Marta Stephens's Blog

Susan Whitfield, guest blogger on Novel Works

Susan has written and published mystery novels, GENESIS BEACH, and JUST NORTH OF LUCK. HELL SWAMP, the third novel, will be released by publisher L&L Dreamspell on February 21st. She is currently writing GATOR CREEK, set along the Cape Fear River in Wilmington.

Her article, "Inside the Mind of A Mystery Writer: Challenges" is posted on Novel Works today.… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on December 10, 2009 at 12:55am — No Comments

"The Devil Can Wait" is a IPPY Bronze Medal Finalist!

Here's an update on my previous blog. "The Devil Can Wait" was selected as a 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards IPPY) bronze medal finalist in the mystery/suspense/thriller category!

Added by Marta Stephens on May 26, 2009 at 1:08am — 2 Comments

"The Devil Can Wait" is a IPPY Award semifinalist

The second book in my Sam Harper Crime Mystery series, "The Devil Can Wait," is a semifinalist in the annual IPPY Awards in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category in the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards). The 120 entries in this category were narrowed down to 12 semi-finalists.

The winners will be announced on May 29th on the first evening of the BookExpo America convention in… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on May 9, 2009 at 5:18am — 1 Comment

One of my blogs selected by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for writers!

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my mind around this, but my authors' blog, MURDER BY 4 http://murderby4.blogspot.com , has been selected as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers by Writer's Digest for 2009!

For those not familiar with MURDER BY 4, this writers' blog was launched in February 2008 to give readers and writers and insider's look at the lives of four published authors; Aaron Paul Lazar, Kim Smith, S. W. Vaughn and me :)… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on April 12, 2009 at 8:29am — 3 Comments

Murder By 4/Celebration/Book Give Away

Hey everybody! Stop by Murder by 4 http://www.murderby4.blogspot.com today and join authors Aaron Lazar, Kim Smith, S. W. Vaughn, and I as we celebrate our first anniversary on cyber space group blog. Murder By 4 is where readers will discover new authors, read great articles, and where writers promote their works.

If you were a featured guest on Murder By 4 in the past 12 months or popped in to read one of our posts, stop by and say… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on February 19, 2009 at 3:15am — No Comments

Dirty Little Secrets - Parts 1-3

A short story by

© Marta Stephens 2009 all rights reserved

Sam Harper turned left off Willow Boulevard into a winding private road he had driven past all his life but never entered. In the distance, the McGuire mansion, a sprawling two-story home, stood like a limestone monument to the family’s ego. Its stately structure and steep-angled roof was nestled against a backdrop of tall, lanky pines. Harper imagined a flawlessly, well-groomed lawn would grace the property at the first… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on January 25, 2009 at 5:36am — No Comments

A new blog and a few other things that might be of interest

I'm very excited to announce the launch of my new blog called, SAM HARPER CRIME SCENE

http://samharpercrimescene.blogspot.com featuring none other than my

protagonist, homicide detective Sam Harper. The inspiration for this

blog came from readers and fans—I love it!

In an attempt to do something a different with this blog, I've

developed a series of short Harper stories to post in segments that

will… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on January 8, 2009 at 11:59am — No Comments

Two Days Left in 2008

Can you believe it? Two days left of this crazy busy year? 2008 has been wonderful in so many ways and the blessings continue to mound. I hope it's been good to you too.

One note of thanks goes to the many fabulous friends I've met or bumped into here this year. Thank you for following my posts and my writing career. Thank you for stopping to answer my questions or leave a comment on some of my posts. Thanks for making me laugh with me when I needed it most and for your constant… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on December 30, 2008 at 11:10pm — No Comments

You're invited to my December Virtual Book Tour!

My virtual book tour officially kicked-off yesterday. The first of several articles, interviews, and reviews of my second book, "The Devil Can Wait" have been published. You'll find them at the following links.

Dec. 1 - Fiction Scribe (interview) www.fictionscribe.com

Dec. 1 -- Joylene Nowell Butler (interview) http://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com/

Dec. 2 - The Dark Phantom (guest post) www.thedarkphantom.wordpress.com

Rose and Thorn Reviews (book… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on December 3, 2008 at 2:01am — No Comments

A Christmas Murder Scavenger Hunt

Work the Clues!

