Peg Herring's Blog, page 40
July 26, 2010
MysterEbooks Launch
Today marks the beginning of a new webblog for owners of e-readers. Mysterebooks.blogspot.com begins listing mysteries for e-books with author-submitted information and reviews. This week's listings are below. Please stop by and read, comment, and enjoy!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Title THE FOUR LAST THINGS (Simeon Grist #1)
Author Timothy Hallinan
Genre/Sub-genre: LA private eye novel
Tuesday:
Title TO CATCH A COP
AUTHOR Elle Druskin
GENRE Mystery/Romance
Wenesday:
Title: Murder On The Mind
Author: L.L. Bartlett
Genre: Mystery/Paranormal
Thursday:
Title THE SHADOW OF REALITY, #1 The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries
Author Donna Fletcher Crow
Genre Mystery/ Romantic Intrigue
Friday:
TITLE: Follow The Falcon
AUTHOR: Steve Kendall
GENRE: mystery
Monday, July 26, 2010
Title THE FOUR LAST THINGS (Simeon Grist #1)
Author Timothy Hallinan
Genre/Sub-genre: LA private eye novel
Tuesday:
Title TO CATCH A COP
AUTHOR Elle Druskin
GENRE Mystery/Romance
Wenesday:
Title: Murder On The Mind
Author: L.L. Bartlett
Genre: Mystery/Paranormal
Thursday:
Title THE SHADOW OF REALITY, #1 The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries
Author Donna Fletcher Crow
Genre Mystery/ Romantic Intrigue
Friday:
TITLE: Follow The Falcon
AUTHOR: Steve Kendall
GENRE: mystery
July 23, 2010
Cell Phones and Curmudgeosity
If this makes me sound like a throw-back, so be it, but here's the story.
We're traveling. We stop at a rest area. I go into the little stall, minding my own business, as they say. A woman comes into the place, talking to someone else. She comments on the place in a way that lets me know she is on her cell phone. Telling someone about the facility. Okay.
It gets worse. She goes into the stall next to mine and makes water (as my grandmother used to say), all the time talking to whoever. The person cannot fail to hear the tinkle, the flush, etc.
I have long wondered if the people who talk incessantly on their cell phones actually have conversations with their friends and family when they are with them in person.
My guess is no. Judging from what I've seen in restaurants and stores, when they are with friends and/or family, that's the time when they call someone else on their cell phones.
We're traveling. We stop at a rest area. I go into the little stall, minding my own business, as they say. A woman comes into the place, talking to someone else. She comments on the place in a way that lets me know she is on her cell phone. Telling someone about the facility. Okay.
It gets worse. She goes into the stall next to mine and makes water (as my grandmother used to say), all the time talking to whoever. The person cannot fail to hear the tinkle, the flush, etc.
I have long wondered if the people who talk incessantly on their cell phones actually have conversations with their friends and family when they are with them in person.
My guess is no. Judging from what I've seen in restaurants and stores, when they are with friends and/or family, that's the time when they call someone else on their cell phones.
July 22, 2010
I Can Stop Anytime I Want
Okay, so I bought an e-reader. And I had to try it out, of course, so I downloaded a book my husband has been wanting to read (and tricked him into trying the thing and finding out how easy it is to use. HA!)
Then, of course, I had to download my e-book (GO HOME AND DIE) to see what it looks like to my readers.
I heard from an online contact who likes my work, and I thought about her first book, which I read and really liked, so I tried her name, and there she was, an e-book author. So of course, I bought her book.
Do you see where this is going? Financial ruin, reading bliss, a TBR list stacking up in my little hand-held wonder. Am I happy? Of course!
Then, of course, I had to download my e-book (GO HOME AND DIE) to see what it looks like to my readers.
I heard from an online contact who likes my work, and I thought about her first book, which I read and really liked, so I tried her name, and there she was, an e-book author. So of course, I bought her book.
