October 2007 Blog Posts (215)

Good Manners Make Good Business

Last weekend I had an experience worth sharing with anyone who wants to promote his or her book. It’s worth sharing because it’s exactly what you do NOT want to do, a perfect example of how to generate a negative impression of yourself.

I was one of the many volunteers working our Sisters in Crime booth at a local book festival. In honor of the Halloween party to launch our Make Mine Mystery book club, I was dressed as a witch. (Typecasting? Maybe! All I know is I was dressed all…

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Added by Joanna Campbell Slan on October 15, 2007 at 3:57am — No Comments

Bus Breakdown Blues (BNWT #11)

Escondido, CA. -- In the yellow-brown dust alongside U.S. Highway 15, a major new freeway through the heart of San Diego County’s hilly desert region, the Big Numbers World Tour bus suffers a meltdown.

Out of gas, two flat tires, and a broken, cranky heart. The Old Steel Warrior just couldn’t take the pounding schedule. Those endless miles in the dead of night. The refueling and maintenance nightmares in unknown territory. Those snubs from fancier buses.

“No problem,”… Continue

Added by Jack Getze on October 15, 2007 at 2:32am — No Comments

Eastern Promises

Has anyone seen this film yet? I would like to know how it compares to History of Violence.

Added by Dana Christian Kabel on October 15, 2007 at 12:24am — No Comments

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Added by George Wilder Jr. on October 14, 2007 at 7:08am — No Comments

"Name That Anthology" contest - final days

About a week left in the submission window for stories for the quirky

crime anthology HOW'D THEY DO THAT? Editor is fellow Crimespacer Jenifer Nightingale-Ethier. She's open to cross-genre pieces, so long as the core of the plot is a mystery/crime situation.

But, wait, there's more! Also taking suggestions for a new, cleverer

(?) name for the book. You don't have to submit a story to suggest a

title. Winner of the title contest gets cash & credit in the… Continue

Added by Doug Wood on October 14, 2007 at 4:17am — No Comments

Designing Online Zines for Fun and Profit

written by guest blogger Melanie Fletcher

Heya -- I'm Melanie Fletcher. In addition to being a science fiction writer/fencer/quilter/bellydancer/herder of cats, I'm also the webmistress for the quarterly speculative fiction zine Helix.

I wish I could say that I got the job after a continent-spanning talent search by the editors for the hottest zine designer around. The truth…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 14, 2007 at 2:50am — No Comments

On the road for DYING TO BE THIN: week two

This past week has been incredible.

My week-that-shall-live-in-fond-memory started last Friday, when I attended the book launch party for DYING TO BE THIN. And what a party! The hostess, Mary Farrell, pulled out all the stops to make the party a night to remember. She brought in an awesome caterer, Jen Sweet (gotta love that last name), who produced Whoopie Pies wrapped in ribbons…

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Added by Kathryn Lilley on October 13, 2007 at 7:45pm — No Comments

October is My Month for Interviews

This seems to be my month

for having interviews on the internet. May have something to do with my

having the trade paperback edition of Glitter of Diamonds out this

month.

I'm the featured author for Mystery Lovers' Corner. If you go there, you can enter a contest to win signed copies of both Glitter of Diamonds and Shaded Light.

And there's an… Continue

Added by N. J. Lindquist on October 13, 2007 at 11:14am — No Comments

Nobody Move, This Is A Review: THE BLOOMSDAY DEAD by Adrian McKinty

The concluding part of Adrian McKinty’s ‘Dead’ trilogy, following on from DEAD I WELL MAY BE and THE DEAD YARD, THE BLOOMSDAY DEAD finds the seemingly indestructible Michael Forsythe back on home ground in

Ireland for the first time since he left Belfast in 1991. It’s not what you

might call a happy homecoming, however; the daughter of his former lover, the

flame-haired Bridget, has…

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Added by Declan Burke on October 13, 2007 at 7:18am — 1 Comment

An Unwelcome Guest

Revising this novel has been like walking through molasses. Keeping momentum is difficult, and when I’m not working quickly I can’t outrun my Inner Critic.* Unfortunately, he has moved in and set up camp.

He is now ensconced in a recliner chair in the corner, booted feet crossed, smoking a pipe. With one lift of a sardonic eyebrow, he shoots me silent questions and comments. Who are you to plot an entire novel? I can completely see who did it the first time you introduce that… Continue

Added by Lisa Stiles on October 13, 2007 at 1:45am — 1 Comment

Smokin' Steinhauers!

