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Meanderings
This blog is now located at http://ericstonebooks.blogspot.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to ...
THE GOOD BROKE LIFE IN SUNNY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In the winter, when my mom was a kid growing up in Los Angeles, sometimes she'd take the train up to the snow in the morning and go sledding. Then she'd head back into the city around lunch time, hopping off the train at one stop to pick some oranges...
"THE MEDIA" OWES US AN APOLOGY
NOT TIGER WOODS. I just tried watching his public mea culpa and I had to turn it off. If he wants, he can go ahead and apologize to his wife, his family, his business partners who have lost some money. But me? I don't need to hear it.Now sure, on...
As any long term reader of my blog knows, I love tattoo expos. As a photographer, my favorite subject has always been people. A lot of people are shy about having their picture taken. Not, however, at tattoo expos. That's part of the enjoyment of the experience for people in...
COUGARS, NAZIS, TICKS - OH MY!
Not to rub it in, but today was a fairly typical Los Angeles January day: temperature in the mid to upper 70s, views from the ocean out to the snow capped San Gabriels in the east (taller than any mountains east of the Rockies), a slight breeze. You get the...
I woke up far too early on this the last day of 2009. I was somewhat compensated, however, by the view from the bedroom window of the moon setting over the Hollywood Hills. Groggily, I went for my camera:...
My Weblog
by Dana I had one of those weird little moments last week.I'd just got done typing “the phone rang,” when my phone rang. Funny thing was, it happened again, about two hours later. I'd typed “the dog started barking its......
by Donna Andrews"Have you registered for Malice Domestic yet?" a fellow writer asked recently. "Well, yes," I said. "You see, I'm going to be toastmaster this year." And fair warning, folks--as toastmaster, I consider it part of my job to......
by Toni L.P. Kelner As of 4 AM yesterday morning, I have finished writing Blast from the Past, my eleventh novel. With so many novels under my belt, one might reasonably assume that I perfected my writing process. Ha! Not......
by Kris NeriI like eating. Too much. My secret fantasy is that one day I will somehow become one of those metabolically gifted people able to eat whatever they want without gaining weight. It could happen. The tooth fairy used......
by Hank Phillippi Ryan My husband and I only disagree about a few things. War and cowboy movies: Jonathan yes, Hank, no. Number of pairs of shoes necessary for a weekend trip: Jonathan, two, Hank, more than two. Time to......
By Elaine Viets You’d think after nineteen mysteries, I’d be used to seeing the new cover for my latest novel. But I’m not. I’m as excited as a first-time author over the cover for my latest Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper......
The Murder Book
There was a great television show on for a while last year called "Life on Mars" which portrayed the bad old days in NYC back in the 1970s. I loved watching the show (a ratings flop) because I remember the......
Is Colton Harris-Moore the real-life version of Lisbeth Salander?
The hottest character in literature these days is Lisbeth Salander, the anti-heroine of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, the first of which is "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." The latest and last book "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest"......
Not only is crime down in NYC, so is 'crazy crime...."
Yep, there's no doubt that NYC in 2010 is a much cheerier place than it was in the bad old days of the late '70s and early '80s. The murder rate has dropped from 2,200 homicides a year to under......
Number of murders in NYC for 2009 will be lowest total ever...
NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were positively giddy today and with good reason -- the number of homicide victims in NYC in 2009 will be the lowest ever, or at least since accurate records were kept.......
Murders are down in NYC but so are the number solved...
There have been only 399 murders so far in NYC this year compared with 452 homicides last year, a drop of more than 11 percent. If the trend continues, this could be the fewest number of homicides recorded in NYC......
Two high-profile murders do not inspire confidence in men....
The murders of Yale student Annie Le in New Haven and Essex House resident Andree Bejjani (photo) in New York are especially troubling because both women were murdered in places where they probably felt completely safe. In fact, it would......
Beth Groundwater
Cover Art for Deadly Currents!
