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Unbelievable, isn't it?

Posted by Lorraine (L.L.) Bartlett

"Do you read mysteries?" I innocently asked a library patron at my last signing.

"No," she snarled, giving me a look of disdain. "I only read INTELLECTUAL books."

I stood there, dumbfounded for about five seconds, before I babbled, "Thank you. I'm a mystery author."

The elderly woman instantly backpedaled. "I mean, I have to save my eyesight for SIGNIFICANT books."

I bit my tongue. I didn't say, "Oh,…

Today, Tuesday, Nov. 6

Every Word's a…

I won't keep you in suspense: "I couldn't put it down."

Now that's what keeps a writer writing. The form varies, of course. Last night it was almost a complaint: "I didn't get anything done yesterday because I had to know what happened." No matter what the tone, the message is the same. The book, my book, grabbed a woman's attention and kept her from other tasks she meant to accomplish. I imagine dirty dishes in the sink, the cat drinking out of the toilet, and leftovers hastily…

Goofed off too much today. Had a three hour lunch with a friend. Watched two movies (Because I Said So and Tara), and wrote 1,006 words. Better than nothing I guess but I regret not sticking with my 1700 words a day plan. :(

I hope this isn't the beginning of the end.

Just get it down on paper, and then we'll see what to do with it. ~Maxwell Perkins

I am to a point now where I have to choose. I've been sitting in this room with the blinds adjusted just so they'll slant those moody orange slats of light over me in the death of afternoon. I've been working on three books at a time. One is the fourth in my Roland Longville series; the other is a stand-alone epic crime novel (how often do you see those?) that covers the entire career of a Southern sheriff. The third is a novel about..human darkness, I guess. A guy who thinks he's someone…

They are:

Songs of Innocence (Richard Aleas)

The Cloud of Unknowing (Thomas Cook)

American Detective: An Amos Walker Mystery (Loren D. Estleman)

The Commission (Michael Norman)

The Collaborator of Bethlehem (Matt Benyon Rees)

The Water's Lovely (Ruth Rendell)

The Snow Empress (Linda Joh Rowland)

Person of Interest (Theresa Schwegel)

Kept (D.J. Taylor)

Also under the fiction category include:

The Tin Roof Blowdown…

Posted by Sheila Connolly

(Following Kate Flora's lovely post) Has anybody noticed that television food shows recently have been getting more and more erotic? No, not all of them, but a significant number. All those opening shots of glistening, colorful vegetables, slabs of succulent meat, handsome potatoes and stacks of intricate pasta. And then there are the chefs... How did this happen?

In the good old days, there was Julia Child. No one will…

I am working on my 6th draft of a short story for an anthology for which I was asked to contribute. While I am pretty new to the fiction writing world, I was surprised at how much harder it is to write a short story than it was to write my YA mystery novel or even my non-fiction librarian books.

Perhaps it is because I do not read that many short stories. I read anthologies by Chicago mystery writers, or edited by writers I like and know. I also read and review some…

There are three general reactions to me around my home town since I've gotten published. One is what one might expect, excitement. People want to know when the book will be available, how long it took to write it, how much research I had to do, etc. These people are my favorite kind, even when their questions include, "When do I get my free autographed copy?" or "Do you think your agent would look at some of my daughter-in-law's poetry?"

A second group seems to be afraid that I'm…

Okay, NaNoWriMo is rolling for me. So far I'm making my quota. It won't last, I'm sure, because of the Thanksgiving holiday and kids coming in. But wow! what a high. I usually have to outline--at least a little, but the notes I made before starting aren't even valid now. It has really been fun following my nose with this little mystery. For the first time, I understand what a writer means when she says she likes being surprised. Funny and surprising how things tend to fall into place.…

How many times have you killed somebody, only to realize a few hours, days or weeks later, that you missed one stink'n detail and now the whole pile of caca is smoldering on the doorstep (of your keyboard) while you waste a lot of time and energy backtracking to cover your (antagonist's) ass and (metephorically) hiring a silk-shark to keep the local police force (your agent/editor) at bay?

You should'da been at Forensics University in St Louis! Imagine sitting at the bar with a board…

"See how the design of the gun seduces your finger, drawing it toward the trigger? For your own safety and the safety of those around you, you must resist its temptation."

In a small, paneled classroom at the Bulls Eye Shooting Range, in St Louis, MO. we are learning the proper way to handle a handgun from a man who depends on his skills with such weapons for more than his daily bread. In the course of teaching us the difference between a single action, double action and automatic…