Jean Henry Mead

Female

United States

Profile Information:

Hometown:: Los Angeles now living in Rocky Mountain Northwest
About Me:: I'm a national award-winning reporter/freelance photojouralist published domestically as well as internationally. I have 19 published books, nine of them novels,including the Logan & Cafferty mystery/suspense series and Hamilton Kid's mysteries. My Wyoming historical novels include Escape and No Escape, the Sweetwater Tragedy. I've also collected and edited two how-to-write mystery novels written by such bestselling authorss as Sue Grafton and Elmore Leonard (The Mysery Writers and Mysteriuos Writers.)
I Am A:: Reader, Writer
Website:: http://JeanHenryMead.com
Books And Authors I Like:: John Grisham, Tim Hallinan, James Patterson, Sue Grafton, Agatha Christie and many more that I'll add later, time permitting.
Movies And TV Shows I Like:: All the police procedural shows

Comment Wall:

Ovidia

Hello & thank you for being friends! I'm very impressed by your experience--having 'street cred' experience as a reporter & editor must really give your mystery writing an edge!

Jun 4, 2008
Ovidia

lol... & I guess in your books you can make things turn out right... there's a quote, isn't there, that the difference between life & fiction is that fiction has to make sense...

Jun 4, 2008
Ovidia

I'll go look--if they aren't available (at least in the big bookstores) I'll keep asking at the info counters till someone there takes the hint!

Jun 4, 2008
L.J. Sellers

I love Boston Legal! Best show on TV. Congratulations on all your successes as a writer and novelist.

Jun 5, 2008
Susan

Happy to be your friend Jean! I've been away for a bit, in Boston, now back in N.O. Interesting that you interviewed Elmore Leonard. There's a terrific article about him in today's (6-4-08) Times-Pic.

Funny thing is, I once talked to him, too. He was being interviewd on a Boston radio station talk show, so for the one and only time in my life I called in and, miracle, got right on. I asked him about one of the early chapters in Freaky Deaky that I loved (the bomb squad cop interviewed by the shrink after a close call). I told him I thought the chapter was amazing, could exist as a standalone short story almost. His response was very interesting: he wrote it, he said, as a way to fill in the cop's backstory. It's truly hilarious and horrible at the same time.

All for now. I'll probably post my Boston doings on my page once I get caught up. Interesting trip: trying to set up a mini book tour in MA during August (my next visit there).

Jun 5, 2008
Christine Duncan

Hi Jean,
I joined Goodreads and added a bunch of books, but I haven't got the hang of this comparison thing yet. Maybe if you start it?

Jun 6, 2008
Paul Greenberg

Thanks Jean. That's old Rocky the dog. 14 and going strong. Yeah, I worked for Capitol back in the 80's here in the Boston area. I did get to go out to the Tower on occasion and always enjoyed my time in Hollywood.

Jun 6, 2008
Hazel Edwards

Happy to chat with you about the process. My website www.hazeledwards.com has articles explaining the process for most of my major chidlren's and YA books. I think there is a satirical link in writign chidlren's fiction and non fiction. Short with subtext.

Jun 6, 2008
Morgan Hunt

Thanks, Jean. If you're new to Crime Space, welcome aboard!

P.S. - I'm one of the "computer geek" assistants for SIC, who help those who need assistance inputting their BIP info to the national SIC site. :)

Jun 6, 2008
carole gill

You just have to be my friend! Hope you say yes!

Jun 7, 2008
Christine Duncan

No, I grew up on the East Coast although I've been here all my adult life. So what e-pub were you wondering about?

Jun 7, 2008
carole gill

I'm actually a clone! That's right--you know the crazy Hollywood folk--seriously, it helps me to "be her," especially her character in Double Indemnity. When I feel that way I feel so inspired with my writing, and I need all the help I can get!

Jun 7, 2008
Cynde L. Hammond

Hi, Jean!
Thanks for the add! Sorry I took so long to add you back, but my computer had some plug-ins that were incompatible with Ning.com and there was a delay...I think it's ok now.
So, you're a Hammond, huh? Then I guess you're pretty special! You already know how much I love them! My husband said he doesn't know of any relatives coming from Maryland, but he's going to ask his mom.
I wish I could take credit for drawing that picture that I use for my avatar, but actually it was made for me by a girl named Heather. She made one exactly like it that says "Sande" on it for my twin sister.
I'll talk to you soon. I can't wait to get to know you better; you sure have had an interesting life!
Sincerely,
Cynde L. Hammond

Jun 7, 2008
Pepper Smith

I'd try contacting some of their authors directly to see what their experience has been. I didn't see a set-up fee listed when I visited their website, but I could have missed it. On the other hand, I'm not sure what Fictionwise charges for republishing out-of-print books, since they're also a publisher, according to their web page.

Jun 8, 2008
Christine Duncan

i agree with Pepper. A good e-pub operates the same way any good publisher does--never a charge for publishing.

Jun 8, 2008
Cynde L. Hammond

When I lived in Virginia (first at Fort Lee, then in Hampton), I visited the battlefields at Hampton Roads, Petersburg, Williamsburg and many others and in each one I was able to hear the cries of of the dying soldiers as well. It gave me goosebumps!

