A New Year

On the last day of Bouchercon, in Anchorage, Alaska, a group of Sisters and Brothers in Crime joined together for breakfast and for hailing in a new year of work. Reports were given on the various aspects of the organization (treasury, special projects, PR, Forensics U, and more) and a new Board of Directors was voted in. The new Board is as follows:

Roberta Isleib, President

Judy Clemens, Vice President

Marcia…

Posted by Sheila Connolly

I'm writing a mystery series featuring Tucson glassblower Em Dowell as my protagonist. The "hook" was handed to me by an editor, and, in the interests of full disclosure, I told her "I don't know much about glassblowing." Apparently that wasn't a problem for her, and I hope that meant she had faith in my ability to bone up on a subject, even though she had never met me and had seen only fifty pages of my writing.

I had taken…

I'm not too eager to seek out new crime thrillers and blockbuster movies, but as I was tired last night I decided to watch Hostage from the Finnish tube. Based on Robert Crais's novel, the movie is fast-moving and gripping, but the finale was way too much for me. Too conscious of the fireworks, if you know what I mean. The bad guy was also too bad - he became one-dimensional in the end (especially when he moved like Alien in the tunnel system of the house!). Bruce Willis was also a bit…

When I came across the tale of Kinmont Willie, I knew he had to become a character in one of my books. Likewise Ivar the Boneless; who could resist a character with a name like that?

One of the reasons I love fiction is that it can be based on fact. History is fascinating, stuffed with characters who are unusual, colorful, and unbelievably evil. In novel writing you can take these footnotes of history and make them yours, creating a similar character to suit your plot requirements. If…

My short story, THE LOST SHOE, is now up at http://www.longstoryshort.us look for it under the heading "CRITTERS" on the left side bar.

I hope you enjoy it!

A quote on writing that I pulled from today's paper...

Writing is an obsessive-compulsive disorder. A kind of miracle. Something out of nothing. Out of you. Only you can write it, whether it's good or bad.

T.C. Boyle

There's some wild discussion about what's noir over on Rara-Avis e-mail list. My definitions for everything are always too loose, but this is noir: H.A. DeRosso's western paperback from 1953, .44. Check my blog post here:

http://pulpetti.blogspot.com/2007/10/1000th-post-ha-derosso.html

Pulp Pusher has just put up the final instalment in my four-part interview with the legendary Andrew Vachss . . . he's on blistering form, revealing all about how long the Burke series can run, why he doesn't sign contracts to write books and what he thinks of David Beckham!!! Take a looksee…

So, after spending a day in the school in Kalskag, I flew back to Aniak. The next morning I was being picked up early to fly to Sleetmute - one

of the…