January 2009 Blog Posts (201)

Review: BURIED STRANGERS, by Leighton Gage

BURIED STRANGERS

By Leighton Gage

ISBN: 978-1-56947-514-0

Soho Press, 2009

Hardcover, $24.00

In what has been called the largest urban forest in the world, the Serra da Cantareira, a young man seeking a dog stumbles across what turns out to be an entire clandestine cemetery. The local police delegado, Yoshiro Tanaka leads the investigation, but the case has also drawn the attention of the federal police, and Chief Inspector Mario Silva, who assigns his team to it… Continue

Added by Larry W. Chavis on January 6, 2009 at 9:41am — No Comments

16 Random Things

I've been tagged, and I've shamelessly dragged Stuart MacBride, Tom Piccirilli, Patrick Shawn Bagley, Russel D. McLean and a host of others into it. I was just doing what I was told, so blame Linda. ;)

The confessions are here

Added by Sandra Ruttan on January 6, 2009 at 6:06am — No Comments

Copy edits, Cornwall and Newcastle

I have just finished going through the copy-edit proofs for DEAD MAN'S WHARF, the new DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel due to be published in hardback on 29 April 2009. There weren't any revisions to the manuscript thank goodness and only a few small alterations but this is a task that I am not overly fond of. Why? Because I have an irresistible urge to keep changing what I have written. I always think I could improve a word here, a sentence or a paragraph there, but this is often… Continue

Added by Pauline Rowson on January 6, 2009 at 3:48am — No Comments

Watch those cliches

If your holidays included a family gathering, you too may have spent some time with an older relative who speaks in clichés. In many cases, familiar old sayings are convenient as shorthand for sharing hard won wisdom. On the other hand they can be used to explain away unpleasant truths.

For example, if you asked why that one cousin just sits there and never contributes to the lively political or artistic conversation going on around him some family elder might have sagely said,… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on January 5, 2009 at 10:16pm — 1 Comment

Weekly Blog - Monday 5th January

First up, Happy New Year to one and all, and I hope that 2009 brings you all you could wish for.

2009 has certainly started off well for me, as my debut novel, Justice For All, has won its first award. For those of you that have been reading this blog for a while, you may remember that JFA attracted a glowing review on www.sonsofspade.tk back in early November. The Sons of Spade website is run by a Dutch writer, Jochem Steen, and it’s a great source of information about the crime… Continue

Added by Steven Hague on January 5, 2009 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Pros at Prose

I'm reading Michael Connelly and James Lee Burke (one upstairs, one downstairs). What do these guys have that makes them so good? Burke certainly has the descriptive prose down, with unique, well-crafted phrases that both describe and lead, so the story doesn't suffer while the author shows off his prose. Connelly's what I'd deem a page-turner; the reader wants to know what's going to happen next, so it's hard to put the book down and do something like, oh, I don't know, write a blog maybe.… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on January 5, 2009 at 9:30pm — 2 Comments

December 2008 reads

This is a cross-post from 4MA

BONES OF THE BURIED by David Roberts

2nd of 9 featuring Lord Edward Corinth, a jaded English aristocrat,

and Verity Browne, a leftist journalist, between the wars in 1930s

London, England. "It's 1936, Spain is on the verge of civil war and

Lord Edward Corinth is coming to terms with the decline of his own

titled class in England made all too clear by the murder of three of

his Eton classmates. Verity Browne she asks for his… Continue

Added by PK the Bookeemonster on January 5, 2009 at 9:38am — No Comments

MysteryLoversCorner reviews FRESH FROZEN

FRESH FROZEN is a HOT READ!

by Laine Estep

December 29, 2008, 10:18 AM EST

FRESH FROZEN by Darden North, MD, is easily one of the best books I have ever read. The twists are expertly crafted, the characters are believable and the plot is enthralling! I love a book where the author takes me to uncharted territory, and Dr. North does just that! In FRESH FROZEN, the reader is taken into the territory surrounding infertility and the measures some… Continue

Added by Darden North, MD on January 5, 2009 at 3:42am — No Comments

FINISHED!

Well, at the first draft is.

At a local writer's retreat yesterday, I had multiple, uninterrupted (read: "no dogs to let outside, no children to feed, no husband to ask if he could get me anything") hours to write. And write I did.

Ghost Mountain is now finished. Done. Complete. Well, the first draft is. Now for edits and the new task of finding either a publisher or agent.

I'm so excited I could spit!

Added by Nichole R. Bennett on January 5, 2009 at 3:35am — 2 Comments

The Latest Author Update

Potomac Mills isn't just a shopping mall, it's an entire town with separate numbered neighborhoods. The Books-A-Million there had a lot of traffic Saturday, but only 10 copies of Blood and Bone for my signing. I spent an hour and a half at the store and when the books were all gone I was able to get on with my weekend.

