INKSPOT NEWS - August 3, 2013

Here are the new releases from Midnight Ink for August, 2013. They're all terrific reads!

 Death Takes a Holiday by Jennifer Harlow

“Wildly fun and funny, Harlow offers treats for every paranormal lover to relish, with plenty of action, thrills, and laughter.”—Leanna Renee Hieber, author of the Strangely Beautiful series

Purgatory Key by Darrell James

“The fast-flowing story will engage readers. It’s nice to see a woman in control in the leading role.”—Kirkus Reviews

Poisoned Politics by Maggie Sefton

“Sefton has a sharp ear for dialog and knack for writing strong female characters.”—Library Journal

The Company You Keep by Shannon Baker

yep, I stole this from Inkspot...  it is Shannon Baker's post from last Wednesday.  But I couldn't not share it because I am so proud of the Inkers. 

 

The Company You Keep

What a great week to be a Midnight Ink writer. Actually, it’s way more than just a week but there has been an avalanche of good news crashing down recently.

Left Coast Crime conference, a gathering to celebrate mysteries that takes place in a different western city each year, announced finalists in their contest. What fun to see Midnight Ink writers on that illustrious list. Darrell James and Beth Groundwater are nominees in The Rocky category, which is a book set in the geographic area covered by Left Coast Crime. Jess Lourey is nominated for an award in the humorous category, The Lefty. And Catriona McPherson has a book in the Bruce Alexander Memorial Mystery, for historical novels.

 

Can you say, “Wow!”

And then it gets better.

Kathleen Ernst recently won the LOVEY in the historical category at Love Is Murder in Chicago.

And drum roll, please…

Gin Malliet and (twice now) Catriona McPherson are up for Agatha Awards given by Malice Domestic.

Alan Orloff had an Agatha nomination in 2010.

 

And last year, Darrell James won a Left Coast Crime award, The Eureka, for a first novel.

Now it’s going to get dicey because I’m going to forget a whole ton of other good news. But let me mention that Vicki Doudera got a great review from the world’s snarkiest review site. I know Alice Loweecey and Lois Winston have posted some terrific reviews, as well.

I’m tickled for all the recipients. I imagine their glow and it makes me plum happy for them. I’ve met most of the writers I just mentioned and to a person, they are warm, funny, smart, generous and all around amazing specimens. I can only imagine the others are equally superior humans.

But, as Ayn Rand was ever-so-fond of saying, “There is no altruism.”

While I’m truly happy for these M’Inkers, I’m downright giddy for me.

My father always told me, “You’re known by the company you keep.” Yes, he was a wise man, but I don’t think he made that up.

I would be surprised if I ever win a prestigious award and Kirkus may always hate me. But someone, somewhere, at one time,(Terri) thought I wrote a book good enough to be included on the roster with these stellar writers.

That thought swells my chest more than the Miraculous Uplift bra I got from Victoria’s Secret.

By the time of my next Ink Spot post, my first book in the Nora Abbott Mystery series will have launched. Readers may love it or hate it. But for right now, for this brief moment, I get to revel in the success of my publisher and the fine writers they’ve accumulated and believe I am one of them. 

 

I am just so darned proud of Midnight Ink and all these folks. (And sorta proud of me, too.)

Where Have I Been?

Hello everyone!

Yep, I haven't posted in a while.  What have I been doing that is more important that writing a blog post??  Sigh, everything it seems.

I went to a conference in April in Madison, WI.  I went for two reasons - I lived in Madison for 10 years and it was great to go back and visit.  I saw a few friends, saw some sights and ate at a few of my favorite places.  The other reason - all my family lives 20 minutes from Madison so I was able to to work in a visit.  :)

I also attended Malice Domestic.  Holy cows.  What a fantastic weekend.  We had a ton of Midnight Ink authors there and we had a blast.  What amazed me was the excitement and electricity around the MI authors.  Pretty much if you saw one Inker, you would see two or three more.  If an Inker was on a panel, other Inkers were there in support.  I could not have been more proud of our group.  It felt like we were a big family - a family that actually liked and supported each other. 



The Inkers (missing a couple) - Joanna Campbell Slan, Lois Winston, Cricket McRae
Kathleen Ernst, Jessie Lourey, Linda Hull, Jessie Chandler,
Darrell James, Maddy Hunter, Deborah Sharp,
Alan Orloff, Beth Groundwater, Vicki Doudera, me

This weekend I head to Denver to teach a writing workshop.  Me?  OMG.  That might kill me.

In between travelling, I have by boys.  This last weekend was the fishing opener in MN.  So, I took the boys fishing with the help of an expert, lol.  They caught a lot of panfish and had a great time.  Since it was our first time fishing, there was a lot of learing and lines to detangle but thankfully no one got hooked!!  This is the first catch of the day:

Besides fishing, my oldest son is in baseball and my younger two are in soccer.  T-ball for them starts soon as well.  Noah playing catcher for an inning.

