May 2008 Blog Posts (159)

FIRST THE VEGEMITE GOES MISSING…

So here’s the story: I finish my latest book and shoot it off to the publisher and decide to check out what’s been happening on my website recently. A handy little piece of free software called STATCOUNTER lets me see who has been visiting and for how long and from whence they came.

I’ve been getting hits from all sorts of amazing places which might have to do with the fact that the audio book of my first novel has been hijacked and can be downloaded for free from multiple sites. The… Continue

Added by Geoff McGeachin on May 24, 2008 at 1:19pm — 5 Comments

Inherent Contempt

In my February 27th blog, I wrote about the case of Don Siegelman, a Democrat and former Alabama governor, who was charged with conspiracy and bribery and sentenced to seven years in prison. Fifty-two former state attorneys-general had asked Congress to investigate whether the charges brought against Siegelman were part of a five-year secret campaign to ruin the governor orchestrated by President Bush's former chief political adviser Karl Rove.

Yesterday, the House Judiciary… Continue

Added by Christopher Valen on May 24, 2008 at 10:18am — No Comments

Chasing the Dragon

CHASING THE DRAGON

1.

“Let us depart from this

Lake of the Red Eye,

Let us separate in sorrow

From the tribe that has loved us.” – W.B. Yeats,

The Fate of the Children on Lir

So you fall for a beautiful young Chinese patron at an underground masseuse parlor off of Mott Street.

So you fall in love.

So you find out her mother is the queen of the Black Market, a contractor for professional killers, an all-star in the game of… Continue

Added by Liam on May 24, 2008 at 6:30am — No Comments

Thanks and a Question

First many thanks to all who congratulated me on my expectations of being a father. Very sweet and much appreciated. Baby Torres adds her good wishes. She also says that she thinks she'll be able to provide everyone with presents once she arrives in September...

Also, many thanks for those who have followed the links: youtube interview

In for… Continue

Added by Steven Torres on May 24, 2008 at 4:07am — No Comments

MWA and the 2008 Backspace Writers Conference

Mystery Writers of America is offering their members who wish to attend the Backspace conference a $50 discount. MWA members should register for the conference at the full price, and then email Margery Flax at: mwa (at) mysterywriters (dot) org for reimbursement.

The 2008 Backspace Writers Conference brings together literary agents, acquisitions editors, best-selling authors, and publishing professionals for a two-day, two-track program of workshops, panels, and networking in the… Continue

Added by Karen Dionne on May 24, 2008 at 12:02am — No Comments

William the Bastard and Reality in Fiction

A lot of the fun of writing, for me anyway, is learning about people. Sometimes I get to know characters I've invented, a matter of letting them settle into my head and become what they are. But others are real, and therefore research comes into play.

I do talks on historical novels, and I'm always surprised that some people are offended when I admit that authors "make up" facets of characters who actually existed. "How dare you" comes through in their expressions and voices. "You… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on May 23, 2008 at 10:50pm — No Comments

The Fault Tree

Louise Ure did a wonderful job this week, speaking first at my library, then for 80 librarians in Maricopa County. Now, I have two autographed copies of her latest book, The Fault Tree, to give away in the contest on my blog. Check my blog at www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com for details.

Added by Lesa Holstine on May 23, 2008 at 1:05pm — No Comments

Oops, I did it...I mass invited every friend on Ning...so off with my head!

Yes, I do know about Crimespace's policy on promoting events through mass emails. And I do apologize to everyone here for my recent message blast. Oops.

It seems that as the creator of Canadian Authors Network, I innocently (and yes, it wasn't intentional) sent an invite to a Canadian event to every friend I have on the Ning network, instead of to the Canadian group only.

So go ahead, handcuff me and lock me up. I have the right to remain… Continue

Added by Cheryl Kaye Tardif on May 23, 2008 at 10:45am — 2 Comments

Gold And Fishes -- Review by Jim Napier, The Sherbrooke Record, May 18, 2007

Death and Destruction

But dignity as well

blog%20book-goldfishes.jpg

The Sherbrooke Record

In the developed world we are accustomed to experiencing disasters in small numbers. A forest fire might claim a few lives, typically far less than a dozen; a ship sinking perhaps twice or even three times as many; even the appalling tragedy at the World Trade Center in September of 2001… Continue

Added by Donna Carrick on May 23, 2008 at 9:11am — No Comments

Review of Bowled Over by Kasey Michaels

Bowled Over

By Kasey Michaels

Published Nov 2007

Kensington Books

Maggie Kelly is a sucessful historical mystery writer whose studdly hero,Alexandre Blake, the Viscount Saint Just, has come to life to help her solve murders. In this sixth (and perhaps last?) book of the series, Maggie and Alex are in Ocean City, NJ for Christmas with Maggie’s disfunctional family. When her father, Evan Kelly, is arrested by the police for the murder of a member of his bowling… Continue

Added by Christine Duncan on May 23, 2008 at 7:43am — No Comments

Outlines, Timelines, and Deadlines

I recently wrote that I've had trouble with my WIP, which finally started to move forward again just this week. I thought today I'd share my view of "---lines," although it's a strictly personal view.

