Max, Brad, and Maisie is a gay mystery series by author L.G. Fabbo-Gonnela. Read on to discover the three books in the series and find out more about the author! There’s also a giveaway and you are all encouraged to enter!
Getting Character Motivation Correctly
I would like to start off on my guest post by thanking my blog host for this opportunity to meet new readers. With the death of small bookstores, blogs have risen to fill the vacuum. They do a great service and deserve all our support. When you are an independent author they are the lifeblood of your books.
Hello everyone. My name is L.G. Fabbo-Gonnella. I write Max, Brad & Maisie mystery series.
My guest post today will concern the work that must go into accurately portraying character motivation in your books. In my personal opinion nothing hurts a story more than one’s characters doing or saying things in ways that simply do not make any logical sense to the reader.
If my reader thinks, “I would never act that way or do something like that nor do I know anyone who would act or say things like that in such a situation” then I feel I’ve lost that reader. Therefore, when writing my books, I believe an author must take particular care to bring his or her life experiences into play so those character portrayals will be realistic.
But sometimes more than personal life experiences are required of an author. In mystery stories characters are usually acting or reacting to situations of great stress. They might even be the victims of some crime or violent action upon their persons. So, when writing the plots, a writer should do their research.
To use a few examples: in one of my books a character was subjected to a violent sexual assault. A critical plot line revolved around how that person would react after such an assault. It was vital that their reactions be realistic and true to life. I also felt an obligation to victims of such violence to portray things realistically. I therefore sought out a rape counselor. We had a series of discussions about what was happening to my character and what plotline I was considering. Thanks to her input I received some insight into the mindset of a victim. After I wrote my book I sent it to her for review. In a few places she made critical suggestions. Writing that book took longer than usual because of this critical necessity of research. It was worth it.
Another example, lighter in its subject matter, dealt with the world of professional wrestling. Now I will confess that when it comes to that profession I was clueless. I have seen it on TV but that was the extent of my knowledge. Happily I met a young professional wrestler, Stony Hooker, who took the time to teach me their private terminology and, critically, what occurred “back-stage” in his profession. We met again for his review after I wrote the wrestling scenes to be certain that I had it right. He made a few great suggestions that added more knowledge and gave additional color to the “life”. After some rewriting, we had another meeting to be sure everything was still spot on. I think you will enjoy this world and, by the way, he even agreed to pose for the cover AND for a bonus inside pix too.
This is not to say that every book requires such intensive research. Usually my own life experiences or that of my friends and family can supply me with what I need. But there will be times when detailed research is required when setting out a character’s motivation. I believe that I, as an author, owe my readers a duty to do it. My my hope is that they appreciate my efforts too.
So there you have it. Thank you for reading my post. Please feel free to email me. I love getting emails and do reply.
My email address is: L.G.Fabbo.Gonnella@gmail.com.
You can also find me on Facebook at “The Mystery Writings of L.G. Fabbo-Gonnella”.
Murder in the String of G
The Cassandra Theater, New York City circa 1959:
The tall statuesque blonde stood in front of the grimy scratched mirror. “Geez you think they put in some decent bulbs in the lamps,” she groused as she squinted to see herself in the theater’s poorly lit dressing room. She gazed about the dingy enclosure with its washed out wallpaper and grimy ceiling. “Better days huh,” she muttered in disgust as she returned her eyes at her reflected image.
“Okay Maisie” she sharply said as she took in her naked form. “So tomorrow you are thirty-eight so what does it matter.” She let her blue eyes focus on her two large breasts that somehow, in defiance of gravity and the laws of physics, still thrust straight out from her full figured five foot ten inch frame. “Well at least you two haven’t sagged yet,” she said with a throaty laugh as she touched her breasts. “I think I’ve still a good three to four years left in burlesque.” She pivoted slightly to take in her firm tight rump. “Yep the old chaise still has a few miles to go on the meter too.”
She faced the mirror, gave her image a knowing wink, and then quickly began to dress shivering in the chilly air of the unheated and dingy room. As Maisie slipped into her undergarments she took in her shabby surroundings with its dirt encrusted small windows and cracked wall coverings.
