Terry Shames's Blog: 7 Criminal Minds, page 156

Agents? Provocative! by Cathy Ace

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To Agent or Not to Agent...

Do you have, or have you ever had, an agent? Depending on your experience, mount an argument for or against having one.

From Frank

My short answer is no.

The long answer is...too long and winding for this post.

Here's the medium answer.

I tried to get an agent back when that was about the only way to get published - that or a publisher who took unagented submissions. At the time, though, I wasn't ready. My work wasn't polished enough, and any agent who took a look was right to pass. I got some nic...

An agent as fairy godmother

Q: Do you have, or have you ever had, an agent? Depending on your experience, mount an argument for or against having one.
- from Susan

I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve had an agent since my first manuscript, Murder in the Abstract, was ready to share.
I had fired off a couple of queries in late 2007, one response to which exemplifies the experiences many of my talented friends have had. I was in New York City and dropped off the query at the reception desk of a large agency’s midtown o...

Fancy a drink?

by AbirWhat question do you wish that someone would ask about your book or your career or you, but nobody has? 
Authors get asked a lot of questions. It’s brilliant, really. I mean there can’t be that many occupations, other than maybe psychiatry, where the people are really interested in the machinations going on in your head, and whereas psychiatrists charge you for their questions, crime fiction fans often pay to listen to the inane ramblings of an writer. That’s a pretty good state of...

Haven’t We Met?

What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book or your career or you, but nobody has?

From Jim




I write the Ellie Stone mysteries, which are set in the early 1960s. There are three characters who appear in all of my Ellie Stone books, six to date. These three also appear in the seventh installment, TURN TO STONE, coming January 21, 2020. The first character who appears in all seven books is, of course, the plucky Ellie Stone herself. There wouldn’t be much of a story without he...

What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book or your career or you, but nobody has?
by Dietrich
Any question beginning with, “So, when you won the Pulitzer …” 
Okay, so I’m not holding my breath on that one, but there are questions I like being asked, probably the same questions any author likes to be asked. “Can we pay you to speak at our event?” “What are you drinking?” “I’ve read all your books. When’s the next one coming out?” “How did you ever co...

Writing is Hard

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What Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Question: What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book or your career or you, but nobody has?Happy Monday - Brenda here.I’ve been running this question around in my mind for the past week and am still at a loss. It feels sometimes as if I’ve told the world at large much too much about myself, my work, my career. I'm basically a private person not comfortable with talking about myself, my feelings or my opinions (except when really worked up about an issue). Over the fiftee...

Sparking Oy!

You’ve just read Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,”  and you’re getting ready to clean up your writing space/office. What things “spark joy” and what would you get rid of? Do you keep old drafts of stories/novels, e-versions, paper? Copies of your books, others’ books? Knickknacks? Etc.

by Paul D. Marks

Hahahahahahaha!

Surely you jest.

I look at clean, almost sterile offices and rooms and I envy them. I want to be that...

Good friends and quiet neighbours - by Catriona

Life: You’ve just read Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” and you’re getting ready to clean up your writing space/office. What things “spark joy” and what would you get rid of? Do you keep old drafts of stories/novels, e-versions, paper? Copies of your books, others’ books? Knickknacks? Etc.

I love Marie Kondo.

But let me unpack what that means.

 I read the book when it came out, as did many others, and, also like man...