May 2009 Blog Posts (185)

THE LINEUP #2 Available Now

Click on the image to enlarge.

The Lineup: Poems on Crime 2 is now available for $6.00 USD from Lulu.com, and will be in stock soon at Once Upon a Crime in Minneapolis and Murder By the Book in Houston.

You can hear poems from Issues 1 and 2… Continue

Added by Gerald So on May 13, 2009 at 5:35am — No Comments

Trends in Marketing

It's entertaining to watch trends in any aspect of life, I suppose, and being a writer, I observe various fads and fancies in the writing business in order to decide what works for me and what doesn't. There is the rush to do book trailers, for example, and of course, blog tours. Lately, it seems that interviewing the characters in your books as if they were real is the hot thing to do.

If I had to be totally honest (and I try to be here), I think they all sound like fun. Certainly I… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on May 12, 2009 at 10:34pm — No Comments

Weekly Blog - Monday 11th May

This week’s blog will be mostly forwards rather than backwards looking, as I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you about my upcoming appearance at CrimeFest.

CrimeFest is a convention for fans of the crime writing genre, whose programme is comprised of panels, interviews, reading groups, crime writing workshops, dinners, and award presentations. It’s an annual event held in Bristol, with this years festivities due to run from the 14 – 17 May at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel… Continue

Added by Steven Hague on May 12, 2009 at 7:28pm — No Comments

The Writing Life interview: Barbara Nadel

One of the jobs authors are required to perform to help promote their work is the strange task of procuring from other authors something called a “blurb”—the praise you’ll find on the back cover of books. They ought to come from authors whose readers might also be interested in your book--that's the idea. In 2006, when I sent out advance copies of my first novel “… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on May 12, 2009 at 7:10pm — No Comments

Three Great Reviews!

My latest release "THE COWBOY WAY" has received three fantastic reviews so far and I'm thrilled.

Whipped Cream - Best Book Rating

Romance Junkies - Blue Ribbon Rating of FIVE

The… Continue

Added by Tory Richards on May 12, 2009 at 11:07am — No Comments

NEW REVIEWS RECEIVED OF THE EXECUTION OF JUSTICE

As promised, I continue to post REVIEWS of my recently released novel, THE EXECUTION OF JUSTICE.

CY B. HILTERMAN, a Book Reviewer in Cherry Tree, PA gave the novel a FIVE STARS rating at www.amazon.com on May 8, 2009:

"While reading this excellently written story, I felt as though I was beside the police as they performed their daily duties, while on or off duty and trying to keep up a social and family life. I have never read a book that placed me into the life of those… Continue

Added by Michael Phelps on May 12, 2009 at 7:14am — No Comments

Creepy Bastid Gets His

at my story: Special Place, Now up at Thrillers Killers N Chillers here:

http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.com/2009/05/special-place-by-michael-j-solender.html

Added by Michael Solender on May 12, 2009 at 4:00am — No Comments

HARDBOILED TAKE ON ROGUE MALES

A great write-up on ROGUE MALES: CONVERSATIONS & CONFRONTATIONS ABOUT THE WRITING LIFE at Hardboiled Wonderland.

Added by Craig McDonald on May 11, 2009 at 11:16pm — No Comments

The right Holy Land, the wrong Holy Father

My irreverent take on the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI to the Holy Land features prominently on The Daily Beast today. Maybe people always say their take is "irreverent," but in the case of a story about the Pope I feel justified in using it...

Added by Matt Rees on May 11, 2009 at 10:50pm — 2 Comments

A Wasted Day...or Not

I went to an Authors' Day celebration at a library 83 miles from my home on Saturday. There were nine authors there, a few Friends members, and very few others. The only sale I saw was two of the authors selling each other their books of poetry.

In one sense, it was a wasted day. Still, I think of it as an investment. The people in that town (well, some of them) now know my name. They know about my book. They even have a bookmark, so that if the stars align just right and they decide… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on May 11, 2009 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

FRESH FROZEN, Darden North's third novel, receives additional national recognition.

Today is Mother's Day and my children's mother is enjoying her coffee in bed before we get ready to go to church. I took my own mother out to lunch yesterday, and we had a very nice visit. As sort of an early Father's Day present for me, however, my third novel, FRESH FROZEN, has just received two additional national book awards, and I am thankful: Winner, Best Cover Design and Finalist, Regional Fiction in the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards.

Added by Darden North, MD on May 11, 2009 at 1:00am — No Comments

Coming very soon in paperback! 'The Voice of Anton Bouchard'

Originally published as an e-book by Stonehedge Publishing, Mythica Publishing will be releasing my short story collection 'The Voice Of Anton Bouchard' in paperback within the next 2 weeks. the title piece of the book is a novelette length story that explores the mind and the motivation of a serial killer, and the book contains a sample from one of my current 'works in progress'. The cover has been revamped for the paperback release and is… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on May 10, 2009 at 9:20pm — No Comments

Park Lane and Pink Ladies

Well now I can say I’ve lunched at The InterContinental Hotel, Park Lane and a very nice lunch it was too. When my husband, Bob, gave the London taxi driver the hotel’s address, the cabbie asked if we’d won the lottery – obviously then we didn’t look the usual clientele of The InterContinental. I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or offended. I, of course, pretended to be a World famous crime… Continue

Added by Pauline Rowson on May 10, 2009 at 2:58am — No Comments

Todays Tour Date

Winged with Death is at Asynchronous Process today.

Added by John Baker on May 9, 2009 at 9:38pm — No Comments

What I've Been Up To, My Last Two Crime Stories From The Web

The Sixth Issue of Astonishing Adventures is here!

And they kicked this epic issue with my story "All The Better To." Please to be sure and check out the hardcopy version, which will have exclusively the story "Djinn" by Katt Parrish.

I have another story up on a Twist of Noir called… Continue

Added by Cormac Brown on May 9, 2009 at 7:30pm — No 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

Readers in a Rut

[Cross-posted from Poe's Deadly Daughters.]

“I stopped enjoying her books years ago, but I still buy them and read them.”

“His last half-dozen books have been poorly written and boring – but I can’t seem to stop myself from buying them, even though I know I’m going to hate them.”

How many times have you heard people say this sort of thing? How many times have you seen similar statements posted on DorothyL? How many times have you admitted to buying books by… Continue

Added by Sandra Parshall on May 9, 2009 at 4:59am — 6 Comments

How long should it take?

Last year I got an e-mail from a major publisher about my first novel, a science fiction adventure, asking me if it was still available, because it had been sitting on someone's desk for 3 years, because this editor finally got around to reading it and wanted to kick it up to upper management. I was about to submit it to another publisher, but decided to agree to let the editor move it up the food chain.

Well, it's going on a year since it was "kicked up" and I'm still… Continue

Added by D.R. MacMaster on May 9, 2009 at 3:56am — 7 Comments

Would You Like to Take a Look at It?

How many times as an author have you been asked that question? A person at a book signing or a speaking event hangs around, waiting for a chance to talk to you. Or an email arrives through your website contact. Or a phone call from an acquaintance from the blue. The method may vary but the message is the same: I've got something written down. Would you take a look at it?

No.

It isn't that we're mean people. It's that we aren't the ones who should be looking. We know no… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on May 8, 2009 at 11:00pm — 5 Comments

The Writing Life interview: Gregg Hurwitz

Gregg Hurwitz is the kind of guy other guys would like to be. Hollywood handsome, an accomplished athlete with a tremendous academic record, successful in his chosen field. He’s also the kind of writer other writers would like to be. His thrillers are intricate, thought-provoking, and breathlessly paced.… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on May 8, 2009 at 7:21pm — No Comments