August 2009 Blog Posts (175)

To Go or Not To Go

Conferences. I love them. Always have a good time. Always meet great people. So what's the problem?

For one thing, I live in the sticks. Attending any con is a major operation, requiring planes, trains, and/or automobiles in great abundance. It costs me five hours' travel just to get out of Michigan by car, and flying requires a puddle-jumper ride first and last, which adds a lot to the expense (and the nail-biting, these days).

Secondly, I have two books pending but… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 31, 2009 at 10:08pm — 1 Comment

DOES YOUR MANUSCRIPT STINK?

Just found this fascinating article in the NY Times today--about the scents of NYC. Just reading through them will vastly increase our ability to use the sense of smell in our manuscripts.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/08/29/opinion/20090829-smell-map-feature.html?th&emc=th

(Hope the link works--if not, please cut and paste)

I try to have at least one distinctive smell in each chapter. When I check my descriptions, I try to remember to include a… Continue

Added by Jan Christensen on August 31, 2009 at 5:00am — No Comments

Teacher Book Arrives

I just received the new book My First Year in the Classroom, with a story I wrote in it! I'm excited! You can check it out on… Continue

Added by Barri L. Bumgarner on August 31, 2009 at 3:27am — No Comments

PMN Releases State of Crime Fiction Industry

The excellent blog Pimp My Novel recently wrote up a State of the Union of Crime Fiction of sorts. Click here to read it. Here are some of the highlights as copy/pasted by me:

1) Mystery sales account for almost a quarter of all adult sales (units), so as long as your… Continue

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on August 30, 2009 at 1:13pm — 2 Comments

My incredible talent. . . .

I have an incredible talent. It's called Foot-In-Mouth Disease. It seems all if have to do is open my mouth. And then . . . . holy french fries! People go ballistic on me! I mean they get so upset their blood pressure has the same pressure-wave signature of a tsunami!

A talent whih probably has kept me from getting published sooner. Now, if I could make money with this talent. . . . .

Added by B.R.Stateham on August 30, 2009 at 12:12pm — 12 Comments

Ned Kelly Awards 2009

This object is a Ned Kelly Award - memorably described by Shane Maloney as looking like "a sawn-off anthracite dildo" - now one of my most prized possessions since Ghostlines won the award for best first novel last night at the Ned Kelly Awards - the annual awards for Australian crime writing. On the underside it has the letters "C.W.A.A" which stand not for Country Women's Association but Crime Writers Association of Australia.

This wasn't… Continue

Added by Nick Gadd on August 30, 2009 at 11:00am — 3 Comments

Review: SOVEREIGN by C. J. Sansom

In the spring of 1541, Henry VIII faced another conspiracy in the north of England, whose people and nobles were still largely opposed to the 'new religion' and still loyal to Rome. While the conspiracy was uncovered and many of its leaders imprisoned and executed, Henry and his advisers hurriedly organized a grand Progress,setting out to York in July to consolidate his authority. This forms the backdrop to the third of C. J. Sansom's Matthrew… Continue

Added by Larry W. Chavis on August 30, 2009 at 2:09am — 1 Comment

Toot! Toot! My bit of news...

My latest mystery is finally scheduled for release in late September! "The First Excellence" is set in China and features a young Chinese-Canadian woman, Li Fa-ling, who returns to the land of her birth. There she encounters murder, kidnapping, political intrigue and troubling memories of her years in an impoverished orphanage prior to being adopted. Along with Detective Wang Yong-qi and his brilliant but uncouth partner, Cheng… Continue

Added by Donna Carrick on August 29, 2009 at 4:16pm — 2 Comments

Meet Me Tomorrow in Delaware

This weekend I’ll combine a little business with a lot of pleasure. We’ll spend a 3-day weekend at Rehoboth Beach, our favorite Oceanside spot in Delaware. When it gets hot on Saturday I’ll take a break from sand and surf to head for the Atlantic Book Warehouse. It’s the big book store in the area, an outlet really, on Highway One in the Harbor Square Shopping Center. The selection is ginormous and I’ll be signing books there for mystery… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 29, 2009 at 12:24am — No Comments

From Zero to Sixty in One ARC

My ARC's for HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER arrived yesterday afternoon, and suddenly life is teeming with things to do.

