follows are the first two paragraphs of that prologue. I hope it serves to demonstrate the use of humor in writing, and, most of all, I hope it tickles your funny bone.

Apologies and compliments are two remarkably effective devices for disarming adversaries in life and hecklers in bars. If you consider the socially adept people you know, you’ll see that they use these two conversational tools frequently and with ease. I remember the first time it fully dawned on me how valuable they could be.

Angele and I had been dating for a couple of weeks. Our next planned event was scheduled for Saturday night. So I was a bit surprised when she arrived unexpectedly at my place on Tuesday evening. I guess she decided that there was something that couldn’t wait until the weekend. The moment she walked through the front door, I began to suspect what that “something” was. She had a gleam in her eyes that seared me from the inside of my nimble imagination right down to my insteps. I surmised that she was either ovulating, or she had a sudden urge for a tour of the Thorpe habitat. I began to mentally review the floor plan of the house. “Now, where is my bedroom?” I thought. “I know it was here this morning.”

Carl Schmidt  (Author of Dead Down East)

Carl Schmidt graduated from Denver University with a degree in mathematics and physics. As a Woodrow Wilson Fellow he studied mathematics at Brown University.

Carl lived and traveled widely throughout Asia for seven years, including two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines and five years in Japan, where he taught English.

Carl has spent dozens of summers in Maine, on lakes and in the woods. He chose it as the setting for this novel because he loves its rugged natural beauty and the charming idiosyncrasies of Mainers. He has also written and recorded three musical albums. This, along with his formal education, proved invaluable when molding the persona and voice of Jesse Thorpe, the narrator of Dead Down East, and endowing him with both a creative eye for detail and a sense of humor.

Dead Down East is the first novel in the Jesse Thorpe Mystery Series, which includes A Priestly Affair and Redbone.  In 2001, New Falcon Press published his non-fictional book, A Recipe for Bliss: Kriya Yoga for a New Millennium.

Currently, he is a freelance writer living in Sedona, Arizona with his lovely wife, Holly, and their faithful German shorthaired pointer, Alize.

Links:

Link to Carl Schmidt’s mystery novel, Dead Down East, on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Down-Jesse-Thorpe-Mysteries/dp/1533502188/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469661229&sr=8-1&keywords=dead+down+east

Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/CarlSchmidtAuthor/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Link to my website:  http://www.lightformfilms.com/Carl-Schmidt-Author.html

Dead Down East (by Carl Schmidt) 

Dead Down East, a fictional murder mystery, is both detective noir and smart screwball comedy rolled into one. Jesse Thorpe, a young private investigator operating out of Augusta, Maine, receives a mysterious phone call from a former client, Cynthia Dumais.  She begs to be rescued from an island south of Brunswick, within a mile of where William Lavoilette, the governor or Maine, was assassinated the night before. She insists that her life is in danger, but is unwilling to provide any further information. Reluctantly, Jesse goes to fetch her.

Within a week, Jesse has three separate clients, each with his, or her, own desperate need to have the murder solved. He assembles a motley team of compadres, including rock band members, a tie-dye psychic and his rousing girlfriend, Angele Boucher, to help him with the case. While the FBI and the Maine State Police investigate political motives, Jesse looks for the woman—Cherchez la Femme—as the trail draws him through the lives, and DNA, of the governor’s former mistresses.

Fresh, witty and loaded with eccentric characters, this first novel in the Jesse Thorpe Mystery Series is both clever and stylish. It’s an old-school private eye tale with inventive twists and local charm. If you enjoy a well-crafted and zesty narrative, lively banter, or take pleasure in the company of Mainers, you’ll love Dead Down East.

Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum #16) by Janet Evanovich

Title: Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum #16)
Author: Janet Evanovich
Published: June 2011
Published By: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Format Read: Paperback
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Humor
Date Read: December 17 2015
Rating: 3.5/5

Stephanie Plum is back in this sixteenth installment of the bounty hunter series. Life is following its regular pattern of living paycheck to paycheck and being caught in the middle of a love triangle with two irresistible men. Then cousin Vinnie is kidnapped by a mobster after racking up too many gambling debts and the fate of the bail bond company hangs in the balance. It is up to Stephanie, Lula and Connie to rescue their boss and find a way to pay back the accumulating debt. 

 

Reunited

After reading the first fifteen books, I felt burnt out by this series and decided to take a break. Now a year later I feel as if I have been reunited with an old friend. I slipped into the story and Stephanie’s life like I hadn’t missed a beat. 

Plot Progression

Not much has changed from the previous books, which is kind of a downer, but I thought the way the plot progressed will hopefully open doors for some changes to come in number 17. It is a shame that there isn’t more character development. But this fan is still holding out hope for more. 

About the Story Line

The story line was enjoyable and fast paced, as was expected. However I think that had I not taken a break from reading these books, my overall rating would have been lower. I enjoy when Connie joins Stephanie on a hunt, as she definitely brings some brains and muscle to the team. Also an appearance from the Moon Man himself; Mooner is always appreciated. 

Moving Forward

Moving forward, I have decided not to rush through the rest of the books, as I have learned that spacing them out amongst other genres results in a much more enjoyable reading experience.

I would recommend Sizzling Sixteen to those who are already fans of the Stephani Plum series and Janet Evanovich. 

To read more of my reviews from the Stephanie Plum series click the links below. 

1. One for the Money
2. Two for the Dough
3. Three to get Deadly

4. Four to Score

5. High Five

6. Hot Six

7. Seven Up
8. Hard Eight 

9. To the Nines

10. Ten Big Ones

11. Eleven on Top

12. Twelve Sharp

13. Lean Mean Thirteen

14. Fearless Fourteen 

15. Finger Lickin' Fifteen

Things I've Said to My Children by Nathan Ripperger

Title: Things I've Said to My Children
Author: Nathan Ripperger
To Be Released: Sept. 15 2015
Published By: Ten Speed Press
Format Read: ARC, eBook
Genre: Humor, Parenting, Non Fiction, Picture Book
Date Read: Sept. 6 2015
Rating: 4/5

I received a copy of Things I’ve Said to My Children by Nathan Ripperger from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Inspired by the odd things he found himself saying to his children, Nathan Ripperger decided to compile some of the most head shaking quotes into a book. As a father of 5, he had no shortage of content and used his skills as a graphic designer to add colourful cartoons to each quote. 

Normally I don’t read graphic books, but the title and the cover image of milk being poured into a shoe caught my attention. I just knew it would be comical and entertaining. 

Even though I’m not exactly part of the target demographic for this book, I still enjoyed it very much. This book is geared towards parents who have found their children in situations that one would never imagine. In the letter from the author at the beginning, Ripperger refers to parenting as the definition of absurdity and after reading this, I would have to agree. 

One of the most amusing quotes for me was:

“You can’t go around sticking crayons in other people’s ears.”

I guess this is what I have to look forward to when I have children of my own. 

Things I’ve Said to My Children would make a great gift to a frazzled parent who needs a good laugh and gentle reminder that they are not alone.