April 2007 Blog Posts (377)

Let Them Eat Cake

Posted by Sheila Connolly

Frank Bidart likes cake.…

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Added by Writers Plot on April 30, 2007 at 10:35pm — No Comments

Murder is Never Pretty... Even When the Corpse is a Blonde, Joe Blake

Latter day Australian Pulp Fiction at it's best, Murder is Never Pretty... is, well hilarious.

Part of the attraction is that it's 100% true to the style and phrasing of the pulp writers of bygone times - but it's all set in current day Perth - dare one say the mean and dirty streets of Perth?

When a beautiful (are there other kinds in pulp?) blonde is murdered (shot / naked of course) in her suburban unit the local police put a call through…

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Added by Karen from AustCrime on April 30, 2007 at 3:33pm — No Comments

AlanReads: CHRISTINE FALLS, by Benjamin Black

It's never been a secret that Benjamin Black is really Man Booker Prize winner John Banville. Even the copy accompanying the author's photo on the inside-back flap of the dust jacket proclaims, "Bennamin Black is the pen name of acclaimed author John Banville..." So why bother with a pen name?

Some might see it as a literary author's defense against accusations of slumming. (How dare he write something as common as a "crime novel!") But those who follow Banville's various articles and…

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Added by Alan Cranis on April 30, 2007 at 11:30am — No Comments

Noirathon - LA vs NY: Round 12

The Champ: THE WRONG MAN (NY)

One of Hitchcock’s lesser known films, WRONG MAN is based on the true story of Manny Balestrero, a musician whose simple life is shattered after a case of mistaken identity leads to his arrest. Several witnesses swear he’s the guy who pulled a series of hold ups around the neighborhood, and Balestrero must fight to prove his innocence while fighting to keep his family from being torn apart.

It’s not a… Continue

Added by Christa Faust on April 30, 2007 at 11:09am — No Comments

6 Tips from The 18th Annual Writers Institute-Madison, WI

It has been a great institute so far. I snagged a parking spot right behind the hotel and haven't been that lucky in three years. I thought that would be the highlight ntil Friday when a poem I submitted placed third in the institute contest. That was great. The opening agents' forum addressed the roll that "platform" plays in branding your name. There was a good discussion of the rise and fall of certain genre, but the agents reassured the audience that good writing, in the hands of a good…

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Added by Karyn J. Powers on April 30, 2007 at 9:15am — No Comments

The Royal Hunt of the Wild Goose.

First of all belated thanks to everyone who has invited me to be their friend on Crimespace, in my profile I promised to post one of my short stories on this site, well here goes. I'd love to know what everyone thinks and if there's anyone out there who wants to publish this story or others like it please let me know.

The Royal Hunt of the Wild…

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Added by Adam Colclough on April 30, 2007 at 5:44am — No Comments

More spring cleaning, event nerves and a good book

No church today. In any form. But, on the grounds that cleanliness is next to godliness, I have done my bit for the Great Hereafter and vacuumed the car. Yes, astonishing, isn't it? In the middle of yesterday's clear-out, Lord H found the car vacuum, recharged it (my, how thoughtful ...) and so today I have used it. But, ye gods, it doesn't last long, does it? Or maybe it's the amount of mess in my car that did for it. Hard to say, really. Anyway, we are recharging it again, in case I get the… Continue

Added by Anne Brooke on April 30, 2007 at 3:28am — No Comments

EBMRG - 1 May 2007 Meeting Handout

THE EAST BAY MYSTERY READERS GROUP

DARK…

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Added by LJ Roberts on April 30, 2007 at 1:30am — No Comments

When Hardboiled Meets Cosy

The name's Fluffykins. And don't even THINK about smirking. The last one to laugh at my name was a mangy tomcat from Yonkers who's now meowing soprano on Broadway in the chorus of Cats. Just because I travel around in my owner's oversized handbag and wear a little bow in my fur, doesn't make me a pussy you know. I have a good life - my human buys me all the choicest cuts of meat, the finest salmon. You know that saying - The cat who got the cream� - Well, that's me.… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on April 29, 2007 at 5:14pm — 7 Comments

M is for Me

Is anyone a Grafton fan? And do you know what T is for? Haven't seen any online info but it seems it should be sometime soon. I just reread A to S within a months time period. It is very cool to see changes in Kinsey's life without yearly interruptions.

Added by Michelle on April 29, 2007 at 3:03pm — 3 Comments

Happy Day!

Two reasons to be happy today-we arrived safely in Indiana after two

breakdowns with the motorhome on interstate highways, and two wrecks

ahead of us, one of which caused us to have to leave the highway and

detour. We arrived yesterday, weary and not too happy.