What else is on my plate?  Oh yeah.  Contracts.  They never go away.  Awful, nasty yucky stuff for me, but good news for you.  Why is that?  Because more contracts mean more books.  I aim for 10-12 books per season for 30-36 titles per year.  As of right now, Winter 2013 has 11 titles, Spring/Summer has 10, and Fall has 10.  Great news, right?

Yes and no.  I love doing more books.  I love having a broad catalog.  If I have 12 titles, 9 of them fall into the softer categories of traditional, cozy or soft-boiled.  The other three fall into medium, thrillers or suspense.  A nice balance for us.  I love to find new books and read more in the series that we already have going.

But there is a negative side.  Besides contracts, which I worked on for 5 solid days in a row, I have to read all the manuscripts that have come in and send the authors any revision requests that I might have.  I have at least 6 on my desk right now.  These are manuscripts for Winter and Spring/Summer 2013.  I also have to find the time to read submissions.  Don't get me wrong.  I am not whining.  This is my job and I totally dig it.  And let's face it, I've got a pretty damn good gig here.  But sadly, under the weight of doing so many books per catalog, some things get pushed to the back burners.  :(  Like doing my laundry, reading for pleasure posting here.  I shall try to do better!

And the Award goes to... Darrell James!

Darrell James, author of Nazareth Child, won the Left Coast Crime Eureka Award for Best First Novel.  Congrats Darrell!!  :)



Darrell with his award

The award winning book





Book two in the series - due out September 2012



Sorry I have been away a for a little bit folks.  Been busy.  Today for example, we had our Fall 2012 sales conference.  A lot of work for me, but it is also incredibly exciting and fun to announce the new titles.  Wanna see the covers??



Total awesomeness, don't you agree?  This is where I give a big standing ovation to the art department.  Lynne, Lisa, Ellen, Kevin and Adrienne are the best designers and Jeanette keeps it all together.  Thank to these folks, we put out some very fun and interesting covers. 

INKSPOT NEWS - FEBRUARY 4, 2012

The nominees have been announced for the Left Coast Crime 2012 awards. Congratulations to:

• Jess Lourey on her nomination for The Lefty (best humorous mystery novel) for her Murder-by-the-Month mystery Octoberfest.

• Darrell James on his nomination for the Eureka! (best first mystery novel) for his first Del Shannon mystery Nazareth Child. 

MADE IN AMERICA (or How The Book Saved America)

Darrell James

All this past week, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer has been reporting on Made In America, a patriotic movement to encourage Americans to spend their Holiday dollars on products made in America. From renewing our infatuation with the Slinky, to rewrapping our fingers around a Louisville Slugger, all in an effort to inspire American jobs for American workers.

ABC World News website states: “The average American will spend $700 on holiday gifts and goodies this year, totaling more than $465 billion, the National Retail Federation estimates. If that money was spent entirely on US made products it would create 4.6 million jobs. But it doesn't even have to be that big. If each of us spent just $64 on American made goods during our holiday shopping, the result would be 200,000 new jobs. Now we want to know, are you in? If so, we want to hear from you. How are you planning on spending your $64?”

Well, here’s a thought: “Books” by American writers, published in America, are 100% American made. From the authors themselves, to the house that publishes them, to the printers, to the distributors, to the book retailers, paid reviewers, and even those who report on books, owe their job, all or in part, to the BOOK. American paper suppliers and lumberjacks also benefit when the book is released in print. UPS Drivers, Mail Carriers--they all get a piece of the action.

When a book winds up gift wrapped beneath the tree, it comes with America’s finger prints (figuratively, if not literally) all over it.

This, of course, is the economic view point. But consider what the gift of a book does for the recipient. It offers knowledge, entertainment, inspires imagination, and sometimes provides hope. Hope! How much closer to the spirit of the holidays can one gift be?

I often give books as presents. It’s one of my favorite things to give. But this year, I’m making a special effort to offer the gift of books to everyone I can. So, yes, count me in! A book is a wonderful, sometimes wondrous, thing.

What about you? Will you be giving books for the holidays? (Some bindery worker in Poughkeepsie may well be counting on it.)

Darrell James is an American author. His novel, Nazareth Child, was recently released by Midnight Ink, Llewellyn Worldwide, an American publisher. It is available from American bookstores and through American online retailers. “Come on America! Buy a book!”

Have I said enough?

To see the whole story and watch the video go to ABC World News with Diane Sawyer.

Hello!

