After that big success in Springfield last weekend, I'm very much looking forward to TOMORROW'S book signing at Borders in Manassas, VA. This will be my first time signing in Manassas, but it is the home of the Mystery Lovers Corner - www.mysteryloverscorner.com - so I know that Webmaster Dawn and my other friends there will turn out for me. The Manassas Borders is at 11270 Bulloch Drive, easy to find and fun to visit. And it's one of the big stores, so you can even pick up a… Continue

Hey, have you visited Authors on the Web.com yet? What a cool site. First, it lists all the upcoming books from your favorite writers. Then there are links to lots of author newsletters, most of which have contests going. Click through and sign up, and you could win a book or some other prize. There is also lots of author news listed, but I must warn you that unlike many of my favorites, this web site focuses mostly on writers who are with big-name publishers. But it's a good way to keep…

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I was talking to a fellow author about the flaws in the publishing business. I was wondering why publishers don't spend more money promoting the authors who work hard to promote their books, and why famous people with no writing credentials get huge advances for their books. My friend wisely replied, "This situation exists because most of the money in the publishing industry is tainted."

"Taint yours, and 'taint mine."

The folks at Borders in Springfield did everything right for my signing yesterday. They put me at a table right up front near the door, near a display of new mysteries. Every time someone picked one up it gave me the opportunity to mention that I had a locally set mystery they might want to look at. They also had lots of signage, flyers, and my brochures set up in a nice display. They even brought me coffee. No wonder I signed so many books. And a couple of familiar faces did stop by,…

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Tomorrow's book signing is at Borders in my town, Springfield, VA. My Springfield neighbors are always good to me at bookstores, and I expect this week to be no exception. I'm looking forward to wowing them, even though I'll have some competition.



Before my signing, at 11 am, Kate DiCamillo will be reading and signing from her popular children's books about a pig named Mercy…

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Have you ever craved a good book and just not been inspired by anything you see? Or felt annoyed that you bought a book that was merely so-so? Or finished a great book and just wanted to talk about it? Well, there's a web site set up to solve all those problems. It's called Book Reporter.com - www.bookreporter.com . The site features author talks, outstanding reviews, summer reading contests and, if you go right away, a list of the best books for… Continue

Waldenbooks in Landmark Mall provided a most interesting signing experience yesterday. Somehow the manager had forgotten to order more books for the signing, so I was left with only 14 copies of my books, spread over 5 titles. When all but one sold during the signing they promised to order more for a return visit on the 4th of July.



Meanwhile, if you haven't been to my web site lately you might not realize that Hannibal has blogged on a political issue and the latest podcast features… Continue

Ever wonder what mystery writers do when they're not plotting someone's death? If so there's a place to find out, even if you're curious about writers who are too far away to meet at a book signing. My good friend and fellow crime author Sunny Frasier pointed me to a great web site called Killer Hobbies - http://killerhobbies.blogspot.com/ - where six regulars and several other mystery authors go to discuss their off-hours activities. Sunny…

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I wasn't sure what belonged in a podcast, but I got hooked on writing flash fiction about my detective, Hannibal Jones, so I decided to voice them as an introduction to both my writing and the character. Now that we have audio on Crimespace, and since Hannibal doesn't have a theme song yet, I've posted a podcast. Take 10 minutes to listen in, and let me know if you think it's cool or crummy, neat or nuts.

While I'm signing books Saturday I will also be indulging my sweet tooth, but in a fairly healthy way. You can too, and support a good cause, by joining me at the Strawberry Festival put on by the Catonsville Presbyterian Church from 10 am to 2 pm. Sure, they will have a variety of food, live music, kid's games and crafts, but the reason to be there is for some of the best strawberry shortcake you ever tasted.



Of course, this is a fine opportunity to fill out your… Continue