Performing Autopsies on Great Bodies of Crime Fiction.
Popular soft boiled mystery author, Nancy Martin, has some wise words to impart to those who are interested in the world of writing, and being published. I was especially interested in how she was afraid to learn about the craft of writing for fear it may quash her creativity. I honestly think this way about … Read more
Sisters in Crime, a group dedicated to women writers of crime fiction, took a survey of those who purchase books. One librarian and author found some interesting and to her, surprising answers. In particular, younger, college age people prefer ‘real’ books to e-books. Not something most would think is true. Brick and Mortar bookstores are … Read more
One of the gravy parts of my tenure managing mystery bookshops, was meeting and greeting authors. Established, brand new, legends, ego maniacs, and future friends. Granted, I worked in arguably the greatest city in the world (I take that line from the David Letterman show) and therefore had more opportunity to meet authors. In a … Read more
The Agatha Awards are different than The Edgars, in that they are voted on by readers and writers–anyone who attends the Malice Domestic convention each year. You must register by a specific time to be able to nominate, but all attendees at the conference vote The Edgar Awards are decided by a small group of … Read more
For those of us in the mystery community, this is like a gift from noir heaven! Hammett, famous for Sam Spade, Nick and Nora Charles and a slew of short stories had a relatively small output of work. Those of us who think of Hammett and Chandler as the foremost authors of hard boiled detective … Read more
Deja View A new section on the blog–Reviews of old titles, many from the Golden Age Of Crime Fiction.To find a copy of this or any other of the Deja View books–your local used bookstore is a great place to start. (The Murder In Retrospect is the icon for this group of posts) Murder Gives a Lovely … Read more
I would start: Picture This! Yes, that emphatically, with exclamation point stressed, palms out, as if to stop traffic. I did. More than once. Some poor unsuspecting individual would ask the innocent question, “what would you recommend,” and that’s all the encouragement I’d need. ‘I’m ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille’. Lights, camera, action, … Read more
“Established in 1989, Malice Domestic® is an annual “fun fan” convention in metropolitan Washington, D.C., saluting the traditional mystery—books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie.” The annual soft boiled mystery convention is taking reservations for this year’s extravaganza. For those not familiar with Malice, it’s a fan and mystery author based gathering that … Read more
