Rachel Brady's Blog

It's a gut-twisty feeling. This must be what a guy feels like right after he asks his girlfriend to marry him. There is the thought, "This could be the best day ever!" but it's mixed with "Pleasepleaseplease don't reject me and make me cry like a little girl."





There is happiness with a finished draft. There is anxiety about the impending revision letter. Like last time I'll post any

by Rachel BradyFirst Draft, our road has never been easyYou wear me down and make me queasyI yearn for you, pursue you stillYou never call when you say you willWe agreed on a year, you showed up in twoWhat the hell is wrong with you?Plot holes, time warps, misspellings, grammarFlat dialogue, word choice, scenes that rambleImplausible twists, sagging middleCannot believe I wrote this drivelSecond

Prepare for Random, folks.1. If you are a mystery or suspense writer who is trying to get published, please don't miss an amazing opportunity offered by Poisoned Pen Press. The Discover Mystery Contest is open through April 30th and the publisher is looking for new blood!2. In my last post I mentioned that I received two courtesy copies of Now Write! Mysteries: Suspense, Crime, Thriller, and

The other day I received a package in the mail from a New York publisher. Packages are fun!I wasn't expecting this one, but upon opening it I found two courtesy copies of Now Write! Mysteries: Suspense, Crime, Thriller, and Other Mystery Fiction Exercises from Today's Best Writer's and Teachers. In 2010 I was invited to contribute an exercise for this compilation and it was about this time last

Now a plug for my friendly neighborhood writing organization:Mystery Writers of America University (MWA-U) is a full-day, low-cost writing seminar designed to teach folks the essential skills needed to write a novel. The workshop covers everything from the idea stage to the final edits. Here, college level courses are taught by published mystery writers who are also experienced teachers. Topics

This month at the Stiletto Gang, I turned to my nine-year-old daughter for some life guidance.

Kids are insightful. Also kind of funny.

Today at the Stiletto Gang, I share my recent impressions about the power of paring down.

Nothing really. Which I found remarkable.I'd never read The Devil Wears Prada (Lauren Weisberger) or seen the film, but plenty of my girlfriends have loved it, so when I saw the audiobook at the library, I picked it up. Rachel Leigh Cook did a fabulous job narrating and I was completely immersed in the story when Disk 1 ended and I reached for Disk 2, which turned out to be the real Disk 1.Huh?

Tammy Kaehler delivers a solid debut with Dead Man's Switch, featuring racecar driving protagonist Kate Reilly. The story opens when Kate gets a much needed chance to accelerate her racing career after veteran driver Wade Becker turns up suspiciously dead just days before the American Le Mans Series finale. Kate isn't a total rookie. She's shown her driving skill in earlier races and has made

I never liked those calls.You know, the ones where somebody calls you up for no reason in particular. When I answer my phone, I expect 1) news or 2) a request.Example of #1: "There's a hurricane coming!"Example of #2: "Will you help me avoid my mother-in-law?"Calls like these serve a purpose and have a natural ending point.The "Heeyyy! Whatcha doin'?" phone call doesn't work for me because I have