September 12, 2015

Hello, Murder Lab Community!

Today's Murder Lab Report is all about connections. Connecting authors with readers and connecting readers with books they will love. To that end, some of you are involved in or otherwise aware of the Murder anthologies. I'm thrilled to announce that Murder, USA is officially "beyond the point of no return." This book WILL exist, and somewhat soon!

For those of you who might not know what this is, Murder, USA is a collection of excerpts from published novels in the various mystery/thriller/suspense/crime fiction genres. Each novel takes place somewhere in the USA and the location is a bit of a "character" in the book. I like to think of this anthology as a "murder tour of the nation." There are twenty-two excerpts (and maybe a few additional stragglers coming in under the wire,) so readers will have a convenient package in which to sample a variety of books and pick the ones you'd like to read. They range from cozy mystery to paranormal thriller to near-future action thriller. There is something in here for everyone. And the excerpts are awesome. I can't wait to share this with you, and as subscribers to this list, you'll be among the first to get it. The anthology will be free and will contain links to the full-length novels so you can easily access the ones you're interested in! An international version with the same idea will follow... so stay tuned!

How else are we connecting authors with readers? See Murder Lab for an incredible blog post about how Andy Peloquin got 200 people to help him launch his latest novel. As of today, Blade of the Destroyer: The Last Bucelarii: Part 1 has been on the market for twenty-two days and has accrued forty-three customer reviews on Amazon! Check out Andy's post for the secrets to that success.

See below for even more ways to find a great book if you're a reader or to find a great reader if you're an author.

Cheers,

Murder Lab Mistress

A few happenings in cyberspace

On Murder Lab, we have something for the readers and something for the authors. For authors: a guest post by Josh Rutherford entitled, Speak Now or Your Characters Never Will. This is a thought-provoking and actionable post about how public speaking can help with your dialogue. For readers: see this post about What Readers Need to Know About the Book Business. It will help you find books you'll love that you didn't know existed, and weed through books you won't like!
Check out these informative posts about writing crime fiction. On Dying Words, Garry Rodgers (who knows what he's talking about... click here for why!) offers his insight about How to Write Deadly Crime Fiction. And if you're interested in cozies, check out this latest installment of Elizabeth Spann Craig's Mystery Writing is Murder series on Writing the Cozy Mystery: The Suspects.

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Call to Authors: Send Me to Your Blog

Have you noticed how every Murder Lab Report has mention of a few blog posts I think my readers will find interesting? Are you wondering why your blog has never been mentioned? It's possible I don't know about it! If you're an author, reviewer, blogger, or ANYONE who has a blog or website that focuses on crime fiction/mystery/thriller genres, please direct me to it! Even if you don't run the site, if there's a website or blog that you think Murder Lab members will like, please call my attention to it. I'll follow the blog and when a post catches my eye, you'll find it linked here in the Murder Lab Report.

It's Bouchercon Time!

October 8-11, 2015
The Sheraton Raleigh Hotel
421 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
United States

Signing at Warwicks, La Jolla, CA

If you're in So-Cal, I have a signing event coming up and would love to see you! If you're on my author mailing list, I'll remind you again when the event gets a bit closer.

Warwick’s Signing Event
Author Kristen Elise
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Noon to 2:00 pm
Warwick’s
7812 Girard Ave.
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-0347