Mystery Writers of America and the Backspace Writers Conference

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Mystery Writers of America is offering their members who wish to attend the Backspace conference a $50 discount. MWA members should register for the conference at the full price, and then email Margery Flax at: mwa (at) mysterywriters (dot) org for reimbursement.

The 2008 Backspace Writers Conference brings together literary agents, acquisitions editors, best-selling authors, and publishing professionals for a two-day, two-track program of workshops, panels, and networking in the heart of the publishing world.

Keynote speakers are Mark Tavani, Senior Editor, Random House, and New York Times best-selling thriller author Lee Child.

Others on the program include literary agents Richard Curtis, Simon Lipskar, Jeff Kleinman, Emmanuelle Alspaugh, Paige Wheeler, Laney Katz Becker, Jenny Bent, Maya Rock, Michael Bourret, Scott Hoffman, Ronnie Gramazio, Stephany Evans and Elisabeth Weed,

authors M.J. Rose, Harry Hunsicker, Jason Pinter, Jackie Kessler, Heather Brewer, Gail Konop Baker, Laurel Corona, Lisa McMann, Jenny Gardiner, Danielle Younge-Ullman, Claudia Gray, Marlys Pearson, Jessica Keener, Elizabeth Letts, A.S. King, Robin Slick, Susan Henderson, Pam Jenoff, Trish Ryan, Leora Skolkin-Smith, Caroline Leavitt, Reed Farrel Coleman and Chris Grabenstein,

editors Hilary Rubin Teeman (St. Martin's), Charis Conn (contributing editor, Harper's Magazine), Kristen Weber (New American Library) and independent editor Jerry Gross, and publicity consultant Bella Stander.

Attendance is limited to 200. Come meet the people who can make a difference in your career!

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Backspace Members' April Releases

Jack Getze - BIG MONEY (Hilliard & Harris, March 1, 2008)

THREE WOMEN WANT HIM DEAD... Left in charge of a one-office Jersey Shore investment firm, suspended stockbroker Austin Carr becomes the prize in a war between two crime crews and a powerful state investigator. Trying to stay alive with mobsters, beautiful cops, and a hit-man he calls the creeper chasing him, Carr stumbles into the secret lives of three desperate women. One becomes a victim, one a murderer. And Carr is her next victim... -I stuff the DVD under my laptop and work hard to put on my three-o'clock-in-the-morning, full-boat Carr grin. Not exactly a simple trick. And definitely not sincere. I mean, how am I supposed to be calm and forthright when this DVD suggests last night's love interest-the lady headed this way-could be a killer. Clever of me to wake her up. I gasp when I see her. Oh, my. And oops. Oh, my because she's wearing nothing but white athletic socks. Oops because she's using both hands and all ten red-nailed fingers to grasp a pump action, single barrel shotgun. "You found the DVD, didn't you?" Ms. Shotgun says. "DVD?" If it wasn't for rhyming consonants, I'd be pretty much speechless. My gaze is tightly focused on her bare breasts and that shotgun in the same close-up. Visually and emotionally, it's a lot to absorb.

"Jack Getze started his career as a newspaper reporter. As a result, BIG NUMBERS is lean and mean, with not a word wasted...A truly fun, genuinely funny read...Keep writing Mr. Getze, and for goodness sake bring back Austin Carr." -- Lisa Guidarini, Member National Book Critics Circle, for Bluestalking Reader

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Jane K. Cleland - DEADLY APPRAISAL (paperback, April 2008)

Josie Prescott, founder of her own New Hampshire-based business, Prescott's: Antiques and Auctions, is hosting a charity gala. Midway through the elegant event, the charity's executive director keels over dead -- poisoned. The police don't know if, perhaps, the poison was intended for Josie. In Deadly Appraisal, all is not what it seems -- people are adept at creating the image they want you to perceive, and perception is shown to be all. Using her knowledge of antiques, Josie peels away the layers of deception and solves the crime.

"Deadly Appraisal is a murder mystery that will have you guessing who the killer is until the end. The author has a gift for her genre and is to be applauded. Her characters are well defined and believable. This is a series that everyone will enjoy and is great entertainment." -- Quality Book Reviews

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Heather Brewer - NINTH GRADE SLAYS (Penguin Group, April 2008)

High school totally bites when you're half human, half vampire.

