What inspires you in your day-to-day life, something that influences your writing?   Let’s be honest, if you’re well-read across time and world cultures, you will realize that nothing is new under the sun.   Nihil novi sub sole. The Hero’s Journey. The Stranger Comes to Town. All the plots have been uncovered and analyzed. Consult Ronald B. Tobias’ 20 Master Plots as a resource.   What writers do to renew the soil is bring their unique experiences, their particular style, and their personal perspective to the scene. I suspect the ‘What if?’ is applied to familiar scenes ..read more

 Q: What inspires you in your day-to-day life, something that influences your writing? -from Susan   People. People and their quirks, their heroics, their embarrassments, their bonhomie or opaqueness, their pride, their charms, their prejudices…oh, just everything!   It’s not just the people I already know or have met formally. It’s the lumpy man in flip flops shuffling down Mission Street muttering to himself about an insult he wants to avenge, and the young woman waving a Starbucks coffee cup as she trips along Sausalito’s upscale Bridgeway in stilettos, talking rapidly i ..read more

 What a perfect book prompt for today:  As far as the business side of your own writing, what are you looking forward to in the near future? Why perfect, do you ask? (or even if you don't...)  Because today is pub day, aka book birthday, aka - the day that my new book releases! That's right, book 3 in The Bangalore Detectives Club series - A Nest of Vipers - is out in bookstores across the US, UK and India today. It's my third published book of fiction, and my seventh book overall, but the feeling of happiness, the excitement that a new book is out there in the world, interac ..read more

As far as the business side of your own writing, what are you looking forward to in the near future? Nothing. Rien. Nada. I never look forward to promoting my books, probably because I don’t believe my meager efforts move the needle on sales or brand-building to any appreciable degree. Or maybe just because I’m tired. Schmoozing exhausts me, as do bookstore signings. All writers worry that no one will show up at our signings and we’ll be embarrassed as well as stressed out. Furthermore, I have no plans to attend any conferences in the near future. While I used to adore going to writers conf ..read more

As far as the business side of your own writing, what are you looking forward to in the near future? by Dietrich I’m looking forward to the launch of my next one, Crooked, published by ECW Press, set to hit the shelves on September 24th. The story’s based on the real life and crimes of Alvin ‘Creepy’ Karpis. Set in the 1930s, the story kicks off as Karpis joins forces with the infamous Barker brothers as they set on a trail of bank robberies, murder, and kidnapping on their way to becoming the most hunted outlaws in America.  Ahead of its release, I’ll be looking at ways to promote it ..read more

  Terry here, with our question this week: As far as the business side of your own writing, what are you looking forward to in the near future? Having just had my Bahamas thriller, (pictured, Bahama Mama Cocktail)  Perilous Waters come out on April 2, my world has been centered on doing the requisite (and enjoyable) interviews, blog posts, bookstore events, and searching for promotional opportunities. In addition, I’ve been reading books in preparation for panels at Left Coast Crime and Thrillerfest. I’ve also been reading to provide blurbs for authors whose books I enjoy.  &n ..read more

As far as the business side of your own writing, what are you looking forward to in the near future? Brenda here. The business side of writing is an ongoing challenge. My latest release Fatal Harvest hit the shelves April 15 with the launch at Perfect Books in Ottawa this Wednesday, May 1st. I've got several bookstore signings lined up through May and June. I've also accepted invitations to appear at events around the city. If you live in or near Ottawa, all my public events are updated on the main page of my website. It would be great to do signings and events outside my city, and I'm hoping ..read more

 Q: Do you have favorite craft sessions, or articles/books on craft that you return to for inspiration or help? A: Craft questions often come down to how-to questions. I’ve spent much of my life thinking about creative processes in one way or another. There are many good books on the writing life, Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, Anne Lamott’s Bird By Bird, John Steinbeck’s Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters, are the first to come to mind. I have collected stacks of how-to books on writing, Zen meditation, sobriety, and conquering depression. Many I haven't finished, some I n ..read more

Do you have favorite craft sessions, or articles/books on craft that you return to for inspiration or help? This week’s topic is tricky for me because the simple answer would be to write No and then end it there.  I’m certainly not going to say I am self-taught. I have taken English classes in school, screenwriting classes in college. Never a novel writing class, nor have I bought any guide books or craft books beyond Strunk and White and I still have to refer to it when I come across Farther and Further.  I can’t say I’m self taught because I learned and continue to learn a great d ..read more

  Do you have favorite craft sessions, or articles/books on craft that you return to for inspiration or help? I have never attended a craft session, nor have I paid much attention to either articles or books on craft. Please let me explain. I have read articles by writer friends. This blog is an example. I have visited Career Authors and Jungle Red Writers, but I read for perspective not advice. I equate books on craft with How To books, a manifestation of Self-Help books, which I find perversely strange. Okay, I hear the counterargument. You read X to learn Y that you don’t know how to ..read more