October 2008 Blog Posts (175)

Sean Chercover Interview

Suspect: Sean Chercover Known Aliases: Shifty Canuck, Secret New Yorker...

Occupation: Writer, Troublemaker

Last Known Location: Chicago, IL & Toronto, Canada

Listen in as Sean talks about tackling "The… Continue

Added by Angie on October 15, 2008 at 1:43am — No Comments

After Bouchercon

Bouchercon was more fun than a writer should be allowed to have. I won’t bore you with details of all four days of wonder but I will hit the highlights in bullet form just to give you an idea.

I sat on a panel with some excellent writers and got to talk about how we construct a puzzle to keep the reader interested. I watched a slew of great panels too and, while it’s hard to rate them on a relative scale I’ll admit that my favorite panel had only 3 people on it.… Continue

Added by Austin S. Camacho on October 14, 2008 at 10:39pm — No Comments

You Created Him, Now Deal with Him

I've seen it lots of times. An author creates a character who is startlingly unique: lovable but odd enough to make readers want to know all about him. But how does his uniqueness work within the story, how does it make the story go?

Unique character traits have to move the plot along or they're worse than wasted, they're showing off. But as your English teacher taught you all those years ago, the world an author creates has to have rules, and the rules have to make sense to the… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 14, 2008 at 10:05pm — No Comments

Bouchercon 2008

I'm still suffering from PBS. That's Post Bouchercon Syndrome. I've posted a ton of photos on Writing, etc along with my postmortem of the event. What a blast!

Added by Annette Dashofy on October 14, 2008 at 11:55am — No Comments

THANK YOU/T&T: WHAT’S REAL?

A special thanks to all those who said hello, who attended one of the panels on which I participated, who stopped by to have a book signed, or who just took the time to say hello at the Baltimore edition of Bouchercon (my first swing at this crime fiction version of Pamplona).

Thanks also to all those who cared enough to share their reaction to HEAD GAMES and its follow-up, TOROS & TORSOS. Reviews of the latter are just beginning to show up.

But for those who have… Continue

Added by Craig McDonald on October 14, 2008 at 8:05am — No Comments

Updates and upgrades

I’ve updated my website. Whoohoo. Go ahead, have a look.

I’d like to think of myself as savvy when it comes to the Internet, but I have no clue, none whatsoever, when it comes to websites. I’m at the mercy of tech support. I think I did a pretty good job, if I may say so myself. I’m not 100% happy yet, but I can certainly live with the results for now.

I’ve also joined Facebook. I’d love to give you a link, but I haven’t figured that one out yet. Whenever I link, I end up… Continue

Added by NL Gassert on October 14, 2008 at 7:33am — No Comments

"Death of a Pirate King"

I finished reading Josh Lanyon’s latest Adrien English mystery, Death of a Pirate King, and I LOVED the book (thanks, Ella, for pestering me to make time to read).

I’m a big fan of Adrien. It was good to see his harder side – no pun intended – but I don’t get the fan talk about his fear of commitment. Last I checked “fear of commitment” meant avoidance of long-term relationships. Didn’t Adrien just spent two years with Guy? They clearly had a committed, monogamous relationship. A… Continue

Added by NL Gassert on October 14, 2008 at 7:33am — No Comments

Bouchercon was killer!

The organizers, volunteers, panelists and moderators, bookdealers, and attendees all made this a great event.

I wish I could thank everyone personally.

Added by Janet Reid on October 14, 2008 at 7:28am — No Comments

Weekly Blog - Monday 13th October

First up, there’s been great news on the ASDA front. Following my successful book signing at their Norwich store a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been invited back for a repeat performance! The next signing will occur on Saturday 1st November from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., so if you couldn’t make it down last time, feel free to come say hi and snag yourself a signed copy of Justice For All – and don’t forget, Christmas is just round the corner if you’re looking for the ideal gift!

And now… Continue

Added by Steven Hague on October 14, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

A Season You May Not Know

I know not what others encounter, but in the Midwest, October is Fly Season. As a sort of farewell to good weather, flies show up in large numbers, apparently get drunk on cider that's set too long, and harass humans until we go half mad with useless attempts at extermination.

