August 2009 Blog Posts (175)

If You Died Today, Who Would Take Care of Your Family?

My very first flash over at A Twist of Noir is now a short film, ready to watch right here. And when I say "short," I'm not kidding.

Seriously, guys, I'm really pleased with how this came out. I've already begun work on the follow up. Fuck Hollywood, we're making our own.

Added by Jimmy Callaway on August 5, 2009 at 2:06pm — 2 Comments

MATING SEASON an Amazon Kindle "Mover and Shaker"

Added by Jon Loomis on August 5, 2009 at 5:50am — 2 Comments

Sonisphere Festival Review

Having had so much fun at Latitude a couple of weeks back, Lisa and I made a last minute decision to join our good friends Jay (part man, part cider drinking machine), Chris (my uber talented web designer) and Phil (the leather trousered wolfman) in attending the first ever Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth. Now the first thing you need to know about Sonisphere is that it RAWKS! When a band like Feeder are one of the lighter acts on the bill you know that you’re in for some serious riffage.… Continue

Added by Steven Hague on August 5, 2009 at 2:07am — No Comments

Weekly Blog - Monday 3rd August

Last week I was a guest on Radio Norfolk’s Drivetime show, where I got to chat about my latest novel, Blood Law, my chequered past, and my enduring love of rock music. The show lasted for around an hour, and I was stoked to be able to introduce six of my all-time favourite tracks. For those of you that missed the show (and give a damn), these were my selections:

The ’59 Sound – by The Gaslight Anthem

Everlong – by The Foo Fighters

If I Can’t Change Your Mind – by… Continue

Added by Steven Hague on August 5, 2009 at 2:00am — No Comments

And How About Those Apostrophes!

Pronouns are a mess, but the use of the apostrophe requires a Congressional committee or something. I've been tempted to take on the role of Night Grammarian, going around in a Ninja suit after dark fixing signs that say such things as "Kitten's for Sale" or "10 Items' or Less," or even "Mens' Clothing."

It isn't that hard, but it does require paying attention. My mom, a life-long English teacher, preferred to teach apostrophes this way.

First, reverse the adjective-noun order:… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 4, 2009 at 10:15pm — No Comments

Another Great Review

I like share reviews of Russian Roulette and today I’d like to introduce you to super-fan Laine Estep.

Ms Estep is a real mystery connoisseur. Under the name MysteryReaderNC you can find her reviews of crime fiction on a number of web sites and blogs, including several on Amazon.com. She’s been a Hannibal Jones follower since near the beginning of his career so she was one of the first people I considered when I went looking for early reviews of Russian Roulette.

Ms Estep… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 4, 2009 at 9:59pm — No Comments

Planting red herrings

A reviewer once said of one of my books, "Lilley has cornered the market in red herrings." Read more...

Added by Kathryn Lilley on August 4, 2009 at 8:30pm — No Comments

A Gripping Read, or Gripping Your Read

I’m delighted to present a guest blogger today whose terrific new novel STOP ME is out tomorrow. Richard Jay Parker was born in the same South Wales town as me, just around the corner from where my parents now live. In our different ways, clearly, the mean streets of Newport shaped… Continue

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

A writer's joke (an old one, true. But still good)

A writer comes home and finds his wife standing beside their home completely gutted by fiire. Beside the smoking embers his wife stands, sobbing.

"Honey, what happened!"

"Oh, darling! The phone rang this morning and I answered it. It was your agent. But when I answered the phone, I didn't see the frying pan filled with grease catch on fire. The curtains caught on fire, and then the ceiling began to burn. The dog started barking and bolted out the back door, taking the… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on August 4, 2009 at 4:10pm — 2 Comments

A Little Writer Related News...

The Writer's Guild of America is filled with righteous anger because the Emmy Awards decided to drop the scribe related categories from the telecast. Apparently they're just not worthy of ever appearing on the same stage as Kathy Griffin who will…

Continue

Added by D.R. MacMaster on August 4, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Do Some Damage

Do Some Damage, the blog with me and some dudes with actual talent, launched this weekend.

