January 2009 Blog Posts (196)

"Mixed Blood" reviewed by the Big 4

www.rogersmithbooks.com

My debut thriller Mixed Blood (March 03 Henry Holt) has been reviewed by all four influential US pre-pub journals:Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews and Booklist.

"Smith plays out . . . that chilling sense of inevitability that is at the heart of the best noir. Like George… Continue

Added by roger smith on January 31, 2009 at 10:56pm — 2 Comments

Please add a late vote for A Study in Red in 'Cover of the Year'.

As January comes to a close, so too does the voting in The Authors Lounge Best Cover of the Year Award. Please can I ask my friends to add their votes to my nomination by sending a blank email to coverartvotes@talauthors.com with 'A Study in Red' in the subject line. That's all there is to it and I really appreciate all the supoort that all of you have given to my work in the last few months. Thanks again to… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on January 31, 2009 at 9:18pm — No Comments

If you need a good laugh, try reading through these children's science exam answers... Q: Name the four seasons. A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar. Q: Explain one of the processes by which water…

If you need a good laugh, try reading through these children's science exam answers...

Q: Name the four seasons.

A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.

A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?

A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: How can… Continue

Added by Tory Richards on January 31, 2009 at 10:05am — No Comments

Future of the Printed Word

For hundreds of years people have documented their existence, passing on messages, history, and ideas through print form. Now the crumbling economy is threatening to make printed news a thing of the past...

Just recently the New York Times announced that they are facing dire circumstances and "that it is possible that The Times and other newspapers will have to move to digital-only distribution."(read… Continue

Added by The Poisoned Pen Bookstore on January 31, 2009 at 5:13am — 4 Comments

True Crime Anthology and True Crime Writers

Good day, friends:

I am working on a true crime anthology with the International Thriller Writers and looking for some top notch true crime writers who might be willing to contribute a "thrilling" original tale with a crime component.

Let me know.

Best,

Barri

Added by R. Barri Flowers on January 31, 2009 at 4:56am — No Comments

"Shades of Grey" sent!

Yesterday at around 3 p.m. I finished the revisions on "Shades of Grey" and sent the manuscript back to my editor at Severn House in London. Within minutes, I'd gotten a very nice response (which makes me wonder about the hours she keeps). I guess I must have been more keyed up than I thought, because I teared up as I read the last page and then suddenly felt exhausted. The cat was enjoying her… Continue

Added by Clea Simon on January 31, 2009 at 4:13am — No Comments

Hoodtown Review

Nice write up on HOODTOWN from Bill Crider.

Added by Christa Faust on January 31, 2009 at 2:42am — No Comments

One of the Crazies in My World

I direct a choir at my church, and they are a great group of people. Over the years, however, we've had a few members come and go who weren't so great, and one of them came to mind yesterday for no reason I can figure out. He's dead now, so I guess I can talk about him.

Looking back, I realize that he had a personality disorder. He was fixated on things, and in the case of our relationship it happened to be reading music and making me, as choir director, accountable for everything I… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on January 30, 2009 at 10:22pm — 1 Comment

Books and Bling tomorrow!

This weekend’s big event gives me a chance to hang with some of my favorite authors, and for a good cause. Saturday, from 1 pm to 4 pm we’re holding a benefit for the Creatures ‘n Crooks bookstore in Richmond, VA. For you, it’s a chance to ingle with authors, have a sweet snack and win some cool swag. And every time you buy a book you’re supporting a wonderful genre-oriented bookstore.

Independent bookstores have fallen on hard times and this one is no exception. But the store has… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on January 30, 2009 at 10:04pm — No Comments

Murder & Mayhem at the Bar / Amazon's Kindle

Murder & Mayhem at the Bar / Amazon's Kindle

Mystery writers are a strange group. Our minds work differently than normal people. I was recently appointed, or maybe elected, to the board of directions of the Florida chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. Last weekend I attended the board meeting/chapter luncheon at the Deerfield Beach Hilton, an almost four-hour ride from Key West.

The luncheon speakers were columnists Oline Cogdill and writer/marketing Guru Sandy… Continue

Added by Michael Haskins on January 30, 2009 at 10:00am — 4 Comments

An Internet Review

I like to use this blog to direct you to interesting web sites, even if I choose my own. Today I’d like to introduce you to a fan named Earnest Frye.

