That is mainly because I want to include some of me in the story.
Maybe that was a silly comment. I guess every author injects a little something of themselves into their stories. Anyway...thanks.
Yes, I agree with you about Oliver and Gabriel, great characters (I haven't read the latest book yet but I understand Oliver is more of a main character). I would like to stay at their B&B and I don't like staying at B&Bs.
I will say this, when my…
Bidulka's books may not be pigeonholed. It may be my perception of how I see "gay fiction" treated in the market today. I find that if there is a gay character in a book, preferably the protagonist, then that book is going to be labeled, categorized…
It's hard to tell if Anthony Bidulka's books have been hurt by the "pigeonholing" or categorization or if they've been helped. In Canada his books are published by Insomniac Press, not a large company and they have very little marketing budget but b…
as long as the books don't become more about being gay than they are about telling the story.
This is a sad thought, but true. It boggles my mind that even today people cannot embrace difference and change. It's part of our world, for goodness sake…
Hi, J.E. Yes, I have heard of Lethe Press Books. I've read a few authors from that publisher. None have disappointed me. I wish you luck in your future endeavors. I have a slew of rejection slips and form letters that I keep bundled in an envelope o…
I am writing two mystery/detective series. One has a gay protagonist, a newspaper reporter; the other is a married, straight detective. Both series are character and plot driven and neither suffer from one specific POV. Many characters and subplots…
Inger Ash Wolfe. Did exactly what you're talking about, Jon. A pseudodnym for a, "Well-known North American literary writer." Female middle-aged woman detective (police chief in a small town, I think) has to deal with kids and an aging mother. I'm j…
It's an unfortunate market truth that you limit your commercial potential a bit if you write books that could be easily pigeonholed as "gay" mysteries, etc. I'm not sure you do this just by having a gay detective, though: I think it's possible to wr…
Thomas - have you seen this press? http://www.lethepressbooks.com/
One of my editors has a book (or more than one) published with them.
I think I'm going with a small press myself, after 11 years, three novels, two agents and countless rejections.…
Hey Thomas, have you ever thought of combining them and writing a gay mystery or gay police procedural?
I really like Anthony Bidulka's "Russell Quant" private eye series.
Thanks to everyone who responded. I will take heed to all of your advice. You all make solid, valuable points in your responses. I write mysteries and police procedurals--they are my strong points. I love writing and supporting gay fiction. I wish i…
I enjoy writing poetry, mysteries, police procedurals and suspense. I also like reading gay fiction, M/M romance/literature, mysteries, police procedurals, suspense, memoirs, poetry, novellas, and short fiction.
I Am A:
Reader, Writer
Books And Authors I Like:
I love writers. Without us, there would be no books, TV shows, film or theater. Unless, of course, you like "reality" TV and impromptu theatrics which do not require much a script, if any. I have listed a slew of favorite authors and their work(s) that have me coming back for seconds (sometimes thirds):
Jim Grimsley: "Comfort and Joy," "Dream Boy"; Josh Lanyon: "The Adrien English" series; Gillian Roberts: "The Amanda Pepper" series; Donald Bain/"Jessica Fletcher": "The Murder She Wrote" series; Mark T. Sullivan: "Ghost Dance," "The Serpent's Kiss," "Hard News," "Triple Cross"; Karin Fossum: "Inspector Sejer and Jacob Skarre" series; Colin Dexter: "The Inspector Morse" series; Ray Bradbury: "The October Country," "Fahrenheit 451"; Anthony Tognazzini: "I Carry A Hammer in my Pocket For Occasions Such as These"; Brian C. Lull: "Fratricide"; Stephen King/Richard Bachman: "Tommyknockers," "Nightmares and Dreamscapes," "The Long Walk," "Skeleton Crew," "Night Shift"; Ann B. Tracy: "What Do Cowboys Like," "I Am Ahab," "Winter Hunger"; Michael Nava: "Henry Rios' series; Ernest Hemingway: "The Complete Short Stories"; Agatha Christie: "Hercule Poirot" and "Miss Marple" mysteries; Jon Loomis: "Vanitas Motel" and "The Frank Coffin" series; Georges Simenon: "The Inspector Maigret" series; Ross MacDonald: "The Galton Case," "Black Money," "The Chill," "Zebra-striped Hearse"; Christopher Fowler: "The Bryant and May" series; Mark Doty: "Heaven's Coast," "Dog Years," "School of the Arts."