Freshman year sucks for Vlad Tod. Bullies still harass him. The photographer from the school newspaper is tailing him. And failing his studies could be deadly. A trip to Siberia gives "study abroad" a whole new meaning as Vlad connects with other vampires and advances his mind-control abilities, but will he return home with the skills to recognize a vampire slayer when he sees one? In this thrilling sequel to Eighth Grade Bites, Vlad must confront the secrets of the past and battle forces that once again threaten his life. Find out why author D.J. MacHale calls The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod "Gruesome, heartwarming, spellbinding."

"NINTH GRADE SLAYS is creepy, thrilling and hilarious! Heather Brewer is the natural successor to Joss Whedon!" ~ Jonathan Maberry, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of DEAD MAN'S SONG and BAD MOON RISING

"Heather Brewer raises the stakes and nails down a mind-blowing page-turner that will stand your hair on end, and leave you thirsty for more..." ~ Adele Griffin, author of VAMPIRE ISLAND

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Jeff Huber - BATHTUB ADMIRALS (Kunati, April 2008)

Buddies Jack Hogan and Buzz Rucci join the U.S. Navy to defend their country, but find themselves serving in a time of "play war." Bathtub admirals and sandbox generals conduct wars that resemble professional wrestling matches. The adventures of Jack and Buzz follow America's rise to global dominance as its military burns off excess testosterone, justifies its bloated budget and prepares for the ultimate challenge: The War on Evil!
"Retired navy commander Huber's debut novel is a profane and hilarious parody of the post-Cold War navy . . . Huber is funniest when satirizing the bureaucratic infighting and petty rules ingrained in naval culture, but he also scores direct hits on feminism, politicians and the military's policy toward homosexuals." -- Publishers Weekly

"This is a witty, wacky, wildly outrageous novel that skewers just about anything you'd care to name, from military budgets to political machinations to America's success as the self-appointed guardian of the world. It is a remarkably accomplished book, striking just the right balance between ridicule and insight." -- Booklist

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Terri Molina - HER WILL, HIS WAY (Cobblestone Press, April)

Antonio Hernandez has loved Anita for as long as he can remember, but the only attention she'd give him was in willful response to a dare. Now that she's returned to the valley to run her late grandfather's flower shop, Antonio sees it as his chance to win her heart.

But, what Anita doesn't know is that Antonio has made a 'deal with the devil' and he used the shop to lure her into more than just his bed.

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/comingsoon/current.htm

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Minnette Meador - THE CENTURION & THE CELT (Resplendence, April 2008)

Marius has been stationed on 60 AD Britannia for sixteen years. Once a celebrated hero and a famous Praetorian Guard, he still clings to the old traditions as a fair but tough leader to his men, despite the shame that drove him from Rome.

Delia is sister to an uncaring Corieltauvi tribal king. Powerless, she watches as hundreds of Bretons succumb to their suicidal pride and throw themselves against the unstoppable Roman machine. The last thing Delia expects is to find her body craving the touch of her enemy.

The sudden intensity of their desire will change the history of a nation.

Separated by fate, they are thrown into the clash between 80,000 angry Bretons and a clever Roman general with only 10,000 soldiers. Marius and Delia find themselves on opposing sides, in love, and unable to stop the future. The revolution that sparked their desire...could now destroy them both.

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Michelle Rowan - LADY AND THE VAMP (Forever, April, 2008)

Former vampire hunter Michael Quinn is living a nightmare: he's been turned into a vampire. His only hope is the "Eye" -- a long-lost artifact that, once every millennium, will grant one wish to its possessor. Fortunately for Quinn, he has a map detailing the path to the "Eye." All he needs to do is find it, then he can wish himself back into humanity.
Janie Parker has made a lot of many mistakes in her life, not the least of which was getting tricked into working for a demon. Not only is the pay awful, but she has to successfully complete all her unsavory assignments or risk a torturous death. Her latest mission is to track a vampire who apparently knows where some stupid treasure is. No problem. Until she sees who the vampire is -- Michael Quinn, a man she's had a crush on since she was twelve years old. Too bad she'll have to kill him to get to the "Eye."

But Quinn and Janie are kindred spirits, and soon they're falling in love even though they're after what the other person is desperate for: the "Eye".

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Patrice Wilton - DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSIE (Wild Rose Press, March 21, 2008)

Susie takes her Top Shelf margaritas on the rocks, no salt, and spends Friday nights at the Candy Bar, the hottest spot in South Beach. She wears a perfect size 2, and blows her money on Jimmy Choo shoes. One night at the Candy Bar during a tropical storm, she feels something as light as a champagne fizz brush over her. She has been touched by magic and is able to see the world differently. Literally. Her grey world is suddenly filled with bright, vibrant color. She is about to begin an adventure of a lifetime, a six week sojourn in Florence to study painting.

