Category: Guest Post

I'd like to welcome Christopher Zoukis, co-author of The Directory of Federal Prisons: PrisonLawBlog.com's Federal Bureau of Prisons Facility Directory to my notebook today. I read a lot of mysteries where someone ends up in jail or looking at a jail sentence, rightly or wrongly, but I've never really considered the steps they, and their families, should take. It's really an interesting and useful article. Prison Preparation: How to Prepare for a Stay in the Slammer By Christopher Zoukis Preparing for a term of incarceration can be an overwhelming task.  There are bills to pay, finances to get in order, medical appointments to schedule, a support network to put in place, and even mental and physical conditioning to consider.  Sadly, many go to prison without having the aid of experienced counsel to help them prepare for this very challenging experience.  This article strives to point soon-to-be prison inmates in the right direction, thus alleviating the stress of going to prison and the risk...

I'm happy to welcome Lauren Carr, author of Twelve to Murder, to my notebook today. She's got a couple of funny stories about being a mystery writer while having a teenage son. My Mother Isn’t a Psychopath. She’s a Mystery Writer By Lauren Carr A few months ago, my son, Tristan confessed that he had yet another embarrassing moment. Here’s something to keep in mind: He’s a teenager, which means every day is filled with embarrassing moments. He’s humiliated waking up in the morning. However, according to him, this moment was particularly distressing. My son had been selected to give tours to new incoming freshmen. Apparently, some parents were present. During the orientation, a mother came up to him and asked, “Is it true you’re Lauren Carr’s son? I love her mysteries! Give Gnarly a hug for me.” (Notice she didn’t want him to hug me.) He was horrified by the attention, of course. However, I couldn’t miss the little smile on his face when he told...

I'm happy to welcome Daire St. Denis, author of Mustang Sassy to my notebook today to share a bit about herself. 10 Random Things About Daire St. Denis I can make a peace sign with my second and third toes I think I was Cleopatra in a past life. But then, who doesn’t? I failed my driver’s test the first time I took it. Yep. Hit the curb on the parallel park.  I love to drive endless stretches of country roads on my own. I spend the time singing and planning out stories…like Mustang Sassy! I have a passion for old stuff; old books, old photos, old buildings, ancient ruins…all of it. I think because there are so many untold stories hidden inside. I love power tools (and that is not a reference to something naughty…well, okay, maybe it is). I think all women should own power tools. Three things I really despise; cleaning (I question the sanity of those who like it), filling in forms and talking on the...

Today I'm happy to share a guest post from Brine Books, publisher of My Whispers of Horror. Five Mistakes Writers Make When Querying Publishers There are some mistakes people make. Some are quite common, others often go unnoticed by both sides but still effect the outcome. 1. Don't beg This happens sometimes through either the cover letter, follow ups to a decline, or sending the same submission multiple times. This doesn't get a publisher to approve your work. In fact, it results in them ignoring what you had written, and then going the other direction. There is nothing wrong with following up on a decline and asking for more clarification as long as you are polite and open minded. But keep in mind: publishers have their own conferences or festivals, and they do sometimes talk with one another. So always write as though you are contacting your next publisher. Learn from what they have to say, and you will do better the next time. Heck,...

Today, I'm happy to welcome D W Carver, author of Nightmares and Other Therapy, to my notebook, talking about being a mental health counselor and how that led to writing fiction. I am D. W. Carver, English, married with three adult sons and live in a London suburb. For many years I was a community mental health counsellor and learnt a good deal about the good and bad aspects of English professional help for those with mental problems. Like most national services, the need always exceeded the supply and  ‘the walking wounded’ – people who were functioning with little or no support outside their families although suffering a good deal, made up the bulk of the clientele for the charity for which I worked. I watched whole families disintegrate under the pressure of severe mental illness and saw some incredible acts of courage. During that time I wrote no fiction at all, just books and booklets for my employers. If people are rash...

  Today, I'm happy to welcome Christine Amsden, author of Secrets and Lies, to my notebook. She's talking about love, since the romance is such a big part of her series. Love Is a Verb  by Christine Amsden From our earliest pre-teen days, chatting about boys and wondering over the mystery that is romance, we've tried to define love. We've asked our girlfriends (who didn't know any better than we did), and our parents (who may also not have known). We watched TV and we read books. But it seems to mean something a little different to everyone, so what exactly is it? I won't pretend like I know the answer better than the rest of you, but I've spent the past few years of my life writing a romantic series with one idea in mind: Love is a verb. I know – it's not a definition, it's a part of speech – but that's the best I've got. Love is something you do. It's the...