Hearing from Earnest was cool because he shows how far reaching my work is, both in the real world and on the internet. Earnest was one of those travelers who met me in an airport. He decided to take home one of my mysteries, Blood and Bone, and a thriller, The Orion Assignment. As always I invited him to e-mail me with some… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on January 29, 2009 at 10:29pm — No Comments

Technology Versus Me & You

I love my magic techno-box...most of the time. It does what I do very well, until this morning, when it informed me upon startup that its Spooler SubSystem Application has a problem. It may as well have spoken to me in Farsi.

You don't care what's wrong with my computer. Actually I really don't, either. I will take it to a very nice young man and he will make it better, end of story. My thought today is on the dependence I've developed with technology and the fact that authors are… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on January 29, 2009 at 10:19pm — 2 Comments

More than 15 true crime books I recommend

The wild, wacky, wonderful list of Gitte's true crime books is here!

Ann Rule:

Empty Promises, a collection of true crime files

Kiss me, Kill me, another collection

Bitter Harvest, the case of doctor Debora Green who murdered her two kids

Every breath you take, the story about Allan Blackthorne who had his ex wife murdered by a hit man

The Want-Ad Killer, about serial killer Harvey Louis… Continue

Added by Gitte on January 29, 2009 at 4:33am — No Comments

Advanced Writer's Novel Workshop

Advanced Novel Writer's Workshop

Instructor: Carol Davis Luce

Date: February 12th 2009

Length of workshop: Fifteen weeks

Sponsored by: Writer's Digest WRITER'S ONLINE WORKSHOP

Get help with your manuscript from a published novelist and the encouragement and feedback of your peers.

Throughout the workshop you’ll be able to participate in asynchronous discussion with the instructor and the class in Lecture Hall, unmoderated students-only discussion in the… Continue

Added by Carol Davis Luce on January 29, 2009 at 3:46am — No Comments

A great place to post your books

I’ve recently added my novels to a web site called the Daily Book Show. It’s a brand new website made for writers to showcase their works. It’s also an easy and fun place to browse for books.

They display the cover of each book listed on the web site. If you cursor over the cover you can read a brief synopsis of the book. If you click on the cover you are instantly sent to where you can order it. What could be simpler. And you can test it… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on January 28, 2009 at 10:36pm — No Comments

Guest Blog #4-P.J.'s Lament

Today my guest blogger, reader/reviewer/judge P.J. Coldren, has some complaints. Constructive ones, of course, so listen up, authors!

For my last guest blog, I'm going to do something I don't normally do. I'm gonna gripe. I've been reading mysteries for a bloody long time, and there are some things that really irritate the crap outa me.

I know that as readers we don't want to be bored with the minutia of daily life. In fact, that's one thing that annoys me - the long… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on January 28, 2009 at 10:00pm — 2 Comments

Here Comes the Judge!

The Whitechapel Society 1888, of which I'm proud to be a member is a London Society with a worldwide membership that specialises in the study of not only the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888 but all aspects of the life and culture of the Victorian and Edwardian eras in London, and the East End in particular. The Society produces a quarterly journal 'The Journal of The Whitechapel Society' which is… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on January 28, 2009 at 4:26am — No Comments

We Interrupt Working To Deadline For This Rant

The new ms is due Friday, and to make matters worse the kids are on their second full day off school so far this week.

With the volume of snow falling and the forecast for the night, I'm not optimistic they'll be in school tomorrow.

With all these last-minute conspiracies trying to prevent me from finishing the ms this week, what on earth am I doing taking time out to blog?

I'm not a happy camper.

The… Continue

Added by Sandra Ruttan on January 28, 2009 at 3:44am — 6 Comments

My Interview on The Odd Mind Blog Talk Radio

Added by Yvonne Mason on January 28, 2009 at 12:26am — No Comments

So that's why...

Preparing to do my taxes I just checked the year-end results of my 401K. In fact I took a good hard look at all of the various reserves that are supposed to be my nest egg for the future.

And now I know why the man who invests all your money is called a broker.

Added by Austin S. Camacho on January 27, 2009 at 10:24pm — No Comments