Shades of Winterport on Vacation, or Why You Don’t Ask a Writer for Directions
Another airport, another Friday blog post. <Glance at calendar> But wait—it’s not Friday; it’s Sunday. Yeah, about that… I actually wrote the following post on an airplane Friday, intending to upload it at the next airport when we landed, but then things got complicated. One of our flights was delayed (while we sat on the tarmac with no internet), which meant we missed our connection at LAX, yada, yada, yada… The short version (I may share a longer version this coming Friday if I haven’t gotten it out of my system yet) is we spent Friday night in Honolulu, made it to Read more…
Magpie Moments: Do Your Office Supplies Enable Your Paranoia?
Did you know that this Sunday (July 24th) is International Private Investigator Day? I’ve got something special in mind for next Friday (fingers crossed) for a belated celebration. In the meantime, I thought I’d share what passes for excitement in my writer’s world: new office supplies! I’ve previously confessed my love for Post-its (Peeking at Process; Resolve to be Resolute). Well, my infatuation with office supplies doesn’t stop there. Last week, I was chatting online with a group of writers about tools and strategies for longevity. We’re all trying to figure out how we can make it to next month—much Read more…
Magpie Moments: Careful with Those Summer Leftovers
I’m posting this on July 1st, so Happy Canada Day to our neighbors to the north! And Happy almost-Independence Day in the U.S.! (Apologies to the Brits if you feel left out; in light of the recent Brexit kerfuffle, you’re welcome to crash our parties so long as you don’t bring Pimm’s.) This holiday season seems a particularly appropriate time to share a cautionary Magpie Moment (bits I snatched from real life and incorporated into my fiction). To set the stage, Sydney has just returned from a prison visit that included a detour for a box full of pastries. Her Read more…
Paperback Possession, Brownie Exorcisms, and a Mini Magpie Moment
Good news—Braving the Boneyard is available for preorder at Kobo! The ebook will be popping up everywhere else (Amazon, iBooks, Nook, etc.) on release day: May 19, 2016. Kobo’s process was so easy, and much more flexible about how far out you could post, so I figured… why not? Next book, I’ll try to hit them all. The paperback, on the other hand, has been my cross. My albatross (except I really like seabirds). Last week, I thought I’d finished the template for my cover designer, but there were some pdf issues, and I had to start over. Then there were even Read more…
Braving the Boneyard Winners, and a Gridiron Magpie Moment
Congratulations to Sam, Marina, Glenda, Pat, and Christine! (Surname initials just looked too weird.) They’ll be getting free ebooks of Braving the Boneyard when it’s released on May 19, 2016. I’ll have more news about Boneyard’s release next week, but in the meantime, I thought we’re due for a Magpie Moment (bits of real life, incorporated into Sydney’s adventures), the first one for Braving the Boneyard. I’ve been reading In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation of an American Hero, edited by Otto Penzler (although auto-correct keeps insisting his name should be Penciler). If you’re Read more…
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