Fellow CrimeSpacer B.R. Stateham has the guest post today on my blog. He's talking about short stories, and he's got 4 bits of advice. Of most interest to me was his insistence that you "leave a few holes in the plot."

I don't think he means to work in inconsistencies. Rather, leave some of the story to the reader's imagination. Do you agree?

You can read all of B.R.'s post on my blog here: http://tinyurl.com/4xrd6tb

My first crime novel is here.

After returning to Minnesota from North Dakota Killpocolypse Blizzard of Blood 2011 (in May, of all times), I was delighted to see I still had a face (there are no mirrors in North Dakota). After cracking my nose back into position, I checked my e-mail.

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Good news! "Cleansing Eden" is due out before the week is up. To kick things off, I'm planning a virtual launch party. The black tie affair will take place through my e-mail newsletter.

In addition to the standard where-to-get-it stuff, I'll throw in some freebie extras. Maybe the fabled "Cleansing Eden" online video game will finally make an appearance, you never…

Full disclosure: I work for F&W Media, although not in this part of the company.

F+W Media Announces Creation of F+W Crime

New Crime/Mystery/Dark Literary Fiction Vertical;

Signs Agreement with Benjamin LeRoy and Acquires Tyrus Books

Inspired by this interesting post over at B.R. Stateham's blog, I came up with my own responses to the "rules" of crime fiction that Joyce wrote about. Here goes:

1. Whoever your killer is, make sure you let your readers meet him or her early on. You don’t want them to pop up out of nowhere late in the story.

My brand…

Hear ye, hear ye, all neighborhoods with a town crier instantly see a decline in their property values. And they also catch a glimpse of the cover for a mashup I'm writing with Giovanni Gelati.

Oh yes, I'm diggin' the monocle, too. Can't stop talking about it. Your whole world changes when you get a monocle.

Look for the completed digital short in…

Maybe this works for you, but I don't see it coming out on top in my book. The ol' Think in the Shower Method gets the job done for me.

"Fingerprints" is the Web's first journal of crime flash non-fiction, and it's an honor to have the ubiquitous Paul D. Brazill contribute a piece. It's called "Heart of Saturday Afternoon." If you've ever blown weekends of your youth harassing the help at shopping malls, you'll enjoy what he has to say.

Click here to read, "Heart of Saturday Afternoon."

It's true, I'm happy to say. The good folks of Trestle Press took me on this morning. I'm excited to work with a publisher so committed to reaching readers on different platforms.

It's also nice, once again, to be in a house with fellow C'Spacer B.R. Stateham.

Let the mayhem begin!

This is real life. Philip Dodd unwittingly became the UK's Public Enemy Number One. He tells his story over at "Fingerprints," the Web's first journal of crime flash non-fiction. Click here to read it.

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Amazon and Smashwords are now the same company. Details from the Smashwords Blog:

(Los Mirages, Calif. and Seattle WA) – April 1, 20111 – Smashwords, a leading ebook distributor, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Amazon for $149.99 a share or $69 billion, a 20%…

"Fingerprints" is looking for the kinds of stories you've told a million times to a million people. Those crazy, messed up stories that skirt the edges of the law. Fingerprints calls it "crime flash non-fiction." You might call it, "That time we were in that gas station and this guy tried to rob the place…

http://blog.smashwords.com/2011/03/readers-authors-and-librarians-against.html

My opinion on this is "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Consumers expect technology to work seamlessly between mediums. Adding another layer to access content will drive them to piracy sites.

What do you think?

http://www.bgr.com/2011/03/19/ebook-sales-jump-115-in-january/

The market just doubled. Did your sales? Mine didn't.

A while back here on CrimeSpace, I wrote about having trouble placing a piece of "crime flash non-fiction." It just didn't fit into any of the e-zines out there. Too crime-y for the flash non-fiction journals. Too real for the crime flash fiction 'zines. Too short…

It's all over when the sun goes down and the ghouls eat the people who didn't read an eBook this week.

If you're interested, this is the last day Smashwords will offer my eBook for free. Get it here: http://bit.ly/a9dXSN

There are also a ton of other deals right now on eBooks at Smashwords. Check 'em out!

The hallowed holiday ends March 12. So how are things going? Sold any eBooks? Discovered any new authors? Decided yet if you'll write it "e-book," "ebook" or "eBook?"

I found a pile of new authors I want to read, many of them exclusively publishing electronically.

Which brings to light the other conundrum of this week. I don't own an e-reader. I'm still addicted to print.

Isn't there a cheap gateway drug to e-readers out there? I just can't see…

Break out the Shameless Self-Promotion Hat and Blatant Tooting Horns, International Read an eBook Week is blessedly upon us.

I'm celebrating in style. Smashwords is once again hosting a site-wide promotion. Authors opt in their works for special discounts. My eBook of flash fiction happens to be free during this time (get it here).

What are you doing? Any special deals?

Danish author and Crime Space member Dorte Hummelshoj Jakobsen submitted her flash fiction piece "Grammy" to The Chapter One Blog. It's from Jakobsen's new flash fiction collection, "Candied Crime."

Click here to read it.

Want to submit something for The Chapter One Blog? Click here for details.