All Blog Posts Tagged 'reading' (108)

When the Plot Fizzles

I recently read two books, both well-written for the most part. However, one provided a surprise at the end that satisfied me as a reader while the other sort of backed out of the story with little attention paid to the killer's motives, in fact, with some doubt as to who actually did what. I want more than that.

I most admire writers who are able to focus everything in the story toward the climax. Characters who at the end do what they do because we know them and expect just that.… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on March 10, 2009 at 9:30pm — 4 Comments

Damsels & Daggers

That's the name of my panel at Sleuthfest on Feb. 27, so the question today concerns historical mysteries. When (if) you read historicals, do you choose by time period, e.g. the Renaissance or ancient Rome, or by author, no matter what era he/she chooses as setting?

Added by Peg Herring on February 12, 2009 at 9:30pm — 1 Comment

The Picky Reader (R)

I admit it; I've become a picky reader. Becoming more aware of writing as I practice the craft, I am increasingly intolerant of writers who are sloppy and formulaic. In the last two days I've started no less than five books only to drop them in the give-away pile an hour or so later. It's something I never would have done in the past, but I've decided that there's too much good writing out there to waste my time on junk.

I've ranted here before about secondary characters who have no… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on January 23, 2009 at 10:37pm — 5 Comments

P.J.'s Guest Blog #3 Favorite Books

When people find out that I review mysteries, and that I read manuscripts, they almost always ask me a question I really dread, "Who is your favorite mystery writer?" The easy answer is, of course, that I don't have a favorite. There are too many good writers to pick just one. The reply when I'm with people who read mysteries with as much fervor as I do is more complex. It turns into a series of new questions: Male or Female, Living or Dead, Cozy or Hard-boiled, P.I. or Police Procedural,… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on January 21, 2009 at 10:45pm — 1 Comment

Judging Writers

I've been thinking about judging, reviewing, and opining on books lately for two reasons. First, I've asked a reviewer/judge/friend to guest blog in this spot for the first four Wednesdays of 2009. P.J. Coldren is a reader for the Malice Domestic Contest as well as a frequent book reviewer. She will explain her credentials in her blog and give some ideas on what makes a winner, whether in a contest or as a published novel.

The other reason for my thoughts on judging is that I… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on December 30, 2008 at 10:34pm — No Comments

Who Deserves to Live?

The answer to that question has gone through several phases in my lifetime. When I was a kid, bad guys were shot dead left and right, and nobody gave them a second thought. Then we got into the idea of rehabilitation, and bad guys were arrested and led away with "Book 'em, Dano" or something similar. When cop/sleuths' personalities began to enter into fiction, we had to deal with the fact that they FELT like killing the really bad guys. For a while there, it became pretty common for the bad guy… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on December 16, 2008 at 10:14pm — 6 Comments

November Reading

(Cross posted on One Bite at a Time.) A pretty slow month for several reasons, not the least of which was a family visit over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Some oldies but goodies got read, though, starting with

Red Harvest, by Dashiell Hammett

I'd read it before and thought it was okay, thought I'd read it again in light of my (hopefully) more discerning taste. Yep, it's all they said it was. Tightly written, and it moves along with the staccato rhythm of gunfire, of… Continue

Added by Dana King on December 4, 2008 at 1:58pm — No Comments

Release date!

I am very excited to be able to say that I have a release date for Avenging Angel! The book is coming out on December 18th, at Red Rose Publishing.

You can get it on the publisher's site at http://www.redrosepublishing.com

Added by Kim Smith on November 22, 2008 at 2:11am — No Comments

The End, Finally

I don't think there is an end to most of my written work. Obviously when something goes to publication, I have to say it's finished, but until that point, I never feel like I'm done with it. However, I made a big step toward the end of my WIP this morning: a rough draft that, in spite of its holes, feels like a complete story.

