Terry Shames's Blog: 7 Criminal Minds, page 52

Holiday Reading

When you’re on vacation, do you take a break from reading crime fiction, never mind writing it? Do you read at all?

Brenda at the keyboard.

I have to confess that I'm a crime fiction junkie. While I might detox with a more literary work from time to time, my go-to relaxation fare is always in the crime fiction genre. I always have a book on the go when I'm writing. My favourite thing to do is to write for a while, read a chapter of whatever book I'm currently reading, write some more. Repeat.

But t...

Time to Be Inspired, by Josh Stallings

Q: Are there crime fiction books so good you hold on to them and re-read them? Name a few classics and inspirations.

A: I evolve year to year not only as a writer but also as a reader. That’s true for most of us. As a teenager I attached my identity to the bands I listened to, books I read, movies I dug. It was a way to connect with like minds. I wore tight pants, long scarves, platform shoes, a leather jacket. 6’4” and skinny, I must have looked a sight, but I was a walking billboard to attract ...

Comfort, with a body count, by Catriona

Are there crime-fiction books sogood you hold on to them and re-read them? Name a few classics andinspirations.

I'm splitting this into two questions. 1. Do I hold onto crime-fiction books? Ahem.

2. Do I re-read them? 

Not many. I consult them a fair bit, looking for something I'm sure I remember seeing there, when I'm truffling around for examples (good or bad) to illustrate a workshop or article. And I visit lots of them briefly, reacqainting myself with the names of characters or the length of...

Old friends...and new... by Cathy Ace

Are there crime fiction books sogood you hold on to them and re-read them? Name a few classics andinspirations.

Oh good grief…how long have you got?

My house is awash with crime fiction books Ican’t bear to get rid of…and, no, I might not re-read all of them, but…you know…younever can tell when the mood will take me to dive into a book for the second,or even sixth time, so stay with me they must - “just in case”.

Beautifully bound - my Christie collection

Those that have been with me the ...

Be Kind, Rewind by Gabriel Valjan

 

Are there crimefiction books so good you hold on to them and re-read them? Name a few classicsand inspirations.

 

Why revisit crime fiction when you already know whocommitted the crime? I’ve always been cautious about revisiting past readsbecause memory is beguiling, deceptive, and tinged with fear and apprehension. Nothingsucks more than realizing that something you liked in the past doesn’t hold up.You mumble to yourself, What was I thinking?

 

Certain books are P...

Portable Magic

 Q: Are there crime fiction books so good you hold on to them and re-read them? Name a few classics and inspirations.

 

-       from Susan

 

There are a lot of crime fiction books I hold on to even though I’m not likely to read them again. Why? Because writers I admire, writers I’m in awe of, writers who are justly loved by everyone, or writers who - gasp - became my friends wrote them and signed them to me. I look at their spines and smile. Being in the same community has been an ongoing thrill for...

Acting the Part

 You’ve done the impossible - sold your book/series for the screen. Who would you choose (living or dead) to play your protagonist? Why?

 

By Abir

 

Great question!

 

This is the dream of many a novelist, at least when they’re starting out, that their story will make it to the big (or increasingly the small) screen. The best part of that is what we call the game of fantasy casting, and I’ve been prone to a bit of that myself.

 

Now my Wyndham and Banerjee novels have three central characters: Captain Sa...

Casting Call for Ellie Stone from James W. Ziskin

You’ve done the impossible - sold your book/series for the screen. Who would you choose (living or dead) to play your protagonist? Why?

I confess that I’ve never been able to picture anyone playing Ellie Stone, the protagonist of my seven-book series. That’s probably because I don’t watch many new shows or moves. And thinking back over actresses of the past (do we still say actress?), I’m not having much luck either. 

She should be young, fairly small, with longish curly brown hair. Other than tha...

Role ‘em …

You’ve done the impossible - sold your book/series for the screen. Who would you choose (living or dead) to play your protagonist? Why?

by Dietrich

I’m negotiating a film deal now, but it’s a bit early to say much about it. One thing’s for sure, it’s always exciting to imagine something I wrote ending up on the screen. The director of the proposed project did ask who I saw playing the characters and I did share my ideas.

When I come up with characters, I sometimes fan through photos in newspap...

Coming Soon to Your TV

 

Terry here with our weekly question:You’ve done the impossible - sold your book/series for the screen. Who would you choose (living or dead) to play your protagonist? Why? 
 If TV producers only knew how many times people have asked me when my Samuel Craddock was going to be made into a TV series, I’d have had multiple offers by now. Alas, Hollywood (or whoever options TV series) isn’t listening. That isn’t to say I haven’t had interest. I actually had an “almost” offer. When we moved into our ...