August 2009 Blog Posts (175)

Review - Burial, Neil Cross

Book Title: BURIAL

Author: Neil Cross

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Copyright: 2009

ISBN: 978-0-74323-141-1

No of Pages: 291

Book Synopsis:

Nathan has never been able to forget the worst night of his life: the party that led to the sudden, shocking disappearance of a young woman. Only he and Bob, an old acquaintance, know what really happened and they have resolved to keep it that way. But one rainy night, years later, Bob appears at Nathan's… Continue

Added by Karen from AustCrime on August 18, 2009 at 10:06pm — No Comments

Review - The Water's Edge, Karin Fossum

Book Title: THE WATER'S EDGE

Author: Karin Fossum

Publisher: Harvill Secker

Copyright: 2009,2007

ISBN: 978-1-846-55170-3

No of Pages: 227

Book Synopsis:

Walking through the woods one warm September day, Reinhardt and Kristine Ris pass a man who is in a state of agitation. Unusually in a small town, he does not return Kristine's smile and drives off in a hurry. As the couple continue on their walk they make a terrible discovery: lying in a cluster… Continue

Added by Karen from AustCrime on August 18, 2009 at 12:54pm — No Comments

Maureen Corrigan's Top Summer Reads

Maureen Corrigan, book reviewer for Fresh Air, earlier this summer provided the following list to ProgressiveBookClub.com for her top summer reads:

The Way Home by George Pelecanos

If you don’t know of him, Pelecanos has been writing crime novels for years about the “other” Washington (i.e., not Capitol Hill or Northwest DC) He’s socially and racially conscious and a terrific writer. Also wrote for The Wire. The working class “hero” of this novel works for his family’s… Continue

Added by Dave Zeltserman on August 18, 2009 at 3:11am — No Comments

For Writers

My latest blog entry is on the first steps to getting published, on http://ascamacho.blogspot.com/

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 17, 2009 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Monday...AGAIN??

After a couple of good book signings I spent Sunday staring mindlessly at the big screen and avoiding all thoughts of today. I’m not eager to face the day job this morning.

Let’s face it: Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7 of your week.

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 17, 2009 at 9:10pm — No Comments

Two Good Ones

The best of all possible worlds: I'm reading two books that grip my attention. They both happen to be historical, which you might have guessed, but very different in focus. One is set in India in the early 1900s, and while I didn't think I'd be terribly interested, I am. The other concerns Jan Hus and the Reformation. I"m afraid I haven't even taken note of the authors' names yet, but I will pass them on when I finish the books.

What's nice is that I look forward to stolen moments… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 17, 2009 at 8:44pm — No Comments

Review - Infiltration, Colin McLaren (True Crime)

Book Title: INFILTRATION

Author: Colin McLaren

Publisher: Melbourne University Press

Copyright: 2009

ISBN: 978-0-522-85679-8

No of Pages: 291

Book Synopsis:

For two years police detective Colin McLaren disappears off the face of the earth, surfacing in Griffith as a dodgy art dealer with a pretty girlfriend and talks his way into the Mafia. For days, weeks, then months and years, Colin eats with them, sits in their homes and cuddles their kids, all… Continue

Added by Karen from AustCrime on August 17, 2009 at 12:04pm — No Comments

Writing tools - Editing Worksheet

Let me be up front with something. I have a really hard time editing my work. I tend to swing in extreme directions, either self critiquing way too much while I’m in the middle of what should be writing time, or else not wanting to get rid of really pointless self aggrandizement because I like it so damn much. In order to overcome these two tendencies, I have combed over a TON of advice on editing and come up with this list of what seems to work for me. Some of it is old news, but that doesn’t… Continue

Added by M.C. Peery on August 17, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

District 9 & Discrimination

I went to see the movie District 9 and was blown away by it's originality. I know this is a crime forum but we're writers and you can appreciate something well done and original. Sci-Fi has always been a great way to get political messages through to the public. I wonder if anyone else agrees with me on this?

Added by Dennis Webster on August 17, 2009 at 8:41am — 3 Comments

Author Update

The airport stops rocked this weekend. Friday I spread my latest novel, Russian Roulette, around the world at Baltimore Washington International Airport. The folks there know how to treat an author – coffee and a donut for my 8 am signing. I signed lots of books without losing the whole day.

