October 2008 Blog Posts (175)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Everyone's a little scared. Life may change, big time, for a lot of people. We can't help but consider what those changes might be, what it means for us.

While I don't spend a lot of time fearing the future (It will come and neither you nor I can stop it), I did start thinking about other times in history when change came along to sweep out established patterns. It can't have been easy to be a settler on any frontier, an investor in sailing ships that often didn't return, a believer… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 10, 2008 at 11:02pm — No Comments

CAtch my Presentation in Baltimore Tomorrow

Bouchercon continues with more special events. For example, tomorrow I’ll give a presentation about "Why We Love Crime Fiction" at 2 pm at the Canton Library, 1030 S. Ellwood Avenue and O'Donnell St. in Baltimore. The setting couldn't be more appropriate -- the Canton Library was the nation's first branch library back in 1886, and on the outside it looks like the perfect setting for a Victorian mystery. After the talk, I will be signing copies of my novels at a reception featuring homemade… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on October 10, 2008 at 9:46pm — No Comments

The Stuff The Dreams Are Made Of...

Every once in a while I have a dream that has a coherent plot, characters, and other stuff. I usually jot down some of the details, most of the time it doesn't come to much, but in rare instances a good idea comes out of it.

But what bugs me is when I have a dream about a good idea, I wake up and remember everything, but the good idea.

AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!

Last week I had a dream that I was with some kind of comedy troupe performing in an old… Continue

Added by D.R. MacMaster on October 10, 2008 at 1:58pm — No Comments

Drugs and Capitalism

One of the unfortunate consequences of the war in Afghanistan is the near doubling of global opium production in less than two decades. According to the United Nations, opium production had declined by more than 90% under the hard-line rule of the Taliban. Today, UN data estimates that Afghanistan produces over 90% of the global supply of heroin.

Heroin now represents a large share of the global narcotics’ market, estimated to be between $400-500 billion. According to some accounts,… Continue

Added by Christopher Valen on October 10, 2008 at 12:57pm — No Comments

The Dodo Has Landed

Well, I am here safe and sound in Baltimore. And I know that this will come as a shock to anyone who knows me, but SO IS MY LUGGAGE! Yes, this time it didn't take a wee side trip to somewhere else on the way. And the whole trip went very smoothly, despite arriving in Amsterdam 5 minutes after my plane to Washington started boarding. I have to say that I love Washington Dulles Airport. They have these little sheds on wheels with pneumatic lifts that look like trailer trash tanks and which take… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 10, 2008 at 8:18am — No Comments

Chalice is back

Hi All, RANSOM BEACH, the latest release in the Stephanie Chalice thriller series is now available for immediate shipping from Amazon. If you have a little time, please cruise my website (www.lawrencekelter.com). You can preview the first two chapters and is you're so moved....you can click on the RANSOM BEACH icon and it'll take you right over to Amazon. Hope you'll take a look.

NYPD’s street savvy detective Stephanie Chalice is back and not a minute too soon. Her newest nemesis is… Continue

Added by Lawrence Kelter on October 10, 2008 at 6:06am — 1 Comment

Easy Jobs

I don't think there are any. Every time I've taken a close look at what a person does, I find there are pitfalls. As a teacher, I used to envy those who taught in private schools, thinking they had all "good" kids and lots of parental support. In a summer workshop with teachers from all of the United States, I learned the problems of private school teachers: the entitlement some parents think paying tuition gives them, the my-dad's-rich-so-you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do attitude of some students,… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 9, 2008 at 11:11pm — No Comments

New Holiday Mystery Anthology

I’ve already told you that today thru Sunday I’ll be at Bouchercon in Baltimore. Now I want to tell you about one of the books I’ll be pushing there.

For the third year in a row, Wolfmont Press has released an anthology of winter holiday crime fiction to benefit the Toys for Tots program. “Dying in a Winter Wonderland,” is also the second such collection to feature a new Hannibal Jones story. But don’t order the book just for… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on October 9, 2008 at 8:43pm — No Comments

Pre-B-Con

My first Bouchercon post is up. And God, it's too early for blogging.

Added by Sandra Ruttan on October 9, 2008 at 8:35pm — No Comments

Personal Research

Okay, I know i haven't written anything here in a long, long time. A couple of people have asked me to be their friends, and that prompted me to try to get back into the groove. Thus this entry:

PERSONAL RESEARCH

I do nothing thrilling or dangerous or even exceptional for my

art. I have never so much as shoplifted, let alone robbed a jewelry

store, but I've written about it. I've never held anyone for ransom,

but I've written about it. Never mugged anyone,… Continue

Added by Jan Christensen on October 9, 2008 at 8:25am — No Comments

Play the Publishing Quiz and win a Free book

The Society of Authors meeting in London on Monday was fascinating for many reasons: the venue, the characters in the audience, the panel and what they said. I’ve picked out some quotes from the panel of experts (a publisher, an agent and a book wholesaler) and thought I’d let you decide who said what with the offer of a FREE signed edition of one of my novels if you guess correctly. But first a little more about the event.