Do you see where this is going? Financial ruin, reading bliss, a TBR list stacking up in my little hand-held wonder. Am I happy? Of course!
July 20, 2010
E-reading
Notice how everything we do nowadays is e-something? We e-publish, e-market, e-mail, e-conference, and e-read. Well, here's news. I just joined that last bunch. I own an e-reader.
It's a very cool toy, but honestly, I didn't buy it for status or from geeky techno-awe. I felt like I needed to understand the market that I entered this year when GO HOME AND DIE and HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER both became e-books.
How does the thing work? What can a person do with it? Does it really feel like reading? These are questions I had until yesterday. At first glance, the answers seem to be "easily", "all sorts of things I had not imagined" and "yes, it does." As soon as I get some time, I will discover the deeper answers which will tell me if e-reading is really for me. Stay tuned.
It's a very cool toy, but honestly, I didn't buy it for status or from geeky techno-awe. I felt like I needed to understand the market that I entered this year when GO HOME AND DIE and HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER both became e-books.
How does the thing work? What can a person do with it? Does it really feel like reading? These are questions I had until yesterday. At first glance, the answers seem to be "easily", "all sorts of things I had not imagined" and "yes, it does." As soon as I get some time, I will discover the deeper answers which will tell me if e-reading is really for me. Stay tuned.
July 19, 2010
Mystery E-books for Writers and E-readers
E-book Readers and Writers
For some time it has bothered me that there seems to be no site online where a person can read about ONLY mysteries published as e-books. With some trepidation and a lot of help, I’ve decided to attempt to change that. A friend has established a blog that will be dedicated solely to mysteries that are e-published. The submission process is somewhat experimental right now, but the plan is that authors will tell us about their books, following the template found on the site. Please be careful to do exactly as asked, or your book will not be listed. We will not list self-pubbed books, and mystery—the solution of a crime--must be the dominant theme.
If you’d like to submit a book for consideration, go to the site : http://mysterebooks.blogspot.com. There you will find the template and a sample submission. Submit the completed post to mysterebooks@yahoo.com, and we’ll let you know the date of its appearance on MysterEbooks. We’ll also promote the site so that readers learn where they can go to find e-mysteries.
If you are a reader of mysteries on electronic devices, visit us often to read about new options for e-reading!
For some time it has bothered me that there seems to be no site online where a person can read about ONLY mysteries published as e-books. With some trepidation and a lot of help, I’ve decided to attempt to change that. A friend has established a blog that will be dedicated solely to mysteries that are e-published. The submission process is somewhat experimental right now, but the plan is that authors will tell us about their books, following the template found on the site. Please be careful to do exactly as asked, or your book will not be listed. We will not list self-pubbed books, and mystery—the solution of a crime--must be the dominant theme.
If you’d like to submit a book for consideration, go to the site : http://mysterebooks.blogspot.com. There you will find the template and a sample submission. Submit the completed post to mysterebooks@yahoo.com, and we’ll let you know the date of its appearance on MysterEbooks. We’ll also promote the site so that readers learn where they can go to find e-mysteries.
If you are a reader of mysteries on electronic devices, visit us often to read about new options for e-reading!
July 16, 2010
Switching Sexes
Oh, stop thinking that way!
My thought for the day comes from the night. Once upon a time, my husband wanted the bedroom cool (make that cold) and I wanted it warm. In our maturity, we have switched. These days I can't sleep unless the AC is on, and he suffers from an arthritic shoulder, so the blast of cool air keeps him awake with an ache.
Studies show that men and women make subtle shifts as they age that may reverse behaviors and attitudes from their younger years. Women become more assertive and men less so. Is it because men sense their physical powers waning and women get a sense of it? Women who have finished their life task, raising children, become interested in lots of new things, while men may narrow their circle of activities. One possible reason is that their pursuits often involved physical activity. Riding a motorcycle or tramping through rough terrain just isn't as much fun at 70 as it was at 35.
