Diane Plumley A recent article online proclaimed the 10 Worst Book Covers In the History of Literature. Ok, they certainly found some winners–She’s My Sister Sub title, Having a Retarded Sister. The title alone sounds a bit icky, but if you take a gander at the cover, your gag reflex comes into play. The drawing of her … Read more
I debated whether I wanted to tackle this absurd article, and then finally sighed and capitulated to myself. I can’t help but wonder if the individual who wrote these rules ever wrote, or had a mystery published. I can’t imagine the possiblity. The rules are so off and odd, and well, here they are, one … Read more
There are new episodes of Inspector Morse being shown. But, they aren’t really of Inspector Morse, they are of a young Morse, not yet the cynical genius detective that we’ve known all these years from the pen of Colin Dexter and the BBC programs. The show is called Endeavour, Morse’s first name, which was only … Read more
I am not good at lending books. I don’t like to do it. I worry I’ll never see the things again. Even if it’s some old beaten up paperback of The Grapes of Wrath, it’s MY old paperback of the Grapes of Wrath, probably with my underlines and notations in the borders. And I’m uneasy … Read more
I’ve been watching the Perry Mason TV series lately. Not the sad 80s one, when they brought back the surviving members of the cast and ran through the motions. The black and white Perry, with a slimmer Raymond Burr and prettier Barbara Hale. And I’ve noticed several things I hadn’t before, or maybe I would … Read more
An author friend had this link up on her facebook page, Little Free Library and now I am green with Little Free Library envy. The essential brilliant idea is to build a small waterproof container on a stand much like used for mailboxes, incorporate a plexiglass window for the door, and put free books … Read more
It should have been an epic. A mind blowing cosmic revelation. A classic never read. Or at least a good mystery. Not even close. And yet, I began it, continued, and low and behold, finished the entire 320 pages. I should have been ecstatic. Thrilled. At a minimum, relieved. After all, it had been a … Read more
BSP—short for Better Speaking Program? Badly Spoiled Prom? Butter Squash Pumpkin? Blissfully Stupid Politician? No, as unlikely as it may seem, BSP stands for Blatant Self Promotion. And in the crime fiction field, it seems as though indulging in BSP, is a badge of honor, or rite of passage for an author. Almost every writer … Read more
