HardHearts

Hard Hearts

“I’ve worked with Elizabeth on both self-published and traditionally published books. Each time I found her to be extremely professional, timely and she provided a great knowledge of the genre of crime fiction, as well as fixed my grammatical travesties. I could go with any number of people to correct my spelling, but Elizabeth gave my writing a bit more that I feel really helped push it to its final stage.” — Mike McCrary

SHockensmith

New Year’s Circumlocutions by Steve Hockensmith

I’d be happy to welcome Steve Hockensmith back to the blog under any circumstances, but I am overjoyed to be doing so in conjunction with the release of his latest book, The Double-A Western Detective Agency. Steve is an accomplished author who has written middle grade, comedy, short stories, and two different mystery series, but I freely admit to having a special place in my heart for his Holmes on the Range series. So to be gifted a new adventure with Big Red and Old Red in time for the holidays was cause for much rejoicing in this White House.
LibbyFischerHellmann

An Excerpt from High Crimes by Libby Fischer Hellmann

It’s a pleasure to welcome renowned author Libby Fischer Hellmann to the site in conjunction with her release High Crimes, the latest in her series featuring Chicago PI Georgia Davis. In this timely political thriller, Davis tries to find the source behind the plot that resulted in the assassination of a political leader in front of a crowd during a rally. Today, Hellmann shares an excerpt from High Crimes.

JJHensley

Being Real in Crime Fiction by J.J. Hensley

It’s a pleasure to welcome J.J. Hensley back to the site, this time in conjunction with his latest release, Record Scratch (October 22nd from Down & Out Books), the follow-up to Bolt Action Remedy, both of which feature former Pittsburgh narcotics detective Trevor Galloway. Hensley previously shared some of his specific pet peeves about law enforcement inaccuracies in crime fiction, and today he expands on that by talking about how “to make crime fiction as realistic as possible without it becoming boring.”
DestroyJerusalem

To Destroy Jerusalem

It was an honor to work with Howard Kaplan on two political/espionage thrillers, including The Spy’s Gamble and To Destroy Jerusalem. Kaplan holds a BA in Middle East History and has lived in Israel and traveled extensively through Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, experience which informs his writing. The Los Angeles Times says Kaplan’s writing is “in the best tradition of the genre” and that he is “without peer in his grasp of the delicate and explosive relationship between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”

JLAbramo

Lions and Lambs by J L Abramo

It’s an honor to welcome Shamus Award-winning author J.L. Abramo back to the site. A longtime fixture in the crime fiction community, Abramo is probably best known for his Jake Diamond PI series (Catching Water in a Net, Clutching at Straws, Counting to Infinity and Circling the Runway). Today, Abramo stops by in conjunction with his latest release, American History (Down & Out Books), and shares a little backstory on the Leone and Agnello families, around whom American History revolves.
BannedBooks2018

Banned Books Week 2018: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Today is the start of Banned Books Week 2018:

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.

WolfWizardWoad300

The Wolf, The Wizard & The Woad

“Writing a novel is hard work and not for the faint of heart. However, with Elizabeth on your team you can rest assured that your work has been examined and dissected carefully by a professional of the highest order. I have received many compliments on my ‘fine writing,’ and I know these compliments are a direct result of Elizabeth’s magic touch.” — Florence Love Karsner

NickK

Want to Amp Your Thriller’s Suspense? Add Fatigue. by Nick Kolakowski

It’s a pleasure to welcome Nick Kolakowski back to the site. In addition to authoring the novels A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps and Slaughterhouse Blues, Nick’s work has appeared in publications including The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, North American Review, Thuglit, and Crime Syndicate Magazine. His latest novel, Boise Longpig Hunting Club, is out now from Down & Out Books. Today, Nick stops by to explain how making sure characters reflect the toll their actions would take on them in reality helps add believability, and suspense, to fiction.