August 2008 Blog Posts (153)

Homeland Insecurity

We will never know for certain whether Bruce Ivins, the Army scientist who committed suicide last week, was solely responsible for the anthrax attacks that killed five people in 2001. Though the evidence against him is compelling, much of it is circumstantial. It is just as likely that a good defense could have convinced a jury that he was innocent as it is likely that the prosecution could have convinced a jury that Ivins was guilty.

So let’s set aside his guilt or innocence and… Continue

Added by Christopher Valen on August 8, 2008 at 4:24am — No Comments

Kathryn Lilley joins the Kill Zone blog

I've joined an exciting new writer's blog called the Kill Zone.

Michelle Gagnon, John Gilstrap, Clare Langley-Hawthorne, Kathryn Lilley, John Ramsey Miller, and Joe Moore will be posting six days a week on topics that inspire them and inform their writing. Special guest bloggers will be featured from time to time.

Michelle Gagnon kicks off the new blog today with an… Continue

Added by Kathryn Lilley on August 8, 2008 at 3:01am — 2 Comments

One Bad Apple

Some people snidely refer to a book as a cozy mystery. Sheila Connolly's One Bad Apple is an example of everything that is right with the cozy mystery. Her book has a likable heroine, an attractive small town setting, a slimy victim, and fascinating side elements. I hope Connolly returns readers to Granford, Massachusetts again.

Meg Corey lost her banking job in Boston in a downsize. She took on the joint ownership of an old house in… Continue

Added by Lesa Holstine on August 7, 2008 at 11:29pm — No Comments

Travellers - Meet Me in the Airport Tomorrow

Tomorrow I return to one of those airport stores everyone has been talking about. This time it's the Borders in Washington Dulles International Airport. I'll greet new friends there from 1 pm to 5 pm - and I know it will be new friends because airport stores have a steady flow of new folks.

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 7, 2008 at 10:27pm — No Comments

Quiet or Riot?

When I taught high school, my students often claimed that they worked best when there was noise. Studies of today's teens confirm that they can indeed text, listen to music, and surf the Net all at once, but I have to admit, as the song of my generation says, "It ain't me, babe."

I like quiet. I like to be able to focus on the task at hand. And it's getting worse as time goes by. As a teacher, I was quite the multi-tasker, and I could keep in my head a dozen things I had to… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 7, 2008 at 9:48pm — No Comments

J. D. Rhoades Interview

Suspect: J. D. Rhoades

Known Aliases: Dusty Rhoades (he wouldn't cop to any others)

Occupation: Lawyer, Columnist and Writer

Last Known Location: Carthage, N.C.

Listen in as J.D. talks about his latest standalone thriller, Breaking Cover, what's in the works with his… Continue

Added by Angie on August 7, 2008 at 3:00pm — No Comments

MEN OF MYSTERY COMING TO ACME AUTHORS LINK NEXT WEEK

Acme Authors Link is happy to host two popular Men of Mystery next week at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com

On Wednesday, August 13 - Marcus Sakey

Friday, August 15 - Joe Konrath

Stop on by and see what these great authors have to say. Then come back again to read what our regular great bloggers are saying every day!

Morgan Mandel…

Continue

Added by Morgan Mandel on August 7, 2008 at 1:27pm — No Comments

about time...

I've finally put up a proper author's web-site at www.davezeltserman.com. I still have a little work to do, and right now it's sharing space with my hardluck stories site, but it's mostly in place. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, especially the size of the book images I'm using--my wife thinks they're too big.

--Dave

Added by Dave Zeltserman on August 7, 2008 at 8:23am — No Comments

Thank you, Worldwide

Oh, my! I just heard from my editor at Worldwide Mysteries, which publishes mass market paperbacks of previously published mysteries - and he told me that their edition of Mew is for Murder sold 17,232 copies! I don't think I've sold that many of anything ever. Now they're offering a lovely mass market edition of Cattery Row, so here's hoping… Continue

Added by Clea Simon on August 7, 2008 at 7:30am — No Comments

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR: Romantic Suspense Author Mary Burton Visits Book Marketing Buzz & Book Cover Lovers!

Mary Burton, author of the romantic suspense novel, I’M WATCHING YOU, will be stopping off at Book Marketing Buzz and Book Cover Lovers on… Continue

Added by Dorothy Thompson on August 7, 2008 at 4:44am — No Comments

Favorite Words (R)

Almost everyone has "catch phrases" of conversation, repeated words or groups of words that we unconsciously use as fillers. As a speech teacher, I can't tell you how many "Ums" and "You knows" I've drawn to the attention of novice speakers. Your friends know what your catch phrases are, and they've probably told you, or they will if you ask.

