Elena Hartwell's Blog, page 67
April 14, 2019
Query Advice for Authors and JL Delozier’s Latest Novel
I’m thrilled to have author J.L. Delozier on my blog this week talking about the third book in her Persephone Smith trilogy, Blood Type X along with some great query advice.
“Then I made my first of many rookie mistakes; I gave up too soon.”
Want more query advice? Click the link here for my post on queries.
The Author
J.L. Delozier has practiced medicine for 25 years.
In addition to the Persephone Smith novels, her short fiction has appeared in the British crime anthology, Noirville: Tales from the Dark Side, NoirCon’s official journal, Retreats from Oblivion, and Thriller Magazine (upcoming, 7/2019.)
She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and three rescue cats.
To learn more about J.L. click on her photo or any of the following links: Goodreads , Twitter and Facebook
The Latest Book
Mysterious photos of the world’s most wanted killer.
Coded letters luring her to Spain.
A little girl who is not what she seems.
Criminal psychologist Persephone “Seph” Smith is back on the hunt for Dr. William Baine, a scientist who murdered half the word’s population with his Type O virus. Now, he plans to rebuild the world in his own image—starting with Seph. When the hunter becomes the hunted, Seph must rely on her genetic gift to outwit Baine—and his shadowy accomplice.
Blood Type X is the third installment of the Persephone Smith series, which includes Storm Shelter (“An unconventional mystery that’s smart and unpredictable” – Kirkus Reviews) and the Thriller Award-nominated Type & Cross.
To preorder Blood Type X, click on the link here.
To buy the other books in the series ( Storm Shelter and Type & Cross ), click the following link: Amazon
The Interview
Tell us about your road to publication:
Writing a novel has been on my bucket list since high school, but it simmered on the back burner for two decades while I got my medical degree and established by career. When I was finally ready, I read Stephen King’s On Writing for inspiration. My debut thriller, Type & Cross, took a year to write and edit.
Afterward, I wavered on whether to simply check it off the list and move on or try to publish it. I took a craft webnar, which included a ten-page critique, from Writer’s Digest. The agent’s feedback was so encouraging, I wrote a query and began the hunt for an agent.
Then I made my first of many rookie mistakes; I gave up too soon. After fifty queries and several full manuscript requests, which were ultimately rejected, I’d had enough. Now I know fifty queries is nothing, but at the time, dejected and insecure, I decided to query open small presses with the hope of receiving more detailed editorial feedback.
I queried five and got two offers of publication. My second mistake: not taking those offers back to an agent. I signed with WiDō Publishing, and though they’ve been great throughout our three-book series together (the final installment, Blood Type X, drops soon), I’d still love to have an agent’s guidance as my writing career expands in the future.
I’m still working twenty hours a week as a physician, so I need all the help I can get!
“Stay humble, and accept good advice. The secret is parsing the good from the bad.”
Now that you are launching your third book, what have you learned about being a published author?I’ve learned so much, I could write an entire blog about nothing but my lessons learned! Here are my top three:
1) Publishing time moves a half a pace slower than a snail’s and exponentially slower than real life. Be patient.
2) Your fellow writers are your friends, and incredibly gracious ones at that. Network, network, network!
3) Stay humble, and accept good advice. The secret is parsing the good from the bad.
What are you working on now?
As mentioned above, Blood Type X is coming soon, so I’m busy marketing that. I also have two soon-to-be published short stories: one in Thriller Magazine,and the other (my first sci-fi short story, which won a Roswell Award!) in Artemis Journal.
My fourth novel, Con Me Once, is complete but unsold, and my fifth, The Photo Thief, is a quarter done. It’s been my most challenging project yet because I’m experimenting with POV and have added a substantial paranormal element to what would otherwise be a standard murder mystery.
I’ve never written anything so intricate, and it shows! My daily word count has been dreadful. Then, assuming I complete it before I’m old and senile, I’ll return to the querying trenches, but this time, I’ll be going in as a savvy, battle-hardened veteran.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us! So great to hear advice from the people in the trenches. Can’t wait to hear how the query process goes – be sure to come back and share your next book with us – I know we’re going to see more of your work out there!
Header photo from Pixabay, click the link here to learn more.
The post Query Advice for Authors and JL Delozier’s Latest Novel appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
April 7, 2019
Two Thriller Writers for the 21st Century
Two thriller writers for the 21st Century. Thrilled to have Brian Nelson and August Norman on my blog this week. I think they are male authors for the new millennium. One is a primary care-giver for his kids – the other writes a female protagonist. I love these guys!
The Author
Brian Nelson is a former Fulbright Scholar who holds degrees in international relations, economics, and creative writing (fiction). His first book, The Silence and the Scorpion: The Coup against Chávez and the Making of Modern Venezuela, was named one of the Best Books of 2009 by the Economist.
His work has appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Christian Science Monitor and the Southern Humanities Review, among others. He lives in Denver with his wife and two children.
To learn more about Brian, click on any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Website
The Book
The Last Sword Maker is a thriller that imagines a new arms race between the United States and China as they race to weaponize artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology.
Part Tom Clancy and part Michael Crichton, The Last Sword Maker is a globe-trotting adventure with unforgettable characters, intense action, cutting-edge technology and, of course, romance.
To buy the book click on the following links: Amazon, Blackstone Publishing
The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:
This was the first book-length project I ever attempted. I started in the year (cough, cough) 2000, so it took seventeen years to reach fruition. I was doing other things during that time, including a nonfiction project (“The Silence and the Scorpion”, 2009), but I probably spent a solid six years of work on this manuscript.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that I wrote about 85% of it while being the primary care giver for my two infant sons. The funny thing is when I read the book now it’s very obvious to me what the author was going through! Even though it was unintentional, many of the characters’ motivations are linked to protecting children…and, in one case, avenging a child’s death.
There is an interesting story about how this book got sold. It almost got picked up by Thomas and Mercer, but that fell through. Then there was a “dark time” when it looked like it might not get published.
I owe a huge debt to Andrea Cavallaro at the Sandra Dijkstra Agency, because Andrea—who is technically my rights agent and not my literary agent—went above and beyond the call of duty and made the connection with Blackstone Publishing that got the deal.
So you never know!
“The prediction is that in the near future we will have man-made microscopic organisms that can make copies of themselves and are controlled by an A.I. system that is smarter than we are. Hey, what could go wrong?”
What inspired you to write this novel?
