October 2007 Blog Posts (215)

Writers Need Readers

There is some concern in the publishing industry about the fact that every year there are fewer readers in this country. We all know why, and I'm not here to argue that it's wrong, wrong, wrong, even though it is.

The question is what can build interest in reading? Those factors need to be cultivated. For one thing, there's the popularity of certain books among young people. Once a kid has developed an interest in Potter or Goosebumps or Chillermania, chances are he will understand…

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Added by Peg Herring on October 31, 2007 at 10:57pm — 2 Comments

MANAGING TIME WISELY: IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

(Or Listen to the Blogcast)



For many years, I was the official "cookie baker" for my family’s holiday get-togethers. Chocolate chip

cookies were my specialty, but I dabbled in sugar, chocolate, apple,

creamy fillings, and other gourmet styles, too.



As the years passed, and I became busier at work, I grew less entranced…
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Added by Jane Cleland on October 31, 2007 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Lead The Way

Posted by Doranna

Mr. Leash is Your Friend

Leash_2 Well, Mr. Leash is my friend. Especially when Mr. Leash is on other peoples' dogs. And I swear I wrote this before the events of the 21st and my previous blog, when Connery was attacked by the Giant Schnauzer. Honestly honestly truly. I even wrote it before the comments I saw in my SFF Net hang-out,…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 31, 2007 at 9:52pm — No Comments

I Am Legend

I'm currently reading Richard Matheson vampire/zombie classic I Am Legend from 1954. It's just recently been translated in Finnish - for the first time! I'm enjoying the book immensely and am wondering what kind of a shock it must've been to readers of 1954. It came out as a paperback from Gold Medal and people must've picked it up more from a habit than from really knowing what it's about. No wonder it's been so influential - there's lots of stuff that George Romero picked up from this (and I… Continue

Added by Juri Nummelin on October 31, 2007 at 8:19pm — No Comments

The Butterfly Children Effect and Me

Last night was one of the most emotional nights of my life.



First, I had to give a speech. And I do not like public speaking. It's like finding yourself in one of those weird dreams where you are suddenly starkers in a public place with nowhere to run and hide. Not comfortable with it in the least.





Second, the speech was about my Aunt, who suffered and passed away from a horrifying and, until lately, rarely seen disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa.





Third,… Continue

Added by DADavenport on October 31, 2007 at 12:27pm — 1 Comment

Viewing Tip

Turner Classic Movies will be showing



1946's Deadline at Dawn tonight (Tuesday, October 30) at



11:45 PM Eastern. I caught it at Eddie Muller's Noir



City festival earlier this year, and Megan Abbott



wrote an appreciation of it in the Film Noir



Foundation's latest newsletter. Trust me when I say



it's one of the damnedest movies you'll ever see.



Clifford Odets adapting Cornell Woolrich for…
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Added by Vince Keenan on October 31, 2007 at 9:23am — 2 Comments

The Cheap Catch-up

Doesn't that sound like a Ross MacDonald title? In reality, the lovely and brilliant folks at Worldwide Mystery (a branch of Harlequin) have decided to publish a mass market (i.e., less than $5) version of my very first mystery, "Mew is for Murder" in November. Worldwide only sells online (how do you think they keep their prices so low?) and they only print a limited number of books, so this is a limited-time offer.… Continue

Added by Clea Simon on October 31, 2007 at 8:30am — No Comments

Paying the Piper Goes On Sale!

Paying the Piper went on sale today. Naturally, I'm quite excited, so I think I'll spend the rest of the day gloating in a dark corner. :-)

Added by Simon Wood on October 31, 2007 at 7:33am — No Comments

Presenting... Murray!



Congratulations and a big "thank you" to Jacqueline and Graig Fantuzzi, who won the right to name a cat in my next mystery. Their donation to Boston's Animal Rescue League will help pay for adoptions, spay and neuters, and tons of other great services to animals and animal lovers.



As a small thank you, their… Continue

Added by Clea Simon on October 31, 2007 at 4:00am — No Comments

Magna Cum Murder

I attended my first Magna conference this past weekend and had a great time! I made new acquaintances and managed not to get killed on I-65. Every time I go to a writer's con, I feel pumped and ready to write when I get back. I needed the shot in the arm as I've been struggling with a couple of manuscripts. One is a stand-alone suspense, the other horror.

Thanks to several writing vets at Magna, I learned a few tricks for spurring the old creative juices. So now I'm off and running… Continue

Added by Scarlett Dean on October 31, 2007 at 1:17am — No Comments

I got reviewed!