The Conway Hall,… Continue

Added by Pauline Rowson on October 9, 2008 at 3:52am — 1 Comment

The Short Story vs Those Long Ones

People who don't write assume that short stories are easier than novels, and I suppose in a way they are. They're short, so there isn't the investment of time that a novel requires. Writing a short story takes days rather than months, and editing takes minutes rather than hours.

Still, a short story isn't easy, and it has its own rules. First is a single plotline; the writer hasn't got time to dally with secondary characters or subplots. Focus has to be on a single story, and… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 8, 2008 at 10:56pm — No Comments

It's all happening in Baltimore this week!!

This week is all about Bouchercon - the biggest mystery fan and writer event of the year. The four-day extravaganza featuring guests of honor like Lawrence Block and Laura Lippman kicks off Thursday morning. I'm on a panel at 10 am on opening day called THE RIDDLE on which I and four other authors will discuss the art of challenging the reader. It all happens at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel, 101 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD.

Added by Austin S. Camacho on October 8, 2008 at 10:31pm — No Comments

The Literary Fiction/Thriller Divide

Beginning today and running until the end of October, thriller authors David Morrell, Gayle Lynds, Barry Eisler, and myself offer their thoughts on the literary fiction/thriller divide at LitPark, Susan Henderson's popular site for literary fiction writers. It's a thoughtful, intelligent discussion that wants your input. Please join us.

Added by Karen Dionne on October 8, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

HUGE Promotional Opportunity!

Hi everybody!

I have a HUGE huge, promo opp coming your way the last week of October. If you are interested in being included on the list to be notified, please email me OFF LIST at: racoo. smith at gmail. com (no spaces) with the words.

BC PROMO OPP in the subject line (so you don't go to the spam folder and get deleted)

Get in line now, because we may have to limit the number of participants this time around. Do NOT delay!

This is only for… Continue

Added by Bitten By Books on October 8, 2008 at 7:27pm — No Comments

~NEVER GIVEN A CHANCE~

I am growing extremely fast,

with the passing of each new day;

I now have an audible Heartbeat,

that is slow, the Doctors' all say.

~

My delicate hand's and feet,

which once were only small buds;

Have now sprouted fingers and toes,

and I can suck my newly formed thumb.

~

It is nice and cozy in here right now,

but soon Mommy’s Womb will expand;

To meet the need's of her Embryo,

the One in her Womb that I am.

~

But my… Continue

Added by JILLIAN ALEXIS on October 8, 2008 at 5:22pm — No Comments

~CRIMSON TEARS~

She reaches for the piece of glass,

kept hidden, so no one will know;

That she releases the sorrow within,

by watching her Crimson Blood flow.

~

She places the glass against her wrist,

as she softly begins to cry;

She presses down as hard as she can,

while her past replays in her mind.

~

“You’re a worthless, Human Being,

a Failure, Ugly and Dumb”;

Thus she slices through to her Artery's,

until every finger is numb.

~

The… Continue

Added by JILLIAN ALEXIS on October 8, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Book Promotion Ideas

In another post from my "real blog", http://bethgroundwater.blogspot.com/ , here's some advice on additional types of promo an author can do besides bookstore signings:

During my chat stint in the EONS Book Gallery Meet The Authors event, a fellow author asked for book promotion suggestions other than signings. I realized that my reply might help other authors, so I decided to copy it here:

There are lots of ways to use the Internet to promote books, as evidenced by this… Continue

Added by Beth Groundwater on October 8, 2008 at 9:06am — No Comments

6 Things about me and books . . .

Joan Reeves, from Slingwords.blogspot.com, tagged me to write “6 things about me and books.” She also tagged: Sweet But Sassy Adina, Bill Crider, Cait London, and L. C. Hayden.

Books, as I look over my computer desk I have four room-length bookshelves above me, filled past capacity with books I’ve read and, laying on their sides, books on my ‘to read’ list. So 6 things . . . here goes . . .

1) In high school, I was anything but a motivated student. I think it was the ninth… Continue

Added by Michael Haskins on October 8, 2008 at 12:50am — No Comments

Character Continuity

I'm reading a book by famous author Oh-My-God-Can-I-Make-Money. I can't say it's bad; things are moving along well enough, but two things bother me. One is that I'd be really confused if I hadn't been warned ahead of time that it's set the future. There are hints but not enough of them to help, so they make it harder, not easier, to follow the plot. Not a big problem; once I put it together with the heads-up I was given, I can deal with that.

More problematic is the lack of character… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 7, 2008 at 10:55pm — No Comments