I’e2’80’99m off to Phoenix for the weekend, two events and a chance to see my friends in Scottsdale of the Poisoned Pen, bookstore and press. Back Monday, assuming I survive the sudden climate change. If any of you are within striking distance of San Francisco, you should know that I am doing an evening conversation…
Read MoreI’e2’80’99m putting together the quarterly newsletter, which will go out some time in November, and in addition to the cover of THE ART OF DETECTION and maybe a photo of me in England, I’e2’80’99m trying to decide what I want to write. Author newsletters occupy one of those tricky areas between promotion and the personal…
Read MoreThat’e2’80’99s TAD done and dusted. At long last, THE ART OF DETECTION is off my desk, all the blue Post Its (notes to self) removed and the brown Post Its (notes to editor) folded neatly along the side of the page; all the copy editor’e2’80’99s mistaken changes of my American English into English English (Mr.…
Read MoreYou want to know how to become a successful writer? Look at what Ian Rankin has to say on the matter. TO PLAY THE FOOL was the first book I wrote under contract. Sixty pages or so into it, my mother fell down and broke both her wrists. She could do nothing for herself. My…
Read MoreLee Goldberg has some interesting things to say (Oct 19) about rejection’e2’80’94or rather, passes on some interesting takes on his book from jaundiced editorial eyes. Nearly twenty letters turning him down, and the book goes on, when finally published, to great reviews. As I read through the above paragraph, an intriguing thing pops out at…
Read MorePlease turn your thoughts to Ed Gorman, on his way to a scary procedure. Ed is one of the founding members of the mystery world as it stands today, and having him go shaky is frightening for us all. Strength, Ed. And we’e2’80’99re going to miss your blog. *********************And while we’e2’80’99re on grim things. Molly…
Read MoreSo, what do we think of the Quill awards? On the one hand, any group with the sense of humor to hand not one, but two awards to the Jon Stewart crew is my kind of people. On the other hand, the entire thrust is so commercial, it’e2’80’99s a little off-putting. On the one hand,…
Read MoreThe face of THE ART OF DETECTION was revealed to me, as in a dream’e2’80’a6 Actually, UPS brought it on Saturday in one of those brown envelopes that explode grey fuzz all over everything when you pull the tab. I’e2’80’99ll post it here and on the web site when they finish ‘e2’80’9ctweaking’e2’80’9d it and sent…
Read MoreTo everything there is a season, the Good Book tells us, and this week has been my season for housekeeping. Consider: January to June, first draft and first rewrite. A month of touring and conferences, followed by two months of intensive rewrite. Finally in September handing THE ART OF DETECTION over to my editor (to…
Read More26 September I seem to have had some problems getting Sunday’s posting to link to Left Coast Crime. If your link didn’t work, you can paste in www.leftcoastcrime2006.com. This is your chance to meet all those English writers you’ve admired from a distance for so many years. Cornwall seems a very long way from here.…
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