A question about how writers use Facebook inspired the latest entry on my main blog, “Another Writer’s Life.” Check it out at http://ascamacho.blogspot.com/

'Dirt,' another one of my Turner Hahn/Frank Morales short stories is up on my blogspot. Two homicide detectives trying to arrest fellow cops for murder. Come over and check it out. Leave a comment or two. Good or bad--I don't hold a grudge . . . .for long (just kidding, Guido!)

http://www.noirtaketurner-frank.blogspot.com

When they're done right, bookstores feel kind of like home. You do as you like, stay as long as you like, have a snack, read a little, chat a little about your favorite things, and get intellectual stimulation from discussion with those who "live" there. I've been in lots of bookstores in the past few years, staying near a table of my books and directing customers to the bathroom or the nonfiction shelves. As I visit, I see the staff in action, and it's easy to tell the best…

I have an ebook short story collection available now as a Kindle download or from Smashwords, for $1.49. 21 Tales will also be published…

Another joke of the day. . . writing about Elephants

Every nation has to write a book about the Elephant:…

Brian Freeman is the international

bestselling author of psychological suspense novels featuring detective…

When one is volunteered to write an article, she’s usually given a guideline of expectations. Mine: write about what you learned at Saturday’s April 3rd, SIC meeting.

For starters, what I learned came from a writer’s point of view. Authors, future authors and budding writers please take note; Jeri Westerson is a prime example of how a professional conducts herself in public.

Westerson entered our morning with a…

Check out my interview with author Susan Whitfield at

http://susanwhitfield.blogspot.com/2010/03/eileen-thorntons-trojan-project.html

Cheers,

Eileen

Computers are marvelous tools. As a writer I'd have a hard time living without them, but they are not infallible. For example, if you try to force a disc into place before the machine is ready to accept it you could destroy the port. As it turns out, "RAM disk" is not an installation procedure.…

April in the D. April in Paris. Pieces of April.

Whatever your impressions of the month, it seems to inspire folks. My goal is to finish my WIP before Malice Domestic, which is at the end of April. Somehow, in springtime, all things seem possible.

Getting the right name for characters in a novel can be a tricky business. Sometimes they come to me completely out of the blue as I am creating a character, other times I will struggle to find the name that best suits the character.



I have always had this thing that people should look like their names. When someone is introduced to me I will think yes, you are a Jacqueline or a Malcolm. Other times I will think, oh no, you're definitely a Karen or a Wayne. And so it…

Some people find joy and mental stimulation in the Sunday Morning crosswords in the newspaper. I like the crosswords, but what I turn to for a cerebral challenge - on the same page as the crossword puzzle - is the cryptoquips. They have always been my favorite.

The most frequently used letters in the English language are E, T, A, O, N and S - in that order. That is a major key in finding the solution to many a cryptogram. Look for double letters and apostrophes and you are…