A Little Sunday Afternoon Soiree

It's Sunday afternoon, and many of my friends are winding down their adventures at Bouchercon, a popular mystery writer conference. Since I was unable to go, I'm throwing a little party here for those of us who stayed home to toil away on our book projects or in our yards or wherever we landed on this fine September afternoon.

So let's take a break, crack a bottle of 2003 Tumbling Tractor Zinfandel, make ourselves an olive, cheese and cracker plate, and meet some entertaining bloggers and great writers!

First, let me introduce you to Adam Hurtubise, keeper of Random Thoughts. When I first visited Adam's blog, I pictured him as a politically-inclined intellectual living in a classic colonial house in a tony part of Boston only to learn that he hunts in the backwoods of upstate New York with a guy named Ed, has a penchant for venison jerky, writes of yard work using murderous verbs and thinks Bruce Springsteen is God. More importantly, Adam is a great friend to writers, and, if his skill at blog entries is any indication, his own book is just a few steps from publication and rave reviews.

Then there's the sassy and smart Mai Wen, my dear BFF (blog friends forever!). Mai Wen does sweet things like quietly posting cloud pictures on her blog for me. A study in contrasts, she writes literary fiction, reads Crime and Punishment, and blogs about the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Speaking of sass, next up, is M.G. Tarquini, known to many as The-Force-of-Nature. She insists she's shy, but if M.G. Tarquini is shy, then my skin color is green. Recently, Mindy invited me to team with her to interview thriller/mystery authors Barry Eisler and J.A. Konrath for an article for the Fall 2006 issue of Spinetingler. I'd known Mindy for less than a month when the invitation came, but I agreed. Why? Because it's impossible to say no to M.G. Tarquini. Mindy drove, I taped, she wrote the first several paragraphs, I followed with several more and a close, she dumped my close and found a better one, I wrote a funny story, she wrote a funny story, she rewrote my copy, I rewrote hers, we edited the whole thing together in a weekend marathon and by the time it was all done we'd be hard pressed to tell you who wrote what. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

And then there's Mindy's partner in crime, the lovely and multi-talented Angie of the Lazy Artist's Lounge. Once an editor for a crime encyclopedia, Angie now works in radio theater, is currently working on her first novel and lives in the picturesque town of Prescott, Arizona. In a perfect illustration of the magic of the blogosphere, Mindy and Angie met only recently, but to watch them talk is like watching two life-long friends at a gabfest. Oh yeah, and Angie's got more than enough sass to keep up with Mindy. Which reminds me, I'm supposed to get her a t-shirt design! Yikes!!

Barry Eisler and J.A. Konrath are both accomplished authors with particularly interesting blogs. Barry's blog, Heart of the Matter, covers politics, rhetoric and social issues. While many similar blogs descend quickly into loud-mouthed and pointless banter, Barry manages the tone and tenor of his blog to provide visitors with a true "marketplace of ideas." Although he posts about emotionally-charged subjects, Barry maintains objectivity and seeks through conversation and rhetoric to get to, what else, but the heart of the matter. Be sure to read Barry's thriller series about a half-Japanese, half-American assassin named John Rain. The series starts with his debut novel, Hard Rain.

J.A. Konrath, known to friends as Joe, has developed a wholly unique approach to the business of writing. A former bartender, Joe wrote and queried for 12 years before finally getting published. His blog titled A Newbie's Guide to Publishing chronicles his career as a writer and provides a forum for aspiring writers to learn more about the business of publishing. His books, a series about a character named Jack Daniels, are both terrifying and hilarious.

While I'm on the subject of writers willing to help others, I want to mention another good writer's blog: Robert Gregory Browne's Anatomy of a Book Deal. A former screenwriter living in Los Angeles, Rob has a gift for writing about the writing process. I've learned more about writing fiction from Rob's thoughtful posts than I did in an entire semester of creative writing in college. And I can't wait to read his book due in 2007, KISS HER GOODBYE.

Another excellent writer, Brett Battles, should be teaching creative writing classes at UCLA on how to use dialogue to drive story. His first novel, THE CLEANER, is scheduled for release in Oct. 2007. I had the good fortune to read his final manuscript and couldn't put it down. Brett creates the kind of characters you don't want to let go when the book ends. For a taste of Brett's fiction, visit Flash Fiction. Brett also has a serialized story posted on the Killer Year blog. Here is Part 1 and Part 2.

One more entertaining writer/blogger before we close: Stephen Blackmoore, a short story and crime fiction novelist maintains L.A. Noir, a compilation of outlandish true crime stories from the Los Angeles area. If you're a mystery writer running short on ideas, just stop by Steve's and he'll give you plenty. Steve also has a gift for short story writing, in particular, a gift for getting into the heads of mob hit men. Odd...because Steve is one of the sweetest people I know.

Next week, we'll have another party and we can meet some more great writers. In the meantime, if you've found any great blogs or writers not mentioned here, please let us know by posting their link in your comments. We'll be sure to invite them to the next soiree!