Of course, I speak in generalities. There are plenty of exceptions to everything I've said here. But as a writer, I think one has to keep in mind the gentle shift as people age. Older male protags might have limits where they did not have them before, and older females? Well, they might just surprise everyone.
My thought for the day comes from the night. Once upon a time, my husband wanted the bedroom cool (make that cold) and I wanted it warm. In our maturity, we have switched. These days I can't sleep unless the AC is on, and he suffers from an arthritic shoulder, so the blast of cool air keeps him awake with an ache.
Studies show that men and women make subtle shifts as they age that may reverse behaviors and attitudes from their younger years. Women become more assertive and men less so. Is it because men sense their physical powers waning and women get a sense of it? Women who have finished their life task, raising children, become interested in lots of new things, while men may narrow their circle of activities. One possible reason is that their pursuits often involved physical activity. Riding a motorcycle or tramping through rough terrain just isn't as much fun at 70 as it was at 35.
Of course, I speak in generalities. There are plenty of exceptions to everything I've said here. But as a writer, I think one has to keep in mind the gentle shift as people age. Older male protags might have limits where they did not have them before, and older females? Well, they might just surprise everyone.
July 15, 2010
Aging Writers
Young people can write, I will admit that. They can have talent, style, and a sense of story. But one gets a sense of life and living from the older writer that comes only from experience. Sadly, it is often sad.
Look at Mark Twain or William Shakespeare. As they aged, their works became less and less fun, more and more dark. Masterworks, some of them, but no happy endings.
I'm reading Walter Mosley's THE LONG FALL right now, and there's a passage that describes the "hammer", something waiting in the sky to hit a person when he least expects it, a staggering blow that surprises and stuns. It requires everything a person has just to go on afterward.
Life brings lots of hammer blows. The more I talk to people, the more I realize that we all have things to bear that are unbearable. Is is the piling on of hammer blows, one after another, that makes us old?
I guess the solace in it all is that we become better able to present reality, better able to capture the ups and downs of being human. Better able to write.
Look at Mark Twain or William Shakespeare. As they aged, their works became less and less fun, more and more dark. Masterworks, some of them, but no happy endings.
I'm reading Walter Mosley's THE LONG FALL right now, and there's a passage that describes the "hammer", something waiting in the sky to hit a person when he least expects it, a staggering blow that surprises and stuns. It requires everything a person has just to go on afterward.
Life brings lots of hammer blows. The more I talk to people, the more I realize that we all have things to bear that are unbearable. Is is the piling on of hammer blows, one after another, that makes us old?
I guess the solace in it all is that we become better able to present reality, better able to capture the ups and downs of being human. Better able to write.
July 14, 2010
Choice Made for Me
Yesterday I wrote about trying to decide which project to pursue next, my historical series or a different but intriguing idea that's been floating in my head. That choice was made for me last night.
My editor sent the second of the Simon & Elizabeth books back, edits completed, and said that she loves it and hopes I am at work on the third in the series.
Um, sure. I guess I am!
I do like the idea of Book Three. The time is Mary I's reign, so Elizabeth is in extreme danger.
Most of Mary's advisers think it would be best to simply chop the spare princess' head off, as they did to Jane Grey. And my idea for the murder is going to be fun, because even I don't know yet how it was done! I also have a cool subplot that will involve Hannah, Simon's true love.
So yes, I guess I am at work. I haven't written any of this down yet. But I will.
My editor sent the second of the Simon & Elizabeth books back, edits completed, and said that she loves it and hopes I am at work on the third in the series.
Um, sure. I guess I am!
I do like the idea of Book Three. The time is Mary I's reign, so Elizabeth is in extreme danger.
Most of Mary's advisers think it would be best to simply chop the spare princess' head off, as they did to Jane Grey. And my idea for the murder is going to be fun, because even I don't know yet how it was done! I also have a cool subplot that will involve Hannah, Simon's true love.