First, here's what it could mean to you. It's a Tudor mystery focusing on Princess Elizabeth during Henry's last year of life. If you'd like a copy of the ARC, make a comment on this blog ("Hi Peg I want the book" is good enough, or you can actually read something and respond.) One week from today (Friday, September 4) I'll put the names of everyone who has commented… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 28, 2009 at 10:33pm — 5 Comments

THE FOURTH ASSASSIN on video

To introduce the next of my Palestinian crime novels, THE FOURTH ASSASSIN, my friend videographer David Blumenfeld filmed in New York (where the book takes place). His montages are mainly from Brooklyn's Bay Ridge and Coney Island sections. He then recorded me, looking sweaty and frankly a bit doped up, in my favorite seedy cafe in Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter.

You can view it… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on August 28, 2009 at 4:44pm — No Comments

Can Palestinians step up to self-government?

Tax breaks, smaller government, a rationalized legal system? No, this is a long way from New Jersey. By Matt Beynon Rees, Global Post

RAMALLAH — More than two decades after declaring an independent state, the Palestinians now say they may be able to run one.

Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on August 28, 2009 at 1:17am — 12 Comments

The Idea of Social Networking

Big arguments (um, discussions) on several groups I read concerning what's "best" for authors looking to sell their work: Facebook, MySpace, Crimespace, Twitter, etc.

I guess I have it wrong, because I don't necessarily join a group to sell books. Yes, I would like it if people everywhere bought my books, but I enjoy the hour I spend each morning reading comments, learning what others do and don't recommend, and writing my own admittedly idiosyncratic observations. Some sites connect… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 27, 2009 at 10:08pm — 9 Comments

My bogus bio

Here's my latest post on the International Crime Authors Reality Check blog:

Since you’re reading this, you don’t care who I am. So I can be anyone I like. At least, that’s what somebody wrote here recently.

I posted on this blog a couple of weeks ago about Dashiell Hammett. I noted that, while a university literature student, I grew tired of all the post- structuralist and deconstructionist and Marxist esoterica I… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on August 27, 2009 at 4:13pm — 4 Comments

Release date for the novel!

We have a due date for this little baby. On October 1st One Too Many Blows To The Head will be available for you to get your grubby little hands on. Jennifer (my co-author) and I are SO excited to finally release the book on the world. We've already gotten some great feedback including this amazing blurb from the always fantastic Megan Abbott:

“One Too Many Blows to the Head feels… Continue

Added by Eric Beetner on August 27, 2009 at 11:59am — No Comments

Dominick Dunne Dead at 83

Dominick Dunne was one of the foremost journalist/novelist crossovers. He based much of his most celebrated crime fiction on real events, such as the murder of his daughter and a number of high-profile court cases. He also medaled in World War II, wrote for countless national magazines, made thousands of television appearances and had a hand in several movies. They don't make them like Dunne… Continue

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on August 27, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

Red Adept's Kindle Book Review Blog

I do many, many reviews of both commercial and Indie books. I recently started a blog of my reviews. My blog also includes author's comments and other Kindle and Indie publishing related articles.

You can check it out at Red Adept's Kindle Book Review Blog

Added by Lynn on August 27, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

Books We Hate

From time to time a book comes along that I not only hate but won't even pass on to others because I think it's just WRONG. This morning I got to the point in a book where I couldn't read any more of it, and I'm going to trash it, although I usually save books we've read to give away at my appearances.

The back of the book said it was "funny" and "sexy" and "splendid." I know enough not to believe everything I read, of course, but here's the thing. The intended sex in the book is… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 26, 2009 at 10:38pm — 3 Comments

Writers! Need an Editor?

Writers! Today my main blog, Another Writer's Life, is about the importance of editors, and I name my favorites. http://ascamacho.blogspot.com

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 26, 2009 at 9:24pm — No Comments

Shamus Nomination

God, I can't believe it's been so long since I posted here! Should get back to it. The last time I posted I announced the debut of my medieval noir VEIL OF LIES, and almost a year later I get to report that it was nominated for two awards! One is the Macavity for Best Historical Mystery, presented by Mystery Reader's Journal and the other is the Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel, given by the Private Eye Writers of America. Both very cool and both represent the marriage… Continue

Added by Jeri Westerson on August 26, 2009 at 4:06pm — 1 Comment