Do Some Damage is a group of seven crime writers, each with a different voice and something to say. From grizzled vets to grizzly rooks, they pull back the curtain on the way the industry works. Whether beating deadlines or beating characters, each week they share their thoughts on reading, writing, plot, voice and all the sordid junk that… Continue

Added by Steve Weddle on August 4, 2009 at 10:31am — No Comments

Switch becomes a bestseller in Germany

As an author, one is told not to pay any attention to Amazon rankings as they'll drive you crazier than you already are. However, in ignoring this advice, as of this particular moment in time, Switch is an official bestseller on Amazon Germany. Die Stimme des Dämons is sitting at No. 32 on Mysteries & Thrillers and No. 137 in the overall category of Books. WooHoo!

Added by Grant McKenzie on August 4, 2009 at 9:40am — 2 Comments

Talk about lazy...

Okay, here's the story: I got a form rejection reply from another agent, or to be more specific, the agent's assistant, which stated that despite what their website and other public statements said, they're too busy and not looking for new clients, good luck, yadda yadda yadda, but this time it came with a little something extra.

You know when someone replies to an e-mail, there's usually the first e-mail on the top of the page, that's fairly common, but this time it got… Continue

Added by D.R. MacMaster on August 4, 2009 at 7:58am — 2 Comments

Flic Manning on the Radio?

Updates, updates, updates….

Ok so for all those who have been following what has been happening…I have finished one book and made a good start on another. I am now five chapters into my new novel and it is going exactly to plan. I have learnt so much from the first one that I am really enjoying the writing process on this one!

I have also spent much of today making contact with a dozen or so radio stations. I am determined that I can break the stereotype of an Author by… Continue

Added by Flic Manning on August 4, 2009 at 1:33am — No Comments

Sex in Literature

Dishonest title, I suppose. My topic is pronouns that signify sex, (and if you're a speaker of many foreign languages, nouns as well). Why do we have such trouble with them?

Part of it is some weird need we have to delineate male from female. Does it really make that much difference, once you've identified a person, which pronoun is used? Wouldn't "it" work as well and eliminate a lot of suffering? I think we could get used to "it". (And you foreigners: why does a chair have to be… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 3, 2009 at 11:02pm — 6 Comments

Who's Your Publisher?

At book signings there are always people who, instead of asking about my books will ask, “are you self-published?” or, “Who’s your publisher?” It often feels like a put down, and some days I wish I could say “Random House. Why?” Instead I explain that I’m published by two small presses, Echelon Press being the larger.

But then I mention that The Shack was originally self published like my books originally were. And I ask if it would make a difference if I were published by Mariner… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 3, 2009 at 10:04pm — 1 Comment

Agent: Exclusives with an Agent are a Bad Thing

According to Janet Reid, an agent with FinePrint Literary Management, "Exclusives aren't a good business practice." Click here to read why on her blog.

What do you think?

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on August 3, 2009 at 2:00pm — 4 Comments

Greetings fellow writers

Just wanted to let those interested know that while I will be on the site for discussions and what have you, I most likely will only rarely update this blog. I have a blog via wordpress (http://thewriter.wordpress.com) which I now utilize exclusively for all my blogging. So, please check it out if you want to read any musings or what have you. Thanks!

Added by Shannon Chenoweth on August 3, 2009 at 12:50pm — No Comments

For Writers

I just posted a blog at my main blog site on how to work the internet. Check it out!

Added by Austin S. Camacho on August 3, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

Written in Stone

I recently spent some time in a small country cemetery staring at graves with my name on them. Until I saw it written in stone, I held fast to the assumption that ours was a rare and unique clan. Turns out we’re as common as table salt, if you know where to look.

In a small churchyard, in the bluff country above Winona, Minnesota sit smooth red granite monoliths side-by-side with ancient white obelisks and rough-cut black marble markers. Each as unique as the person buried below, but… Continue

Added by Karyn J. Powers on August 3, 2009 at 8:55am — 2 Comments