The cover art for the first book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series, Deadly Currents, has been released by Midnight Ink and is slowly making its way onto the on-line booksellers' websites. It's up on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites, though on Barnes & Noble, you have...
For my third Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery book, I've decided that I want Claire's brother to own a stable and for his wife to run a hippotherapy charity at the stable. Hippotherapy is the use of horses to help challenged children and adults gain confidence, muscle strength and...
Interview on Mysterious Musings
Today Julia Buckley, author of The Dark Backward stand-alone mystery and of the new Madeline Mann mystery series, posted an interview with me on her blog, Mysterious Musings. She had some interesting, unique questions that I've never answered before, so please go read the interview. And, if there's something you've...
Sometime in the next few weeks, I will be celebrating my birthday. I won't tell you exactly when, because for identity theft protection purposes, I protect the date almost as well as I protect my social security number and full name. I will divulge that I am...
I have begun a new manuscript, and each time I do that, I flounder around for awhile, throwing ideas into a file until things start to gel and I begin envisioning crucial scenes in my mind. Then I apply my engineering background to build some scaffolding for the project or...
Visiting the Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers Blog
Today I and my gift basket designer sleuth, Claire Hanover, will be visiting the Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers blog. Claire has written a post about "Tips for Effective Gift Baskets" and will be available to answer questions about designing gift baskets and about her adventures in A Real Basket...
Kitty Litter - A mystery writer's rants and raves
Just Send Me Nine Hundred Dollars
if you get an email from me asking for money to help me get home from Kuala Lumpur, just ignore it. If I'm really there, I'll sweet-talk that American Embassy guy into loaning me the money. ...
Many gay bashers have kept their own homosexual lives deep secrets....
A service dog makes it possible for a person with any kind of physical disability to live a normal life with more confidence....
Creating little spots of beauty won't ever mitigate the destruction of mountains and rivers, but it offers a contrast to the mindset that justifies ugliness. And so I've planted flowers. ...
Thinking of Writing A Mystery Series?
Of all the things I'd recommend for series writers, a facts file heads the list. ...
I expect Muffins and Mayhem to be a major best seller, as it should be! Congrats, Suzanne!...
Mystery of a Shrinking Violet
The John the Lord Chamberlain mystery series, by Mary Reed and Eric Mayer, is set in sixth century Constantinople, also known as Byzantium. I’ve been meaning to read this entire series for some time, but had only found one or two at a time at my tiny local library. I’m...
I did not intend to leave the blog hanging for so long. Blame it on the passage of time, which seems so often to run away from me these days. I’ve been busy, but with what I’m at a loss to tell you. I have not been writing, not fiction at...
My dad, Don R. Walker, passed away yesterday, with my sister and brother, Helen and Doug, by his side. He was 86 years old. As my sister mentioned in her message to relatives and friends, my dad was proud to be a veteran who served in the US Army during...
I know it’s fall in a lot of other places in the northern hemisphere this time of year. But we don’t usually see evidence of it here in Southern California until later, toward the end of October. My mom used to say that Halloween was usually when we had to...
We’ve had temperatures at or near 100F for three days now. I say “at or near” because it hasn’t quite hit three digits at our house but has very nearby. We happen to be on a hillside that catches just a tad more breeze than some other parts of this...
I’ve been meaning to blog about our new family member, Raven. I wanted to wait until I’d uploaded some decent pictures of him, and he’s a bit camera shy. At first he was shy of us, and the camera was just a big scary eye staring at him. He...
Terry's Place
Friday Field Trip - A Foodie's look at Europe
First - A previous guest blogger, Cleo Coyle is having a major giveaway for her new release, and I'm sharing her contest information. Check the contest tab. And don't forget to enter my swag contest. I've got books and goodies to give away. If you've been visiting Terry's Place for...
What I'm reading: Decaffeinated Corpse by Cleo CoyleFirst I'd like to share another review for Nowhere to Hide, from Happily Ever After Reviews. NOWHERE TO HIDE is a romantic suspense that will leave you guessing until the end. Ms. Odell’s characters breathe off the page and beg you to...