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Richard Curtis on the Amazon/Booksurge Controversy

Literary agent Richard Curtis, author advocate and president of the Internet publisher E-Reads, has an insightful take on the current Amazon/Booksurge controvery:

"Though Amazon's ploy comes as a shock to publishers and authors," he writes, "it did not come as a surprise to me. In the summer of 2005 Amazon.com announced the acquisition of MobiPocket, an e-book company, and BookSurge, a print on demand operation. A lot of ink was spilled on the MobiPocket deal but no one except me speculated on what it meant for a book retailer to have the capability of printing books on demand. In a guest editorial in Publishers Weekly, I wrote,

'It's hard to say for sure what is behind amazon.com's acquisition of BookSurge, the on-demand book-printer. But any move the Nine Gazillion Pound Gorilla makes is worthy of serious consideration. Indeed, the implications of the deal, especially combined with amazon's purchase of e-book company MobiPocket, are profound.'"

Curtis continues: "My speculations were so profound that PW's editors urged me to tone them down because they considered them to be at the red end of the spectrum of possibility. Actually, I suspect that they were so freaked out that they went into denial. And who can blame them? In my editorial I spun the logic of Amazon/BookSurge to the max."

To read the conclusion Curtis reached then, and the implications he feels the current controversy has for the publishing industry, check out his April 1 blog post "The Nine Gazillion Pound Gorilla Bares its Fangs" at E-Reads. Several others of Curtis's thought-provoking articles on the state of the publishing industry are available on the Backspace website:

PUBLISHING IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY - Part One - AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM

PUBLISHING IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY - Part Two - PAPERBACKS: THE TAIL THAT WAGGED THE DOG

PUBLISHING IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY - Part Three - ON THE ROAD TO VIRTUAL

Curtis will also take part on an agents' panel at the 2008 Backspace Writers Conference in New York City next August.

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KILLER YEAR: Stories to Die For - edited by Lee Child

KILLER YEAR is a group of 13 debut crime/mystery/suspense authors - six of them Backspace members - whose books will be published in 2007. The graduating class includes such rising stars as Robert Gregory Browne, Toni McGee Causey, Marcus Sakey, Derek Nikitas, Marc Lecard, JT Ellison, Brett Battles, Jason Pinter, Bill Cameron, Sean Chercover, Patry Francis, Gregg Olsen, and Dave White.

Each of the short stories displaying their talents are introduced by their KILLER YEAR mentors, some of which include bestselling authors Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen and Jeffrey Deaver, with additional stories by Ken Bruen, Allison Brennan and Duane Swierczynski. Bestselling authors Laura Lippman and MJ Rose contribute insightful essays.

Inside you'll read about a small time crook in over his head, a story told backwards with a heroine not to be messed with, a tale of boys and the trouble they will get into over a girl, and many more stories of the highest caliber in murder, mayhem, and sheer entertainment. This amazing anthology, edited by the grandmaster Lee Child, is sure to garner lots of attention and keep readers coming back for more.
LJ: Well worth a look...

"Why writers who deal with the dark side of human nature are among the most collegial is a mystery in itself. What is not in doubt, though, is the quality of this collection resulting from that collegiality, with 13 of its 16 stories by writers who published their first novels in 2007 and were mentored by established authors under the auspices of the International Thriller Writers organization. Some of these stories -- which, as editor Child notes, are 'far, far harder to write than novels' -- push the edge of the genre and snag the memory, among them Marcus Sakey's exploration of love and the difference between wanting and needing in 'Gravity and Need.' Sean Chercover's Chicago P.I. Ray Dudgeon keeps a case from going south, Gregg Olsen gives a final twist to his tale of a true crime writer, and Jason Pinter shows how things can go inexorably wrong in an instant. The mentors' introductions to these stories, plus brief biographies at the end, should entice readers to longer works by these promising new authors. Even amid a recent rash of anthologies in the genre, this one is well worth a look." -- Library Journal

Kirkus: Sixteen shades of noir, all interesting, some compelling.

