July 2024
Jim Aikin – Having concluded that I never want to get involved in marketing my fiction, last month I made the liberating decision to make them all available as free downloads. Four of the ten books are mysteries, and two of those are the start of a new series, a mystery/fantasy hybrid. All of the books are available here.
Mark Coggins – I will be in conversation with Randal Brandt, Curator of the California Detective Fiction Collection at UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library, about my latest book, Geisha Confidential, on July 17th at 6:30 PM at the Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Library. Please follow the link for (free) event registration.
Jack Erickson – On July 4 I’ll publish a short story in a new genre for me—political satire.
Yes, that’s right, political satire. In this election year, should we satirize politics?
Here’s the blurb about the plot of “The Next President of the United States”:
Two military school cadets, one a junior and the other a senior, compete in an academic competition before the entire academy. When the junior cadet wins, the senior cadet attacks him verbally and threatens him.
Their paths cross frequently, later at college, and as they pursue separate careers – the junior as a university professor and author, the senior as a corrupt lobbyist, and eventually, a member of Congress.
Years later, hearing that he is about to announce his candidacy for President, his rival unearths the secrets of the Congressman’s immoral and illegal past, including his involvement in a mysterious death.
He recruits hi-tech accomplices to sabotage the press conference in a very dramatic way.
The ebook is available at all digital sites as pre-sell, published on July 4. On Amazon here.
In an earlier career I was a speechwriter for three Democratic Senators. The last Senator I worked for was the chairman of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee.
He was indicted, tried, convicted in the notorious Abscam scandal in the 1980’s. He was the only Senator indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced in the 20th century.
Think you might know his name and which state he was from?
Linda S. Gunther – My most recent suspense novel titled Death is a Great Disguiser (a Santa Cruz murder mystery) is now an audiobook and available on Audible (here).
Claire M. Johnson – The first book in the Fog City Noir series from Level Best Books, Fog City, will debut on July 31, 2024. The Kindle version is now available for pre-order.
Leslie Karst – My memoir about hosting a dinner party for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG, just won silver medals from both the IBPA Ben Franklin and the IPPY Awards.
Laurie R. King – I am looking forward to teaching at the Book Passage Mystery Conference! I’m in three workshops—Protagonists; Time & Place; and Writing Historical Fiction.
I am also excited about being on a stage on August 7 with fellow MWA Grand Masters Michael Connelly and Walter Mosley, moderated by Seven Per-Cent Solution author Nicholas Meyer, in a talk called Inventing the Page, co-sponsored by MWA SoCal and Sisters in Crime. It’s in LA, not the Bay Area (sorry!) but tickets are here.
On August 17 I will join beekeeper Emily Bonder at the Capitola Library near Santa Cruz, to talk about the 30th anniversary of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. Register here.
And on August 27, I will head up the final day-long mini-con celebrating The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. This is the day before Bouchercon in Nashville: award-winning costume designer talking Twenties clothing; apiarists/ beekeepers tell us about bees, from hives to honey wine; and Andrew Gulli, editor of The Strand, on Sherlock Holmes and his own history of uncovering unknown literary masterpieces. Details and registration here.
Ellen Kirschman – I am again honored to be part of the faculty at the Book Passage Mystery Writers’ conference in July. Talking about PTSD and cops. If you write about cops you’ll learn something you may not learn anywhere else.
I will be talking to the Brookdale Book Club in San Jose about the first in my Dot Meyerhoff series, Burying Ben. Brookdale is a retirement community and the event is open to the public. Finally, I won’t be the oldest person in the room. Perhaps I’m a glutton for punishment, but I’ll be spending eleven days in August in Nashville as part of the faculty at Killer Nashville and then going to Bouchercon. No word on panel assignments yet.
James L’Etoile – I will attend the annual Public Safety Writers Association Conference in Las Vegas, from July 11-14. This conference features first responders and experts in many areas and attendees get to network with these presenters to help bring a level of authenticity to their crime fiction. I will present on panels relating to Creating a Memorable Series Character, and Emergency Equipment, Wrecking Crews, and How They All Work.
On July 16, Served Cold, the third book in my award-winning series hits the shelves. When a cargo trailer packed with dead undocumented migrants is found abandoned in a freeway rest stop, Detective Nathan Parker soon discovers the dead wore identical clothing, were the same age, and weren’t destined for the fields. Parker uncovers a diabolical connection between the migrants and a high-tech computer firm handling sensitive government information—information that could jeopardize the lives of thousands if it got into the wrong hands. Hands like the gang assassin who killed Parker’s partner, who surfaces drawing them together for a final showdown. Parker promised his partner revenge as he bled out in Parker’s arms—revenge is a dish best served cold.
I am honored to return as faculty to the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference in Corte Madera. This annual craft-focused conference brings established authors from across the country to teach everything from character, setting, voice, and incorporating real crime into their fiction. The Conference runs from July 19-21.
Please join me at Face in a Book bookstore in El Dorado Hills, CA for a launch party for Served Cold. There will be great snacks, themed drinks, desert-related games, and of course, crime trivia to see who is most likely to become a felon. August 10th from 3:00 pm to 5:30. Face in a Book is at 4359 Town Center Blvd, #113, El Dorado Hills, Ca 95762. They can take preorders and ship, just saying…
Meredith Phillips – Good news I’d like to share: Two books that I copyedited and proofed for Crippen & Landru Press are nominated for the Anthony Award for “Best Anthology or Collection” at Bouchercon this fall. The titles are School of Hard Knox, edited by Donna Andrews, Greg Herren, and Art Taylor; and The Adventure of the Castle Thief, written by Art Taylor. The former is an anthology (with the common theme of new stories that break Father Knox’s 10 “mystery-writing rules,”) and the latter is a collection of Art’s amazingly varied stories. More info here.
There are 5 nominees in this category, so C & L are responsible for 40% of the shortlist! While I didn’t have a hand in every aspect of their production and publication, as I used to at Perseverance/Daniel, I did play a part in shaping these books and readying them for market. And I’m so pleased with this recognition of an excellent small press company.
Robin Somers – My new release Eleven Stolen Horses, a Wild Horses mystery, launches September 17, 2024, through Sibylline Press. It has won two awards:
- Finalist for Pacific Book Awards in the category of Best Westerns
- Honorable Mention from the San Francisco Book Festival.
Lisa Towles – Hello! My new thriller, Codex, was released on June 20 and is available on Amazon, B&N, and through other online retailers as well as a few local bookstores. You can find the book on Amazon here or buy it in person at my upcoming event: Tuesday, July 30, 7 PM at Books, Inc. on Castro Street in Mountain View.