On Tuesday, I got an email that many writer’s dread. The copy department wants a synopsis. This is particularly dire when you, the author, DID actually send in a (very) brief synopsis weeks ago. They want more. This doesn’t surprise me because I only sent them one long paragraph that I wrote as if it were back cover copy, with a few more details. I know there are formulas that people use, and I can write a log line, and I can put together the premise and backstory very easily, but I have no idea until I’m in my character’s… Read More

Vince Lombardi said, “Perfection is not attainable. But if you chase perfection, you can catch excellence.” JUSTIFIED is back. I’m in heaven. It’s not just because I’m watching Timothy Olyphant. Though, he is nice on the eyes. Talented actors; brilliant writing; pitch-perfect pacing. Justified is about excellence. I don’t say that lightly. In fact, I’m such a big fan-girl, that a year ago—after the Season Two premiere—I blogged about this show over at Murderati. You might think I’m blogging yet again about Justified so I can post pictures like this here at Murder She Writes. Not true. Not me, nope…. Read More

Vince Lombardi said, “Perfection is not attainable. But if you chase perfection, you can catch excellence.” JUSTIFIED is back. I’m in heaven. It’s not just because I’m watching Timothy Olyphant. Though, he is nice on the eyes. Talented actors; brilliant writing; pitch-perfect pacing. Justified is about excellence. I don’t say that lightly. In fact, I’m such a big fan-girl, that a year ago—after the Season Two premiere—I blogged about this show over at Murderati. You might think I’m blogging yet again about Justified so I can post pictures like this here at Murder She Writes. Not true. Not me, nope…. Read More

The last few months have been particularly difficult for me as a writer. The Doubt Demons invaded. Self-doubt is rooted in fear, and an author’s worst enemy. I’ve always been critical of my writing, I’ve always been afraid that what I’m writing isn’t good enough, that I’ll never get better, but I never doubted that I could write. I don’t believe in writer’s block as an insurmountable wall, but instead an excuse not to write. Doubt isn’t writer’s block. Doubt is much, much worse. “You let self-doubt get a hold of you, it’ll kill your work dead. You’ll stop in… Read More

It’s 11 a.m. on the East Coast as I write this blog — I’m late. (It’s 8 a.m. in California, where I live, but here at MSW we endeavor to schedule our blog to post between midnight and 6 a.m. ET, so I’m late.) Being late is the story of my life. My kids lament that I’m late to everything. Usually it’s only a couple minutes. Last year, when I was responsible for driving the kids to school, they were late 2 out of 5 days in the week. The tardies were so bad, I had to have a meeting… Read More

As regular MSW readers know, I left my long-time publisher (17 books!) for St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur earlier this year. My last Ballantine book, IF I SHOULD DIE, was released two weeks ago and is still available (or should be!) wherever books are sold. DIE is the third Lucy Kincaid book, but not the last as SMP has picked up the series. And on Monday, I turned in the final revised version of SILENCED, on sale 4.24.12. Whew! Though I sweated bullets on every page (literally and figuratively) in the end, I’m happy with the story. And that’s all you, the… Read More

I love Thanksgiving, not just because calories don’t count this one day of the year, but because it’s the day we reflect on how we’re blessed. Sometimes, it’s so easy to complain about the bad things that happen to us, or mourn losses both devastating and small, but on Thanksgiving we can focus on the positive. I have always been an optimist. I was the kid who always looked at the silver lining, the person who focused on whatever good was happening and ignored the rest. I have tried very hard never to regret my decisions, even if I’ve come… Read More

If you follow me regularly on Twitter or Facebook, you probably know I’ve left the fabulous mystery blog Murderati. You can read all about it here. In a nutshell: if I’m going to write three books a year and raise five kids, something had to give. I’ve talked about social media in the past, the pros and cons (and there are pros and cons, don’t let anyone tell you it’s all good or it’s all bad.) Blogging is part of “social media” but I think it goes a step beyond. It’s easy to Tweet a comment or retweet a link… Read More

It’s no surprise to long-time MSW readers that I love television. I use TV as a reward. I get my work done, I can watch TV at night. (Late at night, usually after midnight.) I haven’t watched commercials outside of football or kids shows because I no longer watch television shows when they’re on. I don’t even DVR them (and even if I did, they’d be quickly erased because of all the shows my kids DVR.) I spoil myself because television is a reward. I buy the shows I like through iTunes. A series can cost anywhere from $5 to… Read More

On Saturday I posted my involvement in the Banned Books Week Hop. You can read it here, and check out the prizes I’m offering! Remember, one entry a day! Today, I wanted to talk about some of the most challenged books. It’s important to understand that when we talk about “banned books” these aren’t books banned across the country by the government. Banned books are often challenged books that are banned in limited schools and public libraries because a vocal minority spoke up. I believe in freedom of speech and these citizens deserve every right to stand up and denounce… Read More