My interest in advanced technologies began when I was a computer programmer for EDS (now part of Hewlett-Packard). Like many of us, I was both fascinated and a little frightened by what the future was going to hold. I did a great deal of research on A.I., nanotechnology and genetic engineering for the book.
While most people have a basic understanding of each of these sciences, things get really interesting when you merge them together (which, in fact, the military hopes to do). The prediction is that in the near future we will have man-made microscopic organisms that can make copies of themselves and are controlled by an A.I. system that is smarter than we are. Hey, what could go wrong? (Elena here . . . so this is going to keep me up at night!!)
What are you working on now?
The Last Sword Maker is the first in a trilogy, so I am busy at work on the second book called Five Tribes. While the first book took place in the USA, China and Tibet, the second book takes place in Africa.
Fascinating stuff you’re working on! Thanks for hanging out with us today!
The Author
Originally from central Indiana, thriller and mystery author August Norman has called Los Angeles home for two decades, writing for and/or appearing in movies, television, stage productions, web series, and even, commercial advertising.
A lover and champion of crime fiction, August is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime (National and LA), and regularly attends the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference.
To learn more about August, click his photo or any of the following links: Facebook and Instagram
The BookWhen award-winning journalist Caitlin Bergman is invited back to campus to receive an honorary degree, she finds an opportunity for a well-earned victory lap―and a chance to face the trauma that almost destroyed her as an undergrad.
But her lap becomes an all-out race when a student begs her to probe an unsolved campus disappearance.
To find the missing woman, Caitlin must join forces with a local police detective from the department that botched her own case so long ago―before she becomes the newest addition to a twisted killer’s collection.
To buy the book from multiple outlets (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound etc), click on the link here.
The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:
While Come and Get Me is my publishing debut, it was actually my second marketable finished manuscript.
I’ve always written, though in my twenties and early thirties concentrated more on screenplays, but once I had that first manuscript, a prequel to Come and Get Me, I made the standard mistakes – submitting and querying too early, ignoring the advice of published authors, generic query letters, etc.
Luckily, I attended my first conference in 2011, the annual Santa Barbara Writers Conference. Not only did the conference concentrate on craft, I also met agents, editors, and writers of all levels of success.
That network of wonderfully gifted and giving people led to my first agent, who taught me to self-edit, and partially submitted that first manuscript. After a major life event, cough (divorce) cough, I parted ways with my first agent as well, and found another more fitted to my temperament (Once again, through a pitch session at the SBWC. I don’t think I’m bad at query letters, but I’m much better ‘in the room,’ as they say).
That new agent, the wonderful Eric Myers (Myers Literary Management) took my first manuscript out for some wonderful rejections while I worked on Come and Get Me, a book I knew to be much stronger than the first in all ways. Crooked Lane Books purchased Come and Get Me and a second Caitlin Bergman novel to be released in 2020.
“I wanted Caitlin, the strongest character I’d ever written, to solve the unsolvable, albeit with realistic costs in her life, fictional as it may be.”
What inspired you to write this novel?
Caitlin Bergman began as a secondary POV character in my first manuscript. As I looked at that first work in regards toward developing a long-term series, I knew she was the stronger, more dynamic character that people would identify and root for, despite her flaws.
At the same time, several horrible, and even unsolved to this day, things happened in Midwestern college towns, including my alma mater of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
My college years gave me some of my longest lasting friendships and memories, but I knew that not everyone has that opportunity, nor the ability to enjoy that time (ie, 1 out of every 6 women).
I wanted Caitlin, the strongest character I’d ever written, to solve the unsolvable, albeit with realistic costs in her life, fictional as it may be.
What are you working on now?
As contracted, I’m continuing with Caitlin Bergman’s life in the next book of a series (not a sequel). Back in Los Angeles, Caitlin’s suddenly faced with the death of her birth mother, a woman she’s never met.
A trip to Coastal Oregon to pick up the pieces turns into an honest look at her adopted parents, a fight with a cult, and a mass grave.
Does this mean I’m building my own religion? Kind of. Hopefully, no one will follow it. Send checks, sure, but don’t follow the rules!
Congratulations on the continuation of Caitlin’s story! Can’t wait to learn more.
Header photo from Pixabay, click here for more information.
The post Two Thriller Writers for the 21st Century appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
March 31, 2019
Perseverance Pays Off in the Publishing World
Two novelists who found the perseverance and went the distance for their first novels.
Thrilled to have Kris Frieswick and Maureen Joyce Connolly on my blog today.
Read about more debut authors and other writing posts by clicking the link here.
First up, Kris Frieswick!
Ghosts, Inspiration, and Agents, Oh My!
Inspiration and agents, two things professional writers need to find (ghosts are optional!).
The Author
Kris Frieswick is an award-winning editor, journalist, humorist and author. She is the deputy editor of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal, and prior to that was an executive editor at Inc. Magazine.
She grew up in a tiny central Massachusetts farm town and knows how to start a fire, load a rifle and ride an ATV without fipping it over, (much).
To learn more about Kris, you can click on any of the following links: Facebook , Twitter , Linked-In , Instagram .
The Book
The Ghost Manuscript is the story of Carys Jones, a rare book authenticator who wants nothing more than to be left alone to pursue her single-minded love of ancient manuscripts.
But when her biggest client, tech billionaire John Harper, goes insane and is hospitalized, he makes her an offer – his entire library of priceless Dark Age manuscripts in exchange for her promise to find the clues hidden in a previously unrecorded Dark Age journal, which Harper believes points to the tomb of the legendary King Arthur and the vast riches buried with him.
Reluctantly, Carys accepts, and her search takes her to places she never dreamed she’d go: to Wales, the home of her estranged father; to bed with Dafydd Reynolds, a mysterious Welshman; and finally, deep into her own psyche, when the 1,500-year-old monk who wrote the ancient journal appears and begins to help Carys in her search.
To buy the book, click on any of the following links: Amazon, IndieBound, and Barnes & Noble
The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:
The Ghost Manuscript, my first novel and first full-length fiction manuscript, went through about 25 revisions – including multiple workshops at Grub Street Writers in Boston – for over a decade before I felt ready to send it out. After failing to secure an agent in my first attempt, I hired Claire Wachtel, legendary fiction author and former executive editor at HarperCollins, to edit the manuscript.