What does this have to do with writing? Well, you try keeping your plot coherent when you're being dive-bombed, buzzed, and crawled upon. I begin every day with a hand-vac and clean up whoever I can catch, but… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on October 13, 2008 at 10:53pm — No Comments

North By Northwest

Well, I am now in Alaska and it is snowing! Woohoo! The Dr Frankenstein snowboots (why do they not come in a kittenheel?), ugly hat and all that strange stuff I got from that weird outdoor shop are going to come in useful after all. This was the scene from my hotel room on arrival - it has since got even deeper!…

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Added by Donna Moore on October 13, 2008 at 2:30pm — 5 Comments

Canada Jim

March has become October. My father's broken leg has become a life-sentence in a health care facility. Home is a place he visits, a poet without words.

Added by Karyn J. Powers on October 13, 2008 at 10:30am — No Comments

The Scribbler's Progress Report....

Work on my first crime novel is chugging along pretty well, 1 1/2 chapters, and about 8400 words in. I'm also writing it with a "novel writing" program called yWriter which was invented by a sci-fi writer from Australia. It allows me to create detailed files on characters, locations, and even props in advance. It's still pretty new to me, and I'm still finding my way around, but it all seems to be coming together in new and exciting directions.

It's a hard-boiled story about… Continue

Added by D.R. MacMaster on October 13, 2008 at 9:54am — No Comments

MARILYN MEREDITH, WOMAN OF MYSTERY, AT ACME AUTHORS LINK THIS WEDNESDAY

Marilyn Meredith, author of Kindred Spirits, answers the question, "Why Would I Do That?" on Acme Authors Link at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com on Wed, October 15.…

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Added by Morgan Mandel on October 13, 2008 at 7:00am — No Comments

'A Study in Red' in Amazon UK Top Ten

My novel, 'A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper' has today reached it's highest ever position in the Amazon.co.uk chart which relates soley to books on the subject of Jack the Ripper. There are 494 books listed inthe category and 'A Study in Red' is this morning at #9, beating it's previous best position of number ten. At one time the book had sliupped down the chart to the thirties and i'm delighted that it has once again climbed to the higher reaches of the Ripper chart. You… Continue

Added by Brian L Porter on October 12, 2008 at 8:20pm — No Comments

police interview techniques...

My training in interview and interrogation techniques has value beyond the crime scene. I have a just-turned-six-year-old who, in spite of having two cops as parents, is defintely heading down the road to a career as a defense attorney. I find that handling felons all day is much easier than dealing with the kid (or the 14 six year olds I coach in three sports). "Monkey Boy", as we affectionately refer to him, is a button pusher and wise ass like both of his parents, and thus he sucks whatever… Continue

Added by kristyn bernier on October 11, 2008 at 2:53pm — 1 Comment

I'd have been an important fellow in 1400 AD....

Your result for The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test...

The Cardinal

You are the real power behind the throne. No one dares dispute or refuse you. Which is good because that's how you get things done. You are also, however, completely corrupt and highly immoral. This doesn't bother you in the least as you lounge around your rich comfortable surroundings, reveling in wealth and authority.…

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Added by D.R. MacMaster on October 11, 2008 at 12:24pm — No Comments

One-Eyed Donna

Well, it was the first full day of Bouchercon yesterday. I didn't make any panels in the morning, instead learning the ins and outs of the US postal system to send some books to Alaska in time for my arrival. The theory was that it would make my over-the-weight-limit luggage back into normal territory again. Sadly, I have replaced the books I sent with more books, so my cunning plan was foiled. I also went to Walgreens. For some reason I LOVE American drug stores. So I spent $100 on crap I… Continue

Added by Donna Moore on October 11, 2008 at 5:23am — No Comments

Mystery Writers Workshop

Essentials of Mystery Writing Workshop by Carol Davis Luce

I will be teaching a workshop on the Essentials of Mystery Writing sponsored by WritersOnlineWorkshops (presented by Writer's Digest). http://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/retail/

Objective: This course will help you learn how to construct a compelling mystery plot, develop fascinating characters, plant clues, and keep your readers turning the pages, eager to find out what will happen next.

The workshop… Continue

Added by Carol Davis Luce on October 11, 2008 at 4:30am — No Comments