All Blog Posts (12,730)

Book Reviews

A few changes at PopSyndicate.com. You, your publisher or publicist can now send books directly to me for review on our site. Just shoot me a message and I'll get you my address.

Thanks so much for sending over your work!

Added by Angela Wilson on June 23, 2007 at 12:32pm — No Comments

Recently Read - SILENCE OF THE GRAVE by Arnaldur Indridason (5.0)

Building work on the outskirts of Reykajavik (Iceland) uncovers a body possibly buried alive during World War Two. Erlendur and his team are called in to investigate and try to uncover the truth while a team of archaeologists slowly and painstaking exhume the skeleton. Those who still live in the area tell of a young pregnant woman who disappeared in the war, but is it her? An elderly dying man talks of the green woman who was crooked. At the same time Erlendur is re-living his past - his… Continue

Added by Kerrie on June 23, 2007 at 9:53am — 2 Comments

Unusual Promo Op

For anyone doesn't know - the main characters in my mystery Lilah and the Locket are based on a great young couple and their German Shepard. Yes, the shepard's name is Lilah :)

Anyway --- here's what happened -

Kristie emailed me last night to see if I could meet her with 2 copies of Lilah and the Locket today. You all will love the reason --- they are having 2 family reunions in PA this weekend and she needed two gifts to give away at the events. So, she wanted to give away a…

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Added by Nikki Leigh on June 23, 2007 at 8:54am — No Comments

Raising the Stakes: Taking a Lesson From 'The Matador'

Thank God for DVDs. I didn’t catch The Matador when it was released in theaters over a year ago. Then again, back then I probably wouldn’t have recognized the terrific lesson the film offers

fiction writers. A lesson, that is, in developing seedy characters that

readers find themselves loving despite more refined inclinations. In

this movie we not only identify with a truly vulgar hit man – we find

ourselves rooting for…

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Added by Lois Karlin on June 23, 2007 at 8:51am — No Comments

Even A Hole in the Head Can't Stop Her

I know I've raved about my new baby granddaughter before, and I know there's a good chance you're all tired of hearing about her, but I hope you'll indulge me for a minute.

You see, it was just one week ago that we found out Abigail had to have brain surgery. As brain surgeries go, this one isn't too bad, I guess. Abigail has a cyst that, so far, isn't bothering her at all, but the neurosurgeon has decided that it's growing quickly enough to be a problem in the future. Last week, he… Continue

Added by Sammi Carter on June 23, 2007 at 7:00am — 1 Comment

What the--?

There are things that they don't tell you about when you get your own website.

There are some things, though, that should be explained carefully to those who put up their own web pages to tell the world about themselves. Such as, hotlinking to someone else's graphics without their permission is considered stealing.

Imagine my surprise when, in going over the web stats for my site, I discovered a link to a website that I'd never heard of before. A quick hop over to that site… Continue

Added by Pepper Smith on June 23, 2007 at 4:45am — No Comments

Wicked Women - Freydis Eiriksdottir

Viking Warrior Princess

Freydis Eiriksdottir – Greenland – c975-?

Freydis was the illegitimate daughter of Erik The Red, and half sister of Leif Eriksson. Married very young to a wealthy but apparently weak man called Thorvard she became a brave, if brutal, warrior and would accompany her husband on his sailing expeditions. No pleasant cruise around the Med, however; these were expeditions to trade goods and take land.

In 1004 she and her husband set off on a three year… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on June 23, 2007 at 4:42am — 3 Comments

Go, Jack Liffey, Go

A very nice and well-deserved profile of mystery writer John Shannon in the L.A. Times:

http://www.calendarlive.com/cl-et-shannon22jun22,0,5506891.story?coll=cl-home-more-channels

Added by Naomi Hirahara on June 23, 2007 at 1:36am — 3 Comments

Recently read - THE RAILWAY DETECTIVE by Edward Marston (4.6)

1851 is the setting for this first title in the Railway Detective series: the year of the Great Exhibition, and the building of the Crystal Palace. The Detective Department of Scotland Yard is only 9 years old. A train on the Great Western Railway is held up at Leighton Buzzard, its driver seriously hurt, the train robbed of the consignment of gold coins that it is carrying, and finally derailed. The investigator is Inspector Robert Colbeck, a considerate, well-spoken, well… Continue

Added by Kerrie on June 23, 2007 at 12:03am — No Comments

Private Eyes and Talking Pigs

Tomorrow's book signing is at Borders in my town, Springfield, VA. My Springfield neighbors are always good to me at bookstores, and I expect this week to be no exception. I'm looking forward to wowing them, even though I'll have some competition.