OMG.  Where have I been?  Let's see...  Denver for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference then to St. Louis for Bouchercon.  Came home with a cold, yuck, and now I am finally going to post some pictures.  I had a great time - chatted with lots of old friends and made a whole bunch more new ones.  :)


our booth



Funny man Alan Orloff

 

The Inker bowling team -
Jessie Chandler, Darrell James, Kathleen Ernst, Jess Lourey
Terri Bischoff and Steven Pomije

 

Jessie 2 and Jessie 1.  Jessie 1 always closes her eyes when I try a sneak attack photo...

 

Jessie Chandler and me



Lois Winston signed ARCs of Death by Killer Mop Doll

 

Jess Lourey with her eyes open :)



Darrell, Steven, Jessie C, Lois and Alan

 

Kathleen Ernst



BOUCHERCON WAS A BLAST!

Author Lois Winston and a mop doll

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend my first Bouchercon convention. If you love mysteries, whether you’re a reader or a writer, Bouchercon is the place to be. 

My trip began way before the crack of dawn on Friday, September 16^th in order to arrive at Newark Liberty Airport in time for a 7am flight. Everything was on schedule until about 45 minutes after take-off when the pilot informed us we’d be returning to the airport due to a “minor” mechanical problem. I told myself not to worry. If the problem was serious, we would have landed at the nearest airport, not returned to Newark.

Midnight Ink publicity manager Steven Pomiji and author Jessie Chandler

Back in Newark we were put on another plane that was scheduled to take off at 9:15am. We all boarded. And waited. And waited. And waited. What were we waiting for? The catering truck to deliver the food no one wanted in the first place! Finally at 10am we left Newark for the second time that morning.

I arrived in St. Louis just in time to toss my first gutter ball at the charity bowling tournament to raise money for the St. Louis Public Libraries. Yes, I sucked. Big time. The only bowling I’ve done since being on a league in high school (way back in prehistoric times if you listen to my kids) is Wii bowling. I did, however, improve my score with each consecutive gave, and I didn’t bring home the trophy for worst bowler. So I guess I didn’t totally suck. More importantly, the event raised $500 for the libraries.

Midnight Ink authors Darrell James, publicity manager Steven Pomiji, author Jessie Chandler, me, and author Alan Orloff

On Saturday I signed advance reading copies of DEATH BY KILLER MOP DOLL. For those of you curious as to what a mop doll is, check out the photos. That’s a mop doll standing amongst the books at the Midnight Ink booth.

I also had the pleasure of spending time with and getting to know some of my fellow Midnight Inkers better, as well as two of Midnight Ink’s staff, acquisitions editor Terri Bischoff and publicity manager Steven Pomije.

authors Lois Winston and Laura DiSilverio

On Saturday afternoon I took part in the Time to Murder and Create panel with authors Laura DiSilverio, Laura Bradford, Jane Cleland, and Cindy Sample. I’m not sure what I said to garner the reaction above from Laura DiSilverio, but I think people in the audience were laughing at the time. Since I write humor, I’m hoping that was a good thing.

My flight home was blessedly uneventful except for the guy with the disgusting habit sitting next to me. I won’t go into gory detail, but I’m convinced he’s responsible for the laryngitis and cold I woke up with the next morning.

Are you old enough to remember when flying used to be enjoyable? I am, and I miss those days.

Anyway, I left St. Louis with the several remaining ARCs of DEATH BY KILLER MOP DOLL, and I’m giving two of them away. To enter the drawing, all you have to do is sign up for my author newsletter by sending an email to LoisWinstonAuthorNewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or by adding yourself as a follower at Anastasia’s Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog. Then email me at lois@loiswinston.com to let me know which you’ve signed up for.

Lois Winston
http://www.loiswinston.com
http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com
Follow Anastasia on Twitter @anasleuth

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Just when you thought it was safe to put your thin mints back out... SHE'S BACKKKKKK!



Sue Ann Jaffarian guest blogs for me today on Inkspot. As you can see she's been busy...



Sue Ann:



Since I left my regular posting duties on Inkspot a lot of things have changed in my writing career. Some were my decisions, others not. When Darrell James and I switched blogging duties this month (he’ll be guest blogging at Criminal Minds on August 28th), I decided this would be a great time to bring Inkspot readers up-to-date.



First of all, I reached a milestone in June when my 6th Odelia Grey novel, TWICE AS DEAD, was released. I have 12 contracts total for Odelia with Midnight Ink, so I’m half way through them and currently working on Odelia #7.



Next, I decided to throw my hat into the e-book self-publishing ring with my new Holidays From Hell series. Holidays From Hell is a collection of short stories featuring Zelda Bowen, an average, single woman of thirty surrounded by a very dysfunctional family. Through the individual short stories, we follow Zelda as she maneuvers each crazy family holiday like a field laced with mines and booby traps. The first two stories, THE RABBIT DIED and PULL MY PAW, are available for both Kindle and Nook for $0.99 each and are doing very well. In the next month or so they will be joined by WHERE’S YOUR DADDY? and ROCKETS’ RED GLARE.



