Editing by Elizabeth

December 02, 2016

In “Pursuit” of a Dream by John McAllister

It’s a pleasure to welcome John McAllister back to the site today. My first experience with John’s writing was in the anthology Requiems for the Departed (2010), which features his short story “Bog Man,” a wonderfully atmospheric murder investigation set in the lowlands of Iron Age Britain. John then disappeared off my radar for a few years, before roaring back with a vengeance with the Sergeant John Barlow novels, The Station Sergeant (2013, Portnoy Publishing) and Barlow by the Book (2015, Portnoy). John’s latest, Pursuit, is out now, and not a moment too soon considering it’s a book that has been rattling around John’s head in one form or another since it was first started way back in 1994. I’ll let John take it from here.
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November 14, 2016

The Second Time Around by Brandon Daily

Very excited to welcome Brandon Daily to the site today, because him being here for a guest post means his second novel, The Valley, is about to drop. Like, tomorrow. Brandon stormed onto the scene in 2014 with A Murder Country, a novel that justifiably won praise, and awards, from critics and readers alike. Despite the great reception once the book was released, however, that didn’t mean the run-up to publication was easy on Brandon’s nerves. Today he’s here to talk about how that process went the second time around, including the actual writing of the The Valley, and whether it looks like it will ever get easier.
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October 03, 2016

Is Jack The Good Guy or the Bad Guy? by Benjamin Dancer

I’m pleased to welcome Benjamin Dancer today to talk about his novel Patriarch Run, which drops tomorrow (Conundrum Press). In Patriarch Run, lead Jack Erikson is confronted with problems both highly personal, the nature of fatherhood and relationship between father and son, and truly global, the consequences of our relentless population explosion and its potential tipping point on the sustainability of the human race. Both are obviously complex, nuanced topics, and in Jack readers are presented with a suitably complicated character to carry the burden of sorting out the mess he finds himself in. →

October 01, 2016

The Butcher

“Having worked with several editors from publishing companies, I know how much value a good editor can bring to a novel. When I finished the first draft of my book The Butcher, I knew it needed something more. Elizabeth made some key suggestions to make the story much better, and her wordsmithing improved the manuscript dramatically. If you want to take your novel to the next level, take your novel to Elizabeth.” — Dan Ames →

September 30, 2016

Because: Bears by S.W. Lauden

The busy (three books in eleven months) S.W. Lauden is back on the site today, this time to talk about his newest novel, Grizzly Season (Rare Bird Books, October 11th), the sequel to Steve’s lauded debut Bad Citizen Corporation. Not one to let the grass grow under his feet, Steve also managed to sneak in a novella, Crosswise, between the two. Today, Steve proves that he has a more than worthy tale to tell when asked where the inspiration for Grizzly Season came from.
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September 28, 2016

Eat Pray Love and a Shit-ton of Vodka by Mike McCrary

I’m pleased to welcome Mike McCrary back to the site today. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Mike on his books Getting Ugly, Remo Went Rogue, and his latest, Genuinely Dangerous, out now. It’s no secret that writing is often a frustrating endeavor. Today, Mike shares the story of how he found himself at a crossroad, facing the decision of whether to keep going or throw in the towel. →

September 25, 2016

Banned Books Week 2016: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Today is the start of Banned Books Week 2016:

“Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, BBW highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted banning of books across the United States. →

September 19, 2016

A Classic Crime Novel for the Digital Age by Andrew Diamond

Few topics are hotter these days in the world of fiction than cybercrime/cybersecurity, so I’m pleased to welcome Andrew Diamond to the site to talk about his newest, Impala (September 21st from Stolen Time Press), a book that drops its protagonist Russ Fitzpatrick right in the middle of a fast-paced cyber mess, caught between crooks, the FBI, and a woman who may be more dangerous to Russ than the rest combined. Today, Andrew’s here to talk about how what began as something of a personal writing challenge grew into a book that’s generating such great advance buzz it was selected as an Amazon Best Book of the Month for September 2016, alongside such luminaries as James Patterson, Carl Hiaasen, Karen Slaughter, Harlen Coben and Anne Perry. →

September 12, 2016

The Origins of Mr. Finn by Trace Conger

It’s a pleasure to welcome Trace Conger back to the site. Conger has previously released two books in his Mr. Finn series to great acclaim, including winning a Shamus Award for series opener The Shadow Broker. I started out as one of Trace’s readers, but had the honor of stepping into the role of editor on The Prison Guard’s Son (Black Mill Books), Trace’s most recent Mr. Finn release. As such, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to review The Prison Guard’s Son, but I’m more than happy turn things over to Trace to talk a little about his fateful conversation with a retired private investigator that gave rise to the creation of Mr. Finn.
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