The Poisoned Pen Bookstore's Page

A Slice of Murder ($22 Kensington) is the first in a new series from author Tim Myers as Chris Cavender, aka Elizabeth Bright of the Card-Making Mysteries and Melissa Glazer of the Clay and Crime mysteries. If you haven’t discovered these then you are in for a treat!

Not too much happens in the sleepy little town of Timber Ridge, North Carolina - which is fine with pizza-purveyor extraordinaire Eleanor Swift. The spunky owner of A Slice of Delight is trying to mend her broken heart and could us… Continue

Author Dolores-Gordon Smith talks about her new book, As If By Magic; the third Jack Haldean mystery

As If By Magic; the third Jack Haldean mystery by Dolores Gordon Smith


“Where do you get your ideas from?” is a question that’s often asked at book festivals and – be warned! – infuriates some writers. I don’t know why; I think it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to ask.


I know exactly where the ideas for As If By Magic came from. Every Christmas the corporate world breaks out into a mass of d… Continue

Hey all you mystery writers, have you heard of the Malice Domestic contest from from St. Martin's Press?

This contest provides a previously unpublished writer an opportunity to launch his or her career with a major mystery imprint, St. Martin's Minotaur. The winner will receive a one-book, $10,000 contract.
Here is a list of previous winners… Continue

HarperCollins has opened a slushpile at Boing Boing (read story here)

Getting your book to a Harper Collins editor is nigh on impossible even with an agent...So in an attempt to uncover writing talents and editorial/critical talent HC has set up a site that gives unpublished authors a place to share their work and allows readers to promote their favorite writers, perhaps all the way to a book deal...

"Want to get publ… Continue

Graphic Novel Mysteries

It’s been great to see that graphic novels (i.e. comic books) have become much more respected over the past few years. Gone are the days when comic writers treated the reader like an eight year old with classic lines such as, “Thank gosh for utility belts!” or “My spider-senses are tingling, that must mean Dr. Octopus is near!”; instead, the writers have realized that their audience has grown up and so has the dialogue and the art work. I have recently read four g… Continue