I don't outline. I let the story wander where it will, and then I go back and make sure it arcs and flows and makes sense. I know I would be bored by making a plan and then following it step by step, and besides, I often find that things don't work out the way they should when the… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on May 22, 2008 at 11:09pm — No Comments

Crime Always Pays

This week on Crime Always Pays: Q&As with Steve Martini and Jim Michael Hansen; John Boyne’s MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY and Russell Banks’ THE RESERVE reviewed; free copies of Sandra Ruttan’s WHAT BURNS WITHIN; the latest on Tana French’s THE LIKENESS; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull reviewed; what the hell is ‘Gonzo noir’?; Jack Higgins’ latest blockbuster; is Joseph O’Neill’s NETHERLANDS a crime novel?; and – oh yes! – the… Continue

Added by Declan Burke on May 22, 2008 at 5:40pm — No Comments

Citizens' Police Academy: Crime Lab

(cross posted to Working Stiffs)

This week’s instructors opened the class with a question: How much of what you see on the CSI shows do you think is real? I, of course, having studied Lee Lofland’s book, knew the answer was “almost nothing.” In fact, cases are lost because people expect things to be like what they see on TV. They have a name for it: “The CSI effect.”

In Pittsburgh, the guys who go out and collect… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on May 22, 2008 at 1:59am — No Comments

Mind, Body, Spirit=Character

I've been hearing a lot about Tai Chi lately from a family member who is immersed in it. She speaks of the mind-body-spirit connection and the balance that must be achieved among the three for peace and healing. It occurs to me that writing good characters requires that same balance.

Mind: we have to know many aspects of a character's mind: how smart he is, how much of a thinker, how he views the world, and how he views himself. This can be difficult with characters other than the… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on May 21, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Website up and running!

Ahead of the release of my debut novel, Justice For All, in August this year, my website is now up and running. You can find it at;

www.stevenhague.com.

If you get a chance to take a look, I'd love to know what you think.

Cheers,
Steve

Added by Steven Hague on May 21, 2008 at 10:08pm — No Comments

Blast from the past

If our lives are our stories, do we write the narrative?

I've been thinking about this as I prepare for – and dread – a big college reunion. What was I thinking I would do, back then? Who would I be? I know I wanted to write. But I didn't think, back in the day, that there was a job I could try for that would really let me do that. I could be a journalist, which wasn't exactly what I wanted. Or I could work in publishing, although a summer internship with a very sweet university… Continue

Added by Clea Simon on May 21, 2008 at 5:31am — No Comments

Show and Tell

Here's a belated photo from the Edgars--beautiful Sujata Massey and I (the munchkin on the right) present the YA award to Tedd Arnold, author of RAT LIFE. Arnold said a gracious speech; it was a great night.

GASA-GASA GIRL, the No. 2 Mas Arai mystery, is now available in mass market paperback format with this spiffy new… Continue

Added by Naomi Hirahara on May 21, 2008 at 3:51am — No Comments

Michelle Gagnon and I to sign at LA's Mystery Bookstore

On the weekend, Bobby from the Los Angeles Mystery Bookstore called and set a time for my July 19th signing, 2 p.m., and asked if I minded sharing the time slot with California writer Michelle Gagnon. I am so honored to be signing in one of LA’s oldest and most prestigious bookstores that I would sign with the devil just to be included.

Well, I Googled Michelle (and you should too) and found a very attractive young lady and, if reviews are anyway to judge, talented too! I am glad… Continue

Added by Michael Haskins on May 21, 2008 at 1:30am — No Comments

Author Lori L. Lake Talks About Guns On The Graveyard Shift

Today on The Graveyard Shift author Lori L. Lake talks about the guns used by law enforcement officers.

The Graveyard Shift
http://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/

Added by Lee Lofland on May 21, 2008 at 12:52am — 1 Comment

A poison ivy cure that works!

Poison ivy won't kill--unless, maybe, ingested internally?--but it's a great way to torture a victim, although Mother Nature is the only perp in real life. I came down with a virulent case after 2 1/2 weeks of book tour in which I spent a lot of time in bookstores and libraries and none in woods or even gardens. So it's a mystery to me how I got it, but I was looking at two weeks of agony ahead till I got on the Internet and found out about Zanfel, an over-the-counter product you can get at… Continue

Added by Elizabeth Zelvin on May 21, 2008 at 12:21am — No Comments