Before my signing, at 11 am, Kate DiCamillo will be reading and signing from her popular children's books about a pig named Mercy…

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Added by Austin S. Camacho on June 22, 2007 at 11:43pm — No Comments

A dubious brag

For the first time today I successfully picked a lock. I was able to repeat the feat a couple times too.

The things we do for research. OK, also so we can brag that we did them.

Added by Michael C. Jacobs on June 22, 2007 at 1:05pm — 2 Comments

What do you think?

We had just reached the area in the mine where the last crew had been when we heard it-one loud BOOM. Resonating in the distance, it sounded like it was far away, but the vibrations radiated from

within and created movement all around us.

“They did it!” Gaspar murmured.

“Did what Gaspar?” Beni asked,…

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Added by LaTanya Pattillo on June 22, 2007 at 12:58pm — No Comments

Contests for Summer Celebration!

Winners and Summer Celebration Contests

Author J.A. Konrath said today he had 76,994 entries in his contest for four copies of his latest book, Dirty Martini. I didn't have that many entries this week, but I was very surprised to end up with 220 entries. I usually average about 50 entries.

Carolyn T. from Garner, NC won the copy of Bobbie Faye's Very (very, very, very) Bad Day by Toni McGee…

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Added by Lesa Holstine on June 22, 2007 at 12:41pm — No Comments

Something about the books...

As a few people have asked about the books I realized my bio might be missing some of the key information you'd expect to find on Crimespace, so I've decided to say a little here about my writing.

My new book, Who is Conrad Hirst?, comes out in November 2007 through Simon & Schuster in the US. This is the last of my hitman triptych (a term coined by my film agent because the books all explore aspects of the hitman's existence but aren't a series and only share a…

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Added by Kevin Wignall on June 22, 2007 at 7:26am — 4 Comments

Having One's Particulars Taken Down

Well, my excitement for the day was the police turning up at my door. Now, I don't know about you, but whenever a policeman turns up at my door and says "Are you Donna Moore?" I always start to panic. Of course, it's to be hoped that a policeman isn't going to turn up at your door and say "Are you Donna Moore?" That's an altogether different problem. My immediate response is to think a) Oh my God what's happened to everyone I love, followed swiftly by b) What the… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on June 22, 2007 at 1:31am — 5 Comments

The Violent World of Parker

When I read on Lisa Morton's blog that a collector had unloaded a large number of vintage Westlake/Stark books at The Iliad bookshop, I knew I was doomed. In spite of my overdeveloped sense of birthday entitlement, I refrained from going completely hogwild with the credit card. I fondled and cooed and lusted over many rare signed editions, but in the end I walked away with a stack of three more modestly priced prizes. A signed movie edition of THE OUTFIT (now the smash MGM movie starring Robert… Continue

Added by Christa Faust on June 21, 2007 at 4:28pm — No Comments

DEADLIEST CATCH

I have a new obsession. Well, not obsession, really. I'm not actually obsessed. I'm fascinated by the show "Deadliest Catch". While I could never, ever put myself on a fishing vessel out in the middle of the Bering Sea (or anywhere else, for that matter) I watch eagerly (and a bit breathlessly) while the good captains and their hearty crews risk life and limb…

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Added by Sammi Carter on June 21, 2007 at 10:48am — No Comments

Launch Day draws near!

I'm currently in that pacing, excited mode--that sitting at the

airport, waiting for the plane mode, becaue it's now less that two

weeks before my new series HER ROYAL SPYNESS, is launched.

I have high hopes and at the same time I'm trying to stop myself from

expecting too much. The book has already had some fabulous

reviews, but will mystery fans buy it and will they love it?

It doesn't matter how many books I have written, I'm still totally

insecure… Continue

Added by Rhys Bowen on June 21, 2007 at 2:32am — No Comments

Wicked Women - Elizabeth Bathory

The Blood Countess of Transylvania

Elizabeth (Erzsebet) Bathory – 1560-1614

Elizabeth Bathory was born in Hungary in 1560, the daughter of one of the richest and most influential families of the period. However, at a time when Hungary’s nobility was shrinking, decades of intermarriage had had an unfortunate effect on the family’s lineage and not only could the Bathorys boast warlords, kings, great statesmen and cardinals; but the branches of the family tree were also… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on June 21, 2007 at 12:19am — 6 Comments