Thanks to Tom for sharing his new project. I hope everyone had a chance to read it--and took the 3 minutes to watch the video clip, and check out his blog. As a parent and a former teacher, I couldn't help but feel the passion he has for dealing with...
I first met SWAT Commander Tom Stroup while at the Y in Orlando. He taught a special workout class (which I admit I never took--too intimidating) but was there in his work clothes, which included prominently displayed badge and gun. I introduced myself and asked if he'd mind answering some...
What I'm reading: Whisper of Warning, by Laura Griffin Before we move on with today's topic, NOWHERE TO HIDE got a top rated review from Romance Junkies. It's gratifying to see that even though I'm outside the box with a romantic suspense, the reviewer not only recognized it as a...
Friday Field Trip - Hornbek Homestead
Today, I'm over at author C. Patrick Schulze's blog. He was a guest here not long ago, and he's invited me to his place. I'm talking about "Needlepoint Plotting". Hope you'll pop over there.Meanwhile, since it's Friday, here at my blog, I've got some pictures to share. Last weekend, we...
It's a Writing Thing
Best news all week!! Prop 8 overturned!
After a frustrating week of fighting with the Marriott Hotel and Marina about an overcharge of $796.58, this news made me squeal with joy. Now, it will go to the Supremes and perhaps the US will join much of the rest of the 1st world nations. History in the making, people. Real...
Insomnia = yuck. However, insomnia also = productivity. Got the rest of the trip pics uploaded but not captioned. Enjoy at your leisure. SDCC 2010 Originally posted at Maria Lima. You can comment here or there....
::taps mic:: Uhm, hello, out there? Sorry I’ve been rather absent of late. Turns out deadlines and revisions and new deadlines and contracts and well, work take up a lot of time. Who’da’thunk? ::g:: Things done: Revisions on Glee Essay for Filled With Glee Contract signed for Blood Lines Book 5 (as yet untitled) Got...
This is something I’ve struggled with for years–how to stock my writerly toolbox. From research books to notebooks to pens and finally to the Ooh, Shiny of the computer world. Folks who know me in person for more than a month already know I’m one of those people called “early adopter”....
The OTW Weighs In on Fanfiction/Pro Authors
I think I’ve said it before, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it. I’m all for fan fiction: in my universe, in other people’s universes, etc. I don’t see it as an infringement, but as a deep abiding love of the work(s). We authors used to think that, even if...
Hi all, and welcome to my brand new Web site and blog!! No worries to LJ’ers – this will automatically (I think!) post to LJ when I update here at my site. Thanks to the fab Frauke @ Croco Designs and to the amazing Ms. Stacia Kane who recommended her, I’ve...
The Outfit: A Collective of Chicago Crime Writers
by Barbara D'AmatoIn CHARLIE CHAN CARRIES ON [1930] by Earl Derr Biggers, seventeen men and women come together in London to begin a round-the-world tour. One is killed at the outset, in London. When no culprit can be found, although the killer is pretty clearly one of the tour...
by Marcus SakeyShort stories are hard work. Maybe not for Joe Konrath, but for the rest of us mortals, they're damn tricky. You need to cram a big vision into a small space, and from the beginning you need a very clear idea of what you're trying to...
By David HeinzmannAnybody who planned to mark the stages of their summer this year by the progress of the trial of former Illinois governor Rod R. Blagojevich may have been disappointed to see the back-to-school sales come way too early. Most people expected the Blagojevich trial to dip into the...
I'll Be Hoping For the Big One Out of the Blue
By Kevin GuilfoileThis is a story about the way one book--on old-fashioned, ink-on-paper kind of book--saved a really cool piece of history.A few months ago, I was asked to appear on a local television program to talk about literature and baseball (I actually wrote about that discussion in a previous...