"Three of Child's contributors -- Ken Bruen, Allison Brennan and Duane Swierczynski -- are seasoned pros, but the collection's gems come from the 13 members of the younger set. Derek Nikitas's 'Runaway,' for instance, is a superbly ambiguous chiller about an adolescent girl who may or may not be a real runaway, or for that matter real. In Toni McGee Causey's artfully composed 'A Failure to Communicate' introduces the indomitable and irresistible Bobbie Faye Sumrall, a steel magnolia whose steel will cause three lowlifes to rue the day they took her hostage. 'Perfect Gentleman' by Brett Battles and 'Bottom Deal' by Robert Gregory Browne are both lean and taut, expertly crafted in the good old hard-boiled tradition. In Marc Lecard's sly 'Teardown,' a hapless loser arrives in the wrong place at what turns out to be exactly the right time. Gregg Olsen's autobiographical 'Crime of My Life' features a surprise ending that actually surprises. The quality is less consistent among the other entries, but, remarkably for a collection this ample, there's no sign of a clinker.

"An anthology so worthwhile that it comes within an eyelash of deserving the hyperbole Child heaps on it in his introduction."

Available now from St. Martin's Minotaur.

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Red Room - A Fabulous New Website for Authors

While initially it might seem strange to promote another writers website on the Backspace blog, the truth is, writers websites are not in competition with one another any more than writers are. And in the spirit of Backspace's "writers helping writers" mission statement, if we didn't help spread the word about Red Room, we'd be sorely remiss.

Red Room is an online authors directory and more: a place for authors to collect together their book information, trailers, and book reviews in a gorgeous, professional venue, but where they can also talk to each other and to their readers.

By fostering true community between authors and readers, Red Room showcases esteemed writers and inspires the next generation. To be in the Red Room is to be part of the conversation!

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Members' 2007 Releases - The Year in Review
originally posted: November 30, 2007

For anyone who's been stocking a Backspace bookshelf all year, these 73 titles by Backspace members released during 2007 might explain why you're constantly broke . . .

Congrats to all!