She loved it so much once we were done that she referred me to some of her favorite agents, two of whom offered representation. I went with Richard Abate, at 3Arts. He went out with a major push, but although we got to acquisition committee at two major houses, we were not able to find a buyer in the first round.
We were both extremely disappointed, and he suggested that we put the book away for a year and try again, since he felt the market just wasn’t buying books like mine at that time.
“This book was born over 12 years ago . . .”
I couldn’t bear the thought of waiting another year. While lamenting the situation to my friend, author of Sin in the Big Easy, and leadership coach Elizabeth McCourt, she suggested I send the manuscript to her editor, Debra Englander at Post Hill Press. I did, Debra loved the book, and we went to contract in March 2018. Publication is scheduled in hardcover for April 2, 2019.
What inspired you to write this novel?
This book was born over 12 years ago, thanks to a conversation I had with my Welsh husband’s parents, both of whom are sadly now deceased. They told me that their next door neighbor was a treasure hunter who scuba dived into old shipwrecks along the Welsh coast, in the hopes of finding their ill-gotten gain.
He researched the location of potential wreck sites by reading the journals of 18th century pirates – or privateers as they were known at the time – in the British Library.
One day, he claims, one of those pirates showed up. He seemed as real as any one else in the room, the man told my in-laws.
The visions scared him so badly that he left the British Library and never read one of those ancient journals again. The story stuck with me and a narrative began to unfold – what if that ghost wanted to help that man find the treasures?
What if he told him things that only the ghost knew? What if?
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on pre-publication publicity, which is incredibly exciting and surreal; my day job (as a full-time freelance journalist, editor and essayist for national magazines and newspapers); and getting started on part two of Carys Jones’s story, which picks up where The Ghost Manuscript leaves off.
I’m hoping to have a rough draft by next summer. I am also in the research phase of another novel that will revolve around the first class passengers–united by an extraordinary piece of jewelry–aboard the British luxury liner Lusitania in the days between her departure from New York City and her sinking by a German torpedo off the coast of Ireland in the early days of World War I.
Fascinating stories and a fascinating journey! Thanks for sharing with us!
Next up, Maureen Joyce Connolly shows her perseverance!
How does one survive a tragedy?
The Author
Maureen Joyce Connolly is a foodie and appreciates interesting recipes. She also enjoys painting (especially flowers and sycamore trees), competing in races with her dragon boat team (Go Fierce)!, and reading (of course).
She relishes spending time with her three children, her husband and her pets; a ridiculous terrier named Huckleberry, and a plump orange cat, Pumpkin.
To learn more about Maureen, click on any of the following links: Facebook, Instagram, Amazon Author Page, Goodreads, Bookbub, and Twitter.
The Book
Highlighting the potential catastrophe in the small decisions of everyday life, Little Lovely Things, asks the question–how does one reshape themselves after tragedy strikes?
To buy the book, click on any of the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and IndieBound
The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:
Little Lovely Things is my debut novel that took me close to ten years to write! When I felt it was ready, I did in-depth research on agents and agencies before querying agents that I thought would represent my novel well.
Within three months, I was offered representation by ICM Partners. My agent, Heather Karpas, received several publishing offers within three week of going on submission. We chose Sourcebooks for a number of reasons including the size and their reputation for promoting debut authors.
“I began to imagine what that experience would be like . . .”
What inspired you to write this novel?
So many things! One key factor was that I seemed to encounter child abduction stories with increased frequency after the birth of my third child.
It really upset and enthralled me at the same time and I began to imagine what that experience would be like for not only the mother, but for the captor and ‘captive’ as well.
What are you working on now?
Trying hard to work on my second novel but have been so busy with activities associated with launch that it’s been difficult! I will need to take some time after Little Lovely Things is released to really focus.
Congratulations on your debut novel! And best of luck with book two – looking forward to having you back on my blog for the launch of your next book.
Pirate treasure photo from Pixabay, click here to learn more.
Header photo from Pixabay, click here to learn more.
The post Perseverance Pays Off in the Publishing World appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
March 24, 2019
How to Write a Novel in Eight Weeks (Or Less!)
Wondering how to write a novel in eight weeks?
Find out with this week’s debut author interview with Rea Frey!
The International Thriller Writers Debut Author Program runs from ThrillerFest to ThrillerFest. So a “Debut” author is any mystery or thriller writer who has their first novel come out between July and July.
This means there are sometimes “debuts” who have books out for almost a year before they qualify. But that can be exciting, because they may have a second novel coming out soon!
This week I get to introduce Debut Author Rea Frey, her debut novel, and her second book, which launches August 6.
The Author
Rea Frey is a novelist. She writes books. And swears. And drinks lots of coffee. And has a daughter. And a dreamy husband. And still manages to find the magic in books.
She hopes you will put down the phone and pick up a book (preferably hers when it hits the shelves). And find the joy in reading.
Because there’s nothing quite like the power of words…
To learn more about Rea, click on her photo or any of the following links: Instagram (her favorite social media!), Facebook, and Twitter
The Debut Novel
When a successful businesswoman sees a five-year-old being mistreated by her mother, she kidnaps the little girl in hopes of saving her from a terrible life. But is kidnapping ever justified?To buy the book from a variety of sources, click here for the link to her buy page.
The Second Novel
The truth will set you free, but the lies will keep you safe. Four friends go on a girls’ weekend in the mountains. Forty-eight hours later, one of them is dead. Was it an accident, or is someone hiding a deadly secret…and ultimately who they really are?
Two options to pre-order the second book. To help out a local bookstore, click here. To visit her buy page, click the link here (and scroll down).
The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:
The path to publication for Not Her Daughter was the stuff of dreams (sprinkled with a little insanity). To read the long version, check it out HERE. And then if you want to know how to SURVIVE your book launch without losing your damn mind, HERE ya go.
I’ve always wanted to write novels, but I took the long way around. I wrote a shitty novel in college, then began writing for magazines, newspapers, and blogs. I had four nonfiction books published that were SO successful, you’ve never heard of them. I was a journalist on three death row cases. I was a ghostwriter, a content manager, and a whole lot of other things that had to do with writing but wasn’t the writing I wanted to do.
How to write a novel in eight weeks . . .
Fast forward to being on a business trip in 2016. I had a young daughter, a husband who was struggling with work, and three jobs I was barely managing. I’d been toying with the idea of writing a novel, and in that airport, I witnessed an exchange between a mother and daughter that shook me to my core.
I decided to go home and write about it (because I really thought about snatching that little girl to save her from her “awful” mother).