Olen Steinhauer, well known among those of us that like our crime fiction bleak and real, is mostly linked with his series of Cold War novels set in a fictional Eastern European country that remains nameless. I'm guilty of only having read the first novel, but the second and third are already in waiting.

Why am I mentioning all this?

Word…

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Added by Daniel Hatadi on October 13, 2007 at 1:18am — 1 Comment

Librarians Are Our Friends

To the zillions of bits of advice for new authors, add one more: Make friends with librarians. These people are amazing despite the somewhat stuffy reputation they have.

First, they love to help you find things. Tell a librarian you want to know when a certain bridge was built, and he takes it as a challenge. I heard two of them discussing it only yesterday, and one guy said to the other, "I referred her to the Chamber of Commerce, but I want to find out now too, just so I know." Just…

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Added by Peg Herring on October 12, 2007 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Back to Reality

Saturday I got up and looked out of my window at Emily and Dwayne's

house. More snow had fallen overnight. They took me to the airport and,

needless to say, I had a good cry.

Back in Anchorage there were cars and roads and people and bustle - all the

things I had got used to being without in the past week. Marti from the

Authors To… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 12, 2007 at 10:17pm — 1 Comment

When it hits you, it hits you.

Started working on new novel Sunday night. It is Thursday; I have 10,598 words. I am going to ride this wave as long as possible. Other projects that are waiting, will wait. Love it when things flow. Let them flow, then. I will become immersed in this muse, and forget the cry of gulls, and the profit and the loss. &c. Dig it.

Added by Timothy C. Phillips on October 12, 2007 at 5:28pm — No Comments

TV Magic- Cramming a 300 page book into five minutes

When Master Detective was first released, I was interviewed by Channel 13. For a five minute interview by people who had not read the book, it went pretty well. (Well, geez, they can't read everybody's book for a short interview.) Marty Bass latched on to the CSI connection, even though Ellis Parker never heard of DNA and seldom even used fingerprints. I got a free Channel 13 coffee mug out of the deal, and a good jolt of free publicity. Anyway, see for yourself.… Continue

Added by John Reisinger on October 12, 2007 at 5:43am — No Comments

Scraps of the Past

One of the problems with writing a non fiction crime book is knowing when to stop. It seems as if there is always just one more piece of information just over the horizon. Then, of course when you do finish, these bits of information show up, too late to be included. I was reminded of this fact of life at the recent event in New Jersey.

The Ellis Parker book event and historical site tour was held on September 22 in Mt Holly, New Jersey, scene of much of the action in Master…

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Added by John Reisinger on October 12, 2007 at 5:38am — No Comments

This is brilliant.

Cats AND Crime AND Rock & Roll! Plus, if you listen to the end, a little lesson in cat care (keep that kitty amused).

Thanks to the crime writers over at First Offenders for turning me onto this, "The Mean Kitty Song." (Have I mentioned? Musetta is also a foot… Continue

Added by Clea Simon on October 12, 2007 at 4:24am — No Comments

Doris Lessing Wins Nobel Prize for Literature!

She was one of my favorite writers in high school. In fact, my AP English essay was on one of her novels, SUMMER BEFORE THE DARK. I think that I may even have unconsciously named my first mystery after that book!

Added by Naomi Hirahara on October 12, 2007 at 3:20am — No Comments

Panning For Gold

posted by Jeanne Munn Bracken

I probably should have been a travel agent. I spend a lot of time planning our trips. I had Alaska guidebooks, maps, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and website printouts scattered all over the house for many months.

Of course we couldn't experience all of Alaska in three weeks, but we could sure take a good big bite out of it. Which is why we were up one morning at 5:15 to make a 6:30 departure for a van trip up the Dalton Highway…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 12, 2007 at 12:54am — No Comments

Road Trip

I mentioned a while back that driving is conducive to plotting for me. I particularly like long trips alone, where my conscious mind is focused on driving while those little beta waves are free to roam where they will. I keep a tape recorder in the car and talk to it, trying out plotlines and honing characters' fine points. I'm often surprised when I transcribe them later and find forgotten nuggets of creativity that are pure gold.

It's also kind of funny to listen to them, because…

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Added by Peg Herring on October 11, 2007 at 9:47pm — 1 Comment