In writing we tend toward certain words, too. Sometimes they're qualifiers ("it seemed as if"), sometimes modifiers ("very"), sometimes just a… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 6, 2008 at 10:47pm — No Comments

Chatting with Tana French

Two weeks ago, I got to interview Tana French for the Boston Phoenix. The Edgar-winning author of In the Woods was in town promoting The Likeness, her second smart psychological mystery, and we had a good chat over coffee in the elegant… Continue

Added by Clea Simon on August 6, 2008 at 11:00am — 2 Comments

Dead in Red

L.L. Bartlett introduced the fascinating character of Jeff Resnick in Murder On The Mind. Now, in Dead in Red, he and his brother, Richard, track a killer, because Jeff won't be satisfied "until justice was done."

When Jeff was mugged and hit by a baseball bat, he injured his head. Now, he has flashes of a "sixth sense" that reveals pictures of events that have happened, and will occur in the future, related to violence and murder. When Tom… Continue

Added by Lesa Holstine on August 5, 2008 at 11:54pm — No Comments

All That Well-intentioned Advice

People are always starting sentences with, "You should ...." I'm amazed and sometimes amused at the advice I get. The other day someone told me that I should "ask around and see if any bookstores will let me do a booksigning."

I never would have thought of that on my own!

I get all kinds of advice about using the Internet to become famous. Some of it is in the form of emails that promise I'll get thousands of hits a day. Some is from people who have a friend of a friend who… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 5, 2008 at 10:49pm — No Comments

Another Nice Review

I like to feature interesting web sites in this space, even when the site is my own. I always feature the feedback and reviews I receive on my web site, and I’m way behind highlighting some of my friends. For those not yet mentioned, please forgive me - I promise to get to you. For the rest of you, I’d like to introduce Jensen Dobbins.

Jensen is one of my younger fans. His parents bought him a copy of Blood and Bone for Christmas. He… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 5, 2008 at 10:19pm — No Comments

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR: #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Jackson Visits Talk About My Favorite Authors!

Lisa Jackson, author of the romantic suspense novel, LEFT TO DIE, will be stopping off at Talk About My Favorite Authors today on her first stop of her LEFT TO DIE VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08! In LEFT TO DIE,… Continue

Added by Dorothy Thompson on August 5, 2008 at 5:16am — No Comments

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR: Visit Romantic Suspense Author Mary Burton at In Bed With Books!

Mary Burton, author of the romantic suspense novel, I'M WATCHING YOU, will be stopping off at In Bed With Books on her first stop for her I'M WATCHING YOU VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08! A killer is on the loose. Lindsay O’Neil discovers the first victim in the yard at Sanctuary, the shelter for battered… Continue

Added by Dorothy Thompson on August 5, 2008 at 3:10am — No Comments

<i>Cattery Row</i> in paperback!

Mass market paperback, that is (i.e., smaller – and significantly cheaper). Worldwide Mystery has just published this new edition of my second mystery, Cattery Row, available only online (to check it out, click here) and with an absolutely wonderful new cover. Don't you think… Continue

Added by Clea Simon on August 5, 2008 at 2:41am — No Comments

Lovecraft Lore!

LEGENDARY IRON MAN ARTIST, DON HECK, TAKES ON LOVECRAFT LORE

(July 29, 2008). Artist Don Heck, best known for co-creating Marvel's Iron Man, delves into Lovecraftian horror in The Miskatonic Project: H.P. Lovecraft's The Whisperer in Darkness, scheduled for an October 2008 release from Transfuzion/Millennial Concepts.

The 128 page graphic novel presents an adaptation of and a sequel to a pivotal story in H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, "The Whisperer in Darkness", with a… Continue

Added by Mark Ellis on August 5, 2008 at 12:28am — No Comments

Graphic Novel PR

Transfuzion Publishing and Millennial Concepts Join Forces

(July 9, 2008). Gary Reed, founder of Caliber, a seminal independent comics publisher in the 1990s and currently co-publisher with Rafael Nieves of Transfuzion Publishing have joined forces in a joint graphic novel publishing venture with Mark Ellis and Melissa Martin Ellis, founders of Millennium Publications,

Gary was owner of Caliber Comics, an independent publisher which centered on creator owned titles and… Continue

Added by Mark Ellis on August 5, 2008 at 12:28am — No Comments