Cult Books-Favorites-and Not So Much
<!--StartFragment--> by Jamie Freveletti Ask a reader what are their favorite books and you will get a slew of answers with few overlaps. The joy of reading is that there is a genre out there for everyone. Change the question to “what is your favorite cult book?” and...
by Michael Dymmoch...for a change.In the last few months I've spent a lot of time listening to writers who've put their out-of-print books on Kindle and Smashwords. Some have even gone to self-publishing their dropped series as e-books. You can check out Joe Konrath's bog, A Newbie's...
When the Muse Strikes . . .
"So Damn Lucky" (or How I Met Dave Matthews)
I'd been waiting all year for this past Wednesday night. It had been too long (last summer) since I'd been to a Dave Matthews Band concert and I'd been having DMB withdrawal. Plus, they recently announced they wouldn't be touring next year (the first year they've skipped in 20 years),...
A Little Shout-Out to the Readers Who Make This All Possible
I get many emails from readers who write to tell me they enjoyed one or both of my books, or sometimes to ask a question about something, the most popular being "Did __ actually do it?" (I won't fill in the blank because I don't want to spoil things if...
Ellie Grossman and the "Mishegas of Motherhood"
I've been meaning to write about my Rescuing Olivia book tour, but the demands of the tour itself have kept me from doing so. I'm such a limp rag at the end of each day, I can barely eek out a meal for my family (when I'm home), so trying...
RESCUING OLIVIA hits US bookstores today!
Rescuing Olivia officially hits bookstores today! I'd love it if you'd help me spread the word. Wondering how you can help? Here are some ideas:1. Look for Rescuing Olivia in your local bookstore. If they don't have it, ask them to order it. (If it's there, and your phone has...
Nice profile in The Big Thrill, ITW's newsletter
Lj Sellers did a really nice profile piece of me and RESCUING OLIVIA in the February issue of The Big Thrill, the online newsletter of International Thriller Writers, that just came out today. Thanks Lj!Here's the link: The Big Thrill...
Thank you Naples Florida Weekly for a great review of RESCUING OLIVIA!
Naples Florida Weekly had a really nice write-up of Rescuing Olivia in this week's print edition. The online link won't be available until February 11, but here's a taste:"Ms. Compton paces the story majestically, giving just enough new information in each scene to raise new questions that pull the reader...
Freedom From The Mundane
Image: Kevin Dooley The first Saturday at home since I got back from Portugal and boy, did I make this one count. I headed into Edinburgh shortly after 9am and got to work. First stop was the book shop, where I’d ordered AMERICA LIBRE by Raul Ramos, a recommendation for my holiday...
Image: John Morgan Horrendous pretty sums it up. A Friday that would just not let go of my ankle and saw me fighting against it for way too long than was necessary. I couldn’t even be bothered with Clark’s after work, I just wanted to sneak away and hide in a...
Image: Disko Duck Behold, at the end of this post you will find a short slideshow of the best of my photographs taken in Portugal between the 17th and 31st July. Some are stupid, some are arty and some can be classed as research into a new story I’m toying with...
Image: Black Knight I mentioned yesterday that my wife only took a handful of photographs while in Portugal but the ones she did take were of a sunset. Well, I took some too, quite a few in fact, which is the reason they still aren’t ready to show off. I spent...
Image: ralphbijker Still struggling to get myself back into sync. I feel totally lackadaisical and uninspired with everything except literature. Call it the holiday blues without wishing I was actually back there by the pool. I’m still on a high with words and ideas—and that’s before the EBF even begins—but with...
Image: Sue Elias At times, I had no clue what time of the day it was never mind the day of the week. And that was when the holiday hit its peak for me. This past year has been very busy on a personal and work level and so my main...
Getting Medieval
Teutonic Knights in Poland: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em
According to The Local (a German Newspaper in English): In May of 2007, the skeletons of three medieval Teutonic Knights--Werner von Orseln, who led the knights from 1324-1330, Ludolf Koenig (1342-1345), and Heinrich von Plauen (1410-1413)--were found in a crypt......
Blind man's buff, hocky, snowball fights. Do we think of medeival people as serious, stoney-faced individuals with nothing but church on their minds and perhaps the next torture session to attend? Or do we view them as three dimensional, with......
