February 2009 Blog Posts (186)

If you wrote what I knew

Urban legends have a way of being created out of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the dark, or just plain fear. The trouble is, they tend to take on a life of their own and travel from myth to accepted fact without ever having the necessary substantiation.

Such is the case with my favorite urban legend. One that freezes any writer in their tracks, prevents all creativity and in the end, stalls them almost indefinitely.

Only write what you know. (underlined AND in… Continue

Added by Karyne on February 23, 2009 at 1:35am — 3 Comments

INTERVIEW AT PULP PUSHER

Alison Janssen, editor of Bleak House Books (who performed the neat hat trick of editing three Edgar® Award finalists in the same calendar year) interviews me at Pulp Pusher about past works, future projects and other topics (including the author/editor relationship).

Added by Craig McDonald on February 23, 2009 at 1:16am — No Comments

The McGuffin by Michael Palmer at the Kill Zone today

The Kill Zone is thrilled to have NYTimes Bestselling Author Michael Palmer, M.D., joining us today. Read The McGuffin.

Added by Kathryn Lilley on February 22, 2009 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Don't Let This happen to You!

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=350116675

Added by Mark Jones on February 22, 2009 at 12:54pm — No Comments

How major newspaper reviews help/hurt book sales

I'm reading this novel which is more spy than mystery novel--and I chose to read it because of what the back cover filled with reviews from major newspapers and mags said. The praised it to high heavens, claiming the book was every accolade one can imagine.

It sucks. Hard to read. Hard to follow--frankly you need to have PhD. in psychology trying to figure out all the illusionary traps the writer is filling the pages with. But this was supposed to be a Great Book! A Modern Day Kafka!… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 22, 2009 at 11:41am — 12 Comments

Giving in 2009

To play a small part in making a difference in children's lives, for the remainder 2009, I will be donating half the royalties from the sales of The Friday House to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).

If you're not already aware of what the RMHC does for families, please visit: http://www.rmhc.com/what-we-do/ronald-mcdonald-house/

The Friday House is available at Amazon.com.

Title:… Continue

Added by D K Gaston on February 22, 2009 at 11:37am — No Comments

Plum genre-bending

See my blog: mamaguilt

http://mamaguilt.wordpress.com/

Added by meg vann on February 22, 2009 at 10:55am — No Comments

loving this blog

I am loving this blog
http://www.docgurley.com/2009/02/20/joy-habit-escape-to-paris

Added by Cara Black on February 22, 2009 at 3:06am — No Comments

Reviews in Sussex, Abu Dhabi and...Loonland

In the lastest issue of the West Sussex County Times, my new Palestinian crime novel "The Samaritan's Secret" gets this lovely review:

"If you haven't yet entered the colourful, chaotic, tragi-comic world of amateur Palestinian detective Omar Yussef, then take a satisfying plunge with the third in this genre-busting crime series. With a race-against-time plot involving missing millions, a dying religious sect, fanatical political leaders and a corrupt police force, the real story turns out… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on February 21, 2009 at 10:48pm — No Comments

DYING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND is IMBA Bestseller for 2008!

Yesterday I found out that DYING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND, Wolfmont Press's 2008 Toys for Tots anthology of holiday crime stories, made the cut for the 2008 softcover bestsellers list with the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association!

Here's the list: http://www.mysterybooksellers.com/AnnualBestsellers.htm

All the authors in the anthology, and myself, are pumped about it!

Tony Burton

Added by Tony Burton on February 21, 2009 at 3:30am — No Comments

UK Metro: "Pariah's a terrific blast"

From yesterday's UK Metro:

Pariah's a terrific blast

by Dave Zeltserman (Serpent’s Tail, £7.99)

by TINA JACKSON - Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Pariah

To describe mobster Kyle Nevin as a nasty piece of work is something of an understatement.

At the beginning of Dave Zeltserman 's white-knuckle ride of a second novel, Nevin is just out of jail after serving eight years for armed robbery and keeping his mouth shut.

Now he wants revenge, and… Continue

Added by Dave Zeltserman on February 21, 2009 at 1:24am — No Comments

Good News & A Question

Just received news that DYING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND, the short story anthology I contributed to last fall, is one of 2008's top ten bestselling books among independent bookstores.

I will confess that I contributed without a great deal of consideration: the cause was good, Toys for Tots. The tease was fun: a mystery that involves one of the winter holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. And a short story never seems like work. It's more like a break from the harder work (for me)… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on February 20, 2009 at 11:14pm — 3 Comments

Bay to Ocean Writers Conference

I'll spend tomorrow at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD having more fun than I deserve at the Bay to Ocean writer's conference - /. The conference features workshops, speeches, and panel discussions on a wide variety of topics pertaining to the craft of writing, the publishing business, and the intricacies of particular genres. This year's speakers include Thomas Sawyer, head writer for Murder, She Wrote, internet expert Leslie Walker, my own editor… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on February 20, 2009 at 10:41pm — No Comments

Global Post features me on my love for Nablus and the remants of the Samaritans

The new U.S. website Global Post, which aims to provide Americans with the foreign news that they're missing since their newspapers fired almost all their international correspondents, features a series of stories by me. They're intended as introductions to my new Palestinian crime novel, THE SAMARITAN'S SECRET -- colorful features about life for the Palestinians who appear in the book.… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on February 20, 2009 at 8:26pm — No Comments

Let's make a few assumptions...and guess the rest.

Let's make a few assumptions:

1. The publishing industry is radically shedding old habits and structuring itself in a different

set of new clothes.

2. Fiction as we know it, will not be produced by big-name publishing houses. Smaller 'specialty'

publishers are going to pick up the pieces and carry on.

3. Ebooks and other electronic media is going to eventually become equal to, or superior than,

the current print medium in relation to making a… Continue

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 20, 2009 at 7:55am — 34 Comments

New PSWA Newsletter Available

You can go the Public Safety Writers Association site http://www.publicsafetywriter.com and click on newsletter to read the latest edition. While there, take a look at the information about the conference.

It's a good one. Be sure to sign up before March 31.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

Added by Marilyn Meredith on February 20, 2009 at 2:21am — No Comments

Asking Thursday, Revealing Wednesday

Yesterday I asked what a writer gets from watching people at a place like Epcot. Yesterday we went to Busch Gardens, so I have a two-day supply of answers.

What we see in crowds is snapshots of behavior, and as authors we collect and file those snaps for future reference. The elderly couple who reveal with startling clarity who is in control by their walking pattern. The young family in which Dad feels responsible for everyone having a good time, including Mom-in-law. He sounds like… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on February 19, 2009 at 9:09pm — No Comments

To what degree of culpability do lit agents have in today's publishing quagmire?

How much involvement do lit agents have in the publishing crisis we face today? Are there any ways to curb a agent's desire to carve out the most lucrative contract he can get for his client? Should he (or she) be limited in this hunt? Why do publishing houses acquiesce in these apparent exorbitant demands agents demand?

Comments?

Added by B.R.Stateham on February 19, 2009 at 6:30am — 2 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

Another Cool Review

I've received a lot of comments on my books lately, so I try to share a different one here each week. Today I'd like to mention Ronald Stutler.

Ron is from Ohio and I met him at a book signing. He read Collateral Damage and wrote to me, complimenting me that I managed an urban storywithout excessive bad language or graphic sex. Then he took the extra step that many readers don't. He was kind enough to post a review on Amazon.com. I always appreciate it when readers share their… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on February 18, 2009 at 11:00pm — No Comments