“Well you’ve come a long way huh girl and all of it down,” she said before sighing as she noticed a large wet stain on the ceiling. The sight of the well-used furniture and generally run down fixtures of her dressing room always depressed her. This was a far cry from the lavish places where she had worked in the past.
Murder In The String of G
Max, Brad, and Maisie Mystery Series, Book One
Maisie was an irrepressible burlesque queen of the fifties who was a star in the Cassandra Theater. She was killed in what was initially ruled to be an accidental trip and fall down a spiral staircase. In fact, she knows it was a murder but, why was she killed and why the later cover-up? Unfortunately, however, what can a ghost to do about it? Andso, her shade haunts the theater hoping to find someone to help her.
It turns out to be a long wait. In two thousand and six two young wanta-be actors arrive at the newly restored Cassandra Theater to audition for a play. One is Max, who is gay, and the other is his roommate Brad, who is straight. For reasons unknown at first, Maisie finds she can connect with them both and seeks their help in proving she was murdered and who did it. After initial hesitations, the boys agree to help her solve her killing. The book follows the pair as they stumble towards finding answers while dodging a hired gun, a serial killer of young men and, for Brad, Maisie’s tendency to “fondle his rump” at inopportune times.
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Murder in the Squared Circle
Max, Brad, and Maisie Mystery Series, Book Two
Maisie’s favorite young pro-wrestler, Stan DaMann, is arrested for allegedly murdering his hated rival. Maisie is convinced of Stan’s innocence. Determined to find the real killer she convinces the hapless Max and Brad into posing as a new wrestling tag team. Out of their depth, they find themselves involved a murky world of underground sex bouts while facing off against two brothers who think vice may be nice but incest is best. As Max and Brad’s wrestling début approaches our trio is eager to find the killer before the killer finds them. Max has another problem in the form of a good-looking Australian wrestler named Liam. Could Max be falling for a guy who might turn out to be that killer?
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Murder in Noir
Max, Brad, and Maisie Mystery Series, Book Three
It seems as if Max and Brad’s dreams of a career in acting have finally arrived. The duo have been cast in the Broadway revival of that forties noir classic “Blood Fell onto my Window Pane”. Even more exciting, the production has movie stars Barrett Conover and his Italian wife Europa making their Broadway début. Max has had a huge crush on the husband ever since he saw the actor in the classic gay film “Going Tops for a Bottom”. As for Brad, he has been a fan of Europa ever since he saw her in the French classic comedy “Buxom Babes for Balzac.”
The play also has a rather lurid past. During its first run in 1948, two members of the company were victims in an unsolved murder. Maisie soon convinces the boys it would be fun to try and solve the decades old crime. What starts as a lark however, suddenly takes a unexpected turn as evidence of a blackmail scheme is revealed. Events soon turn deadly when the trio seeks to uncover who is being blackmailed and, critically, who is behind it. Hidden scandals, an attempted rape and murders both old and new are now part of the script for a, “Murder in Noir”
Prizes: 1 bundle of Murder in the String of G + Murder in the Squared Circle, and 1 copy of Murder in the String of G
L.G.Fabbo-Gonnella is a resident of NYC. He has often said Manhattan is the underlying unspoken character in many of his books. “I guess its a love affair that I have with her,” he once said. “I could live here forever and yet still find magical things about her that I never knew existed.
When not seeking out interesting new locales for his books he can be found dinning with friends and enjoying all the city he adores has to offer.
Though he has not yet met the supernatural denizens of NYC, he does hope too one day. And yes, there is a “letter Lounge” albeit under a different name.
He can be reached at L.G.Fabbo.Gonnella@gmail.co
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Mystery-writings-of-LG-Fabbo-Gonnella
Website: http://fabbo-gonnella.blogspot.com
These books look fun so I’ve just bought book 1 to test the waters. I’m looking forward to reading it.
This is a new to-me-author! I love the premise of these books and they sound like really fun reads. Thanks for bringing them to my attention.