We're at the motorhome factory service place to get some repairs

done. Never fun, but necessary.

Second reason to be happy is much better. A story I had published back in 1993 has been republished in… Continue

Added by Jan Christensen on April 29, 2007 at 12:58pm — 2 Comments

Workshop Relief

It's done. I gave the full-day workshop on "Think 'Published' to Get Published," at Anne Hillerman's home in Santa Fe (Yes, she's one of Tony's daughters). Eleven people attended and by the end we were all exhausted; I gave them so much information I could see their heads swelling. I also made them do all kinds of writing exercises so that they'd have several places to start on their search for publication, AND also did quite a bit of psychological…

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Added by Pari Noskin Taichert on April 29, 2007 at 12:47pm — No Comments

Noirathon - LA vs NY: Round 11

The Champ: 711 OCEAN DRIVE (LA)

I love movies full of cutting edge technology that’s 60 years out of date. It makes you realize how quaint and silly all the high tech mumbo jumbo in modern movies will seem 60 years from now. 711 follows a cop on the “Gangster Squad” as he tracks down ambitious, amoral Syndicate boss Mal Granger (Edmond O’Brian.) O’Brian is wonderfully evil in this movie, unrepentant, ruthless and ice-cold. The story… Continue

Added by Christa Faust on April 29, 2007 at 11:13am — No Comments

The Concrete Maze by Steven Torres

Luis Ramos, my uncle, left Puerto Rico when the U.S. Army took him out of a college classroom and sent him to bootcamp and from there to Vietnam. In Vietnam, he came under fire a half dozen times, once, in a real firefight that lasted an entire day. He had medals, a knife wound and two bullet wounds....Now he was in my mother's dining room, his hands on my shoulders, looking me in the eyes as directly as I would let him, and crying.

Luis Ramos' daughter is missing and Luis Ramos… Continue

Added by M.G. Tarquini on April 29, 2007 at 7:05am — No Comments

Languishing In The ER

Guest Blogger Lonnie Cruse

Recently our middle son was rushed to the ER because he thought he was passing out. His wife called 911. We'd gone to…

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Added by Writers Plot on April 29, 2007 at 5:49am — No Comments

I Failed Elmore Leonard

Yesterday, my agent forwarded me a rejection letter for WHAT BURNS WITHIN. It was actually an amazing letter. It referenced my work as “fast-paced and well written” with a “compelling story” and my favourite line: “I can see why Ms. Ruttan has garnered such wonderful praise; she writes with incredible vividness and great attention to detail.” The editor even called me talented.

This is much better than form letter rejections or, worse, a “please fuck off and take…

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Added by Sandra Ruttan on April 29, 2007 at 5:21am — 16 Comments

Apologies

I'm sick of everyone who says something racist or sexist or behaves badly apologizing for it afterwards and then supposes that makes it all right. When did this start?

We've had Mel Gibson, Russell Crow, Hugh Grant twice, Don Imus and now Alec Baldwin. I know I'm leaving lots of people out. The thing is, I don't care about their apologies.

What I would care about is if writers who've written very bad books would apologize. But they wouldn't dream of it. And if they did it… Continue

Added by Sandra Scoppettone on April 29, 2007 at 4:19am — 2 Comments

Baby animals, church encounters and a brief spring clean

Lord H feeling a bit low today, as am I a little, so the two of us are depressed together. Marital harmony. It's a wonderful thing. So we've been quiet, but not completely silent, which is nice. A slow start to our morning too.

We decided not to go shopping for a new casual jacket for Lord H, as he wasn't really feeling up to it, and visited Burpham Court Farm to look at the baby animals instead. There weren't many people around, which was a complete surprise, but very pleasant.…

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Added by Anne Brooke on April 29, 2007 at 4:08am — No Comments

Everyone Should Read This - True Crime!

Don't Just Sit There: A true account

of a frightening experience and a self-help book for women

by L.A. Wilson

ISBN: 0-595-18045-0

$15.95 U.S./$25.95 CANADA

Writers Club Press an imprint of iUniverse.com, Inc

www.iuniverse.com…

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Added by RJ on April 29, 2007 at 1:00am — No Comments

A Kiss is Just

So a warrant is out on Richard Gere (and Shilpa Shetty) for Gere's hug and cheek kiss of Shetty in a faux Bollywood dance at an AIDS awareness event in India.

This happens relatively often in India, an offended individual files a case of obscenity against a prominent person for a kiss, usually in a Bollywood film. The case makes the media, and inspires lots of chatter… Continue

Added by sparkle hayter on April 28, 2007 at 1:36pm — No Comments