Karen Abbott - SIN IN THE SECOND CITY (Random House)
Tasha Alexander - ELIZABETH, THE GOLDEN AGE (Harper Collins)
Tasha Alexander - A POISONED SEASON (William Morrow)
Lauren Baratz-Logsted - ANGEL'S CHOICE (Simon&Schuster for Young Adults)
Brett Battles - THE CLEANER (Delacorte Press)
Allison Brennan SPEAK NO EVIL (Ballantine Books)
Allison Brennan - FEAR NO EVIL (Ballantine Books)
Allison Brennan - SEE NO EVIL (Ballantine Books)
Heather Brewer - EIGHTH GRADE BITES (Dutton/Penguin)
Robert Gregory Browne - KISS HER GOODBYE (St. Martin's Press)
Ally Carter - CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY (Hyperion)
Jane K. Cleland - DEADLY APPRAISAL (St. Martin's Minotaur)
Jon Clinch - FINN (Random House)
Tish Cohen - TOWN HOUSE (HarperCollins)
Tish Cohen - THE INVISIBLE RULES OF THE ZOE LAMA (Dutton Childrens' Books)
Cat Conner - KILLERBYTE (Triskelon Publishing)
J.T. Ellison - ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS (Mira)
Barb Ferrer (writing as Caridad Ferrer) - IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ACCENT (MTV Books)
Loraine Fowlow, with Sean Stanwick - WINE BY DESIGN (hardcover, John Wiley & Sons)
Patry Francis - THE LIAR'S DIARY (Dutton)
Helen Gallagher - RELEASE YOUR WRITING: BOOK PUBLISHING YOUR WAY (Virtual Bookworm, Inc.)
Theo Gangi - BANG BANG (Kensington)
Linda C. Gerber - THE FINNISH LINE (Puffin/Speak)
John Getze - BIG NUMBERS (Hilliard & Harris)
Chris Grabenstein - WHACK A MOLE (Carol and Graf)
Chris Grabenstein - HELL FOR THE HOLIDAYS (Carol and Graf)
Elizabeth Graham - PLAYING WITH THE MOON (Macmillan New Writing)
Lynne Griffin - NEGOTIATION GENERATION: TAKE BACK YOUR PARENTAL AUTHORITY WITHOUT PUNISHMENT (Penguin)
Sara Gruen - WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (Algonquin Books - paperback)
Sara Gruen - RIDING LESSONS (Harper Paperbacks)
Sara Gruen - FLYING CHANGES (Harper Paperbacks)
Albyn Leah Hall - THE RHYTHM OF THE ROAD (Thomas Dunne Books)
Sara Hantz - THE SECOND VIRGINITY OF SUZY GREEN (Flux)
Melanie Lynn Hauser - SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD ( NAL)
Alesia Holliday (writing as Alyssa Day) - ATLANTIS RISING (Berkley Sensations)
Kay Hooper - BLOOD DREAMS (Bantam)
Kay Hooper - SLEEPING WITH FEAR (Bantam, paperback,)
Carolyn Hughey - CUPID'S WEB (Avalon Books)
Harry Hunsicker- CROSSHAIRS (St. Martin's Minotaur)
Pam Jenoff - THE KOMMANDANT'S GIRL (Mira)
Lesley Kagen - WHISTLING IN THE DARK (NAL/Penguin)
Jackie Kessler - THE ROAD TO HELL (Zebra Books/Kensington)
Jackie Kessler - HELL'S BELLES (Kensington)
Kristy Kiernan - CATCHING GENIUS (Berkley)
Gary C. King - STOLEN IN THE NIGHT: The True Story of a Family's Murder, a Kidnapping, and the Child Who Survived (St. Martin's Paperbacks )
Joe Konrath - DIRTY MARTINI (Hyperion)
Adrienne Kress - ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN (Scholastic UK; Weinstein Books US/Canada)
Gretchen Moran Laskas - THE MINER'S DAUGHTER (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Adults)
Richard Lewis - THE KILLING SEA (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)
Jonathan Maberry - DEAD MAN'S SONG (Kensington)
Jonathan Mayberry - THE CRYPTOPEDIA: A Dictionary of the Weird, Strange, and Downright Bizarre (Kensington)
Toni McGee Causey - BOBBIE FAY'S VERY (very very very) BAD DAY (St. Martin's Press)
Joe Moore & Lynn Sholes - THE HADES PROJECT: A Cotten Stone Mystery (Midnight Ink)
C.J. Parker FUGUE MACABRE: GHOST DANCE (Light Sword Publishing LLC.)
Stephen Paul - THE LAST GUNFIGHTER (mobipocket.com)
Kate Perry - PROJECT DATE (Kensington Zebra)
Cornelia Read - FIELD OF DARKNESS (Grand Central Publishing - paperback)
Kim Reid - NO PLACE SAFE: A Memoir (Dafina/Kensington Books)
John Elder Robison - LOOK ME IN THE EYE (Random, U.S. and Canada)
Renee Rosen - EVERY CROOKED POT (St. Martin's Press)
Jordan Rosenfeld - MAKE A SCENE (Writer's Digest Books)
Michelle Rowan - FANGED AND FABULOUS (Grand Central Publishing)
Renee Russell - KATE'S PRIDE (wings ePress)
Marcus Sakey - THE BLADE ITSELF (St. Martin's)
Marcus Sakey - THE BLADE ITSELF (Mass Market Paperback)
Shari Sanford (editor) , Mark Macdonald - LOACHES: NATURAL HISTORY AND AQUARIUM CARE (TFH Publications)
Clea Simon - CRIES AND WHISKERS (Poisoned Pen, December)
Alexandra Sokofoff - THE HARROWING (paperback - St. Martin's Press)
Wendy Nelson Tokunaga - MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT (St. Martin's)
Rachel Weingarten - CAREER AND CORPORATE COOL (Wiley)
Allison Winn Scotch - DEPARTMENT OF LOST AND FOUND (William Morrow)
Patricia Wood - LOTTERY (Putnam)

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Patry Francis unfolds her story as effortlessly as nature unfurls the petals of a rose. When I read The Liar's Diary in hardcover last summer, I was totally spellbound by her skill with words. She is a gifted writer, but more than that, she is an exquisitely compassionate and loving person. I am proud to call her my friend. -- Natalie Neal Whitefield

The Backspace organization is predicated on the idea of writers helping writers, which we accomplish by means of discussion forums, a guest speaker program in which agents, acquisitions editors, and bestselling authors regularly conduct online question and answer sessions with the group, and articles and advice from agents and other publishing professionals on our homepages, along with useful links, conference and book reviews, and more.

Backspace has attracted the support and/or participation of Richard Curtis, Dan Lazar, Jenny Bent, Sara Nelson, Kristin Nelson, Ethan Ellenberg, Nick Ellison, Jeff Kleinman, Kristen Weber, Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, Robert Crais, Neil Gaiman, Chris Bohjalian, Elizabeth George and many other publishing professionals.