Not Her Daughter is really an ode to that little girl…I still think about her to this day. And because I’m an “all in” kind of person, I immediately quit two of my three jobs when I got back from that business trip and gave myself eight weeks to write the book.
I wrote it in a month, happened to pick up a Writer’s Digest that featured TOP NEW AGENTS to watch, and pitched ONE woman from that magazine. I pitched a few other agents as well, one who was a vet in the industry and was very interested. But the newer agent’s enthusiasm was infectious.
That “newer” agent, Rachel Beck, helped land my book in a bidding war, where it went to auction and secured a two-book deal with St. Martin’s Press. (And she’s since helped me secure another two-book deal.) The book was then optioned for film before its release date. It’s been a whirlwind ever since.
“I became really interested in mother-daughter relationships after I became a mother.”
What inspired you to write this novel?
I became really interested in mother-daughter relationships after I became a mother. I would pay attention to parent-child behavior and question everything: is she an asshole? Am I an asshole? Is that kid an asshole? Are we ALL assholes?
When I saw the woman mistreating her daughter in the airport (which are pretty much depicted as exact characters in the book), I wondered: is that mother having a bad day, or is she a bad mother? And who are we to make that call?
Parenting is such a personal journey…even though it’s universal. The book is told from the kidnapper’s POV (Sarah) and the mother’s POV (Amy). I found myself in both of these characters and really learned a lot about myself as a mother throughout the course of this book. (And I became really, really paranoid about kidnapping. More about that HERE.)
What are you working on now?
I’m wrapping up the first draft of my third book, THE PERFECT CHILD. It’s about a blind mother who thinks her three-month-old son has been swapped for another baby…but no one believes her.
Amazing trip so far! Congratulations on all your success!
The post How to Write a Novel in Eight Weeks (Or Less!) appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
March 17, 2019
The Newest Fictional Detective You Need to Know
A lot of us crime readers love a good detective. Even better is the start of a new series. I’m thrilled to introduce debut author John McMahon on my blog this week. Welcome John!
The Author
John McMahon studied Creative Writing at The University of Arizona. In his role as an ad agency creative director, his work has won a Gold Clio for Fiat, and he’s written a Superbowl spot for Alfa Romeo.
He currently lives in Southern California with his family and two rescue animals. He’s hard at work on another P.T. Marsh book and dreams of splitting his time between Cabo San Lucas and Lake Lanier, Georgia.
To learn more about John, click the following links. You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for more info on his publisher’s page.
The Book
After Detective P.T. Marsh’s wife and son die in accident, he turns from rising star in Mason Falls, Georgia— to the type of guy who doesn’t understand the difference between smart moves and disastrous decision.
One night he tries to help out a woman by confronting her abusive boyfriend. When the next morning he gets called to the scene of his newest murder case, he is stunned to arrive at the house of the very man he beat up the night before, but is sure he left alive.
Launches March 19
To buy the book, click on the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound
The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:
Through a series of conferences, I got to know a handful of agents. One day, I took a 90 degree turn. I felt the manuscript was good enough and reached out cold with a query to my top 3 dream agents, explaining to them I was close and talking to a couple agents.
For these ‘dream’ agents, I’d also read the way their writers talked about them in book acknowledgements and wanted that relationship. One of them, Marly Rusoff, wrote back, read the manuscript, and brought the book out to market. It was a complex story and I was over the moon, but it failed to sell. Marly, like the tough-love mom she is, said, “if you’re a real writer, write another book. We’ll sell this one second.”
Two years later, I had The Good Detective in hand. There was one offer right away, but Marly had told me of two editors she thought were perfect for the book. One of them, Mark Tavani at G.P. Putnam’s Sons, loved it. When he and I spoke for the first time, he had smart edits in mind and we seemed to click. A week later, he bought it.
It was a wild ride, and in the intervening week of it being brought to market and selling, my father also passed. So it was bittersweet to not share it with him, but it also felt like he was watching over me, making it happen.
“Two years later, I had The Good Detective in hand.”
What inspired you to write this novel?
P.T. Marsh was a character I’d tried to use in a previous novel years ago. He’s hampered and guilt-stricken by the past death of his wife and son. What I loved about the idea most was playing with the concept of justice. For P.T., he’s realized over the years that justice is talked about as this absolute, when it is not.
We all make compromises, and he’s made them too. But now he’s a man with nothing to lose. At the same time, this philosophy is problematic because he can fall into the role of judge and executioner. When he wakes up drunk one day and a man he put a beating on (for hitting a woman) is dead, P.T.’s not sure if he did it, in the pursuit of that ‘absolute justice.’ What he does now is he’s the investigator and his own prints are all over the crime scene.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m in the final edit phase for something tentatively called ONE GOOD DEED, and it’s the next P.T. Marsh novel. I originally imagined a character arc that’s 3-4 books long, where P.T. looks into his own backstory and the death of his wife. With this book, we see more of that come to life, along with another new case.
In the new storyline, P.T. is called to the murder of a man who has made enemies his whole life, but recently turned over a new leaf. But just as he did that, someone came out of the woodworks and killed him in a mysterious fashion.
Thanks for sharing your wild ride with us!
I’m so sorry about your father’s passing. I know he’s sharing in this accomplishment with you.
The post The Newest Fictional Detective You Need to Know appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
March 10, 2019
Debut Author Richie Narvaez on Writing and Publishing
Debut Author Richie Narvaez admits something a lot of us writers have in common. We write a lot, it’s the finishing that’s tricky! Learn more about Richie in my interview for his first book!
The Author
Richie Narvaez is the author of the award-winning fiction collection Roachkiller and Other Stories. His work has appeared in Long Island Noir, Murdaland, Shotgun Honey, Skin & Bones, and Tiny Crimes: Very Short Tales of Mystery and Murder, among others.
His debut novel, Hipster Death Rattle, releases March 11, 2019.
Find out more about Richie by clicking on the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Author Page
The Book
Hipsters! Brooklyn! Machete-carrying serial killer!
Buy the book! Click on any of the following links: Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound
The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:
I have been writing since I was a kid. But I have not always been finishing. This is my second completed novel. The first and half-finished others sit in a file drawer, never to be seen again by human eyes. So once I finished this book, I sacrificed soul, liver, and relationships to Zuul, to no avail.
But I did eventually find an agent through friends in the publishing business. The agent turned out to be the Keymaster and then I got a book contract.
