Crime Fiction Dossier (Old)

The Blog is Dead...

...Long Live the Blog!

This past iteration of the Crime Fiction Dossier is no more.

However, like the proverbial Phoenix, it has risen from the ashes in a newer and better form.

Please visit the Crime Fiction Dossier to see what I'm doing.

Thoughts on blogging

I haven't written much the past couple of weeks. (Obviously.) My nemesis and I have been discussing lately whether blogging has played itself out for us. I sometimes feel like I'm getting close to that point. It's a lot of effort and I often don't have anything that I think is worth writing about. (And I'm supposed to be working on this damn novel.)

At the same time, several of you have expressed your appreciation for the blog, and I do enjoy having the chance to share my thoughts with you. In my small way, I try to disseminate useful information about book reviewing and different aspects of the book world, in addition to talking about specific authors and books that are of interest to me.

So I'm going to try to keep doing that. But I might not be writing as often. We'll see how the rest of my duties go and how much time I've got left for this. No matter what happens, though, I deeply appreciate the time that you folks take to read my ramblings. I hope that I can continue to be worthy of your attention.

Nothing to say

It finally happened! I've run out of things to say.

Check back in a few days.

Bouchercon

I decided that I didn't really have much more I wanted to say about the conference, so for now this is going to be brief. (I might be inspired later, but probably not.)

I had a good time. It was wonderful to see friends again, although we never have a chance to talk as much as I'd like. I was very pleased at the opportunity to meet so many of the people I've gotten to know via email and blogs, but not yet met. I was overwhelmed at the compliments that people were so gracious to give me, both on my talk and my panel. (I'm still amazed that anyone other than my wife knows who I am at these things.) Lastly, I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. But I'm glad it's next year, 'cause I'm beat.

The Gender Wars continue

Over on M.J. Rose's blog, a post discussing a recent Chicago Tribune article that trashed genre fiction prompted the following comment from author Elizabeth Becka:

On one hand I agree with her that all men believe that anything written (as well as produced, manufactured or designed) by, for or about a woman is emotional fluff, something to keep the annoying things from whining at us for five minutes or so...

Whoa. We do?? All men think that? I must have missed the memo...What have I been doing reading and writing about all these books by female authors over the past few years? Am I now a gender traitor along with Marilyn Stasio?

I'm hoping that Ms. Becka misspoke, so to speak, because that's the biggest load I've heard in a long time.

Site redesign

As you can see, I've made a few changes to the way the site looks. Hopefully it's an improvement. I felt like something a little more colorful. Of course, I barely know what I'm doing, so keep that in mind.

Lemme know if you have any thoughts or suggestions.

Update: Okay, I started over from the beginning. I'm still in the process of changing things. Hopefully it will now display on other browsers.

Shhh...they're listening

Agent 007, an editor-turned-literary agent who has recently joined the blogosphere, gives prospective authors some very good advice:

These days, most of you have blogs. That’s great. In fact it’s quickly becoming a requirement. But please, if you’re using your real name, don’t blog about your struggles to find an agent, or your agent’s struggles to find you a publisher, or even your struggles to get published by the New Yorker (unless you’re really really funny about it).

Agents and editors can Google search, too, and before we sign you, we usually do. It can be so hard to feel the love when we read that you’ve already been rejected fifty times. We know it happens, but we don’t need to know that it happened to you. And we certainly won’t feel comfortable sending your work to editors with that kind of info so readily available.

It makes publishers squirm, and that’s not a good thing.

I would extend that advice beyond the topic of struggles and rejections, and urge published authors to consider it as well, especially when discussing topics that might be controversial.

Blog Story Project -- List of Stories

Here is the line-up. Some great writers in the mix, so don't miss 'em!

Alina Adams: "Hitting the Fan"

Ray Banks: "Outbid"

Gwenda Bond: "Unflappable"

Aldo Calcagno: "What Happens in Vegas"

Bill Crider: "Raining Willie"

Paul Guyot: "Bobcat"

Jennifer Jordan: "The Secret Police Auction Executive Balls"

Rochelle Krich: "Why Peggy Didn't Get Marrie"

Christin Kuretich: "The End"

Pat Lambe: "Initiation"

Stuart MacBride: "Lot 346"

David J. Montgomery: "The Suitcase"

Bob Mueller: "The Sad Girl"

Scott Neumeyer: "Now You Can See"

Graham Powell: "The Leap"

Megan Powell: "Soft Soap"

Bryon Quertermous: "Schmuck with an Underwood"

John Rickards: "The Horror in the Sands"

Gerald So: "Every Man for Himself"

Duane Swierczynski: "Seeing God"

Robert Tinsley: "Familiars"

Steven Torres: "Viktor Petrenko, Have You No Mercy?"

Sarah Weinman: "A Jumpin' Night in the Garden of Eden"

Dave White: "Deliver Us from Evil"

Dave Zeltserman: "The Canary"

The Blog Short Story Project

I was invited by Dave White and Bryon Quertermous to participate in the 2nd Blog Short Story Project, along with a couple dozen other writers. The goal was to write a story involving an item from a police auction.

Apparently there was also a 3000 word limit, an instruction I somehow missed, as my story is twice that. Sorry folks! I never was very good at following instructions, which is why I had to repeat kindergarten twice.

I'll forgive you if you can't plow through the whole thing. I just appreciate you stopping by. (Story after the jump.)

Two new blogs

I recently discovered two new blogs (new to me, anyway) from mystery authors that I'm enjoying reading and wanted to share with you.

J.A. Konrath (author of the Jack Daniels mystery series) has started a blog about his experiences in the publishing industry, covering such topics as writing, publicity, touring, agents, etc. Joe works harder at this writing career than just about anyone I know, so his thoughts on the subject are gold for other writers, aspiring or established.

The other blog is The Lipstick Chronicles, written by a quartet of lovely mystery writers: Susan McBride, Sarah Strohmeyer, Nancy Martin and my friend Harley Jane Kozak. Their stated topics are "love, laughter, laundry and the mysteries of the writing life." That should just about cover it.

Check them both out. Lots of good stuff there.