In a book we have, "Civil War Curiosities: Stranges Stories, Oddities, Events and Coincidences," by Webb Garrison, there is a quote by J. H. Hammond, from a speech he made in the U. S. Senate in March 1858: "Sir, you dare not make war on cotton. No power on earth dares make war upon it. Cotton is king." I thought you'd get a kick out of that. We did!

Your Hammond history is very interesting! My husband is just now reading "Gone With The Wind" to me and we're very interested in everything to do with the Civil War.

My husband's uncle has a tight hold on the family history, but we're going to pry it loose if we can. All that we can remember for sure is that two brothers started out from England by ship, one fell overboard, and the one that made it to America was named Tommy. I'll let you know when I have more, ok?

Talk to you soon!
~Cynde

Jun 8, 2008
Cynde L. Hammond

Sorry everything got underlined at the end of my last message. I don't know why it didn't accept the message to end the underlining! Oh well...you still understand, right?
~Cynde

Jun 8, 2008
Cynde L. Hammond

One of our sons is named Jon (no "h") but I believe there are some John's (with "h") in our Hammond family tree--it's a pretty common and well-loved first name. I come from the Carpenter-Bond tree, myself. My father was Miles John Bond and he married my mother, Mary Ellen Carpenter--a finer love-match never made. Only death could tear those two apart; they were love birds every day they were together, through 40 years of marriage. He was the best father a girl could ever have. My husband is the closest thing to him in so many ways that I have ever met--even my mother says so.

We'd be glad to have your Hammond genealogy, also! Maybe we can it as leverage to get ours from Uncle Bruce.

Do you have old photos, too? We have lots of them, but none of them are labeled as to who is whom. That's a huge project that we plan to tackle some day. After we're done, it would be nice if we could compare, wouldn't it? We don't own a scanner, but my sister, Carol may let me borrow hers so that I can scan all the photos in and save them. That will be some time in the future, though, because I'm working on my first book right now and it's taking upall my time and energy.

On a side note: my first husband was a cotton pickin' woman abuser. At least that has something to do with cotton, right?

Sweet dreams,
~Cynde

Jun 8, 2008
Cynde L. Hammond

The only thing I don't like about this site is that you can't edit what you've written! It's should say: Maybe we can use it as leverage to get ours from Uncle Bruce. Also. "upall" should be "up all" and I think that's it. There may be more and some on my other notes, but it just irks me that we can't edit. I really should just make sure that it's perfect the first time. I guess it teaches me a lesson, huh?
Nite-Nite,
~Cynde

Jun 8, 2008
Cynde L. Hammond

Where are you living now? How could our time zones be this far off if you're in the U.S.?

Jun 8, 2008
carole gill

Wow! what a great place to be born! so colorful and interesting. can't get over it. would you say it had an effect on your writing--and or attitudes? I think I would have wanted to attach myself to a studio as a publicist or something!

Jun 9, 2008
carole gill

second wow! Thanks for that! I see you're in Wyoming now. Is Hollywood, shall we say, as eccentric as it's supposed to be?
I mean when I came to live in England (marriage) people thought that all of the U.S., not just NY--was like Chicago in the 1920's ala the Untouchables tv show). this was in 1978--before the internet and a more global view of things--more sophisticated.

Jun 9, 2008
carole gill

Hey jean! I bet you could also say it's filled with all sorts of creative "people!" and I have no doubt that it probably is!
were you ever tempted to research a book about famous Hollywood scandals/murders/ i.e. the tawdry lurid stuff that sells well, which I like to read sometimes (in between the coffee table books)?!!!

Jun 9, 2008
L. A. Starks

Jean,
Hope you get a chance to read 13 DAYS. Where in Texas do you travel?
L. A. really does come from my initials---and, a key scene in the book is set there. Good luck with your books!

Jun 9, 2008
Daniel Hatadi

Glad you like the place, Jean. I've deleted the photos for you, but in the future all you have to do is click on the photo then find the Delete link at its top right.

I'm not seeing any blank comment boxes from you, maybe you're referring to the blank box for further comments?

Jun 11, 2008
carole gill

I think it would make a great novel! go for it!
I did go back to the States after my divorce from my first husband but came back--too used to it here.
I live (married here again)in semi-rural Yorkshire and I like it. although sometimes miss glitz and glamor of a big city, -but we can go to London for that, really.
It's changed a lot here. although where I am, there really isn't any crime--which is how I like it. Don't actually think I could live in a big city anymore--and that's me saying that a former New Yorker!

Jun 13, 2008
Yvonne Mason

Hi Jean,
Thank you for that compliment. Yes I would say your roots were indeed southern imbedded.
Stay tuned for next Monday's blog. I will be doing one each Monday on that passion of mine. I have loved it since I watched "Have Gun will Travel and Wanted Dead or Alive." It took half of my adult life to get there.
As you can see the book coming out in Sept is a true crime. It will knock your socks off the book before it while fiction is more or less a prelude to the true crime.
Stay tuned.
Very Humbly,
Yvonne

Jun 13, 2008