But that was by no means all that happened last week. For one thing, my second book… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on January 5, 2009 at 12:58am — No Comments

Poll Dancing

If you haven't had a chance to check out the debut issue of Crooked, a new Zine that's being published at Eastern Standard Crime, you can follow the link. There's also a poll on the site now, giving you the opportunity to vote on your favourite story from the… Continue

Added by Sandra Ruttan on January 4, 2009 at 11:50pm — No Comments

THE MANGA BIBLE - AKA - The idiotic spin of Journalists!

I don't know if anyone else in the UK caught the Jeremy Vyne show on BBC Radio 2 dated the 23rd December 2008...

...there was a discussion about The Manga Bible where our host was asking listeners if they thought it should exist.

The presenter pretty much said, to paraphrase 'should bible stories be presented through a medium that was associated with violence and pornography?'

Obviously designed to get people 'talking' (it annoyed me anyway)... can't all forms… Continue

Added by Martin Roberts on January 4, 2009 at 10:22pm — No Comments

First Appearance of 2009

A few months ago, the moderator of the Book Club at the John C. Fremont library in Florence, CO contacted me to arrange for me to speak to her group in January. Then the Writing Club at the library found out about the event and asked if they could come, too. Then the Assistant Director of the library found out about it and asked if other library patrons could attend if they wished. I'm always of the mindset "the more the merrier" so I ageed to all the changes.

Now the event is being… Continue

Added by Beth Groundwater on January 4, 2009 at 3:56pm — No Comments

My bizarro-crime book SQUID PULP BLUES is now available...

My second book SQUID PULP BLUES is now available from Eraserhead Press. It's a collection of 3 novellas taking place in the same sleazy NJ town of Thompson. It's bizarro crime fiction.

"An intriguing mix of film noir storytelling strained through a colander of pure bizarro." – TOM PICCIRILLI, author of A CHOIR OF ILL CHILDREN and THE MIDNIGHT ROAD.

"Krall explores Thompson (an overt homage to legendary crime writer Jim Thompson), New Jersey in all of its… Continue

Added by JordanKrall on January 4, 2009 at 10:33am — No Comments

Look Who's Featured Over at

The Romance Studio!

Added by Tory Richards on January 4, 2009 at 6:37am — No Comments

Resolutions Aplenty or Maybe Not by margot Justes

The New Year is upon us-nothing like stating the obvious-and I try to stay away from resolutions, since they do not last long, so what is the point. But, the one resolution I fully intend to adhere to is writing and this is a no brainer since I love to write.

What’s not to love, total solitude in my own little haven, no pesky phone, no television, just me, my computer and words on paper well at least on the screens, but sometimes on paper. I have a comfy couch where I do occasionally… Continue

Added by Margot Justes on January 4, 2009 at 5:43am — No Comments

Petrona/Crombie/rambling

BLOG OF THE DAY (BOD): Petrona: Thinking and Linking about Books, Reading, Writing, Publishing, The Web and More. http://petrona.typepad.com. I found this one by clicking around on the web, jumping from site to site. I love doing that; it can take you to unexpected places or find gems like this blog.

The problem is that I get clicking and lose all sense of time and purpose (like now). I've been spending the last hour getting excited about the Internet again and finding things I want… Continue

Added by PK the Bookeemonster on January 4, 2009 at 4:08am — No Comments

It's Friday, right? Darn holidays screwed me up again

[Note: Most posts are from my blog, pkmadsen.blogspot.com so references to things like "on the left" are from that webpage]

Today's Daily Blog showcase is on the left - historical mystery author Deanna Raybourn. (http://deannaraybourn.typepad.com/) She writes the wonderful Lady Julia Grey series set in 1880s England. There are two books thus far, SILENT IN THE GRAVE (2007) and SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY (2008). Her third book, SILENT ON THE MOOR comes out in March and I can hardly wait.… Continue

Added by PK the Bookeemonster on January 3, 2009 at 4:30am — No Comments

Bonnie Parker Meets Scarface (New Year's Eve in South Florida)

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

Added by Mitzi Szereto on January 3, 2009 at 3:52am — 1 Comment

Contest: Murder Mystery Edinner

Welcome to the Murder Mystery E-Dinner!

2nd PRIZE - ecopy of Avenging Angel and mention on the radio show!

1st PRIZE - $20.00 gift certificate to Amazon.com and mention on the

radio show!

How can you enter? It's easy!

1. First, email me at pubd2b at yahoo dot com with Murder Mystery E-

Dinner in the subject line!

2. Then I will begin sending out details for you to try and put the

mystery together!

See? It's easy to… Continue

Added by Kim Smith on January 3, 2009 at 3:34am — No Comments