Winter Hibernation

This blog's been awfully quiet of late.  TOO quiet...

But at least there's a good reason for that.  In addition to the usual hubbub of the holidays, I've been banging away at the second Van Shaw adventure, which is due to publishers at the end of February.  Today I moved into the office space I'll be using for the next seven weeks.  No internet.  No window.  No escape.  (except maybe to Republic of Pie, just around the corner.  A piece of strawberry-rhubarb provides great incentive to finish a chapter...)

I'll post updates here occasionally, including my upcoming appearance dates for the release of PAST CRIMES in March!  

Gregg Hurwitz, and prepping for Bouchercon

I’m smack in the middle of final preparations for Bouchercon this coming weekend. Bouchercon is the foremost convention for mystery fans in the United States. HarperCollins (my publisher) is hosting the opening ceremonies and holding a signing for their authors, and I’ll also be appearing on a panel on Thursday afternoon: It’s a Dark and Twisty Book, with Clair Lamb, Christopher Farnsworth, Alex Marwood, Ivy Pochoda, and Gregg Hurwitz.  This is my first time at Boucher, so I'm both hugely excited and pacing myself.  

Which is as good a segue as any for a quick Larcenous entry about keeping momentum in our writing.  Fellow panelist Gregg Hurwitz is an expert at propelling his novels along without sacrificing speed and energy.  

If you're going to Bouchercon, come by the panel or find me wandering around (I'll be the scruffy guy downing the quad espressos) and say hello!  I’d love to meet you!

Agent Exemplaire: Lisa Erbach Vance

In this month's issue of The Big Thrill (the online magazine from International Thriller Writers), author Anthony Franze shines the industry spotlight on literary agent Lisa Erbach Vance.  Lisa and I met at ITW's 2013 ThrillerFest conference, held each July in midtown Manhattan.  We were both attending the conference's "PitchFest" afternoon, which is essentially speed dating with agents.   I was there to get some practice pitching my nearly-completed book, and it was my astoundingly good fortune that Lisa had also chosen to cast her net that year.  She's been a dream of an agent, and I'm honored to call myself one of her clients.  

If you're curious about the daily life of a (very expert, and very busy) literary agent, and how to attract the interest of same, click here for the full profile:

http://www.thebigthrill.org/2014/09/industry-spotlight-literary-agent-lisa-erbach-vance/

First Time at Bouchercon, the K2 of Conventions

I'm gearing up for my very first Bouchercon, and wrote this post for their blog.  In need of guidance, I seek out the convention sherpas who have climbed this hill before.

http://bcon2014.blogspot.com/2014/10/first-shot-at-moving-target.html

Lee Child, and writing effective action scenes

In the modern thriller, we often find action dominating scenes and sometimes whole chapters.  Action may have a different rhythm on the page, to help the reader follow and appreciate each moment.

Lee Child's series featuring the hero Jack Reacher is hugely popular, and one of the reasons is that his action scenes crackle.  We'll look at a short example from BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE for tips on how to make each moment pack a punch.

| Author Lee Child: Jack Reacher Novels

From Lee Child's BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE, read in LIG Ep8:

Reacher put Dixon’s Ford in gear.  Checked north, checked south.  Hit the gas and turned the wheel and slammed into the lot.  Ignored the worn circular path and aimed straight for the center of the space.

Straight for the bag man, accelerating, front wheels spraying gravel.

The bag man froze.

Ten feet before hitting him head-on Reacher did three things.  He twitched the wheel.  He stamped on the brake.  And he opened his door.  The car slewed right and the front wheels washed onto the loose stones and the door swung out through a moving arc and caught the guy like a full on punch.  It smacked him solidly from his waist up to his face.  He went over backward and the car stopped dead and Reacher leaned down and grabbed the vinyl duffel left-handed from the floor.  Pitched it into the passenger seat and hit the gas and slammed his door shut and pulled a tight U-turn inside the slow Mercedes.  Roared back out of the lot and bounced over the curb onto Highland.  In the mirror he saw dust in the air and confusion and the bag man flat on his back and two guys running.  Ten yards later he was behind the bulk of the wax museum.  Then he was through the light, back onto Hollywood Boulevard.

Twelve seconds, beginning to end.

Robert Crais, and emotional resonance

I heard a saying when I was a kid that stuck with me:  To a dog, everything is forever.  You leave for work each morning, and they are devastated.  You return home, and it's like the second coming.  Sorrow and joy are absolutes.  

In this post we'll look at Robert Crais's book SUSPECT, and the contrast between complex human feelings and conflicts, and the primal emotions felt by his canine protagonist.  Both are powerful methods of forming a connection with readers.

http://robertcrais.com

Getting Cozy with Louise Penny

I'm settling in at home after an overstuffed summer -- the perfect time to read a mystery set in a warm (if occasionally sinister) country village.  Since her debut ten years ago, Louise Penny has quickly become recognized a modern master of the small town whodunit.  "Cozy" mysteries have a lot to offer writers and readers of thrillers.  The pace and focus of cozies allow more time for buried secrets, an emphasis on character eccentricities over action, and rich settings.

http://www.louisepenny.com