Today's edition of my Where's Myx? blog details my encounter with Larry Bird. All in honor of the Celtics winning their 17th championship last night.

 Where's Myx?--Celtics

Dave Diotalevi

author of MIRACLE MYX

http://DaveWritesBooks.com 

Hey gang! Exciting news--something for FREE! LOL!

I've recorded an audio excerpt of my book, MIRACLE MYX. AND--it's available on my MySpace audio player!

 Dave's MySpace

Just click on the "Synesthesia" track and take a good listen.

This is Chapter 2--and a pivotal one in the book. My hero, Myx Amens, has acquired a rare brain trait (synesthesia) that gives him a photographic memory by mingling his senses.

He can taste shapes, smell colors, feel sounds--and lots more. Even though my mystery is fiction--this is a REAL condition a small percentage of the population have.

Myx finds this useful in navigating the twisted motives, lies, and dangers lurking in Miracle, Massachusetts as the body count mounts along with the tension.

Enjoy my Chapter, my voice, and my "dramatic" reading--then let me know what you think. Remember not to embarrass me with TOO much lavish praise! LOL! Oh--go ahead and praise away!

Your pal,

Dave

http://DaveWritesBooks.com

Killing A Mystery's Soul--5 Mortal Sins

 by Dave Diotalevi
author of MIRACLE MYX
http://DaveWritesBooks.com

You're a mystery fan and have settled down with a book you've begged, bought, or borrowed.

You expect to be at the very least entertained, but--based on past experience--you hope to be transported to a state of entrancement, fascination, and even awe. Books can do that and you know it.

Then, why is that pile of pages you're plowing through NOT paying off in the way you want?

There are lots of reasons why a mystery fails, why you feel disappointed while reading it. AND--why, even when you use all your determination to push through to the end, you feel cheated and ask yourself: "Why did I bother?"

I've boiled down these reasons into five categories--the 5 mortal sins that kill a story's soul:

-- Reading this is WORK!

-- I don't care about the characters.

-- This could NEVER happen.

-- NOTHING happens.

-- The solution is too: easy ... or hard.

There they are, ready to ruin your enjoyment. Any one of the above can execute that mystery deader than the corpses scattered through it. Sometimes, you'll find more than one, and on a rare occasion, you'll notice ALL of them.

Let's go over our mystery-murdering reasons one-at-a time:

READING THIS IS WORK

If you realize you're reading instead of being transported into the scene, the author is doing a poor job.

Sometimes, it's just structure: the paragraphs are too long (ever look at a solid, dense page of unbroken text and groan?), or the sentences are too full of punctuation and run on forever (like THIS one almost did).

There's a difference between "challenging" and work. Challenging means exercise for the brain. It's hard, but you'll be better for it at the end; it's worth the effort. Work, on the other hand, just wears you down and wears you out. You feel bored, tired, and uninspired.

You know work when you read it. If you're looking to the end of a chapter to see how much more you've got to go--you're working. If you're riffling the pages to the end of the book and thinking, "I've got ALL that!"--you're working.

Sometimes an author's style is like learning a new language. You have to stick with it until you're comfortable. If you don't get the hang of it after a chapter or two--it's work.

Buy MIRACLE MYX

I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

Reading should put you among friends ... and enemies.

You want to LOVE your friends and HATE your enemies. While reading, strong emotions are welcome.

If you don't even like your friends, or worse, are apathetic--something is wrong. You're hanging around with the wrong crowd. AND if you DON'T hate or fear your enemies, they're just acquaintances--extras in your mental movie.

If the main characters don't make you want to root for them or against them, they're strangers to you with no emotional value. A "who cares?" response takes you to the question: why am I reading this?

There are a few reasons characters don't involve you:

They're boring--Why would you want to read about someone who's stuck in the same trivia that makes your eyes glaze over in your own life?

They're ordinary--A good protagonist is someone you're dying to see deal with challenges, someone you want to be your champion. Anyone who has no special abilities, ambitions, problems, or quirks is someone you'll soon forget--and want to forget.

They're unlikable--Ever have the main character do things that make you root for him/her to fail? You know what I'm talking about. When you do, either consciously or unconsciously, the book you're reading is in serious trouble.

THIS COULD NEVER HAPPEN

Fiction SHOULD take you beyond the realm of the ordinary, press against the boundary of impossible, and maybe even shatter it with new revelations.

But--PUULLEASE--don't expect us to believe people act in stupid ways that are inconsistent with logic, reason, and sanity. UNLESS you need us to believe they're illogical, unreasonable--and INSANE! Dear author, don't insult us by expecting readers to swallow bizarre behaviors that are thrown in just to make the plot plod forward an inch in the direction you need it to go. We all know what drives people to act normally or what drives them over the edge. Use THOSE motivations; we accept and relish them.

And COINCIDENCES--we all know they DO happen in real life--but when they happen in a mystery, we're cheated out of the delicious feeling of order and deduction that revs a good book's engine.

