Colleen Collins's Blog, page 11
March 17, 2014
THE ZEN MAN - free March 17 - 19!
Download THE ZEN MAN for free March 17 - 19 on Amazon by clicking here
"I loved every single word of The Zen Man!"
~Delores Fossen, USA Today Best-Selling Author
March 11, 2014
Real-World Nick and Nora's: Husband-and-Wife Private Detectives
Nick, Nora and Asta
As most of you probably know, my husband and I ran a private detective agency in Denver, Colorado, for a decade. Today, Digital Book Today is posting one of my articles "Current-Day Nick and Nora's: Married Private Eye Teams" where I talk about how my husband and I meshed our very different work styles, chat about other married private eye teams we've gotten to know over the years, Hollywood casting directors calling about reality private-eye shows and more.
I'll post an e...
March 7, 2014
New Humorous Mystery Novel: THE UNGRATEFUL DEAD
Throughout the month of March, THE UNGRATEFUL DEAD will be on sale at the introductory price of 99 cents. Click here to go the book's Amazon page.
Book Excerpt: Preface
In 2008, I wrote a mystery short story, The Ungrateful Dead, based on two characters, Rick Levine (a private investigator) and Laura Fitzhugh (his girlfriend), who spend their first romantic weekend together at a coroner’s conference. I can guess what you’re thinking: “Is she kidding? A romantic weekend at a coroner’s conference?” I happen to know this is possible because, as the saying goes, I’ve been there and done that.
During the decade that my husband and I ran a private detective agency in Denver, Colorado, we were invited several times by our state coroner association to give presentations at their annual conferences. Both times, the association treated us to a lovely hotel room, paid for our meals, and more. Just like Rick and Laura in The Ungrateful Dead, we made romantic weekends out of hanging out with a lot of coroners.
A few years after writing The Ungrateful Dead, I wrote a mystery novel, The Zen Man, featuring Rick and Laura and their life five months after the coroners’ conference. The Zen Man was a lot of fun to write, and ended up a semifinalist in the Kindle Book Reviews’ Best Indie Books of 2012, as well as being a BookRooster.com Reviewers’ Pick in 2013.
Several readers asked if there would be another novel featuring Rick and Laura, and yes, a sequel to The Zen Man is in process. Meanwhile, I decided to flesh out The Ungrateful Dead to introduce readers to Rick and Laura in the early days of their relationship, and how they ended up investigating their first case together after a dead body is found at a coroner’s conference.
Which sounds like the perfect setting for a murder mystery, wouldn’t you agree?
March 6, 2014
In Honor of World Book Day: Humphrey Bogart, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable...
Bogie and Books
Did you know Humphrey Bogart loved to read? I just read the other day that although he had been a poor student in school, he had a lifelong love of reading, and could quote Plato, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Shakespeare.
Humphrey Bogart and John Huston
Some of his best friends were screenwriters, such as Nunnally Johnson and John Huston. I've always admired Huston for his directing, even his acting, but did you know he also wrote 40 screenplays, including the adaptation of Dashie...
February 28, 2014
Crime Scene Investigations: Diagrams and Articles for Writers and Researchers
While working on my current romantic-suspense novel proposal, I went trolling on the Internet to find some examples of arson investigations (the story involves a federal arson investigator), when I stumbled across a site called SmartDraw, a software product that helps people capture their thoughts/information as pictures. It contains numerous examples of mind maps, report templates and flow charts for different kinds of crime scenes -- handy for writers needing to understand the different ty...
February 14, 2014
Tropes: To Use or Not to Use in Storytelling?
I used to think a trope was a bad thing, assigning it the taint of a cliche. Well, a trope can become a cliche if overused andbludgeonedsenseless, but I wasn't bothering to think beyond that.
Took me a while to realize...
Tropes Are Not Bad
The key for genre writers is to balance well-known tropes with innovation
I have a writer friend who says that one reason she started hitting the New York Times best seller lists was she began applying tropes in her stories. I'm reading one of her books now...
February 12, 2014
Feb 12: Giving away 3 copies of SLEEPLESS IN LAS VEGAS
To enter to win, LIKE my post at the RMS Writers' Facebook page. You'll also be automatically entered to win the grand prize $15 Amazon gift card on February 14!
RMS Writers FB Page
February 10, 2014
RMS Writers Valentine's Week Giveaways!
Starting Feb 8, one of the RMS writers is posting her giveaway - drop by, LIKE the post, and you're automatically entered to win that author's book *and* registered to win a $15 Amazon gift card!
Ends February 14: Sleepless in Las VegasRMS Writers Valentine's Week Giveaway Blast
February 8, 2014
February 12: Win a Copy of SLEEPLESS IN LAS VEGAS
Sleepless in Las Vegas (Harlequin Superromance)
As part of the RMS (Romance, Mystery, Suspense) Writers Valentine's Week Giveaways, I'm giving away 3 copies of Sleepless in Las Vegas - To enter to win a copy, go to the RMS Writers Facebookpage and LIKE my post. You'll also be automatically entered to win the grand prize $15 Amazon gift card on February 14.
Go toRMS Writers Facebook Page to enter the book giveaway!
Check out the other book giveaways RMS Writers are giving away below:
The Da...
February Book Giveaways and Bargains: Nonfiction, Mystery and Romance
February 8-10: My nonfiction book How Do Private Eyes Do That? will be on sale for 99 cents!
How Do Private Eyes Do That?
“A must have for any writer serious about crafting authentic private eyes. Collins knows her stuff.”
- Lori Wilde, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
"I picked up my copy as a whim to flesh out the background of my own fictional PI, and after reading the book, trashed just about everything I had written. I see now t...
