Sandra_Ruttan
The Minefield of Publishing Politics: MWA and Harlequin and Fixing the Book Business
Mystery Writers of America have recently decided to delist Harlequin and all its imprints–and all the writers who write for them–as eligible for consideration in the Edgar Award due to Harlequin’s violation of a self-publishing business bylaw. Mystery author Sandra Ruttan reflects on this decision and what it could mean for the publishing industry.
More after the jump…
Banville, Slip-Ups and ‘Slumming It’ by Writing Genre Fiction
Sometimes Sandra needs to get something off her chest, this time it is about recent comments by Banville/Black at Harrogate which have caused a bit of a stir in the crime fiction community.
Check out the info after the jump . . .
Books and Bullets
“Books can educate and can entertain but they don’t do crap against a poorly aimed bullet.”
- James O’Neal
2009 Spinetingler Awards
The winners of the 2009 Spinetingler Awards have been announced. The full list of winners and nominees has been posted on the ‘awards’ page of the new Spinetingler blog, here. Congratulations to all the winners.
The Editor’s Desk
Spinetingler editor Jack Getze launches the Spinetingler blog, a venue for providing information about the ezine, the Spinetingler Awards, the latest issues, and writing tips. Read Jack’s first post here.
Saturday Sound Off: Blame The Lazy Readers?
It’s been a while since we’ve had a Saturday Sound Off (and it isn’t even Saturday) but this seems to me to be the ideal venue for this, and since this is Earth Day and we’re talking record print runs and what is and isn’t being published, perhaps I can stretch it enough to claim an environmentally-friendly disclaimer for posting this mid-week.
Movie Review – Hannah Montana: The Movie
It’s been so long since I had to line up for a movie, I think the last time was for The Return of the King. Yesterday, the theatre wasn’t sold out, but the line of parents with excited girls – some with plastic headset microphones, others with Hannah Montana T-shirts – made it clear which movie was doing big business yesterday, and when we left the theatre two hours later, another line waited anxiously to go inside. I’ll be surprised if Hannah Montana: The Movie doesn’t top the box office this weekend . . .
2nd Annual Spinetingler Award Nominees
The nominees for the 2nd Annual Spinetingler Awards are . . .
Friday’s Forgotten Books: The Long-Legged Fly – True Innovation in a PI Novel
Sitting down with James Sallis’s The Long-Legged Fly, I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was the start of a series and, in keeping with a recent trend, it was yet another PI novel to make its way to the top of my TBR pile . . .
Book Review – The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay
The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay is an ambitious addition to the PI genre that invokes the spirit of Chandler with the title, and that unfortunately means some readers and reviewers . . .
Spinetingler Awards: Best Short Story On The Web Nominees
The full list of nominees for the second annual Spinetingler Awards will be announced in a matter of days. The Spinetingler nominees have been selected by an editorial panel; the winners will be determined by public vote through an online voting system that will allow readers to have their say in each of the ten categories.
In anticipation of the pending announcement . . .
Book Review – Whisper In The Dark by Robert Gregory Browne
How many of you have double-checked if you’ve left the stove on, or realized you didn’t pay a bill you could have sworn you sent a cheque in for? In reality, the mind plays tricks on us. In recent years we’ve seen the damage some “therapists” can do with highly suggestive techniques that create false memories of incidents that never happen. A few years ago, when my neighbor was stabbed by her ex, I found myself . . .