You as a reader have an unwritten bargain with the author: you've signed up as an assistant that's "on the case" figuring things out as you go, and maybe even trying to outwit the hero. Coincidences crush that mental contract and tell you not to bother.

Coincidences reveal the author is either lazy, or not smart enough to write themselves out of a tight spot.

NOTHING HAPPENS

Mystery authors are great at this. There's some trivial crime--or worse--some fabulous crime you're dying to find a solution for, and then you're treated to page after page of circling.

All the false "tension" comes from the "good guys" arguing with each other or going over the facts yet again.

The main character can explain the facts to each new character that shows up, or rely on the old "I must be missing something." You can expect some serious circling after that. Maybe the author is just building up the word count; maybe the author didn't think you understood it the first three times; maybe you should throw the book down!

Another sign nothing is happening is when there are complete chapters that have zero to do with the plot. An author can argue that character development is going on. BUT--if you're looking at your watch, hourglass, or sundial--and begging to get out of that chapter and back to the REAL story--it's more circling.

In a mystery, one THING should lead to another. Why should it be so hard to make the THINGS interesting and actually hook together, one-after-another?

THE SOLUTION IS TOO: EASY ... OR HARD

The payoff, the climax--that tootsie roll center a good mystery fan lusts for. The author HAS to make THAT worth the trip.

If you "guessed" the outcome too early--a case of premature cerebration--the rest of the journey is just a monotonous march.

A mystery author ideally aims at "challenging." Challenge the reader to keep interested, engaged, and competing with the puzzle. A reader should have a hearty feeling of superiority of a job well done if he does solve it. Even better for the author is the "I should have known!" reaction that leaves the reader with the feeling that it was all there for the taking, and eager for another chance the next time.

Figuring out a mystery too soon is like playing tic-tac-toe with kids. You may win, but it ain't much fun.

On the other end of the solution spectrum is the impossible ending--one that you could NEVER figure out.

All your careful reading, calculations, and time spent are wiped away by a "WHAAA??" ending.

Either the solution comes from left field with no clues pointing towards it, or there were so many clues that there are too many alternatives with nothing pointing towards that ONE satisfying finale.

Talk about cheated!

There we have it. The next time you're reading that mystery and have a vague, creeping feeling in your gut--think of the five mortal sins--and banish it quickly to mystery hell!

Dave Diotalevi
author of MIRACLE MYX
http://DaveWritesBooks.com

Yesterday, Karen Harrington, author of JANEOLOGY, asked me if I had read Og Mandino's classic, THE GREATEST SALESMAN IN THE WORLD. I thought it more than coincidental, so I shook off my habit of short responses filled with wiseass stuff to give my honest and heartfelt response. Overnight, I thought about it, and decided I'd like to share it with you, too:

I'm proud to say that Og (short for Augustine) was a
mentor of mine.

I had been a great fan of Success Magazine and had a
subscription for many years in the 70s. Its publisher
was W. Clement Stone (Og's mentor!) and its editor was
Og himself.

I met Stone at a motivational event and talked to him
at length during a break (that's a story I'll recount
to you if you're interested--it was life-changing).

Shortly after I wrote GOD'S QUESTIONS. I knew Og was
from Natick, MA originally, and I wanted HIM to take a
look at my masterpiece! So I opened up the phone book
and called every Mandino in the area, looking for his
address. Finally, I got a teenage boy on the phone,
asked about Og, and he calls out, "MOM! What's Uncle
Og's address?"

I send him my manuscript--one evening--RRRIINNGG! the
phone rings: "This is Og Mandino, Dave!"

"I read your manuscript, and this has to be
published!" he said.

When I asked for the easy way--his help in getting it
done, he just said: "This will find its own way, Dave,
as will you."

It took many years of trials and rejections to get it
done--but, I did it.

Og and I kept in touch, and he loved the classic
orators. One of the greatest was Russell Cornwell, who
wrote ACRES OF DIAMONDS. He had gone out on a lecture
tour to fund a university he wanted to start--and gave
the lecture thousands of times. He founded Temple
University BY HIMSELF.

I tried to find some recording of this early
20th-century speech. Finally, I called Temple U--and
they said they didn't have it either--until I got a
call back from an old librarian there who found the
only remaining recording on an Edison-like wax
cylinder.

She made a copy of it for me on a cassette tape. I was
so happy the day I mailed a copy to Og. A short time
later, I got this card back from his wife, Bette.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii205/davediotalevi/greatest.jpg

I'm not ashamed to say I cried like a schoolgirl when
I read it.

You can see MY copy of The Greatest Salesman--I have a
bookplate that I dated in it--5/78. You see how worn
it is. I've read it many times.

So--the short answer to your question is yes, I've
read it.

Dave

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! LOL!

2000 (and counting!) of you, in just over 3 weeks you have watched Myx Amens, the main character from my mystery, MIRACLE MYX, give away some secrets in my book trailer.