The Devil Can Wait

Another Sam Harper Crime Mystery

by

Marta Stephens

Nine bodies, a cursed relic linked to a Christmas Eve prophecy, and no suspects. While homicide detective Sam Harper hunts down the guilty, YOU can track the clues in “The Devil Can Wait” for a chance to win an autographed copy of “Silenced Cry,” the book that launched the Sam Harper Crime Mystery series and received honorable mention at the 2008 New York Book… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on November 19, 2008 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Update on Links and cover contest

I’m pleased to announce that I survived the hour-long interview with Naomi Giroux on "Coffee with an Author" yesterday. I didn't know what questions she was going to ask, but I think it went well. If you have an hour to kill and are up to it, please give it a listen.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/I-just-finished/2008/11/10/Marta-Stephens-on-Coffee-with-an-Author. I had a… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on November 12, 2008 at 11:00am — No Comments

From the desk of homicide detective, Sam Harper

It’s snowing again. Big wet flakes plunge from the evening sky to the streets below. From my fourth floor window the scenery looks as peaceful as the pictures on the Christmas cards Emma keeps on her desk. But the new layer of snow reminds me of the bodies piling up in the morgue. I close my eyes—each victim’s face flashes before them.

I curse under my breath and try to make sense of the killings.

Superstitions and biblical prophesies—old wives’ tales told to scare the… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on November 6, 2008 at 2:32pm — No Comments

Demons, Curses, and Other Weird Things That Go Bump In the Night

© Marta Stephens 2008 all rights reserved

One fact few people know about me is that my paternal grandfather, Marcelo Ruggero, was a stage and film actor in Buenos Aires during the 1930s to the mid 1950s. He was a local sensation in his days. By the time I was born, he had long retired, but his stories lived on through my father. I was always particularly drawn to the tales about the strange things that often plagued the crew and actors… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on October 31, 2008 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Discussion of out-of-the-box book promotion continues today on MURDER BY 4

Author Karen Dionne is today's guest on MURDER BY 4. Karen is the author of the upcoming release FREEZING POINT (October 2, 2008) and co-founder of the writers organization, Backspace.

Karen's passion for networking and unique take on virtual book tours makes this a fascinating read for all writers regardless of genre and experience!
Hope you'll have a chance to stop by and post a comment.

Added by Marta Stephens on July 28, 2008 at 11:44pm — No Comments

Author J D Rhoades guest blogs on the topic of Marketing vs. Connecting

How often have you been invited to sit down with a published author and asked your opinion about anything?

Here's your chance, your invitation to chat with this week's MURDER BY 4 guest blogger J.D. Rhoades, author of BREAKING COVER, published in July 2008 by St. Martin's/Minotaur, and the Jack Keller series of thriller novels: THE DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND, GOOD DAY IN HELL, and SAFE AND SOUND, also from St. Martin 's.

His article… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on July 25, 2008 at 10:04pm — No Comments

An Update On "Things"

Life can only be described as having gone from hectic to frantic. The big news is that my debut novel, SILENCED CRY, received honorable mention at the 2008 New York Book Fair. I heard about the contest late last year and although I was excited about submitting my novel, as the deadline drew near, I began to hesitate. After all, what were the odds of getting noticed among ... how many other excellent entries, right? I’m thrilled to receive the mention. You’ll find the complete list of winners… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on July 23, 2008 at 3:37am — No Comments

This week's lineup of guest bloggers on MURDER BY 4 includes: http://www.murderby4.blogspot.com 7/14/08 - Jim Musgrove, author of The President's Parasite and Other Stories. SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT MUSG…

This week's lineup of guest bloggers on MURDER BY 4 includes: http://www.murderby4.blogspot.com

7/14/08 - Jim Musgrove, author of The President's Parasite and Other Stories.

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT MUSGROVE’S BOOK TOUR ~ Give away Details

Each person who posts a comment on any or all of the blog tour spots will be entered in a random drawing for a copy of Jim Musgrave's book. In addition – the blog owner that… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on July 15, 2008 at 2:54am — No Comments

Crime mystery, Silenced Cry receives honorable mention

As the old saying goes, I was sitting in front of my computer last night, typing, minding my own business when I received the exciting news that my debut novel, Silenced Cry, received honorable mention at the 2008 New York Book Fair.

You'll find the complete list of winners here. Please follow the link that reads: "Read Complete List of Winners."

SILENCED CRY (2007) is available online at familiar shops… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on June 24, 2008 at 4:36am — No Comments

What's Up With This Crime Writer?

Ah! Spring!! I took Friday (5/23) off for a nice and much needed four-day weekend. Hope everyone’s plans for this Memorial Day weekend includes some reflection, a cook out or two with friends and family, and lots of fun and relaxation. For me it's a chance to get started with deep cleaning our home. House cleaning isn't my focus these days but it drives me nuts to not have a clean house. I'll get done what I can, and get some gardening in later this afternoon.

Then again, anyone who… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on May 26, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

New links to articles and guest bloggers on MURDER BY 4

As one of the contributing authors to the blog, I posted two articles this past week on MURDER BY 4 that I hope you'll find interesting. The first is titled "A Chance Meeting." I wrote this short scene as a challenge to write a scene between my character Sam Harper and author Aaron Lazar's Gus LeGarde protagonist. This was a fun challenge for me because I wrote it from Gus… Continue

Added by Marta Stephens on March 3, 2008 at 1:46am — No Comments

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