March 2009 Blog Posts (182)

Mythica to launch free monthly Newsletter. Submissions and Subscribers Invited

Mythica Publishing are about to launch their free monthly newsletter. I'm delighted that an article of mine will appear in the first issue. This is a really exciting new project from Graeme Houston and his innovative new company and submissions are invitred from prospective contributors. Anyone who'd like to receive Mythica's Newsletter simply has to visit the website at… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on March 29, 2009 at 3:25am — No Comments

The Re-Release of Tangled Minds A Must Read

Florida Author Yvonne Mason Has Answered the Calls of Her Readers

Florida Author Yvonne Mason has listened to her readers and re-released Tangled Minds

Tangled Minds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 28, 2009 – Florida Author Yvonne Mason has listened to her readers and re-released her Suspense Novel Tangled Minds. This novel follows on the heels of her… Continue

Added by Yvonne Mason on March 28, 2009 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Find me in VA this weekend!

Today I'm one of the presenters at the Chesterfield County Public Library Writers Workshop and book signing, from 10 am to 4 pm, at 9501 Lori Rd, Chesterfield VA.

Then tomorrow it's back to Borders Express, but this time it's the store in Fair Oaks Mall. I'll be there 1 pm to 4 pm, signing books. The address is 11750 Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, VA.

Added by Austin S. Camacho on March 28, 2009 at 8:50pm — No Comments

My ongoing crime-sci-fi pulp serial keeps going on...

I'm still doing my ongoing serial story.

Here are the installments so far...

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

Enjoy...

Added by D.R. MacMaster on March 28, 2009 at 12:26pm — No Comments

Political Views in a Mystery or Thriller?

Please share your opinion in my blog poll - DO MYSTERY STORIES AND POLITICAL BIAS MIX? WHAT IS CLOSEST TO YOUR VIEW?

Added by Richard Goutal on March 28, 2009 at 7:31am — 3 Comments

Mysteries in the Making

Check out my new blog Mysteries in the Making. Read a review of Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz, check out the fun links and become a follower for a chance to win an autographed copy of The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson or The Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing.

Added by Jean Lauzier on March 28, 2009 at 5:02am — No Comments

Final cover, maybe

The publisher is getting close to a final cover design for "Bleeder." You can tell me what you think of it - you'll see it at my site in the upper right hand corner.

http://www.johndesjarlais.com

Meanwhile, I received the typesetting proofs (well, the first go with them) this week. The editor wanted a few more changes - tighten a scene here, clarify something there, delete this or that. It surprised me a bit; I thought we were well beyond those sorts of editorial adjustments. I… Continue

Added by John Desjarlais on March 28, 2009 at 4:36am — 1 Comment

When Worlds Don't Collide, But Do Bump Into Each Other a Lot

I live in northern Lower Michigan, which is a beautiful place. What we call traffic, most people would snicker at. The only time there are more than ten cars in town is from 3:30 to 4:00 pm when the school day ends. There is one stoplight...in the whole county.

Yesterday there were five elk in a small copse behind our house, so we went out to commune with them. (Actually we were hoping one would drop an antler where we could get to it before the little critters do, but it didn't… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on March 27, 2009 at 9:16pm — No Comments

Meet Me in MD or VA this weekend!

Tonight I return to the Borders Express in St Charles Town Center for a book signing from 5 pm to 9 pm, at 5000 Highway 301 S Waldorf, MD.

Then tomorrow I’ll be one of the presenters at the Chesterfield County Public Library Writers Workshop. If you’re a writer struggling to get your work published, or even just written, this even could be a good place to get the information and inspiration you need. Nine… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on March 27, 2009 at 9:08pm — No Comments

The Mysterious Writ Site

Hi,
I've updated the Mysterious Writ site. The Book Publishers, Conferences, and Magazine sections. There's more to do, but it's a good start to a big project.

CKing

Added by Charles A. King on March 27, 2009 at 1:50pm — No Comments

First BIG review for To Hell in a Handbasket

My publisher just received a heads-up on the following review that appears in Kirkus Review (one of the big four review publications) in their 4-1-09 issue, and they forwarded it to me. I'm absolutely thrilled!

This title will publish in May 2009

****************************************

TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET

Author: Groundwater, Beth

Review Date: APRIL 01, 2009

Publisher:Five Star

Pages: 268

Price (hardback): $$25.95

Publication Date:… Continue

Added by Beth Groundwater on March 27, 2009 at 11:15am — 1 Comment

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet: Will Someone Please Shoot That Effing Bird?

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

Added by Mitzi Szereto on March 27, 2009 at 8:23am — No Comments

Barnes and Noble execs get a pay freeze. Geez! What's Next?

Publishers Markeplace, in their Automat section, has a report that B&N execs. are having their pay frozen until Jan. 2010. Ouch! That'll hurt the discritionary spending budgets. Who knows? Some of'em might have to refuse paying the dues to one of their private clubs.

And if you read the article, check out how much the Top Dog makes--and he's also allowed to make 150% over his base salary. Still.

Conversely, PM talks about how Random House and Simon&Schuster are… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on March 27, 2009 at 2:08am — No Comments

Meet Me in MD tomorrow

Tomorrow night I get to return to the Borders Express in St Charles Town Center. Aside from signing books from 5 pm to 9 pm, I'll get to firm up more details for the release party of my next novel, Russian Roulette. You can even ask me about it Friday at the mall, at 5000 Highway 301 S Waldorf, MD. If you can’t make it, you can still get my novels at my web site.

Added by Austin S. Camacho on March 26, 2009 at 10:17pm — No Comments

Teachers Among Us

I spoke to a group of teachers yesterday with the idea of motivating them. (Now there's a tough sell on a Wednesday afternoon in March!)

It got me thinking, however, about teaching and learning among writers. Many of us are former educators, which doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me is how well authors teach what they know to others, whether they are former educators or not. We love revealing how we achieve our "formula." If we were scientists, we'd be locking it up in a safe… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on March 26, 2009 at 9:03pm — 3 Comments

Marketing and the Publisher's Role

(Cross posted at One Bite at a Time.)

Authors have been expected to pick up increasing amounts of the marketing responsibility for their books in recent years. The recent economic slump has not diminished publishers’ inclination in this direction. It is often recommended to include potential marketing hooks, and to describe what the author intended to do as a marketer, in the initial query letter.

Among the marketing ideas often… Continue

Added by Dana King on March 26, 2009 at 3:30am — 2 Comments

Cover Design 'Another Time, Another Place', Anthology Submissions Open

Graeme S Houston at Mythica Publishing has produced yet another stunning cover design, this time to go with the forthcoming anthology 'Another Time, Another Place', which I'm proud to be compiling and editing. Anyone who wishes to submit a 'futuristic thriller' for the anthology should see the submission guidelines on the homepage at http://www.mythicapublishing.com/ or view my previous blog post on the… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on March 25, 2009 at 11:29pm — 1 Comment

We've moved our blog!

The Dames have a new blog host and address: http://damesofdialogue.wordpress.com
Stop by and post a comment. We love to hear from readers and other writers.

Added by Maggie Bishop on March 25, 2009 at 10:15pm — No Comments

Character Image

When I read, I create a mental image of the characters that often goes beyond what the author tells me they look like. My own experiences lead me to connect them in some way to people I've known, so they become in a way "real" people. It's interesting to speculate on how I reach those conclusions, but an author needs to do more.

We can't depend on Hollywood, of course, since stars are put into roles with little regard for whether they look the way the author has described them. Paul… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on March 25, 2009 at 8:16pm — 4 Comments