January 2009 Blog Posts (201)

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

How Famous Do I Want to Be?

Just got word that an interview I did at Magna Cum Murder last year is up on YouTube. You just type in "Peg Herring," and there I am, talking with a very gracious host who asked all the right questions. It's very nice. Well, actually, it's a little creepy.

Writers are not known for being spotlight-seekers, with of course some notable exceptions. Most of us would prefer to sit before our magic boxes and talk to ourselves. I like doing my presentations, of course. I'm in control, and… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on January 27, 2009 at 9:46pm — No Comments

Survivor II: Writer's Island

Sometimes I'm so ahead of the curve I'm just annoying. Read post

Added by Kathryn Lilley on January 27, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Excerpt from Hell Swamp

The hand wrapped around my throat, the long nails on its fingers cut my skin. I screamed. I could hear myself screaming. I snatched out of the fingers’ grip and fell. Fell a long way. Then the dirt hit my face. I was being buried alive! I scrambled sideways when I realized there was nothing to stop me. When I hit the table, I woke up, piled on the floor with the aloe plant from the bedside table and all its dirt on top of me. The nightmare I’d… Continue

Added by Susan Whitfield on January 27, 2009 at 7:08am — No Comments

Weekly Blog - Monday 26th Jan

Last week I received a proof of my second novel, Blood Law, from my publishers, along with a request for me to give it one last read through ahead of it being type-set for printing. At this stage I’m really only looking for any mistakes or minor corrections, and I now have a two week window of opportunity in which to notify my editor of any such amendments, so best I get reading!

Strangely enough, my third novel, The Beholder, also requires a read through, as I’ve now completed the… Continue

Added by Steven Hague on January 27, 2009 at 4:48am — No Comments

A welcome review nine months after publication

I'm beginning to tool up for publication and promotion of my new mystery, DEATH WILL HELP YOU LEAVE HIM. My debut mystery, DEATH WILL GET YOU SOBER, is gone from most bookstore shelves, though it's in the computers and booksellers can easily get it for a customer who wants it. And of course it's still in libraries and on Amazon and B&N. But I was surprised and thrilled to get a Google Alert that told me the book had just been reviewed on something called The AA Blog.

I know… Continue

Added by Elizabeth Zelvin on January 27, 2009 at 4:00am — 2 Comments

Review of Avenging Angel, A Shannon Wallace Mystery

Review by Aaron Paul Lazar

A great read doesn't have to be fancy, full of literary allusions or deep musings. Nor does it need a ritzy setting, plots that twist your brain into a pretzel, or elite protagonists.

What a great read does need is a story that moves, characters who linger in your mind, and a voice that calls you back to its pages. Avenging Angel by Kim Smith accomplished all three.

Smith has written a suspenseful cozy mystery set in the south in a… Continue

Added by Kim Smith on January 27, 2009 at 3:48am — No Comments

Author Update

My book signing Saturday was an early one. Nine a.m. at Borders in Baltimore Washington International Airport. I don’t usually do these things in the morning but at the airport it worked out pretty well. In fact, it was better than last weekend leading up to the inauguration.

The other news of note is that I’ve ended my tenure as president of the Northern Virginia chapter of the Virginia Writers Club. Give a cheer to Larry Buttram who is picking up the reins to lead the group into… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on January 26, 2009 at 10:47pm — No Comments

I Could Write a Book

I used to hang out in my grandmother's kitchen a lot, possibly because she was usually baking. I was a loquacious child, and often explained to her, in great detail I now realize, what I wanted Life to do differently. Her response was often a terse admonition, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."

I didn't get it then, but I do now. Grandma was a practical Scotswoman who knew that you can't just want.

As I present workshops these days for aspiring writers, I see lots of… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on January 26, 2009 at 10:36pm — No Comments

How important is branding for books?