Movies And TV Shows I Like:
When I'm not curled up with a book or writing five hours every other day on a manuscript, I like to escape into the world of TV. Today's TV progamming, however, is swamped with so many "reality shows" and badly written series. However, we all have our guilty pleasures. Mine are:
Six Feet Under; Queer As Folk; Noah's Arc; Murder She Wrote; Desperate Housewives; The Golden Girls; The Rockford Files; Donald Strachey series (TV and books) by Richard Stevenson; Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe, Latin America; Passport to Great Weekends; X-files; Supernatural; Gossip Girl; Barney Miller; The Twilight Zone; The Dick Van Dyke Show; The Wire; Diagnosis Murder; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Eureka; The Dresden Files; Eli Stone.
Comment Wall (18 comments)
You need to be a member of CrimeSpace to add comments!
At 6:54pm on September 8, 2009, Eric Beetner said…
Sorry for taking so long to reply. No restrictions! Let your imagination run wild. Only the word count and the inclusion of a fist are the rules to follow. Other than that - any genre, any style. nice and cozy or down and dirty. We like it all. You can't offend us, just don't bore us. Good luck. Looking forward to your submission.
Eric
Thanks, Thomas. As long as readers continue to buy our books used on the Internet, cannibalizing our legitimate and credited sales, more and more of us will disappear from the publishing ranks. I had a good run with the Benjamin Justice series, and wrote the final novel, number eight, knowing that it might be the last.
Thanks, Thomas. Alas, my publisher is not renewing my contract, so Spider Season is likely the end of the series. I saw this coming and wrote the final novel accordingly, as I think you'll see if you read it. Glad you liked it while it lasted. Thanks again for letting me know.
Hi Thomas, I wanted to introduce to you my debut novel "A Circle of souls" which is a paranormal, murder, mystery thriller and a tale of justice and hope. Do visit www.acircleofsouls.com to read more about the book. Make sure you sign up to win an autographed copy of the book. Thanks for your time in advance.
Best regards
Preetham Grandhi
Early Endorsements for “A Circle of Souls”
Linda Fairstein, NYT Bestselling Author: "A fascinating debut - this novel takes the reader to the darkest places in the human soul, from a writer with the authenticity to lead us there. A stunning thriller and an important read."
Judge Judy Sheindlin, star of the Judge Judy Show: "The seminal work of this fine author kept me glued to my chair until the adventure was over and the mystery solved. A great read!"
Book Synopsis:
The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. The town s top detective, perplexed by a complete lack of leads, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children.
Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury s hospital, searches desperately for the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya s parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope.
The situations confronting Leia and Peter converge when Naya begins drawing chilling images of murder after being bombarded by the disturbing images in her dreams. Amazingly, her sketches are the only clues to the crime that has panicked Newbury residents. Against her better judgment, Leia explores the clues in Naya s crude drawings, only to set off an alarming chain of events.
Hi Thomas--yes, got it, and in fact just found it again under the huge pile of crap on my desk. Will sign and return this week. I'm also sending a signed ARC of Mating Season, just for fun.
Sorry for the late reply. I'm not sure about Murder, She Wrote continuing for another season, but I had hoped they would have 2 hour movie events. Right now, I'm trying to get into Castle, about writer tagging along with the police to solve crimes.
As for Desperate Housewives, Gaby is always fun for a laugh. I swear they give her the best lines. Bree is generally my favorite. I didn't really like Susan before, but I find I like her better this season. The five year jump forward has really energized this show. It's also a clever way to keep Susan and Mike apart and continue teasing the viewer.
Thanks for your interest! Outside of writing for my "real" jobs where I put on my journalism cap, I don't have anything from the creative file for you. I'm still working on selling my first novel. Hopefully this happens sooner rather than later. I'll let you know if anything transpires!