Join me today at Patricia Stoltey’s place, where I “talk” about why I decided to write a series featuring a stand-up comic.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
One Two Two Three
Book One News – On Sunday, I’ll be speaking about DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD at the Hadassah Book Fair at the Reston Barnes & Noble. The Fair starts at 1 p.m., and I “go on” at 2 p.m.
Book Two News – RT Book Reviews had this to say about KILLER ROUTINE:
“Gritty and full of surprises, this is a fascinating glimpse into the world of stand-up comedy; it’s definitely worth a read.”
To read the entire review, get a copy of the April 2011 issue of RT Book Reviews at your local bookstore.
Thanks, RT Book Reviews!
Book Two News, Part Two – There are still five more days to sign up to win a free copy of KILLER ROUTINE at Goodreads. Click over and enter—you know you want to!
Book Three News – The second book in the Last Laff Mystery Series now has a name. It’s…DEADLY CAMPAIGN. In it, Channing helps his friend Thomas Lee investigate some unsavory events surrounding his nephew’s run for Congress. Scheduled for an April 2012 release.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Crank it Up
Monday, March 21, 2011
Festival! Of Books! In Virginia!
For the past few years, I’ve attended the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville, VA. Held in March, it’s a week-long (give or take) celebration of books.
What could be better than that?
Although I’m tempted by a number of programs throughout the Festival, I only make the two-hour drive for Crime Wave Saturday. All day long, there are panels and talks about crime fiction. In a word: awesome.
In the past, I’ve been one of the many (thousands) of mystery lovers attending the panels. This year, I was thrilled to be on a panel.
And it was a very, very good panel. Moderated by Cliff Garstang, my fellow panelists were John Connolly, Deanne Raybourn, and Paul Robertson. I was thoroughly entertained (if not thoroughly entertaining). From the audience’s feedback, I think (hope) they were entertained as well. (Note to self: work on Irish accent.)
(The panel, with me hogging the mic, as usual. Photo courtesy of Alma Katsu, whose debut novel, THE TAKER, comes out this Fall from Simon & Schuster/Gallery.)
After my panel, I attended a superb luncheon, featuring Kathy Reichs as the keynote speaker. I didn’t even freak out when I discovered cheese in my entrée.
In the afternoon, I had a chance to catch up with some of my writer friends, make some new mystery-loving friends, and enjoy a stroll down the pedestrian mall in downtown Charlottesville.
All in all, a terrific day. If you live in Virginia, put this on your calendar for next year. You won’t be sorry!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Spring, If That’s You Knocking, Come On In!
As you may have noticed, I’ve been a little scarce around the blog during the past couple weeks.
Been busy. Real busy. (Plus I lost an hour last weekend.)
Most of the events have been of the personal/family variety, and, without a single exception, they’ve all been good. (One highlight: My family got a private tour of the West Wing, courtesy of a good friend of mine.)
Writingwise, I’ve been busy, too, although I don’t have a lot of new “product” to show for my efforts. I have managed to get in a lot of daydreaming, which I tell my family is really a very important part of the writing process called plotting, and please don’t disturb me as I sit in the recliner with my eyes shut.
Promotionwise, this Saturday, I’ll be at the Virginia Festival of the Book. My panel, at 10:00 am, is called, “Death: Another Time, Another Place.” It will be moderated by Cliff Garstang, and the other panelists are John Connolly, Deanna Raybourn, and Paul Robertson.
KILLER ROUTINE’s official release date is April 8, but it’s being shipped early. Many people have already received their pre-orders, so RUN OUT AND CHECK YOUR MAILBOXES.
Next week, I’ll have an exciting announcement about the second book in the Last Laff series. Like maybe what the title will be (and it’s not SON OF KILLER ROUTINE).
Have a great weekend!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Yum!
Tofu or not tofu, that is the question.
To see the answer, click on over to Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, where I’m guest blogging.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Coming to a Mailbox Near You
Operating under the “people can’t buy/read your book unless they know about it” principle, I mailed out a few postcards.
To be exact, I mailed 1376 postcards to bookstores and libraries.
I didn’t use postcards for my first book, but I thought I’d give this “low-tech, old-school” approach a try.
I designed the postcards using Photoshop, and I got them printed by Printplace.com (affordable and good quality).
Here’s the front:
And the back:
I spent hours sticking on labels and stamps. (And boy, were my arms tired!)
The mailing “dropped” last Friday, so the postcards should be arriving this week. As is often the case with marketing/promotion initiatives, I’m not sure how I’ll be able to tell if this effort was “successful.”
Unless I happen to hit a bestseller list. Then I’ll be mailing postcards for all my books.
This has been another “behind-the-scenes” glimpse at the promotional efforts of a mystery writer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
