Jean Henry Mead’s blog becomes book

Jean Henry Mead

Today I’m delighted to welcome Jean Henry Mead, whose Mysterious People blog has given birth to a brand-new book with Poisoned Pen Press.

 *The Blog That Became a Book*

*By Jean Henry Mead*
 
           When I first began interviewing mystery novelists for my blog site, Mysterious People, I had no idea they would wind up in a book, although I had published three other books of interviews with Western and Hollywood screen writers, politicians, artists and ordinary people who had accomplished extraordinary things.

           So it made sense that a book about mystery writers was in order, but who would publish interviews that had already appeared online? Bestselling novelists such as Carolyn Hart, Jeffrey Deaver, Louise Penny and John Gilstrap undoubtedly sold the book. Three publishers were interested and I decided to go with Poisoned Pen Press, the number two mystery publisher in the U.S.  Coincidentally, quite a few of PPP’s authors had already been interviewed.

           Because mysteries appear in a variety of subgenres, I divided the writers according to their specialties: the traditional mystery or cozy, historicals, suspense and thriller novels, crime, police procedurals, private eyes and senior sleuths (sometimes called “geezer lit”). There are also medical thrillers, romantic suspense as well as science fiction mysteries and the niche novels which cover endless subjects. I had no idea there was such diversity until I started categorizing them.

           Those I’d interviewed had fortunately written articles about various aspects of publishing, including writing tips, marketing and promotional advice, and their opinions on the current state of the publishing industry, among other topics. So the book is a good read for aspiring mystery writers as well as readers. I can say that objectively because I didn’t write the book, I just asked the questions.

           Carolyn Hart, bestselling author of the /Henrie O and Death on Demand /series, talks about her new protagonist, Bailey Ruth Raeburn, who returns to earth as a ghost to anonymously unravel complicated mysteries. John Gilstrap explains why a bestselling novelist still holds down a fulltime job and international bestseller Rick Mofina provides sixteen great tips for writing thriller novels as well as discussing his struggle to the top of the charts.

           A number of Canadian and UK authors share their publishing views as well as comparing books from their countries with those of the US. Suspense novelist Paul Johnston writes from his native Scotland as well as his home in Greece while Tim Hallinan divides his time between Thailand and southern California, writing much of his work in Bangkok cafes. Gillian Phillip writes YA mystery novels from Barbados and her native Scottish highlands, and international airline pilot Mark W. Danielson composes his suspense novels during layovers in various parts of the world.  One of my favorite interviews was with Bill Kirton, whose humor and compassion led to an Internet friendship. I also enjoy his writing.

           Another English native, Carola Dunn, writes historical mysteries about her countrymen as does Rhys Bowen, who lives and writes in California about historical English royals. Other historical novelists include Larry Karp, who writes about Ragtime music and the people who made the genre popular during its heyday.  And Beverle Graves Myers, who brings operatic mysteries to life from eighteen century Venice.

           Jeff Cohen, Tim Maleeny, Morgan St. James, Phillice Bradner and Carl Brookins add humor to their mysterious plots, so prepare to laugh when you pick up their books. There are police procedurals, medical thrillers and romantic suspense novelists represented here as well as niche mysteries designed for readers who love dogs, scrapbooking, zoos, the Arizona desert, space shuttles, weight loss clinics, actors, designer gift baskets and other specialty subjects.

           Nonfiction books about the mystery genre round out this eclectic collection with Edgar winner E.J. Warner, Agatha winner Chris Roerden, Lee Lofland, Jeffrey Marks, and small press publishers Vivian Zabel and Tony Burton. So there’s something for everyone who enjoys some or all the mysterious subgenres.

           The book is currently only available on Kindle at: http://tiny.cc/zsgsl as well as Barnes & Noble and Sony readers.

Jean Henry Mead began her career as a news reporter, later serving as a news, magazine and small press editor. The author of four novels, she has also published nine nonfiction books. Her magazine articles have won state, regional and national awards and have appeared domestically as well as abroad.

 

 

 

Ten thousand hits on my blog! But what does it all mean?

 For the past few days I’ve been watching the stats on my blog roll climb steadily toward the 10,000 milestone, and this morning I finally made it – 10,007 hits as of 11:13 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time. But what does it all mean? Who’s reading me, and why? And are any of my blog readers buying my books? If so, it’s not yet reflected in my royalties.

When I began blogging seriously back on May Day as part of the Blog Book Tours, I imagined that I’d be writing primarily to promote my own novels, and that I’d focus on the craft and the profession of mystery writing. Instead, my posts have veered off in all sorts of directions I’d never planned, and people seem to like it that way. I enjoy reading posts by other writers who discuss the ins and outs, the ups and downs of their craft and the publishing industry, but frankly, I feel so many folks are tackling these topics so well that I don’t have that much to add.

For me, this blog has turned into a journey of self-discovery, and I’ll probably ramble on in my own quixotic fashion, writing about whatever strikes my fancy. But today, I’d like to hear from you – especially those who’ve been lurking, who seldom or never post comments. I’ve got a few questions for you:

How did you discover me, and who are you?

With a few exceptions, most of the people who comment are writer friends from the Capital Region of upstate New York or folks from my online BBT group, but that can’t account for my stats, which have been averaging well over 100 a day. So who are the rest of you?

Do you ever buy the books of authors you’ve discovered through their blogs?

 I confess to a dirty little secret here: although I’ve accumulated a list of authors whose blogs I enjoy and whose books I plan to buy, I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Among my Blog Book Tour colleagues, I found Elizabeth Spann Craig’s Pretty Is As Pretty Dies in my local Barnes & Noble and bought it instantly, and I checked out Ann Parker’s Leaden Skies from among the new releases in the East Greenbush library. But I keep procrastinating about ordering books online, knowing all too well how easy it is to run up a significant bill. I hereby promise I’ll order a bunch this week. How about you? I know budgets are tight, but have you bought any new books lately?

Do blog reading and social networking cut into the time you spend actually reading books?

Again, I plead guilty: I know I spend less time reading books than I used to. Frankly, I find this virtual online community more fascinating than books right now. Will I ever get bored – or suffer terminal eye strain from staring at a computer screen for hours – and  retreat back to the world of printed, bound pages? I honestly don’t know.

Why are you reading this blog right now? Are there topics I cover that you’d like to see more of – or less of? How can I improve?

If you’ve read this far, I assume you enjoy being here, at least to some extent, but I’m always open to suggestions. I may totally disregard them, but that’s my prerogative.

Okay, faithful readers, and especially lurkers, it’s your turn now – let me hear from you!

Today’s painting, Renoir’s “La Moulin de la Galette” from 1876, depicts an open-air cafe and dance hall favored by Parisians back in the day. A fine reflection of my festive mood!