So yes, I guess I am at work. I haven't written any of this down yet. But I will.
July 13, 2010
Inspiration or Perspiration?
It's time to choose the next book. My second Simon & Elizabeth (POISON, YOUR GRACE) and my paranormal, THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY, are both in the editing process, so there is nothing I can do about them until I get the editors' suggestions. My newest endeavor, which I titled DEAD INSIDE, is awaiting word from an agent or two. So what do I want to do next?
The perspiration part: write the third of the historical series. I have it outlined on my handy-dandy little tape recorder, and I know and like the characters. I've researched the history. The next step will be to start putting it into real words.
But inspiration just hit on what the next book of the DEAD INSIDE series should be. I find I'm excited about writing that one, too. The plot is evolving, the characters have begun to talk in my head. So do I write the book I know I need to write, or the book that calls to me?
I have to tell you, it's a dilemma I have no problem harboring. I love having two exciting, absorbing projects to choose from. So much better than real life, and I have TWO ways to escape!
The perspiration part: write the third of the historical series. I have it outlined on my handy-dandy little tape recorder, and I know and like the characters. I've researched the history. The next step will be to start putting it into real words.
But inspiration just hit on what the next book of the DEAD INSIDE series should be. I find I'm excited about writing that one, too. The plot is evolving, the characters have begun to talk in my head. So do I write the book I know I need to write, or the book that calls to me?
I have to tell you, it's a dilemma I have no problem harboring. I love having two exciting, absorbing projects to choose from. So much better than real life, and I have TWO ways to escape!
July 12, 2010
Deadlines: My Saving Grace
Nothing is real to me until about three weeks before it happens. Saturday, at a book signing where not much was happening, it occurred to me that three weeks from that date I would be modeling my Catherine Parr dress at the Romance Writers of America annual convention.
Yikes.
It's been fun planning the costume, making the underpinnings, and anticipating the "big" dress, which I hired done lest I overstep the bounds of my sewing talents. (Pictures of the process will be up on my FB page this week: http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/...)
But now it has become real. I promised I would step out in front of many, many people and pretend I know something about history. I promised to lead nine other women onto the stage (only one of whom I've met) and make them look good, too.
Suddenly details matter. Shoes? Hair? And what about the fact that I need my glasses in order to read the scripts? Very un-Tudor like. And then there is the matter of Being Seen and Judged by Others. One of the model/authors, Jeannie Lin, did a great video blog about that terrorizing prospect. (See it at http://www.jeannielin.com/index.php/v...).
A deadline serves a purpose other than striking fear into my heart, however. It makes me concentrate. I start my lists of things to do, things to take, things to remember. I practice, going over in my mind different scenarios and making sure I can handle them all. It's a great word, when you think on it. Deadline, the point at which anticipation dies and reality shouts, "It's alive!"
Yikes.
It's been fun planning the costume, making the underpinnings, and anticipating the "big" dress, which I hired done lest I overstep the bounds of my sewing talents. (Pictures of the process will be up on my FB page this week: http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/...)
But now it has become real. I promised I would step out in front of many, many people and pretend I know something about history. I promised to lead nine other women onto the stage (only one of whom I've met) and make them look good, too.
Suddenly details matter. Shoes? Hair? And what about the fact that I need my glasses in order to read the scripts? Very un-Tudor like. And then there is the matter of Being Seen and Judged by Others. One of the model/authors, Jeannie Lin, did a great video blog about that terrorizing prospect. (See it at http://www.jeannielin.com/index.php/v...).
A deadline serves a purpose other than striking fear into my heart, however. It makes me concentrate. I start my lists of things to do, things to take, things to remember. I practice, going over in my mind different scenarios and making sure I can handle them all. It's a great word, when you think on it. Deadline, the point at which anticipation dies and reality shouts, "It's alive!"
