Barbara Fradkin's Blog, page 10

Are those people astronauts or serial killers?

 By Steve PeaseWhen I was a civilian engineer for the Air Force, I traveled at least once a month, mostly to LA, Washington DC, Albuquerque and Dayton, Ohio. That means a lot of time sitting at the gate area in airports or exploring terminals because of lengthy waits between flights, and looking for the john or an available electrical plug.I always stay awake and only sleep aboard the plane.

When There Are No More Tomorrows

 Last January I blogged about our recently adopted dog, Dirk, and that we had brought him into the household as an emotional bulwark against the impending loss of my other dog, Scout. Now it finally happened. Scout has left us. I won't share stories about him because we all have similar memories about the departure of our beloved pets. However, I will admit that I miss Scout more than I miss

Twists and Turns

 by Catherine DiltsAs my fellow Type M for Murder authors know, these booksain’t gonna sell themselves! I’m trying to push myself out there. Pitching mybooks to strangers is not my cup of tea, but it is a necessary part of being anauthor.One who makes a profit, anyway. So far this year, I am inthe red.Thus, my participation in Mountain of Authors.My table at Mountain of AuthorsAt

Let's Talk Tropes

by Thomas Kies I taught a class last week on the campus of NC State University to room of fifty mystery buffs.  The subject of the talk was Mysteries and the Importance of Settings and Tropes.  I loved the ninety-minute time I had with those people because they’re my tribe.  They love mysteries.  We talk the same language.And in doing the research for the class, I had a

Cover Craft: Examining Four Online Top Sellers' Covers & My Own Attempts

A first attempt at a cover design for my upcoming long short story.Shelley here once again and wondering how two weeks could have passed so quickly since my last bi-monthly post! As I've been hard at work on my Strawberry Moon Mystery story--which will be a long short story or short novella depending on my ability to edit, pare, and trim--I've pondering what I might do with it once it's

Are You “by accident” or “on accident”?

 by Sybil JohnsonI find languages endlessly fascinating. I’ve taken enough linguistic classes to know that they change over time. Unless it’s a dead language, of course.I accept that there are regional differences in American English. I even welcome them. Still, I find some changes to be unnatural. Case in point: A friend recently asked me what preposition I would use in the

WHAT'S A WRITER TO DO?

     by Steve Pease/Michael Chandos      A short one tonight, I'm afraid. I've been sick for a week with a chest cold and didn't do anything interesting except cough.  I didn't do new writing. I could see my head was spinning, and anything I wrote was bound to be a logical mess. So what's a writer to do?     Any creative work is non-romantic.

Social Media self-destruction

 I read with interest Shelley's post about the baffling and frustrating world of marketing. No author I know becomes a writer because they love the marketing. Most of us hate it - perhaps not all of it but the relentless push to keep your book or your name visible. I love the human encounters. The book club talks and public presentations, the chance meetings with readers, even the

Are Conferences Business or Pleasure?

Catherine DiltsWhy would hundreds of introverts flock together? Isn’t thatcontrary to their very nature? When asked, most people told me they were hugelyuncomfortable in crowds. But they could endure a weekend at a conferencebecause this was their crowd. Their people. The weirdos who “get” their weird.Writers’ conferences are both invigorating and draining. Lastweek Sybil Johnson shared

Rediscovering the Joy of Writing

 Happy Friday! Shelley here, once again, from Guam where I'm finding inspiration in the oddest places, like this moldering, broken balustrade overlooking the ocean from high atop a cliff covered in tangled vegetation and littered with trash--beverage containers, plastic bags, tattered towels, even a computer screen coming apart at the seams. There must be a story here at the end of the