There is lots still to do. Characters morphed during the course of the story and now have to be adjusted in their entrances. Details have to be added that… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on November 20, 2008 at 10:13pm — No Comments

It's All My Mother's Fault (R)

Really. I mean, the woman started reading me Edgar Allen Poe when I was still too short to reach the kitchen faucet and get my own drink of water. She would often appear in our bedroom doorway with a book and share a snippet of poetry or prose that had grabbed her imagination, and it was usually something spooky. She talked about words and the usage of words, why things were better said this way than that. And she put into my hands at about age thirteen the most unlikely of English teacher… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on November 12, 2008 at 10:20pm — No Comments

Loud Reading

It's not easy to explain, but the best way to write well is to read, and the best way to read is aloud. I don't know why it works, but reading your work aloud allows you to step away from being the writer and be a listener. As such, you'll hear repetitive phrases, awkward constructions, and even plot hitches that silent reading as the author doesn't give you, I suppose because you know the work too well.

One tendency I have is to use my characters' names too often. When I read aloud,… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 30, 2008 at 9:03pm — No Comments

These People Know Mystery

I just returned from Magna Cum Murder in Muncie, Indiana, and I have to say that it brings back memories of my first week at college. I came from a small high school where I was the smart girl to a mid-sized university, and it was an eye-opening experience to find so many around me who were just as smart, and even a lot smarter than I. I loved the stimulation, but I knew I had to be on my toes.

That's how Magna is. You know your favorites in mystery, you know the characters and the… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 27, 2008 at 10:58pm — 5 Comments

The Writer's Mind vs the Reader's (R)

I've been reading a book by an author I like a lot, but this one has been a real trial. Too many characters, too much obscure information, and a shift between first and third person that creates the feeling that I'm reading two different books. I'll finish it because she's good and I know it, but it won't go on my list of her best.

At the same time I had the experience of two people reading one of my works with two different results. The first one didn't finish, simply gave up with… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on September 23, 2008 at 11:01pm — No Comments

Everyone's a Critic. Or Should Be.

In addition to much appreciated writing credits, producing reviews has definitely made me a better fiction writer. Read entire post.

Added by Dana King on September 18, 2008 at 6:23am — No Comments

Variety (R)

As I read through the posts on several writer/reader forums I've joined, it strikes me that we're different. Now isn't that profound?

Different means that a book I like, for example, Craig Johnson's A Cold Dish, made a reader post that she'd given up on it because it took too long to tell the story, and a book I find corny and in fact irritating is someone else's "brilliant read." If you've read earlier posts you can guess which authors I don't care for in the mystery genre, and my… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on September 15, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Point of View Plus

I have just returned from giving a talk to a local reading circle. It was their fourth anniversary of meeting and they wanted to mark it with the visit of a 'live' author. Think I qualify on those grounds - though sometimes I'm not so sure about the 'live' bit. They were a lovely and lively group of women (sadly their only male member had recently left to go into a nursing home). It was a pleasure to meet them all. I talked about how I write and read… Continue

Added by Pauline Rowson on August 20, 2008 at 3:24am — No Comments

Victor Gischler Interview

Suspect: Victor Gischler Known Aliases: Mr. Apocalypso (yes, I made that up)

Occupation: Writer, College professor

Last Known Location: Baton Rouge, LA

Listen in as Victor talks about his… Continue

Added by Angie on August 14, 2008 at 1:00am — No Comments

Ian Rankin Interview

The Bloody Scots - Part 5

Suspect: Ian Rankin

Known Aliases: King of Tartan Noir, God

Occupation: Writer

Last Known Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

Listen in as Ian talks about his Inspector Rebus series, the recent explosion in the Scottish arts… Continue

Added by Angie on July 22, 2008 at 5:14am — No Comments

What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby?

Okay, so I stole that one from a Christmas song.

Choosing a title is sometimes tough, sometimes easy. Some stories just naturally generate a title and others may not be titled until the last possible moment. Unfortunately it's sometimes much later that you know whether you chose the right name for your story or not. A publisher may sometimes retitle the work, and I've spoken with authors who liked the change and others who didn't. Publishers usually win those arguments.

We… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on July 1, 2008 at 10:20pm — 1 Comment

One Way to Be a Successful Writer

We get all sorts of advice about query letters, pitches, writing styles, words per day, and on and on. But there are two things that help you in the world of writing that have nothing to do with your own work. They have to do with someone else's.

Read other writers' work. Read the writers you aspire to be like and try to decide what it is in their work that you admire. Read writers you don't like and figure out what they're doing wrong, at least in your opinion (remembering, of… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on June 30, 2008 at 10:48pm — 2 Comments