Welcome to the September 29th stop on the blog tour for Campaigning Can Be Deadly by Charlotte Stuart, organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more features and more chances at the giveaway! (More on that at the end of this post.)
This stop on the tour features a guest post by the author! I’ll let Charlotte take it away, and then I’ll be back at the end with all the standard book & tour info.
Not everyone laughs at the same thing-
The first time I sent a manuscript to an agent I got a message back that referred to humor being difficult to write. It was her way of saying that she thought my attempt at humor wasn’t funny. I admit to being both hurt and offended. Her comment felt personal, because the humor in the book reflected MY sense of humor.
Since then I’ve done a lot of thinking and considerable research about humor. I’ve made presentations on sources of humor, how humor is linked to our brain dominance and Myers-Briggs profile, and I’ve developed a matrix to categorize the types of humor in mysteries. In an article for the Sisters in Crime inSinC Quarterly Newsletter, I presented my matrix and identified specific authors in five categories. Although a number of authors contacted me to thank me for including them, no one disagreed with their label.
Here are brief descriptions of the five categories:
- Kooky: Encompasses the “outrageous situation” that usually includes some very quirky characters and unique descriptions.
- Comic: Includes the benign, non-offensive humor found in most cozies and capers. In can include the inept sleuth, some physical humor, and often relies on wordplay and conservatively idiosyncratic characters.
- Amusing: Less overtly humorous than the Kooky or Comic, but with humorous themes that may run throughout the book. These themes are often character-driven but may involve a combination of action, language and characters.
- Edgy: More complex and nuanced humor, sometimes only intermittently employed. It often includes the use of irony, satire and dry humor. Characters are frequently nonconformists.
- Dark: Dark humor is not always easy to identify because it is often the product of intermittent sarcasm, irony and exaggeration. Dark humor, like the tragicomedy it is, gives us pause, registering somewhere on the humor continuum because of the incongruity it represents.
My goal in creating a matrix for categorizing mystery writers according to their use of humor was done partly for the author but mainly for the reader. From an author’s point of view, becoming more knowledgeable about why some people like your humor and others don’t provides perspective on criticism. (Authors are always advised not to take negative feedback personally, but…) From a reader’s point of view, being able to match your humor preferences to specific authors is a time saver. Lists of humorous mysteries include everything from the laugh-out-loud to the “turn-your-eyes-away” dark humor. If you have a “cheat sheet,” you can avoid purchasing a book that doesn’t bump your funny bone.
Where can you find out more about my ramblings on humor? In addition to the Sisters in Crime article, I’ve done several guest posts on various aspects of the subject, including for Diane Reviews Books (1/15/20), Literary Gold (1/20/20), and Dianne Ascroft (1/22/20). In the future I’m planning on putting the matrix on my website and creating a YouTube. But that’s still in the future. For now, I hope I’m at least tickling your interest in the role of humor in mysteries and why you are attracted to particular authors who employ some level of humor in their writing.
Finally, being able to meet on Zoom is almost like having your personal Star Trek transporter. So, if you are a member of a book club and would like a Zoom meeting on the subject, let me know, and I will Zoom to you. Meanwhile, thanks for taking the time to read this post.
Charlotte Stuart
Thank you, Charlotte! I happen to be in a newly formed book club, actually, so I’ll mention your Zoom offer to the group when we’re doing a more suitable genre than a thriller.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
About the Book
Campaigning Can Be Deadly
A Discount Detective Mystery
by Charlotte Stuart
Genre: Mystery, Female PI
Page Count: 300
Add it to you Goodreads TBR!
What begins as a prank ends in murder.
The campaign for the U.S. Congressional seat was referred to in the press as “Mr. Smith goes to Washington versus the carpetbagger.” The popular local candidate gets the majority of endorsements, but his opponent’s wealthy, out-of-state family is willing to do whatever it takes for him to win.
Penny-wise Investigations, a discount detective agency located in a mall, is hired to find out who is stealing the local candidate’s political signs. Two of their investigators, Cameron Chandler and Yuri Webster, not only catch the thieves in the act, they find a body next to a pile of stolen signs, proving that Campaigning Can Be Deadly.
Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound
About the Author
In a world filled with uncertainty and too little chocolate, Charlotte Stuart has a passion for writing lighthearted mysteries with a pinch of adventure and a dollop of humor. Her first discount detective mystery, Survival Can Be Deadly, was a Foreward INDIES finalist. Why me? Chimeras, Conundrums and Dead Goldfish was a semi-finalist for the Chanticleer Murder and Mayhem contest before it was published. She began her career in academia with a PhD in communications. Then, she and her husband decided to build a commercial boat and go fishing for salmon in Alaska. Currently she is the VP for Puget Sound Sisters in Crime and lives and writes on Vashon Island in Washington State’s Puget Sound. She spends time each day entertained by herons, seals, eagles and other wildlife.
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Giveaway Alert!
Charlotte Stuart will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. The most stops your visit on the tour, the more entries you can get in the contest!
a Rafflecopter giveawayDisclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Thanks for hosting!
You’re welcome!
Sounds like a good book!
Thanks for spotlighting my book. I enjoyed writing it and hope readers find it amusing while trying to figure out whodunnit.
You’re welcome! Thanks for sending the guest post.
Sounds like a good read.
I enjoyed the post, sounds like this could be a great book right now! Thansk for sharing!
I love your sense of humor! I’ve been chuckling reading about the book – partly I think because of how people are freaking out on the local FB group about their political signs getting stolen. Forget the cars getting stolen out of garages and driveways, what puts people over the top is taking their candidate’s sign – they want the perp arrested for felony crime! Dead bodies are next!
Sounds like a great book to read. Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway.