February 2012 Blog Posts (116)

Lighten Up!

Unless you’re the prude of your generation, everybody likes a humorous story. Some light-hearted anecdote to bring a smile or a gentle chuckle.

 

Many authors will insert humor into their stories, even if the subject matter is serious or the tone is dramatic. Humor gives the reader a rest, a small break before diving back into the deep end. My favorite example comes from the Hitchcock movie “Topaz”. The entire movie concerns spies. However, the one small moment comes near the…

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Added by Stephen Brayton on February 24, 2012 at 9:16am — No Comments

The first ever detective fiction; really?

There were usual suspects in the beginning: Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone, published in 1868, and Emile Gaboriau's first Monsieur Lecoq novel L'Affaire Lerouge, released in 1866 were generally known as the first detective fictions giving birth to this great genre. Occasionally some reserachers were bringing up some records of earlier works here and there; but in…

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Added by Ehsan Ehsani on February 24, 2012 at 12:10am — 5 Comments

Imagination

When I think back to my childhood, I realize that it’s no wonder I became a mystery writer. My parents, younger brother and I lived in an old two-story house with all kinds of good places to play Hide’n Seek. The basement was an especially scary place; the foundation had thick stone walls, a fruit cellar and a coal bin. We had a large backyard and, at the end of it, a woods extended as far…
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Added by Patricia Gligor on February 24, 2012 at 12:04am — No Comments

To Polish, Or Not To Polish?

King of Sorrow, my next novel, is nearing completion. Now I'm battling with two very serious dilemmas. 

 

As always I call on the advice of other, more experienced authors than myself, those autors who have walked the line, who have lived to tell the tale. Here are the two obstacles:

 

1) Should I have the first 3/4 chapters polished by an editor before submitting sample chapters to publishers for consideration? I've heard this is a good idea, but it costs a…

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Added by James Fouche on February 23, 2012 at 11:00pm — 3 Comments

Interview: Author Vincent Zandri

By Mark Young

One of my favorite authors is Ernest Hemingway. As I prepared to interview our guest—international bestselling novelist Vincent Zandri—I could not help but make comparisons between these two men. Both men traveled extensively in Europe, loved to write, spent an awful lot of time in cafes and bars, and enjoyed the…

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Added by Mark Young on February 23, 2012 at 2:00am — No Comments

Catch Me - Lisa Gardner

I'm a long time fan of Lisa Gardner and her recurring character, Boston PD Detective D.D. Warren, is a favourite. Gardner's latest book featuring D.D. is…

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Added by Luanne Ollivier on February 23, 2012 at 12:47am — No Comments

Review - The Devil's Edge, Stephen Booth

Book Title:   THE DEVIL'S EDGE

Author:  Stephen Book

ISBN:   9781847444806

Location:   Peak District

Series:  Ben Cooper & Diane Fry

Publisher:  Sphere

Year of Publication:   2011



The newspapers call them the Savages: a band of home invaders as merciless as they are stealthy. Usually they don't leave a clue. This time, they've left a body. The first victim is found sprawled on her kitchen floor, blood soaking the terracotta tiles. Before long, another…

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Added by Karen from AustCrime on February 22, 2012 at 11:30am — No Comments

Hey Tom, yes I lived in the same street when the murders happened, my mother still lives there today. Let me know when you've read the book and hope you make it down to Australia some day - it's only…

Hey Tom, yes I lived in the same street when the murders happened, my mother still lives there today. Let me know when you've read the book and hope you make it down to Australia some day - it's only 18 hours non-stop from LA to Melbourne:)

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Added by Greg Fogarty on February 21, 2012 at 1:39pm — No Comments

Hey Tom, yes I lived in the street when the murders happened (I was 9 at the time), my mother still lives there. Let me know what you think once you've read it and hope you make it down to Australia …

Hey Tom, yes I lived in the street when the murders happened (I was 9 at the time), my mother still lives there. Let me know what you think once you've read it and hope you make it down to Australia some time!

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Added by Greg Fogarty on February 21, 2012 at 1:36pm — No Comments

FREE Book Giveaway on Amazon February 21st-22nd by Author J Jay Brighton

The Gunfighter Chronicles Volume One-DRYFIRE will be free from 12pm. PST on February 21, 2012 (Fat Tuesday)to midnight PST on February 22, 2012 (Ash Wednesday). The two day giveaway is to allow readers to familiarize themselves with my work and I encourage those taking advantage of the Free Enterprise System to write a review.

  Except from Cover:

 Gianni Temprono grows up wanting to become a professional gunfighter after watching the movie The Fastest Gun Alive. When old enough,…

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Added by jjaybrighton on February 21, 2012 at 8:24am — No Comments

Book Introduction

On July 2, 1970, tourists in Australia spotted a smashed car, teetering precariously on a cliff edge, overlooking the raging ocean below. It seemed the car would fall into the water at any moment, but the car lingered ... as did a mystery, revealed when police traced the license plate to the Crawford household. Here, the police discovered the shocking truth: a mother and her three children had been murdered, with the husband and father—now missing—the main suspect.

The quadruple…

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Added by Greg Fogarty on February 21, 2012 at 6:18am — No Comments

Raylan - Elmore Leonard

Fans of Elmore Leonard will be familiar with Raylan Givens, the US Marshall who was featured in Leonard's previous books Pronto and Riding the Rap. At eighty six years old, Elmore Leonard shows no signs of slowing down. He's…

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Added by Luanne Ollivier on February 21, 2012 at 12:39am — No Comments

A Political Humor E-Book That Gets It Right

Does it really matter what political parties "stand for" any more? What if you stripped away the bumper stickers, the phony piety and hollow everymanism to expose their true essence? You'd probably end up with something similar to ninjas and pirates. Both hate each other. Why? Who cares. Let's fight.



There are similar scenes in Laura Roberts's excellent humor novella,…

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Added by Benjamin Sobieck on February 20, 2012 at 11:26pm — No Comments

If An Author Sounds Dumb Sometimes...

Yesterday a man said to me, "My wife really likes your new book." He couldn't recall the title, but she'd said it was totally different from everything else she'd read of mine. I formed a theory from that and was just about to say the title when he said, "It's the one that takes place in Grand Rapids." Oh, THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY.

Not the one I was thinking of at all. That book came out last April, and there have been so many on my mind in the time between that it seems really…

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Added by Peg Herring on February 20, 2012 at 10:17pm — No Comments

Review - Death in the Latin Quarter, Raphael Cardetti

Book Title:   DEATH IN THE LATIN QUARTER

Author:  Raphael Cardetti

ISBN:   9780349122564

Publisher:   Little Brown

Year of Publication:  2010



Early one morning in Paris, the tranquillity of the Sorbonne University is shattered by a death.  But why would Albert Cadas, a quiet, crumpled professor of medieval literature, have any reason to kill himself.  Meanwhile, Valentine Savi, a talented young restorer, receives a visit from an enigmatic elderly gentleman with a…

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Added by Karen from AustCrime on February 20, 2012 at 5:38pm — No Comments

Review - Outrage, Arnaldur Indridason

Book Title:  OUTRAGE

Author:  Arnaldur Indridason

ISBN:   9781846554230

Location:   Iceland

Publisher:   Harvill Secker

Year of Publication:   2011



In a flat near Reykjavik city centre, a young man lies dead in a pool of blood.  There is no sign of a break-in: the only clues are a woman's purple shawl, found under the bed in the next room, and a vial of prescription drugs in the victim's pocket.



With Detective Erlendur away in a remote part of Iceland,…

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Added by Karen from AustCrime on February 20, 2012 at 3:21pm — No Comments

Sh*t Book Reviewers Say

Added by John Dishon on February 20, 2012 at 11:30am — No Comments

Why Jack?

Wandering through the true crime section of the library today, I noticed an entire section devoted to Jack the Ripper.  While I have seen that before in stores and libraries, the one in our local branch seems to be quite excessively large, considering that as far as I know, he has never been positively identified.

 

I have to wonder why the fascination.  I also have to admit that I have read quite a number of books about those particular murders and have seen quite a number of…

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Added by J. F. Juzwik on February 20, 2012 at 11:20am — 1 Comment

Worth Checking Out: Partners in Crime Blog Tours

The world of indie author promotion is full of pitfalls. Of greatest concern are the grifters selling advertising they know goes no where. Directory listings, display ads and various boutique social networks all vie for attention - and dollars. The odds can stack up quick against an honest author in a dishonest Internet.…



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Added by Benjamin Sobieck on February 20, 2012 at 11:07am — No Comments

THe Latest

My book signing at Barnes and Noble was a big success.  Aside from meeting new fans – many of whom started with more than one book – the staff a was very pleasant and helpful!  I hope to go back there soon.

 I also met with the Just Us Girls book club – ten ladies who really know their literature.  They asked the tough questions but I didn’t mind because they also were great fun to chat with and shared great food (Thanks, Josephine.)  Book club meetings are even more fun than store…

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Added by Austin S. Camacho on February 20, 2012 at 8:11am — No Comments

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