More Sherlockiana: Conan Doyle Speaks!
Here is some remarkable video of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle talking about how he came up with his great detective. He also discusses his interest in spirituality. I have a copy of his embarrassing Cottington Fairy book, when he believed......
While we've been enjoying the Victorian reboot of Sherlock Holmes in the movies with Robert Downy Jr. as the deerstalkered man and Jude Law as Dr. Watson, the game is afoot back in jolly old with a reboot TV series.......
Crispin Answers Questions Today
The man himself, dashing ex-knight turned detective Crispin Guest, is on author Beth Groundwater's blog today. See what he has to say and ask him a question or two....
No, it’s not playing poker with a swan nor is it some sort of illegal and unsavory practice with water fowl. In fact, it has everything to do with legality, monarchs, and, strangely enough, swans. Swans were an important part......
What Fresh Hell...?
There's an interview with me up at Amberkatze's Book Blog today! And you can win stuff! Cool! Meanwhile I'm about half done with the major part of the book, tour, but I'll be at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood tomorrow at noon to read and sign and talk about...
Hey I'm up at John Scalzi's Big Idea on Whatever today!...
Book Chick City has an article and photos up about my office/workspace today. If you ever wondered how I manage to get work done on the boat, here it is: Where Stories Are Made.(Beware of Skeletal Lizard Guy....)...
My interview with WBIG 1280 AM in Chicago is tomorrow at 9:20 am Central time, not today. I’ll be interviewing with WILY in Chicago today at 10 am Central....
Labyrinth is officially out today! And that means readings and signing start tonight as well as other fun things in person and online for the next 2 weeks--see the Appearances page for details. But first....New Greywalker computer wallpaper for Labyrinth is up on my site and there's a special offer...
My friends at Penguin USA, Roc/Ace and Project Paranormal put up a clip of me talking about paranormal fiction and Harper Blaine on YouTube! It's nifty (please ignore the expression on my face at the initial freeze-frame.)And don't forget: Labyrinth launches on Tuesday! Be sure to check out the Appearances...
The Graveyard Shift
Weekend Road Trip: Summer Rain On Georgia’s Ogeechee River
Thunder rumbles in the distance. Temperatures hover just below one-hundred. The air thickens with humidity, insects, and the scent of mud, marsh, dead fish, and rotting vegetation. Rain is on the way. A heavy rain. A pre-storm breeze sends tiny ripples across a surface that moments ago was as slick...
Writers’ Police Academy Short Story Contest and a Police Pursuit
It’s almost here! Yes, the Writers’ Police Academy short story contest opens in just a few days. So sharpen your pencils and your imaginations. This one’s going to be fun. Each story must have a great opening, a fantastic middle, and a truly twisted Jeffery Deaver-style ending. Now for our own...
If You Can’t Do The Time…Turn Off The Video Recorder
Anthony Graber was enjoying his motorcycle ride, maybe a little too much, when he sped past a marked police car at approximately 80 mph. He also scooted past an unmarked state police vehicle driven by Trooper Joseph David Uhler, who finally caught up to Graber’s bike at an off ramp...
“Friendly” Gunfire Inside Georgia Bank
Picture yourself standing in line at the bank. Your paycheck in hand. Spouse and kids in the car waiting. Landlord waiting for the rent check. Groceries to buy. You mind is in a million places at once. So much to do, so little time and too little money. Suddenly, a...
Touch DNA: Good Stuff, Or An Invasion Of Privacy?
Touch DNA is not rocket science. In fact, it’s far from it. To obtain touch DNA, all that’s needed is a sample, even one that’s as small as a grain of sand, and a little patience. What sort of sample? Again, easy answer. Anything a suspect may have touched, such...
Murderers Escape Arizona Prison: How’d They Do It?
These three were in prison for murder and escaped. And all it took to see daylight was the help of a woman on the outside and a simple pair of pliers. It’s believed that the woman, 44-year-old Casslyn Mae Welch, met the men after their escape and helped them get away....