“I have been writing since I was a kid. But I have not always been finishing.”
What inspired you to write this novel?
I grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and after college I was living back there. Every day I saw how gentrification was carelessly and coldly erasing everything I’d known. It was very difficult to witness, and I needed to say something about it.
The central idea came from trying to walk through a crowd of hipsters in Williamsburg and imagining chopping them down like sugar cane. What can I say? I was hangry. But I turned my murderous ideas into fiction. #writingistherapy
What are you working on now?
I completed a YA mystery thriller that is now making the rounds of publishers. I’ve also begun working on a new standalone mystery. And I have a new collection of short stories that will be out soon.
Wow! Lots of great projects in your future. Thanks for hanging out with us.
Congratulations on your debut – and remind me never to make you hangry!!
The post Debut Author Richie Narvaez on Writing and Publishing appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
February 24, 2019
Tennis Pro Turned Thriller Writer on His First Novel
(So why the boxer image? Read on to find out!)
Plus, I’m so happy to introduce readers to another International Thriller Writer Debut Author.
The Author
Born in Durban, South Africa, David Albertyn immigrated to Canada with his family when he was ten years old. Since 2005, Albertyn has been a competitive tennis player and coach.
A graduate of Queen’s University and the Humber School for Writers, Albertyn lives in Toronto. Undercard is his first novel.
To find out more about David, click on the following links: visit his website, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Goodreads.
The Book
Set over the course of twenty-four exhilarating hours, Undercard, is the story of four childhood friends, now in their early thirties, unexpectedly reunited by a high-profile prizefight in a Las Vegas casino … and an even higher-profile murder.
The Reef, an aquarium-themed casino and the hottest resort on the Strip, is the backdrop for this bullet-paced narrative, where loyalty to one’s friends, one’s family, and one’s community are ever at odds, and every choice has deadly repercussions.
To buy the book, click on the links here. House of Anansi Press, Amazon.ca, and Indigo.ca
The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:
My publishing journey was a tough one. I wrote two manuscripts before Undercard, and with both I was unable to find a publisher. The first was an insanely ambitious epic that I wrote for ten years, and then when I finally thought it was ready for publication, no one wanted it. I thought, “That was a good use of my twenties.” Could’ve had a bit more fun instead of spending all my time writing an unpublishable book. But of course the effort developed my skills tremendously, laying the foundation for my breakthrough with Undercard.
I actually found my agent through tennis, and an unbelievable stroke of luck. At that point, coaching tennis had been my day job since graduating university, nine years prior, and up until then I’d had no luck with agents or editors. I couldn’t get any of them to read my work fully; I couldn’t get a meeting with any of them; after all my struggles I still had basically zero connections.
I had accepted that my first book wasn’t getting sold, and I had just finished my second novel, which happened to be a darkly humorous, sordid story set in a tennis club, when, through my own tennis, I randomly met a good player who was involved in the film industry. As always in those days, whenever I met someone involved in arts and entertainment, I told him I was an aspiring writer and trying to get published.
He said he was close with the chairman of the largest literary agency in Canada, “and the guy loves tennis. I’ll set up a doubles match for us.” I thought, no way. No way is this for real. I’ve just written a book with tennis as its central theme, I’m currently better at tennis than ever before (I grew up running track and field then switched from the track team to the tennis team at the end of university, and had steadily improved competitively since then), and one of the top agents in this country loves tennis and wants to play tennis with me? After all the dead ends I had hit, it was just too good to be true. I thought, this has to be a prank or something.
But I met him, we played tennis, I gave him a copy of my tennis novel (always have a hard copy of your manuscript with you if you’re meeting anyone in the publishing industry), and two weeks later he said he would represent me. We didn’t sell that tennis novel, but the next book I wrote was Undercard, and we sold that one right away.
What inspired you to write this novel?
Of all the bites I had with my first manuscript, the greatest interest was from an editor at one of the major publishing houses in New York. After she read the first 50 pages and requested the full manuscript, she asked what next I was working on. I told her about the tennis book, and she explained that you want to build a brand, and that my next book should be another high-octane thriller, like the first one: “the same but different,” an adage I’ve since heard over and over. She explained to me that what she responded to the most in my novel was the relationship between the principal characters, two young men, and she’d like to see a similar focus in my next book.
Having this as my starting point, I wanted to write a story about people who were very close growing up, but now, as estranged adults, all their motivations conflict with one another. How they navigate these tensions would be the substance of the book. Next, I wanted my four principal characters to be athletes, each in different sports, as it’s terrain I’m familiar with. I then chose Vegas as the setting, and as soon as I did, with a sports theme already established, I knew that boxing would play a significant role in the story. And from there it grew.
What are you working on now?
I have begun research on a new thriller, set in the Arctic, which will have the same style and vibe as Undercard, but will be a completely separate story. But I am also rewriting that tennis novel, as I’ve had lots of ideas to expand and enhance it. Sex, humour, violence … and tennis. What more could you want in a story?
Thanks for hanging out with us David! Best of luck with your debut novel.
Tennis photo: On Pixabay. Click here for the link.
Boxing photo: On Pixabay. Click here for the link.
The post Tennis Pro Turned Thriller Writer on His First Novel appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
February 17, 2019
Sherry Knowlton Launches Her Fourth Book
To read the full list, click the link here.
The Author
Sherry Knowlton is the author of the Alexa Williams series of suspense novels: Dead of Autumn, Dead of Summer, Dead of Spring and the most recent release, Dead of Winter. Passionate about books at an early age, she was that kid who would sneak a flashlight to bed at night so she could read beneath the covers. All the local librarians knew her by name.
When not writing the next Alexa Williams thriller, Knowlton works on her health care consulting business or travels around the world. She and her husband live in the mountains of Southcentral Pennsylvania.
To learn more about Sherry, click on the following links: Website , Facebook , Twitter , Pinterest , and Goodreads
To buy the book(s) click on the links or the covers throughout the blog: Amazon, Sunbury Press, and Barnes & Noble
The Interview
You mix feminism, politics, social issues, and suspense into each book in your Alexa Williams Mystery Series. What prompted you to write about anti-Muslim rage and the fear of “outsiders” in the fourth book?
