Terry Shames's Blog: 7 Criminal Minds, page 30

Some Old White Guy, by Josh Stallings

Q: Your thoughts on authors asked to write Content/Trigger Warnings for their novels?

A: Old school Josh used to think these were silly. “Come on man, they’re just words.” The title of my first book was Beautiful Naked & Dead, if that title doesn’t upset you the content shouldn’t. That’s what I thought then. I also thought if I’m not afraid walking anywhere in the world you shouldn’t be either. 

I’ve grown up some since then. Here are a couple of events that helped me.

In the early part of the Tump...

How to talk yourself into something you never wanted to do, by Catriona

I'm going off topic today, but briefly, on trigger warnings . . .

My take is that upset, offence and discomfort are part of every life, but PTSD is rare and serious. When someone is triggered into an episode of PTSD, they re-experience trauma as severely as when they went through it for real. Worse perhaps, since you can't escape what you've produced inside your own head. There's no running away. So people with PTSD are adept at avoiding their triggers and, although that much vigilance can be exh...

Get your finger off the trigger by Eric Beetner

 Your thoughts on authors asked to write Content/Trigger Warnings for their novels?

In short, I'm against it.

Most people take the approach that art should make us confront things, oftentimes ugly things. I think pure entertainment is the same way. I don't think art/entertainment needs to be confrontational, however. There is a difference. But the idea of "comfort zones" is absurd to me.

We all like what we like and there should be no obligation to read subjects we don't like or that make us uneasy...

Honey Badger Here by Gabriel Valjan

 

Your thoughts on authors asked to writeContent/Trigger Warnings for their novels?

 

I was asked to write a Content Warning for THE GOOD MAN. ATrigger Warning, for those who don’t know it, is the literary equivalent of theMotion Picture Association film-rating system.

 

I reread the cover text. My synopsis contained severalkeywords that I thought set expectations. If the words Nazi and camp survivordon’t make you think World War 2 and Holocaust, then I believe that yo...

Reader Beware: The Meaning of Trigger Warnings

 Q: Your thoughts on authors asked to write Content/Trigger Warnings for their novels?

from Susan

I don’t know what to say about this. I write – and read – crime fiction. I expect there to be crimes, murders, scary moments, bad behavior, evil people. To that end, I try to read enough about the story to know if I will definitely avoid it or not. I try to skip books where a child is murdered, but recently read a really good story where that happens because I know the author and her work, and I was c...

Conferences, fact and fiction - from Harini Nagendra

Bouchercon and Killer Nashville 2024 have ended recently. Your thoughts on your conference experience. Do you get post conference blues, or does it energize you? 

Before I begin, let me confess - I haven't been to a single writer's conference in the US so far! Sadly, the expense of taking two long flights to attend one short conference creates barriers. I felt this most keenly in 2022, when my debut fiction book, The Bangalore Detectives Club, was nominated for a Lefty, Agatha and Anthony best de...

A Tree Falling in the Forest from James W. Ziskin

Bouchercon and Killer Nashville 2024 have ended recently. Your thoughts on your conference experience. Do you get post conference blues, or does it energize you?

I missed Bouchercon and Killer Nashville this year. Since 2013, I’ve attended many conferences in the past. Bouchercon, Left Coast, Malice Domestic, ThrillerFest, California Crime Writers, New England Crime Bake, and Maine Crime Wave. In addition to offering opportunities to meet and revisit friends and learn everything there is to know ...

Guest post by Dana King

I've asked my friend Dana King to drop by and tackle this week's question: Your thoughts on your conference experience. Do you get post conference blues, or does it energize you? Dana's the author of the amazing Penns River and Nick Forte series, and he's a frequent attendee at major conferences. If you haven't read both of his series, do yourself a favor and get over to his website and check them out. Meantime, here's Dana.

Let me begin by thanking Dietrich Kalteis for inviting me to write this ...

Terry here: Our question this week is about conferences. ...

Terry here: Our question this week is about conferences. We’re writing our thoughts on conference experience. And also, if we get post conference blues, or does it energize us? 

I’m a conference junky. That’s where my people are. That’s where my brain gets refreshed, where I get sparked with new ideas, find out the state of the publishing industry, see old friends and new authors, find out the latest gossip. It’s life blood. It’s hard to believe my first Bouchercon was the year of the first m...

The Book Conference Experience

Bouchercon and Killer Nashville 2024 have ended recently. Your thoughts on your conference experience. Do you get post conference blues, or does it energize you?

Brenda starting off the week.

I used to go to book conferences quite often but have not been to any since the pandemic. I attended every Bloody Words in Canada since I was first published, although these conferences have since ended. They took place mainly in Toronto but once in Victoria and twice in my home city, Ottawa. I was on the pla...