Yesterday at Washington Dulles International Airport wasn’t quite as good, but well worth the visit. Sadly, the new title hadn’t arrived but lots of the others went to far flung corners of the… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 17, 2009 at 6:43am — No Comments

Video: Reading from THE FOURTH ASSASSIN

The next in my series of Palestinian crime novels THE FOURTH ASSASSIN will be out early next year. Meanwhile I've made a couple of videos to introduce the book. In this one, I went up onto the roof of the Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem's Old City to read from Chapter One of the next… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on August 16, 2009 at 9:51pm — No Comments

Monday 17th August

Blood Law attracted some coverage in the national press this week, when the Daily Mirror newspaper ran a short and sweet review. Here’s what the Mirror had to say:

'Zac Hunter's welcome return in the sequel to Justice For All. This time the ex-LAPD cop infiltrates the gangs of south central to find the kidnapped daughter of a former grass. Gang warfare is about to kick off big time.’

Further publicity came from an interview I did with Rafe McGregor, which was posted on his… Continue

Added by Steven Hague on August 16, 2009 at 8:41pm — No Comments

Looking for an agent?

If so, check out the Backspace Agent-Author Seminar, November 5 & 6, in New York City - two days of panels, workshops, and small-group meetings with ONLY literary agents on the program - Janet Reid, Colleen Lindsay, Paige Wheeler, Scott Hoffman, Jeff Kleinman, Holly Root, Miriam Kriss, and many more - over 20 in all.

Registration is limited to 120. Early registration discount through September 15. More… Continue

Added by Karen Dionne on August 16, 2009 at 4:36am — No Comments

BLEEDER released today

It's heeeeeere!! Today, August 15, is the official release date for "BLEEDER: a mystery" (Sophia Institute Press). It's available at amazon.com and should be in bookstores soon.

Dear Sir or Madam
would you read my book;
it took me years to write,
will you take a look?

"Paperback Writer," The Beatles

Added by John Desjarlais on August 16, 2009 at 1:40am — No Comments

Committed? Uncommitted? Should be committed? What kind of writer are you?

With the insurgence of Twitter as a networking/marketing tool, Alex and I have been having some fun learning to promote our books and blogs to all and sundry. (See Alex's blog.)

This morning I came across the following “Tweet” posted by Phillip Schofield in the UK: Wow, there's a lot of Saturday morning ironing going on in… Continue

Added by Donna Carrick on August 16, 2009 at 12:27am — 4 Comments

West Bank settlers and memories of Sharon

The current edition of Details has a terrific investigative piece about the youthful extreme segment of the Israeli settler movement. It's by my chum Matt McAllester who spent five years based in Jerusalem as a correspondent and returned earlier this year to probe deep into this largely inaccessible (to foreign journalists, at least) fringe of Israeli society -- a fringe that… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on August 15, 2009 at 11:01pm — No Comments

UK cover for THE FOURTH ASSASSIN

It's always a thrill for me to receive the covers of my forthcoming novels from my UK publisher Atlantic Books. They have a series feel in that there's a continuity to the design. Each one seems to get better. Here's the cover of THE FOURTH ASSASSIN, which will be published next February. I received it from my delightful editor in London Sarah Norman just this week.…

Continue

Added by Matt Rees on August 14, 2009 at 10:52pm — 1 Comment

Berlin Noir on NPR

Last year, NPR correspondent Eric Westervelt toured Nablus in the West Bank with me, talking about my third Palestinian crime novel THE SAMARITAN'S SECRET as we wandered through the ancient casbah. Sadly for the many of us in Jerusalem who enjoyed his dry wit, Westervelt… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on August 14, 2009 at 10:37pm — 1 Comment

What Do Non-readers Talk About?

I had dinner yesterday with cousins I see about once a year, always a pleasant experience. But we always end up talking about books. She has discovered Louise Penny, to her delight, and he was reading a Civil War alternative history trilogy in which the South wins and the historical detail is fascinating. I threw in everyone from Clive Cussler to...well, me.

My question in today's title is rhetorical, but another question follows. Is any pastime anywhere as thoroughly discussed as… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 14, 2009 at 9:55pm — 2 Comments

Flying to Washington or Baltimore? Meet Me this Weekend!

Today I will greet flyers at the Borders in Baltimore Washington International Airport from 8 am to noon.

Tomorrow I switch to Borders at Washington Dulles International Airport. I'll be talking to the afternoon travelers at that store, from 2 pm to 6 pm. It will be two more chances to spread my books around the country and around the world!

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 14, 2009 at 9:07pm — No Comments