Kelli Stanley Has a New Website

Writer Kelli Stanley has a new website up, swing by and say hello and register for her newsletter. You can win copies of her upcoming books and get news about her appearances. Post in the forum or just give Kelli a shout-out. She's good company.

Winter is Coming!

The winter issue of Dark Valentine Magazine that is. This issue has 15 tales that are guaranteed to chill you to the bones and freeze your blood. The illustration here is by Natasha Killeen, an 18-year-old Aussie artist who was up for the challenge of illustrating Eric Dimbleby's incredibly dark story "Baby on Board." He seems like a nice fellow but after reading the story--I'm not sure I want to run into him in a dark alley. Other stories include Patti Abbott's "Too Beautiful," Edward A. Grainger's "Justice Served," Brian Trent's take on a Poe classic, "Down Memory Line" and much, much more. The cover story is Christine Pope's inspired twist on the classic "Snow Queen" fairy tale. In other words, there's a little something for everyone. The winter issue of Dark Valentine Magazine will be available on the site tomorrow, December 3.

For the Crime-Loving Cookbook Collector

As it's getting toward Christmas, it's time to start looking at those Christmas lists. Here are two very different cookbooks, both of them with connections to crime. First up there's Shane Bugbee's Cooking With a Serial Killer--recipes from grandmotherly serial killer Dorothea Puente, who was known for the delicious meals she served to her boarding house guests.

Then there's Susan Whitfield's Killer Recipes Cookbook, a collection of recipes contributed by mystery writers with the proceeds going to cancer research. For background on the cookbook, click here; to buy the book, go here. The Kindle edition is only $4.69.

Dearly Departed at NoHo Noir

There's a new installment of NoHo Noir up at patch.com. The "Noir" is subtle on this one but it's there. I'm still introducing characters but along about Christmas, you'll see some story arcs beginning to emerge. (My initial contract is just for three months, and that'll be up early in the new year, so just in case I don't get "renewed," I do want to tie off some of the story threads.)

As you can see, the story is illustrated by another great piece of art by Mark Satchwill. You can see more of his art on his site, but also in the upcoming Dark Valentine Magazine winter issue. The winter issue of Dark Valentine will be available Friday, December 3.

One of the things about the stories appearing on patch.com is that I'm visiting the site several times a day and they publish hyper-local crime news. I never knew my little corner of the world was so ... crime-infested. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

I hope you like the story. If you do, please click on "recommend." Or leave a comment. My editors love comments and so do I. Thanks for your support.

Do it again, harder!

I am not a fan of remakes. Seriously, it's gotten silly. When I heard that the "classic" Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent movie The Mechanic was being remade, my response was pretty much a shrug. Even when I heard Jason Statham was going to be in it, I still wasn't all that enthusiastic. But then I saw the trailer and it looks...badass.

Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood has the most recent trailer at her site. You can see it here.

New at NoHo Noir--15 Items or Less

This week at NoHo Noir, a trophy wife and an unimpressed supermarket checker go mano a mano in the express line. There's a bit at the end, where the trophy wife--who's wearing a quarter-million dollar watch--tries to use an expired coupon. That was inspired by a story I once heard about Bill Gates holding up a line because he had a five-cent off coupon for some ice cream. I don't know if it's true--it's so deliciously snarky--but it makes for a great story.

If you're following the series you'll note the tattooed guy in line behind the trophy wife is Chris from "House Blend" who ended up with the wrong Jessica on his coffee date. We'll see him again. We'll also see the wife and the checker again.

I hope you enjoy 15 Items or Less.

We've Come a Long Way Baby (Not)

Most of the time I really don't think about gender in publishing. I learned a long time ago that the best place to meet unattached male writers in LA was at a WGA union meeting where men outnumber women by a huge margin, but as far as publishing, I read mostly mysteries and urban fiction, two genres where women rule. Or so I thought. She Writes, a website resource for women writers has put together a post that shows a shocking disparity in critical acclaim for female vs. male writers.

Here are just a few of the stats they culled from 2009:

Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2009
71 Men
29 Women

Publishers Weekly Top 10 Books of 2009

10 Men
0 Women

Washington Post Best Books of 2009

Nonfiction
69 Men
17 Women

Fiction
57 Men
27 Women

Slate- Best Reads of 2009

15 Men
7 Women

As a woman writer, I find this just a little depressing.