In the recent CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, I have a review for ISLAND OF EXILES. It's by David Montgomery, more's the joy, for not all reviewers were created equal. This mystery reviewer is GOOD! So I feel immensely flattered and very grateful for the attention. And now, here it is:

I.J. Parker's latest is the fifth mystery to feature Sugawara Akitada, a nobleman in medieval Japan with a knack for solving crimes. Island of Exiles is a superior effort that ranks as…

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Added by I. J. Parker on October 31, 2007 at 12:14am — 7 Comments

Brave New World Part 2

Posted by Lorraine (L.L.) Bartlett

Here at Casa Ivy Bend, we've been living in a computer crisis, so following Sheila's lead, I thought I'd blog about it.

Imac My husband is self-employed as a cartographer, and his Mac G3 has been dying a slow and painful death. We really had no choice but to…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 30, 2007 at 10:31pm — No Comments

About a Writer's Confidence

Exposing one's writing to the world is more terrifying than all the chainsaw massacre movies put together. Emily Dickinson said it: "How can you print a piece of your soul?" And yet, there is a compulsion in those of us who write to share that writing with others. We are tentative at first, but we can't resist handing that "piece of soul" to another person, hoping that he or she will say, "This is good." Often we're even okay with "This isn't too bad."

My first time story: I shared my…

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Added by Peg Herring on October 30, 2007 at 8:53pm — No Comments

Panel Fun

You still have a couple days to get your panel ideas in to the LIM Board! Go to the site by November 1 and submit your panel and presenting ideas. There have been more than a few times at LIM where I've heard someone speak then I've gone to get a couple of their books and then had them signed. Speaking on a panel is great for marketing. It can also be fun.

Fellow librarians and Readers Advisory experts Marlene Leonardi from the Palatine PL and Susan Gibberman from Schaumburg Twp.…

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Added by Love Is Murder Conference on October 30, 2007 at 12:55pm — No Comments

Interview with Craig McDonald

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the latest Monday Interview at Things I'd Rather Be Doing is with author Craig McDonald, a fellow Crimespacer who has a great new novel, Head Games, out now. We talk about that book, his pending series and his past work doing wonderful Q&As with some of the top crime writers in the business.

Added by John Kenyon on October 30, 2007 at 11:22am — No Comments

New Interview Posted

The great John Kenyon turns his Monday Interview eye on me over at Things I'd Rather Be Doing. The interview centers on my debut novel, HEAD GAMES, as well as my forthcoming interview book ROGUE MALES (featuring interviews with Daniel Woodrell, James Sallis, Pete Dexter and Elmore Leonard, among many others). Read the interview at: … Continue

Added by Craig McDonald on October 30, 2007 at 7:42am — 2 Comments

rotten tomatoes and dirty old men

Girl is really into the Bermuda Triangle right now. She wants to take a boat to the edge of it and flay a paper plane into it. Her big thing now is

"teaching" in her classroom, and of course I am the inept pupil. Her

earnestness is so cool, and she's obviously modeling her second grade

teacher. And I get to trick her into improving my math skills.

Got…

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Added by Scott Nicholson on October 30, 2007 at 3:27am — No Comments

In for Questioning - Anne Frasier Interview

Suspect: Anne Frasier

Age: I should really just skip this one, shouldn't I?

Occupation: Author

Last known location: Minneapolis, MN





In this week's episode, we talk with Anne about…

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Added by Angie on October 30, 2007 at 2:30am — No Comments

O BRAVE NEW WORLD

Posted by Sheila Connolly

I am writing and sending this post from my new computer. To most of you out there, this should be no big deal, but this is the first computer I have researched, purchased, and set up all by myself. I am patting myself on the back.

I know, most kids today could do this while watching television, listening to their MP3 player, and eating lunch, but for me it’s a major achievement. I remember life before computers (gasp).

Back in the Dark…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 29, 2007 at 9:52pm — No Comments

Pacing a Novel

A friend and I exchange manuscripts from time to time, and her latest is, to use an overused word that actually applies here, riveting. That got me thinking about pacing.

Sometimes a book reaches out and grabs you by the throat and won't let go. You need to know what happens to the protag, need to know why he/she's in such deep trouble, need to have the whole story. You hear people say they stayed up half the night to finish a book, and it's understandable. You become so…

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Added by Peg Herring on October 29, 2007 at 9:01pm — 1 Comment

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