See Myx in Miracle, MA--Book Trailer!

Myx is a powerful character you won't forget--totally unique in the mystery genre. The book trailer capitalizes on this and gives it to you in the first person--just like the book is written.

Buy MIRACLE MYX on amazon.com

Time for YOU to see how Myx gets deep into a mystery hundreds of years old that's causing dead bodies to stack up today. He has to use ALL his powers (wait till you see what HE can do!) to follow the bloody trail back to--well, I really shouldn't say much more!

I want YOU to test your OWN deductive powers as you follow Myx Amens for a straight 42 hours of plans gone wrong, seduction, betrayal, and danger--just how Myx likes it.

Watch the trailer, buy the book--you can thank me later! LOL!

Dave

Hey everybody! I was fortunate to get a highly-sought-after Starred Review in BOOKLIST MAGAZINE for my mystery MIRACLE MYX!

This means they liked it--they really liked it! LOL!

This takes the pressure off me, because instead of ME telling you how good it is (LOL!)--I’ll let Mary Frances Wilkins of Booklist say it in her own words:

In the Massachusetts town of Miracle lives Myx Amens, only 14 years old but a key player in the Miracle police force. Heck, Myx has already died twice, so what’s a little danger in the line of duty?

His first death (by lightning) left him with a photographic memory. His second death (at the hands of a bully) left him unable to sleep and his senses discombobulated: he can smell sounds, feel tastes, and hear feelings. This unusual affliction is called synesthesia, and with a doctor’s help Myx has learned to live with it.

When corpses start turning up with odd parts missing, the cops reluctantly call on bionic Myx to use his particular skills to help investigate the crimes (hearing feelings comes in pretty handy when you’re asking questions). Myx, whose sleepless nights allow him ample time for sleuthing, proves especially adept at drawing people out, especially the beautiful, grieving mother of one of the victims.

What makes this debut novel exceptional is Diotalevi’s clever use of Myx’s sense-mingling; more than a mere plot device, the character’s synesthetic gift enables the author to wax poetic one minute ("her hand smelled pink with carved curls of green") and comic the next ("her breasts talked to me, but I’m keeping their conversation private").

A wickedly funny, surprisingly moving genre-bending tale of small-town secrets, lies, and revenge.

WOW! In less than a week you’ve viewed the trailer for MIRACLE MYX more than 800 times!

And the responses have been unanimous: you love the trailer and can’t wait for the book.
I can’t tell you how encouraging this is! LOL!

Kunati Books, the creators of the trailer have included teasers and secrets from deep inside the plot. They give you just the right taste of what is jam-packed into every page of the book: engaging mystery, action, and a main character (Myx) who you’ll never forget.


If you’ve already watched it--thanks! If you haven’t, get ready for a hint of what is to come from MIRACLE MYX.


Take a look and leave a message. Let your friends know.

Order MIRACLE MYX from amazon. com

Thanks again for all your attention and enthusiasm!

Dave

So--you think you’re so observant!

Here’s a little test for you! Watch my MIRACLE MYX book trailer:

MYX’S BOOK TRAILER CLUES!

Then answer these questions:

1. What can Myx smell?
2. What was cut from a victim’s body?
3. How did Myx die a second time?
4. Where does Myx live?

Send me a message with your answers!

Sound easy? Then you might be up to the task of figuring out the mystery unfolding in MIRACLE MYX when you read the book.

Pre-order MIRACLE MYX

You've heard about the Law of Attraction and the much-celebrated and Oprah-approved THE SECRET.

These are variations of time-honored methods to bring about change in your life. Whether you call it positive thinking, prayer, guided imagery--or a myriad of other incarnations--it doesn't matter.

People have been using some form of this for as long as mankind has become self-aware.

I've added a Drawing Pad to my MySpace profile. Click on the colored pencils and draw or write your intentions.

 
Dave Diotalevi MySpace!

Use it in your own way. Whether you treat it like throwing a coin into a fountain or wishing well, blowing out birthday candles--or the culmination of deep thought and meditation--it will help you to focus on what you truly desire and perhaps prompt how you can get it.

Look for results in unexpected places as well as the usual avenues. You just never know.

Of of my favorite sayings is: Pray as if it ALL depends on God, and then work as if it ALL depends on YOU!

Sometimes the only helping hand you get is at the end of your own sleeve! Other times--coincidence and synchronicity seem to be pervasive!

Whether you believe in God, or the Universe--or the Force!--give the pad a scribble, and then send that off into the void.

You never know!

Then--pass your good fortune along by giving someone else the same experience--letting them write their wish, their desire, their dream. Copy the address for my profile and send it to a friend or friends, or even send a bulletin or an email to your contacts.

http://www.myspace.com/davediotalevi

The price is right--just your time and and a willingness to hope.

Good luck, good fortune, and good Karma!

Dave Diotalevi
author of MIRACLE MYX

For a daily surprise & smile, check out my Where's Myx? blog.