This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. The greatest joy of writing, for me, is completing a manuscript. But a small dessert arrives sometime later. After the rewrite, cover design, and copy-editing, a call comes from the publisher for any acknowledgments to add to the book. The process should go down like ice cream, but … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is sending ripples of pain from the traumatically besieged country to the rest of the world. I fear for the trapped Ukrainians and foreigners unable to escape the Russian military. I marvel at the resistance of Ukrainians who are literally giving their lives for … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Take a good look at this picture of the shelves in Sherman’s Books, an indy bookstore in Bar Harbor, Maine. The hand-written sign above the book display reads: WOMEN IN PERIOD COSTUME FACING AWAY It’s picture that’s been shared, and reshared, among Facebook friends this week. We laugh … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Once again, this is not a typical blogpost. I’m still on deadline—a new one! I did not realize before I became published is there’s not just one deadline per book. There’s the deadline to turn in your unedited manuscript. It’s followed by a deadline to turn in a … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. My comments this week will be my briefest yet. I am on deadline with Book 2 in my Perveen Mistry series. A writer is always working on a book, but there are many times in the early days of a novel that it must be handed back and … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Kitab is the Urdu/Hindi word for book and is pronounced just as it sounds. I find it a lovely word. So too was my recent book tour in India for A Murder on Malabar Hill, A Perveen Mistry Investigation. You might notice the similarity in title to The Widows of Malabar Hill, … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. Last week, I got caught in a perfect storm: hot weather and hotter books. I was in New York City for BookExpo—once known as BEA, or Book Expo America. Starting this year, the show’s name was shortened to emphasize the global nature of the event. BookExpo is … Read more
This post originally appeared on Murder Is Everywhere. This post is a tribute to a young democracy that has brought the world great writers–and a fantastical amount of readers. India’s population of 1.2 billion boasts a literacy rate of 86% in cities and 71% in rural areas. Inside India, twenty major languages are spoken and read, and a … Read more
Come in out of the rain and make yourself comfortable. I’ll hang up your wet trench coat on the rack next to Libby’s Burberry. Watch that you don’t get clipped by one of the zippers on Zoe’s motorcycle jacket. The weather is wretched–shall I make us both a cup of tea? Really? You’d rather have … Read more
I just ate five chocolates to celebrate the fact that my book’s cover design is finally approved. This was more than a three month process. The talented artists at Simon&Schuster went through four designs before resulting in this one […]
I like the bold red and gold, the cozy, interesting vintage bed, and the opened book on it. And I’ve got to say, cover designs that match the writer’s dream don’t usually come together. Here’s how it happened.