In the past several months, my agent and I decided to seek a new publisher for my Ghost of Granny Apples books. The third book in the series, GEM OF A GHOST, will be released in February 2012 by Midnight Ink. If another publisher does not want subsequent books, or offers are not to my liking, I will consider self-publishing them. But I can assure you, the series will not end with GEM OF A GHOST. I am already researching book #4, GHOST OF A GAMBLE.



There are also changes on the horizon for my Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries. BAITED BLOOD, the 2nd book in the series, was just released and the early reviews have rocked. However, Midnight Ink decided to cancel the contract for the 3rd book. Not to worry, Madison Rose fans, the 3rd book, BETRAYED BY BLOOD, is in the works and, like Granny, will be self-published if a suitable home is not found for it. These days authors have many publishing options and I intend to explore every opportunity available to me.



I also have ideas for other books and series bubbling around in my head. With only one book a year under contract now instead of three, I may have time to set some of those other ideas to paper. More “me time” is also on the agenda, and I’ve decided to curtail travel in 2012. Between my paralegal career, writing and book promotion, I’ve been hitting it hard for several years now and, I won’t kid you, it’s been a killer.



One of the lines I often tell audiences when I give motivational speeches is: If you don’t challenge yourself, you’ll never really know what you’re made of and how much you can accomplish.



I’m ready to put my own words into action and pen the next chapter in my writing career.

AND INTRODUCING…

RANDALL WILLINGHAM’S first impression of Del Shannon, maybe a dancer from one of the clubs. She was slender in tight-fitting jeans and sandals, a halter top snugged down to a flat, bare midriff. She had a small gold ring pierced into her navel and a tiny, yellow crescent moon tattooed on the outside of her left wrist. She had attitude, this girl. What threw him, though, was the hair. It was cropped short like a boy’s. A blonde sprig of it had fallen across her eyes,that day she walked off the elevator and into his office…







There’s a new girl on the thriller scene. Her name is DEL SHANNON. She’s twenty-nine years old, lean and beautiful, comfortable in boots and jeans. She prefers beer to wine. Takes her meals at the bar, more often than not. And her love-life, to date, is mostly hit-and-run.



“Check this out!” guys might say. “Where’d she come from?” women might ask.



Del works for Desert Sands Covert, an investigative firm in Tucson, Arizona, that specializes in finding and recovering missing persons. And, as a young women in a man’s world, she’s starting to develop something of a reputation for being especially good at what she does.



Her weapon of choice is the Baby Eagle—.357 semi-automatic, narrow profile, slim grip to accommodate a woman’s hand. You’ll spot it tucked into the waistband at the small of her back.



She’s impetuous—something that her boss Randall fears will one day lead to her demise. But her instincts are quick and she’s determined to survive at all costs.



Her debut thriller, Nazareth Child, takes Del into the mountainous reaches of Kentucky, and into confrontation with the infamous faith healer, Silas Rule, in search of the mother she’s never known. This fist dangerous, and emotionally ravaging journey, serves to forge Del’s metal and prepare her for a long and prosperous investigative career.



Says Publisher’s Weekly…



“Del Shannon has the makings of a solid series character.”



I’ve fallen in love with this girl. I hope you all will too.



NAZARETH CHILD, is now available on Amazon.com. Stay tuned for Adventure Two , coming in September 2012.

Discovering a Gem

Today is a reading day.  Actually this whole week should be.  I am very behind on reading manuscripts that have time constraints on them.  I have manuscripts from authors that need to be "accepted", proposals and partials to read to take to acquisitions, a couple from agents with timeframes, manuscripts that I sent back for revisions, etc.  And now, I've been tasked to acquire 3 very specific manuscripts for a project.

I have no complaints there.  Reading manuscripts and finding a "gem" totally rock.  One of the best parts of my job.  And today I am excited because I believe I found a manuscript for my new project.  I know I shouldn't be too excited - I'm on page 45... but still...  the writing and voice are great.  The dead body was found around page 35.  :)  Things are looking good!

Since I started here at MI, I believe I've found a few gems.  Lois Winston, Alice Loweecey, Carol Culver, Jessie Chandler, Robin Allen, Beth Groundwater, Jennifer Harlow and Darrell James all make debuts with Midnight Ink this year.  Wow.  That is amazing.  Besides these new authors, we also have new series by Midnight Ink authors Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore, Alan Orloff, Amy Patricia Meade and a second series by Beth Groundwater.  That makes for a lot of new material for 2011.  2012 won't have as many new authors, but I do have a few surprises up my sleeve.  :)  You'll just have to stay tuned.  One of them may very well be the manuscript I started today.