Books, Boys, Buzz...
Remember me? Recap of RWA Nationals and the Hectic Summah of 2010
Hey Buzz Readers!Remember me? I'm the Bee who's been AWOL pretty much all summer. Sorry about that. In addition to traveling the country for conferences and booksignings in my RV, my boyfriend and I have also had his two boys (11 and 9) with us the entire summer and we've...
Thanks to Stephanie Hale for opening our discussion yesterday about the Romance Writers of America conference in Orlando, Florida, attended by five of the seven Buzz Girls. (Next year we're hoping for a full house!)Here are Steph and Tera flanking me in a picture Tera somehow managed to be...
Jetlag, a head cold, and tons of good memories....
Geographically I've been back from Orlando for three days, but mentally I'm pretty sure I'm still there. Or at least wish I was. Unfortunately my entire family brought home headcolds along with our Mickey ears, but it was so worth it. It was so wonderful spending time with most of...
While everyone is off having fun in Orlando, I thought I would post a clip that author friend Holly Cupala produced for the blog tour for her debut YA novel Tell Me a Secret. If you watch closely, you'll see at least two Bees! (And lots of friends of...
It's Getting Better All The Time...
As we've mentioned here, most of the Buzz Girls are soon off to Orlando for the Romance Writers of America conference! In anticipation, my weekend has been mostly about shopping, planning, packing--and laundry!And in between loads, I've taken a moment to stop and think about the laundry process, and...
2010 "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing
If you are anywhere near Orlando, Florida, next Wednesday, July 28, 2010, you’re going to want to be at the Walt Disney World® Dolphin Resort between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm for the "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing event, where more than 500 romance authors will participate to raise thousands...
Reading Proust In Foxborough
The Apple Trees in the Countryside around Balbec in Spring
I read the most beautiful passage two nights ago. Proust is back in Balbec wanting to get together with Albertine. He grandmother has died and he mourns her. It is not summer, but spring, and the sea and the landscape are very different than during the high season of summer. From...
Rats! Just when I thought I had the perfect (parfait) Father's Day gift. No price. Does that tell you something? Proust Pen...
Amazing how many readers are blogging Proust. It almost beats Cat Blog Friday. Here is another blogger. http://readproust.blogspot.com/I am still plodding through Sodom and Gomorrah, and not at warp speed, either. Many irons in the fire. Planted the garden, trying to finish my novel, getting ready for house guests, toastmasters speeches,...
Have stranger things happened? Proust is now on Facebook. You can sign on and become a fan. http://www.facebook.com/pages/In-Search-of-Lost-Time-Marcel-Proust/110452695645104?v=descI've just returned from the Edgar Awards in NYC, given annually to those whose 2010 publications excelled in the mystery/crime writing genre. Due to a panel I sat in on, I bought Robert Arellano's...
Reading Proust South of Foxborough
Providence, RI is just a hop, skip and a jump from Foxborough, and I see a new Proust blogger has set up shop there. Welcome to the wide world of blogging Proust. I added "Proust in Providence" to the Proust blogs on the home page of this blog. I am making...
Ah, some stresses in my life have sent me back into the pages of Proust, because I can always fall asleep while reading him. Making way thru the endless party of the Princess de Guermantes. This party is actually more interesting than most of the ones in The Guermantes Way. ...
Ellen Byerrum
And Then The Gator Bumped Our Boat. . .
It’s the unexpected things that make a road trip memorable. The regional accents, the unusual foods, and of course the critters you encounter in the wild and almost-wild—the things that give a place it's unique fingerprint or voice. When I write a location for my books, I want...
Win a Book Belles Summer Vacation Basket
The Book Belles are giving away a gift basket to celebrate summer, and I am hosting the contest! The summer vacation basket will include signed books by your favorite Belles, including the fabulous Susan...
Lots of People Want Their Lives Back, Tony.