Yes. I do like to deal with feminism and a social theme along with the suspense in the books. When I started writing Dead of Winter, Syrian refugees and Middle Eastern migrants were flooding Europe. On a trip to several European countries, we heard different perspectives about the impact these newcomers were having on the locals. And, two weeks after our stop in Paris, authorities thwarted an Islamic terror attack on Notre Dame, just steps away from where my husband and I had been hanging out. Then, at home, the Trump Administration rolled out the Muslim ban to great controversy here in the USA.
These days, we’re talking about Central American refugees and should America welcome desperate people fleeing violence and poverty. So, the focus has shifted, but in many ways, the conversation remains the same.
After the end of the Vietnam War, I was responsible for a State program that worked with refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos who were resettled in Pennsylvania. The conversation then was so different. In my experience, the local population was very welcoming and the refugees and their families have become integrated into our communities.
I thought that the strong emotions that these refugee/immigrant issues evoke – whether you’re an advocate for or against – would make an interesting backdrop for a suspense novel.
The second aspect that I really wanted to explore was that fear of the “other” that has seemingly grown like wildfire among some segments of the U.S. population. For the past several years, I’ve been concerned about the level of fear that I see in many people – both within my own circle of acquaintances and what I see on television and in social media. So many folks are frightened of others, especially those who are different in ethnicity, culture or language. And, they seem to be most frightened of those they may have never met. I wonder what has happened to the Land of the Brave? So, I wanted to explore that question as well.
The series is set in the mountains of Southcentral Pennsylvania, where you also live. What should people who have never visited your region know about the area?
Many people think of Pennsylvania’s in terms of its two major cities and know little about the rest of the state. They might know we have coal mines somewhere in the state. Or that James Carville famously said something along the lines of “Pennsylvania has Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle.” But, even from a political perspective, it’s a little more nuanced than that.
Southcentral Pennsylvania is a lovely area. I live in the Cumberland Valley which is a wide valley with a lot of farming, dairy farming, orchards and small towns rich in history. The two mountain ranges which frame the valley are less than 1,500 feet at their highest points. But, there are several beautiful State Parks and State Forests that have preserved the land. The Appalachian Trail crosses the valley and follows the ridge until it crosses the Maryland border.
The Gettysburg battlefield is nearby. And, the US Army War College trains both colonels in the US Army and international fellows from allied nations. The mix of colleges, State government seated in Harrisburg, farms, industry and distribution warehouse have created a diverse population of liberals, conservatives, military, college professors, blue collar and white collar workers, Amish and Mennonites.
I’ve traveled much of the world, and still believe Southcentral PA is one of the best places to live. We might not get splashy travel magazine cover, but we’re the place you might want to raise a family or retire (as a lot of folks who pass through this area in their careers do). I’m starting to sound like I work for the Visitor’s Bureau, so I’ll stop now.
I will note that the diverse nature and population of this area provides me with a great foundation for the Alexa Williams series.
Alexa is a lawyer. Your work life has been primarily in government, healthcare, and human and social services programs. How much research did you do with regards to Alexa’s work life?
Alexa practices law, but Dead of Winter – and the other books in the series – aren’t legal thrillers or courtroom dramas. Alexa’s legal expertise or work with certain clients may draw her into a dangerous situation, but it’s rarely the key focus of the story.
I draw on a number of sources for describing Alexa’s legal work. I’m not a lawyer, but most of my career I worked closely with attorneys. For example, I did a stint running Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program. I was named in something like 500 law suits at any given time during each of those years. Most were minor. Some were pretty major so I spent a lot of my time with lawyers and testifying in court.
For specific types of cases, I have had very generous assistance from real attorneys and judges. For example, in Dead of Winter, a teenage character runs afoul of the law. A local Juvenile Court Judge helped educate me on the juvenile justice procedures and even permitted me to observe several cases in the courtroom. Professors at the local law school, Penn State Dickinson Law, have helped me on subjects as diverse as trying sex trafficking crimes at The Hague to the Pennsylvania penal codes.
Now that you have four successful novels under your belt, has your writing process changed? What do you know now that you didn’t expect when your first novel debuted?
My writing process has stayed essentially the same, but I’ve made some tweaks along the way. I outline the book before I begin to do serious writing. But, I’m now much more flexible in diverting from the outline when the story takes me in a different direction. I still use the outline as a guide, but update it to reflect the new direction. You need to understand that I’m also a list person. So much so that when I do something key that’s not on my list, sometimes I’ll add it just so I can cross it off.
I’ve also learned that I don’t need to agonize over punctuation and style as much as I did on the first book. I have a wonderful editor who excels at finding every grammatical error, repetitive word, and deviation from the style manual. So, I defer to her expertise. I still try to ensure I send her the best possible manuscript, but I know that she’s there to find whatever slips through my process.
I’ve also learned that there is a point in the edit/rewrite process where further work yields diminishing returns. With my first book, I didn’t know when to stop and suspect that I did several rounds of rewrites that weren’t necessary. Those never-ending rewrites on Dead of Autumn may have marginally improved the book, but mostly had me second-guessing things like word choice. So, in the following three books, I did several thorough edits/rewrites, but had a better sense of when to send the manuscript to the publisher.
Your series is published by Sunbury Press, what has it been like working with them?
Sunbury Press has been a good publisher for my series. My books have now transitioned to Sunbury’s fiction imprint, Milford Press, but I expect the relationship and process to remain the same. As a small, independent press, Sunbury has limited resources to do extensive marketing for its authors.
However, small has many other advantages. There’s a lot of one-on-one contact with the publisher, Lawrence Knorr, as well as my editor and other key staff. It’s been a successful partnership thus far.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I’ve been spending a lot of time preparing for the launch of Dead of Winter. And, I’m in the early stages of plotting/researching the next book – which will be number five in the Alexa Williams series. More than that I cannot tell. I never discuss the plot, title, etc. of a book until it’s well down the road. I may try a stand-alone after this next Alexa book is finished
“Don’t give up if the door doesn’t open wide the first time you try to walk through.”
Final words of wisdom:
Hmm, wisdom? My advice to aspiring writers is to give it a try. And, if you’ve tried but had to put your writing aside due to time constraints or life issues or whatever – that shouldn’t keep you from trying again. In the meantime, hone your skills in other ways. Find a job that entails a lot of writing, even if it’s dry, technical stuff. Read voraciously when you get a chance. Take a class if you can fit it in. Join a writer’s organization and attend a conference or a workshop.
I worked long-hours, executive jobs for many years. I did a lot of work-related writing but never had the time to focus on fiction until I semi-retired in my late fifties. Now, I’m having a great time writing suspense.
