Twitter: Cesspool, Network, or Laughfest?

To be completely honest, I’m on the verge of signing off Twitter almost every day but, also to be honest, I’ve learned more about agents and authors on Twitter than I have in the past six years of attending conferences and doing Facebook. So for networking, I give it two thumbs up.

As for political stuff, there is only so much I can take. Lately I’ve been blocking and unfollowing assorted tweeters at a furious rate.

But there are some fun tweeters who I look forward to seeing, so I’d like to share them with you:

Duchess Goldblatt @duchessgoldblat

The Duchess is a character created by an anonymous woman. She is whimsical, kind, and delightful: a mix of fairy dust, nonsense, and profound wisdom. If you want to know more about how she came into being, she has a book: Becoming Duchess Goldblatt. Here’s her August 25 tweet:

Ideally I’d bring a notebook into my next life so I’ll do better next time, but they won’t let you carry anything in. I’m scratching crib notes inside the lining of my soul. Even the angels won’t see.

Midsomer Murders Bot @midsomerplots

Every day the bot posts a ridiculous log line which could plausibly be made into a Midsomer Murder episode. Here’s the August 27 tweet:

A mesmerising misanthrope is found flattened by a large bale of hay. Suspicion falls on Midsomer Hollow’s hyrlîan team, angry that scrap metal merchants might threaten to upset their plans for world domination.

Alex Segura @alex_segura

Every morning, the multi-talented author of YA and crime and comic books posts a good morning meme from popular culture which apparently would have more significance to my adult children so I generally counter with something from Looney Tunes. So there. https://twitter.com/alex_segura/status/1431221079230623746?s=20

Adam Plantinga, #AdamPlantinga

Adam Plantinga is a San Francisco Police Sargent and the author of 400 Things Cops Know and Police Craft, a must have for the crime writer. I saw him speak at Book Passages Mystery Writers Conference a few years ago. He’s smart and funny. On twitter, he writes humor and he’s good at it. Kind of a male cop Erma Bombeck. (That’s a compliment, Adam, if you’re reading this.) So if you need a lift, be sure to follow him. Here’s his pinned tweet:

My older daughter regularly wins at family games of Clue. I find this disconcerting because I have 20 years of experience investigating violent felonies whereas she is 11.

What say you?

Do you follow Twitter? Tweet? Love it, like it, or hate it?

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Keenan Powell

Author

Keenan Powell is the Agatha, Lefty, and Silver Falchion nominated author of the Maeve Malloy Mystery series, Deadly Solution, Hemlock Needle, Hell and High Water.

While still in high school, she was one of the illustrators of the original Dungeons and Dragons. Art seemed an impractical pursuit – not an heiress, wouldn’t marry well, hated teaching – so she went to law school instead. When not writing or practicing law, Keenan can be found oil painting, studying the Irish language, or hanging out with her friends at mystery conventions.

6.            Sales: Is the Publisher Selling Books?

2 comments

  1. Keenan, please don’t tell anyone, but I love Twitter. Not everything or everyone, but there is enough there during my bouts of insomnia in the middle of the night to keep me sane. Love the Duchess! Your tweets are also amusing.

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