In the continuing debacle of the BP oil spill, Tony Hayward, the CEO of the British company, among many eyebrow-lifting statements, said he wants his life back. Really? Shall we weep for him?How many dead BP workers would like their lives back? Perhaps the 11 workers who went...
Springtime Brings Mystery Events
This week traditional mystery writers will be gathering at Malice Domestic in Arlington, Virginia. It’s a great opportunity to meet some favorite writers and also to catch up with friends. I’ll be on a panel Saturday, May 1, "Love, Sex and Death: Mixing Cold Murder with Steamy Sleuths."...
Spring is here, the air is pulsing with the green season, and I hear the thrumming insistence of the Road Trip, urging me to get in my car and take to the road. I want to smell the air in a different place, see how the sunlight sifts...
It takes me awhile, but slowly and surely I'm being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. I am now on Facebook and I invite you to check it out and feel free to friend me if you're a Facebook user. Perhaps I'll even figure out how to post...
POE'S DEADLY DAUGHTERS
THE ZEN AND THE ART OF ICE CREAM
by Guest Authors Wendy Lyn Watson and Mary Jane MaffiniSince we launched Killer Characters--where cozy mystery characters get to blog in their own words--our characters have really come to life. Recently, we uncovered this exchange between Charlotte Adams (professional organizer and amateur sleuth) and Tallulah Jones (ice cream entrepreneur and...
By Lonnie CruseI've been DVRing and watching the new Agatha Christie Miss Marple mysteries on PBS and enjoying them. Particularly the scenery. The size of those estate homes in England!!! Whew! In these episodes Miss Marple is played by Julia McKenzie who does a good job. I didn't care for...
Elizabeth ZelvinSince I discovered feminism many years ago, I have met a tremendous number of women who have told me they were Girl Scouts in their childhood. In retrospect, the Girl Scouts, and especially Girl Scout camp, which I attended from the ages of 9 to 13 and later returned...
Sandra ParshallWhat is it with celebrities who appear in public looking like they just crawled out of a cardboard box under a bridge?The men are the worst. Most actresses still get spiffed up for movie premieres, but alongside each bejeweled, beautifully coiffed and gowned woman, you’re likely to see a...
Sharon WildwindInspiration comes from the strangest places; this week it came from a bowl of soup.The Cornell University Food and Brand Lab invited test subjects for a free bowl of soup. The summary I read didn’t mention many details about what the participants were told, but it was probably...
by Julia BuckleyI live with a man and two boys (but in some ways three boys). Each day they spend a good half hour mimicking scenes of extreme violence just for the fun of it. There are lots of gun sounds (really elaborate ones that I can't make,...
Myth & Mystery
I always find it fascinating how different covers can be from one country to another. Above is the UK cover for The Lost Hero. The book will be published in the UK (and Australia, New Zealand and Canada) on October 12, the same date it will be available in the...
Hard to believe the 39 Clues will reach its finale on August 31! As part of the festivities, Scholastic is counting down 39 days to the publication of the final book. Check out the press release with all the details. My video blog for the Access Granted web promotion is...
You Can Judge an eBook by its Cover
I had to share this, even if it's a shameless promotion for my mom, Lyn Belisle! She's been an art teacher and accomplished visual artist for many years, but recently she started a new endeavor that's just a fantastic idea. She's making handcrafted art covers for e-readers. You can see...
The Riordans in Alaska & Rick’s Recent Reads
Two weeks ago, we returned from a trip to Alaska – my one true vacation this summer before diving back into writing! It was Becky’s and my 25th anniversary, so we felt entitled to a nice break. We took the family on a cruise from...
This morning, Entertainment Weekly provided an exclusive sneak peek at the cover for The Lost Hero! The book will launch my new series The Heroes of Olympus on October 12, and I have to say this cover may be my favorite yet by master illustrator John Rocco. The EW article...
The Heroes of Olympus website has gone live! Right now, there are only "locked" sample chapters from The Lost Hero. Bronze coin keychains, like the symbol above, were given out at BEA with the pass code, and for the present, that's the only way to unlock the chapters. If you...