Terry Shames's Blog: 7 Criminal Minds, page 123

Guest Post: Festive Mayhem – By Carolyn Marie Wilkins

Please welcome our guest today, Carolyn Wilkins. Carolyn is an author, a healer, a psychic medium, a musician and a professor at Berklee College of Music Online. 

“Write what you know” is a common injunction given to aspiring authors. Unfortunately, this statement has also been used to justify the erroneous belief that crime writers of color are only capable of addressing a narrow range of what are perceived to be “ethnic” issues such as inner-city crime, gang violence or drugs. The fact is that ...

Guillermo Del Toro did it . . . by Catriona

Pitch (im)perfect – This week, you’re pitching the worst idea for a crime, mystery or thriller novel that you can think of – give us your synopsis.

Too easy.I have actually pitched the worst idea ever. Below is a straight copy/paste from a file called "Additional series":
Idea 1    Doris Day meets X-Files.
Genre    urban fantasy / mystery
Time      1950
Place     California
Tone      medium-boiled/funny
Protag   tba
Like       Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse, Dana Cameron’s Fangborn
Book  1. Protag...

Off pitch by Cathy Ace

Pitch (im)perfect – This week, you’re pitching the worst idea for a crime, mystery or thriller novel that you can think of – give us your synopsis.

This is a really difficult question to answer.

Why?

Two reasons:

a) I really don’t want to offend anyone by coming up with an idea they’ve already had/written/had published, and

b) I HATE WRITING SYNOPSES!!!!!!!!!! 

Let’s kick off with the fact I’m well aware that just because I think something is a terrible idea it doesn’t mean that everyone wi...

Pitch It

Pitch (im)perfect – This week, you’re pitching the worst idea for a crime, mystery or thriller novel that you can think of – give us your synopsis.

-From Frank

Okay, so there's this ex-cop named Nick Slade who got thrown off the force in disgrace, but we don't know if he did what they say he did or not. Is he clean or dirty, right? You don't know! And he doesn't fight getting thrown off because he figures he deserves it, because the thing they're accusing him of is being responsible for his partne...

LAST WIFE TO DIE

 Q: Pitch (im)perfect – This week, you’re pitching the worst idea for a crime, mystery or thriller novel that you can think of – give us your synopsis.

-from a desperately determined Susan 

So, okay, picture this: POTUS and chief advisor, his former golf caddy, go up against deep state…oh, that’s been done? 

Okay, how about Clarisse Starling fights off a deadly virus to protect ailing POTUS stranded in motorcade…oh, you’ve heard that one too? Is someone stealing my material?

Listen to this. Guarante...

It's all about the Pina Coladas...and the Museum of Jellyfish

 

Give us some of your funniest and most memorable stories from traveling to book festivals

 

 

Hello!

 

It’s Friday again! Hope you’re all keeping well.

 

I’ve said it on here before, but book festivals and travelling to events are probably my favourite thing about being a writer – far more enjoyable than the actual writing, and one of the hardest things about the last year has been the enforced cancellation, or mass migration of these festivals online. They’ve still been fun, and the fact that they’re...

We’ll Always Have Albany from James W. Ziskin

 Give us some of your funniest and most memorable stories from traveling to book festivals

This week’s topic takes me back to my very first writers conference. It was September 2013, and I was attending Bouchercon in Albany, NY. My debut novel, Styx & Stone, was set to be released three weeks later, and I knew nobody, except fellow author Lynne Raimondo. Our editor, Dan Mayer, had introduced us via e-mail, and Lynne provided me with my first blurb. She and I met for dinner in a restaurant not too...

Hitting the road

Give us some of your funniest and most memorable stories from traveling to book festivals.

by Dietrich

I walked into a bank yesterday, wearing a hat, dark glasses and a mask, with a withdrawal slip in my hand. It felt like I was in a scene from one of my own stories. A year ago walking in like that might have had a different outcome.

After months of masks, lockdowns, and elbow bumps, I think even a bad trip would be a good one. Next time I get a chance to travel, the getting there will likely feel ...

And Then There's the One About

Terry Shames here, talking about some of my most memorable stories from traveling to book festivals, conferences, and conventions. I have many wonderful memories from book events, but I only remember one about the actual travel. I was in the Phoenix Airport on the way to the Tucson Book Festival, going through the TSA line and a TSA agent looked at me, her eyes widened and she said, “You’re Terry Shames! I love your books.” And she threw her arms around me (no, not to cart me off to jail.) I...

The Bouchercon Initiation

On the Road Again – Give us some of your funniest and most memorable stories from travelling to book festivals. 

Hi everyone. It's Brenda Chapman starting off the week.

I've had some great times over the years at book conferences in different cities in Canada and the U.S. but one that stands out was my first Bouchercon in Baltimore, October 2008. At the time, I had a series of four middle grade mysteries published and managed to secure a spot on a panel. I was fortunate to have my good friend Kath...