Inkspot News - April 10, 2010

The 4th volume of the Chesapeake Crimes short story collection is having its official launch today from 2 to 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Southgate Community Center, 12125 Pinecrest Road, Reston, VA. All are welcome to join the party. InkSpotter G.M. Malliet's short story, "Bookworm," is in this collection of 20 stories, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, and Marcia Talley. The book also features stories by Donna Andrews, Karen Cantwell, Trish Carrico, Mary Ann Corrigan, Carla Coupe, Meriah Crawford, Barb Goffman, Sasscer Hill, Mary Ellen Hughes, Smita H. Jain, B.V. Lawson, Audrey Liebross, C. Ellett Logan, Debbi Mack, Ann McMillan, Bonner Menking, Helen Schwartz, Shelley Shearer and Lisa M. Tillman. Mystery Loves Company will be on hand to sell books.

Also today in Colorado Springs, CO, Beth Groundwater will be appearing in the Author Showcase Spotlight at the Pikes Peak Library District's annual free Mountain of Authors program. The event takes place at the East Library, 5550 N. Union Blvd., from noon to 6 pm, with panels, featured presenter Margaret Coel, and a reception. Beth will discuss and sign copies of her books, along with other local authors, during the program breaks: 2- 2:30 pm, 3:30 - 4:00 pm, and 5:00 - 5:30 pm. If you're in the area, this is a wonderful event for both readers and writers!

Inkspot News - March 20, 2010

The 4th volume of the Chesapeake Crimes short story collection is having its official launch from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 10th. The event will be held at the Southgate Community Center, 12125 Pinecrest Road, Reston, VA. All are welcome to join the party. InkSpotter G.M. Malliet's short story, entitled "Bookworm," is in this collection of 20 stories, edited by Donna Andrews, Barb Goffman, and Marcia Talley.

InkSpotter Keith Raffel's author blog, Dot Dead Diary, was named one of the 50 Best Blogs for Crime and Mystery Book Lovers over at Court Reporter. Speaking of Dot Dead Diary, Keith has posted photos and commentary on last week's Left Coast Crime Conference over there. In her interview of Keith on Southern City Mysteries, Michele Emrath gets him to 'fess up on everything from first love to religion. And finally, Keith's appearance on NBC TV's Press:Here was the show's most downloaded videoclip last month. You can watch it here.

Beth Groundwater will be a guest blogger at Mystery Lovers Kitchen on Sunday, March 21st, with two recipes, one for a Mystery Lovers Gift Basket and one for a Whirling Fruit Basket Shooter alcoholic beverage. Also, Beth was interviewed by the Southern Colorado Literature Examiner about her favorite independent bookstores in Colorado Springs. See what stores she recommends.

Instant Gratification

Cricket McRae

The day before yesterday I cooked up a big ol’ pot of that Colorado staple, green chili. Chopped up a pile of pork, chilies, tomatoes and garlic, then browned and seasoned and cooked for four hours. Slow food. Not to mention how much time it took to grow the tomatoes and chilies, roast them and process them for the freezer last fall. All this for what is, more or less, a sauce.

A really good sauce, mind you.

Yesterday three men came and spent two hours laying five thousand square feet of sod in the backyard. There had never been grass back there before. I’m not a lawn person, but my guy is, and I had to admit the weeds were getting old. At least we put in a super hardy fescue blend that will require half the water. For the last twenty-four hours I haven’t been able to pass by a window on that side of the house without stopping and admiring the expanse, dreaming of bocce ball and badminton and evenings spent with friends around the fire pit.

But a whole lawn in two hours? That is SO cheating! There’s a tiny part of me that’s actually offended by the notion. I know that’s a little nuts in this snappy, wi-fi, buy it now pay for it later, let’s just go through the drive-through on the way home world, but there you go.

Is that why the first thing I ever wrote, other than the required stuff in school or for work, was a full-length novel? Or why writing a series of homecrafting mysteries about the same character is so comfortable?

I’ve tried short stories. They always explode into long stories. I’d really like to craft delicate essays, precise poems, and meaningful shorts, but the idea of “and then what happened?” has always made me go further. At least so far.

Most people don’t work into their writing career that way. It’s not even advised. But the fact that I’ve gone about choosing my writing projects in a bass-ackwards way is not entirely surprising to those who know me.

How about you? Do you find the short form easier or harder to write? Are you good at both? Do you read both?

'Scuse me. I have to go start another flat of vegetable seeds now.

No Toys for Tots is a Crime!

When author and publisher Tony Burton approached me earlier this year about participating in a holiday-themed anthology, he had a hook I couldn’t resist – all the profits from the anthology would be donated to TOYS FOR TOTS. I think it took me just a bit more than a nano-second to say yes and join 14 other authors in donating my time and a short story for this wonderful and favorite cause.

My contribution to the recently released Carols and Crimes, Gifts and Grifters is "Ho Ho Homicide," an Odelia Grey short story. Other stories include those by award-winning authors Thomas H. Cook, Chris Grabenstein, and Earl Staggs.

This anthology is the perfect gift for the crime fiction lovers on your list and, remember, every book sold translates into a toy for a tot.

Carols and Crimes, Gifts and Grifters can be purchased from Amazon.com or directly from Wolfmont Publishing.