Category: Writing
Characters We Love
Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet with Ann Cleeves (at Crime Bake), which was a treat on many levels, one of them being that she has created one of my all-time favorite characters, Vera. Of course, when I tried to tell this to Ann Cleeves I felt like one of those babbling brooks, but I did mean it quite sincerely. Vera has been a good friend to me. So my question is, do you have any fictional characters who you connect to powerfully, and if so, who?
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A Fond Farewell
I didn’t think I’d be writing these words. Yet, here I am—with a tear in my eye—saying goodbye. This has been a really hard decision to make. This past June, I was elected president of the New York Chapter of Sisters in Crime. As much as I wanted to believe that I could serve as the new president and give this blog my 100%, I finally had to admit that there are only so many hours in the day, and I need to spend some of them sleeping. (Seriously, I can be an incredible grouch.)
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Book launch.
TRACEE: Every Tuesday books launch, like little missiles, into book stores and onto electronic media. Could you share your feelings about book launch week and day? Any expectations for book birthdays? And, of course, we had one of our very own launching this week. Congratulations Connie!
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Words: the tools of a writer
Writers need words to make a sentence and then a paragraph and a page. Ask any writer what they do as part of a final polish when their manuscript is finished. Most will say, check for weak words. That might mean awkward phrasing or passive voice or oft-repeated favorites.
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(Don’t) Judge a book by its cover.
Don’t judge a book by the cover. Wishful thinking, but nearly impossible. Covers are particularly important for new authors, those working their way onto the “Must have” list of readers. What will capture the eye of the beholder? What transmits the story in a snapshot?
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Book Launch! Connie Berry’s A Legacy of Murder.
Tracee: Connie, the next in the Kate Hamilton Mystery series releases tomorrow (yes, folks, there’s still time to pre-order!) and all of your fellow Miss Demeanors are excited for the week ahead.
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Creativity and then some more.
TRACEE: As writers you tick the creativity box, but do you have a ‘just for fun’ creative side? I think that most creative people ‘live creatively’ – meaning it’s not a thing or an activity but a way of thinking or of being. What are your thoughts?
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Where do your story ideas come from?
Creativity: the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work
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