I’m not saying everyone should wait until you retire before you plunge into that first novel or short story. But, for many of us, life opens new doors at unexpected times. Don’t give up if the door doesn’t open wide the first time you try to walk through. Good luck.
Great advice!
Thanks for hanging out and sharing your experiences with us.
Congratulations on book four!
The post Sherry Knowlton Launches Her Fourth Book appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
February 11, 2019
Work/Life Balance For Artists: Five Tips
First, there are the added stresses of freelancing. Paychecks are unreliable. Benefits are non-existent. And the thought of saying “no” to a gig in order to have downtime throws many of us into a panic (what if no one ever offers us paying work again?)
Second, artists have a lot of “work” that isn’t immediately recognizable as “paid.” We practice our craft, without compensation. We write pieces we have to pitch, with no guarantee of finding a home. We paint, compose, craft, and build projects that may never earn us a dime. We take classes and workshops that not only are we not paid for, but which often cost us a small fortune, but it’s how we improve. And writing all that off on taxes? Sometimes we don’t earn enough for that to matter in a substantial way.
Lastly, we love what we do. Not in an I’ve-got-such-a-great-job, I-love-my co-workers kind of way, but in an I would do this every day for the rest of my life for free kind of way.
Except, we can’t, because we have bills to pay just like everyone else.
Plus, no one lives by art alone.
So, how do we take all of that and still figure out how to balance out life and work? Here are five tips to keep you happy and balanced and centered, which in turn, will help you make better art.
1. Have a hobby you love that is unrelated to your professional life
Artists have to perform their craft at the highest levels. We are always striving for perfection in our professional life. Hobbies are for doing something you love without the anxieties of being perfect. Hobbies are for us.
For me, it’s time with my horses. I love working with them. My time with the boys is my favorite time of the day. I also spend a lot of time reading and educating myself about horse health, horse training, and horse behavior.
I will never earn money with my horses. I’ll never show or get paid as a trainer or win a competition. That’s not what my relationship with them is about. My relationship with my horses keeps me grounded. It brings me happiness.
(Many of you know how important my animals are to me. My most read blog post to date included my cat Coal Train interviewing #NotMyCat, a cat who owns a well-known mystery author . . . Click here to read.)
2. Have something you enjoy that gets you outside
Getting outside is more than just a change of scenery from your office, studio, or workspace. Most people know sunlight provides Vitamin D, but it also helps with our mental health as well. You don’t have to believe me, there is plenty of research on the benefits of sun. For example, this article here on Healthline.
Fresh air can perk you out of an afternoon slump. A quick walk has the benefits of low-impact exercise and increasing your heart rate and metabolism. And though weather can be an issue, even fifteen minutes can help. So bundle up, or head out early before the heat and get those steps in!
I’m lucky, I live on a river. But even I can forget how beautiful it is in my own backyard. Sometimes I have to remind myself to go out and have my coffee there. Listen to the birds and the water and stay centered in nature. Even if you live in the city there are usually local parks nearby where you can find the beauty of the great outdoors. You don’t need a forest, but find yourself a tree.
3. Never devalue the time you spend on your craft, and don’t let anyone else devalue it either
Whether you are practicing a new technique or drafting up a short story in a new genre you have been dying to try, every moment we spend with our craft is valuable. It’s easy for non-artists to think that because we “love” what we do, it’s always “fun.” We all know sometimes we’re sitting at our computer when it’s NOT fun. It’s also easy for non-artists to think that because something doesn’t “work” and we don’t “sell” it, it was unimportant, and didn’t have value. But we know different.
Every “failure” teaches us something to apply next time. It’s how we find our voice, improve our style, perfect our craft. If your significant other or close friends or family devalue the time you spend on your craft or want you to stop what you’re doing because “you can do that anytime” or “it’s not like you’re getting paid,” they are devaluing you. Stand up for your artistic self. Value your artistic time. Show them that you view it as your profession, and they will view it that way too. (If they don’t, that’s another issue that might have you rethinking your relationship with that individual.)
4. Never feel guilt over not working for free
Most artists work for free on occasion. We donate our time or a project. We help out someone who is just starting in our craft. We provide constructive feedback and instruction to others, just as others helped us when we were new. But there’s a huge difference between offering up our skills and services and being made to feel guilty over our rates or the value of our work.
No one can devalue your work without your permission.
Customers aren’t buying your work, they are buying the thousands of hours that led up to the product they want to buy. That’s the value. If you don’t see that, no one else will.
5. Have a work wife you can vent with, but also prop each other up
It’s important to have someone in your life that fully understands the challenges of an artist’s life, who isn’t your significant other. Someone who works in the same industry, faces the same ups and downs. But along with the (necessary!) venting about what’s hard, make sure you are also celebrating each other’s success. Having someone you can turn to for the good and the bad can help you weather the storms and share the moments of triumph. I’m lucky to have a crew of amazing writers who I can turn to for advice and kudos.
Whether you are a writer or an actor or a painter or any other kind of artist, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with building a following, perfecting a craft, and maintaining romantic and personal relationships. But working to include these five tips into your daily or weekly life can help make things a little better.
Leave me a note about what YOU do to keep your life balanced.
We’re all in this together!
Header photo from Pixabay.
The post Work/Life Balance For Artists: Five Tips appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
January 27, 2019
Edgar Award Nominees + Debut Author Laurel Hightower
Don’t miss last week’s interview with JJ Shelley and the Lefty Award Nominees.
A great way to find new books!
The Author
Laurel Hightower grew up in Kentucky, attending college in California and Tennessee before returning home to horse country, where she lives with her husband, son, and two rescue animals. She works as a paralegal in a mid-sized firm, wrangling litigators by day and writing at night. A bourbon and beer girl, she’s a fan of horror movies and true life ghost stories.
To find out more about Laurel, follow her by clicking on the following links: Goodreads and Facebook.
The Book
Rose McFarland is a Memphis S.W.A.T. sniper with a secret. Her uniform hides her burn scars, legacy of the house fire that left her without a family, but suppressing the terrifying ghostly visions of her childhood – The Whispers – took years of work.
Sixteen years later, the ghosts have returned, and as the walls between our world and the world of the dead grow thin, Rose will have to face her old nightmares to stop the Whispers from breaking free.
