Reprinted by permission of Beth Groundwater
Colorado Springs author, Beth Groundwater may be a modern day Agatha Christie with her Gift Basket Designer Mystery Series. She says she is a puzzle person, “writing a mystery is designing a puzzle for your sleuth and the reader to solve. It fit my personality like a glove.” She enjoys creating them as well as solving them, which is why after experimenting with different genres, from mainstream short stories to futuristic science fiction novels, she ended up as a cozy mystery writer in the best Agatha Christie tradition. “Once I wrote A Real Basket Case, however, I knew mysteries were for me.”
Using Colorado settings, Beth’s characters get in some tight situations and her protagonist, amateur sleuth, Claire Hanover must set the world back in line by solving the puzzle and putting the pieces back in order. The first book in the series, A Real Basket Case was nominated for the 2007 Best First Novel Agatha Award.
Beth has also had several stories featured in publications and anthologies, including her short story The Murder Cache, which was featured in National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Award winning anthology, The Map of Murder. Always her favorite, is her first published story, New Zealand, which was selected via contest to be included in Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' first short story anthology, entitled Dry Spell: Tales of Thirst and Longing, in September, 2004. It is still her favorite because “It was based on my father’s desire to travel to the country, and it was written from the heart. I would not change a thing about it.”
Networking is what she attributtes to being a big key to her success. She avidly engages in to build readership and promote her work. “Networking with other writers is one of the most important things you can do for your writing career.” In addition to her website, she does her own blog, puts out an e-mail news letter and maintains a page on Facebook. She answers e-mails and comments made by readers and comes across as very personable. Her creativity is quite apparent with her guest blog spots for her May Blog Book Tour; intermingling interviews with writing tips and the innovative idea of a day long Q & A session (where she checked back periodically during the day to answer readers questions as they were posted) Links to all of her guest blogs from the tour can be found on her blog: http://bethgroundwater.blogspot.com/.
Advice she gives to beginning writers is to read, “read widely in your chosen genre, to see what kind of writing and stories are being published.” Beth reads at least two novels per month and enjoys monthly meetings with her book club, and talks to other book clubs via speakerphone upon request. She is also a member in several writers’ groups: Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. Beth claims that the best thing an author can do is to make contacts through writing groups and online networking, which is how she has obtained two literary agents and an editor. She says, “ At a minimum, I recommend that fiction writers should join three groups: a critique group, a local writing organization that offers monthly workshops and other learning opportunities nearby, and the professional organization for their genre. And volunteer in those writing organizations to make even more connections!” (A list of places where Beth is doing book signings can be found on her website, if you would like to meet her and have a copy of her book signed). http://bethgroundwater.com/Home.html
Another piece of advice she offers is to never give up. Beth claims to have received over one hundred rejections, but she always just kept on in pursuit of her dreams. She says that she “turned rejections into action” by making more submittals with each rejection she received. She didn’t give up with agents either, “And, after being rejected by 89 agents before the 90th one signed me on, I advise every writer who is looking for an agent to query at least 100 before giving up, especially if you’re getting feedback and full-manuscript requests.”
Beth has lived in Colorado Springs since 1992 and she loves it, “My neighborhood is a great place to raise children in, with a wonderful school district. I also enjoy the sunny days, mountainous setting, and outdoor activities that Colorado has to offer—skiing, hiking, bicycling, and gardening. I need all that exercise, because I also like to eat gourmet and ethnic foods and drink fine wines, and I’m an admitted chocoholic—the darker the better!” She and her husband plan to move to their second home in Breckenridge in a couple of years, always remaining a true Coloradoan.
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