Type M for Murder

Movies ... And Life

2012-01-30T12:55:00.007-05:00

It's that time of year again, when the Golden Globes are handed out and the Oscar nominations are announced. Each year about this time, I make an honest attempt not to get too excited. But, really, I jest. I lost almost all interest in the who-will-win-what media circus decades ago. With one caveat: I reserve the right to get mildly annoyed when a film or actor that I especially liked does not

Lone Elm and Old Buzzards

2012-01-27T20:11:00.003-05:00

I span three centuries. Odd, but true. My father, born in the 19th century, was 51 years old when I was born. He was 70 when I married and my husband’s father was 74. I’ve welcomed grandchildren into the 21st century and loved the life I lived in my own 20th century, and am continuing to live now. Having a foot in three centuries gives one a peculiar insight into different eras. My parents had

Immortal Dollars…Um, I mean, Characters

2012-01-26T04:25:00.000-05:00

The crime fiction community has, of course, always been obsessed with death. It is after all part of what we do—in our stories, the greater the risk, the better we can view humanity. However, death in the publishing industry seems to be a different matter. When Robert B. Parker, one of my favorite writers, passed away a couple years back, I was selfishly saddened, realizing I could no longer look

What’s in a name?

2012-01-25T05:09:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago on this blog I talked about the unique voices and unexpected delights that the midlist author brings to the world. Today, as promised, I want to talk about that most obscure of midlist authors, the Canadian. And since I write crime fiction, I will confine my remarks to

More on book covers

2011-12-06T14:33:00.004-05:00

My comment last Tuesday about the terrible cover on Ian Rankin’s most recent paperback offering seemed to have touched a nerve with a lot of Type M readers. That response caused me to think a lot more on this subject.If a publisher contacts me to design a cover, the first thing we talk about (after time frame) is, naturally, remuneration. I charge over $800, often more, because of the time

Freeing The Cells

2011-12-05T13:43:00.002-05:00

In her post of December 3, Donis Casey makes it clear that finding a suitable title for a novel can be a challenge. The same holds true for finding a title for a blog post. So, how does one go about it? Or, for that matter, how does one go about writing anything. In long-ago days before I made a really serious attempt at a novel, I liked to swap clever opinions with a colleague at the Library of

Folksy Titles

2011-12-03T00:37:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I more or less finished the original draft of my sixth Alafair book. Whew! I have worked on this particular book longer than any of my previous books. I can only hope that the end product will justify all the time spent on it. Not that it's actually finished, of course. It needs a going-over before I send it to my editor, who will have many suggestions. Then comes the rewrite, which

Judging Covers

2011-12-02T00:01:00.004-05:00

He was covered with tats and the whites of his eyes were turquoise. We were unlikely travel companions in a long flight from Denver to North Carolina. But there we were, seated side by side, and our conversation began when he watched my attempts to find a free wi-fi connection for my new Kindle Fire. I tried hard not to stare at those turquoise whites, and was struck with the thought that if it

How much do you need to know when you start?

2011-11-30T15:59:00.002-05:00

How much should you know about your character(s) before you start writing? This is a question many of us face. Should you create a sketch of the protagonist and/or major players prior to writing your story? Or should you see how they develop as you go? And what difference might it make?Every time I visit Sue Grafton’s website and the “Kinsey Millhone Biography” page, I am astonished at the

What is happening to book cover design?

2011-11-29T08:56:00.007-05:00

My wife is a big fan of Ian Rankin and she bought his latest book from Amazon. I saw it on her night table the other morning and immediately was curious – for all the wrong reasons. Basically, it is butt ugly.Now here’s a big-time author and he’s gotten saddled with a dog of a cover. The news got worse with a little further investigation. It looks as if his entire oeuvre is being reissued with

2011-11-28T06:31:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving Greetings, from the side of the Atlantic that doesn't celebrate it! I hope you've all been able to lounge around, enjoying the leftovers that are often nicer than the celebratory feast itself. Food on the big occasions often seems to take on an anxious air, which tends to inhibit enjoyment.I do envy you having a family holiday that is just about food. I love to cook, but when the

The Poisoned Pen Blog

2011-11-26T00:39:00.003-05:00

Donis here. You may notice that we've done some schedule rearranging here at Type M 4 Murder, Dear Reader. For the past several months, Charlotte Hinger has been posting in this spot, on the final Saturday of the month. But that simply wasn't enough Charlotte, so now she is alternating Fridays with Frankie. Rather than pick up the final Saturday myself, we will leave this day unposted for

Characters and Holidays

2011-11-25T11:35:00.002-05:00

Frankie here. I've been thinking about holidays. Several times a year, on holidays, we come face-to-face with our lives. Like it or not, it is hard to avoid thinking about our relationships with other people. We can try to ignore a minor holiday like Valentine's Day -- stores are open, people are working, no one will really notice if you don't receive a Valentine's Day card or gift and go home to

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:41:00.004-05:00

John here. Up early to steal an hour of writing, then not much else on the agenda today except good times with family, food, and football on TV. Pictured here: me with my mother, Connie Corrigan, an avid reader, who introduced me to our wonderful genre many years ago. Here’s wishing my Type M colleagues and readers a safe and happy holiday!

What's on your list?

2011-11-23T06:00:00.001-05:00