Buy the book by clicking the following links: JournalStone, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound
The Interview
Tell us about your Publishing Journey:
Whispers was actually the second novel I’d written – the first one I consider my training wheels. I learned a lot about what not to do with that one, and what to do – namely, planning, even if it’s just a rough outline. Whispers took a long time to complete, from 2009 when I started it to 2016 when I submitted it to my agent.
From there the publishing process was long and winding – the paranormal market is pretty tough these days, apparently, so I got plenty of rejections. I was thrilled when JournalStone agreed to publish – by that time I’d pretty much written it off, so it was surreal to start the wheels of getting my book out in the world. It was also crazy timing – I had recently returned to work after maternity leave, so I had my hands full, and finding time to get revisions out the door was challenging. But hey, who needs sleep, anyway?
What inspired you to write this novel?
I love ghost stories – haunted houses, haunted people, whether fiction or real life, so I knew that was what I wanted to write about. My work tends to be character driven, so Rose had already begun to develop as a character in my head, and I was interested in combining the elements of mysteries with the supernatural. I’m definitely not “gifted” in the sense that Rose is (thank goodness), but I’ve had some creepy experiences – there was a cool apartment in Knoxville that we ended up passing on because I’m pretty sure that place was riddled with ghosts. The energy in that place was just bad.
I love hearing from other people what their experiences have been – a surprising amount of folks I’ve met over the years have had brushes with the supernatural. I wanted to explore what would happen to this character, being inundated with them for most of her life, and how her upbringing and her visions would affect everything else.
What are you working on now?
After a crazy 2018, I finally got my next novel polished enough to send to my agent, another thriller but with less emphasis on the paranormal. I’ve got another couple of books in various stages of revisions, and am sketching out plans for something new, though still in the thriller genre.
In the future I’d love to work on something in the horror/thriller category with a more subtle set up, similar to what Paul Tremblay has done with A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock. It’s not something I feel like I could have attempted back when I first started writing, but I learn so much with every project I work on.
Sounds like an amazing journey! Can’t wait to dive into your work.
Announcing the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award Nominees. Winners will be announced on April 25.
How many have you read?
To learn more about the authors and their books, click on their names below.
BEST NOVEL
The Liar’s Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard (Blackstone Publishing)
House Witness by Mike Lawson (Grove Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)
A Gambler’s Jury by Victor Methos (Amazon Publishing – Thomas & Mercer)
Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley (Hachette Book Group – Mulholland)
Only to Sleep by Lawrence Osborne (Penguin Random House – Hogarth)
A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn (Penguin Random House – Berkley)
BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
A Knife in the Fog by Bradley Harper (Seventh Street Books)
The Captives by Debra Jo Immergut (HarperCollins Publishers – Ecco)
The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs (Simon & Schuster – Touchstone)
Bearskin by James A. McLaughlin (HarperCollins Publishers – Ecco)
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Penguin Random House – G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)
Hiroshima Boy by Naomi Hirahara (Prospect Park Books)
Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)
The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani (Penguin Random House – Penguin Books)
Under My Skin by Lisa Unger (Harlequin – Park Row Books)
BEST FACT CRIME
Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation by Robert W. Fieseler (W.W. Norton & Company – Liveright)
Sex Money Murder: A Story of Crack, Blood, and Betrayal by Jonathan Green (W.W. Norton & Company)
The Last Wild Men of Borneo: A True Story of Death and Treasure by Carl Hoffman (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson (Penguin Random House – Viking)
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (HarperCollins Publishers – Harper)
The Good Mothers: The True Story of the Women Who Took on the World’s Most Powerful Mafia by Alex Perry (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow)
BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
The Metaphysical Mysteries of G.K. Chesterton: A Critical Study of the Father Brown Stories and Other Detective Fiction by Laird R. Blackwell (McFarland Publishing)
Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession by Alice Bolin (HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow Paperbacks)
Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s by Leslie S. Klinger (Pegasus Books)
Mark X: Who Killed Huck Finn’s Father? by Yasuhiro Takeuchi (Taylor & Francis – Routledge)
Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson (Pegasus Books)
BEST SHORT STORY
“Rabid – A Mike Bowditch Short Story” by Paul Doiron (Minotaur Books)
“Paranoid Enough for Two” – The Honorable Traitors by John Lutz (Kensington Publishing)
“Ancient and Modern” – Bloody Scotland by Val McDermid (Pegasus Books)
“English 398: Fiction Workshop” – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Art Taylor (Dell Magazines)
“The Sleep Tight Motel” – Dark Corners Collection by Lisa Unger (Amazon Publishing)
BEST JUVENILE
Denis Ever After by Tony Abbott (HarperCollins Children’s Books – Katherine Tegen Books)
Zap! by Martha Freeman (Simon & Schuster – Paula Wiseman Books)
Ra the Mighty: Cat Detective by A.B. Greenfield (Holiday House)
Winterhouse by Ben Guterson (Christy Ottaviano Books – Henry Holt BFYR)
Otherwood by Pete Hautman (Candlewick Press)
Charlie & Frog: A Mystery by Karen Kane (Disney Publishing Worldwide – Disney Hyperion)
Zora & Me: The Cursed Ground by T.R. Simon (Candlewick Press)
BEST YOUNG ADULT
Contagion by Erin Bowman (HarperCollins Children’s Books – HarperCollins)
Blink by Sasha Dawn (Lerner Publishing Group – Carolrhoda Lab)
After the Fire by Will Hill (Sourcebooks – Sourcebooks Fire)
A Room Away From the Wolves by Nova Ren Suma (Algonquin Young Readers)
Sadie by Courtney Summers (Wednesday Books)
BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
“The Box” – Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Teleplay by
“Season 2, Episode 1” – Jack Irish, Teleplay by
“Episode 1” – Mystery Road, Teleplay by
“My Aim is True” – Blue Bloods, Teleplay by
“The One That Holds Everything” – The Romanoffs, Teleplay by Matthew Weiner & Donald Joh (Amazon Prime Video)
ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD
“How Does He Die This Time?” – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Nancy Novick (Dell Magazines)
THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks (Minotaur Books)
A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Kensington Publishing)
Bone on Bone by Julia Keller (Minotaur Books)
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (Soho Press – Soho Crime)
A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier (Minotaur Books)
Congratulations to all the nominees!
Header photo from DasWortgewand on Pixabay. Click here for more info.
The post Edgar Award Nominees + Debut Author Laurel Hightower appeared first on Elena Hartwell.