I've just started a new discussion on the Suspense/Thriller Writers Group on Facebook - How important is branding for books? Please feel free to join the discussion if you wish. Here is the link below to Facebook or you can comment here.…

Continue

Added by Pauline Rowson on January 26, 2009 at 9:03pm — 2 Comments

Three Chavs and a Packet of Crisps

New blog post at: http://mitziszereto.wordpress.com

Added by Mitzi Szereto on January 25, 2009 at 10:56am — No Comments

Dirty Little Secrets - Parts 1-3

A short story by

© Marta Stephens 2009 all rights reserved

Sam Harper turned left off Willow Boulevard into a winding private road he had driven past all his life but never entered. In the distance, the McGuire mansion, a sprawling two-story home, stood like a limestone monument to the family’s ego. Its stately structure and steep-angled roof was nestled against a backdrop of tall, lanky pines. Harper imagined a flawlessly, well-groomed lawn would grace the property at the first… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on January 25, 2009 at 5:36am — No Comments

'A Study in Red' released in Audio Book Format

I'm delighted to announce that my award-winning novel 'A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper' was released today in its latest format. The book can now be obtained as an audio book from Audible.com at http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_DODR_000016&BV_SessionID=@@@@0201148793.1232818383@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccadegfkmijjhcefecekjdffidflj.0 or in the UK from… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on January 25, 2009 at 4:16am — No Comments

The Road Taken – At Last! January 24, 2009

With the spectacular inauguration ceremony earlier this week of President Barack Obama, I find myself diving backwards in time. As the world plunges headlong into an uncertain but hopeful future, I seem to have an undeniable urge to study my own version of the past.

Change is slow to come. We all know the truth of this statement. We do not need it explained… Continue

Added by Donna Carrick on January 25, 2009 at 2:07am — No Comments

EVA BATONNE ON MYSTERY PANEL: FRESH BLOOD, INTRODUCING NEW MYSTERY WRITERS MAY 2, 2009

Come meet the author in person at BURBANK LIBRARY, May 2 from 2-4 Available to sign books and chat...

Event Title: Fresh Blood – Introducing New Mystery Writers

Date: May 2, 2009

Time: 2 – 4 PM

Location: Burbank Library, Buena Vista Branch

Address: 300 N. Buena Vista Street

City, State, Zip: Burbank, CA 91505

Phone: Louise Paziak (818) 238-5600 Central/(818) 238-5620 Buena Vista

Email:… Continue

Added by Eva Batonne on January 24, 2009 at 2:12am — No Comments

Covey and other awards -

Well it's been a long time since I've been on this forum but life has been kind of crazy of late.

My illustrator submitted my cover for my first book, State of Wilderness, to the Coveys back in August and she got notification last weekend that the cover would be posted this week. So, please everyone, jump over to the… Continue

Added by Elysabeth Eldering on January 24, 2009 at 1:30am — 1 Comment

The Picky Reader (R)

I admit it; I've become a picky reader. Becoming more aware of writing as I practice the craft, I am increasingly intolerant of writers who are sloppy and formulaic. In the last two days I've started no less than five books only to drop them in the give-away pile an hour or so later. It's something I never would have done in the past, but I've decided that there's too much good writing out there to waste my time on junk.

I've ranted here before about secondary characters who have no… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on January 23, 2009 at 10:37pm — 5 Comments

Come Fly with Me tomorrow

Saturday I will complete the airport trifecta with a book signing at Borders in Baltimore Washington International Airport. I’ll be greeting the early travelers that day, from 9 am to 1 pm. Let’s hope that early flyers are mystery fans. If you’re not flying my way you can check out my novels at my web site -

Added by Austin S. Camacho on January 23, 2009 at 10:22pm — No Comments

Can there be good without bad?

The opposite of criminality is, of course, morality. Crime And Punishement, that eternal, extrodinary novel, dealth with both and with that in mind, I tried to do the same in my tale, Savage Days Haunted Nights now available on Amazon. I'd appreciate hearing about other crime novels that seriously probe moral issues in a dramatic and exciting way, adding power to the story. I eagerly await being informed about this.
Bennett Kremen

Added by Bennett Kremen on January 23, 2009 at 6:25am — 8 Comments

Back

Well, it's been a rough year or so in the newspaper industry. Between that and a change in job to a new publishing company, I've not had much time for mystery writing and sites such as this.

But hopefully, I'm back!

Added by EDWARD C MORGAN on January 23, 2009 at 2:27am — 2 Comments