As a way of giving back to my community, I recently donated a case of books to my local police department. I met with Chaplain Paul Peterson of the Fredericksburg PD in Virginia, who accepted the daily devotionals on behalf of the men and women of the FPD. Cops On The Street, is a unique devotional in that each day features a story written by men and women in law enforcement. Grant Wolf, a police chaplain himself, compiled the wonderful stories and put them in book form, and he included a related Bible verse for each story. The book is suitable for the general public as well. Check it out here: http://copsonthestreet.com/

Spice Up Your Writing

Interjections help the writer convey many moods. For example: ha-ha, connotes mirth or laughter, while ahem, is used to grab attention. These small but powerful interjections add spice and life to your prose and are sometimes, poof, magical. Here's a link, courtesy of DailyWritingTips, to 100 little gems that should help you express your characters' moods and feelings: Daily Writing Tips.

2010 Words of the Year

This post comes courtesy of Erin Brenner's website, The Writing Resource:

Some people get excited when their team wins the playoffs. Others are ecstatic when their candidate wins the general election. With word geeks, it’s when a favorite word makes a Word of the Year list. This week we examine some of the most popular word lists (one is a banish word list, so I guess you’re glad if your word doesn’t make it). Did your favorite word make the cut? Could you, would you use any of them in your writing?

• App: application American Dialect Society 2010 Word of the Year
• Austerity: the act of severe or stern manner or behavior. Merriam-Webster 2010 Word of the Year
• Viral: describes how something other than a virus (such as a video) can spread like a virus. Lake Superior State University 2010 Banished Word of the Year
• Refudiate: a mashup of refute and repudiate. New Oxford American Dictionary 2010 Word of the Year
• Kinetic event: used by the Pentagon to describe violent attacks on American troops in Afghanistan. American Dialect Society 2010 Most Euphemistic Word of the Year

What Bestselling Authors Have in Common

Here are ten things that bestselling authors have in common. For a more detailed explanation of each point, click on this link: The Authors, Brian Hill and Dee Power.

1. Perseverance is key.
2. They write, and write, and write, and write . . .
3. They like to write, and write, and write.
4. Promotion is constant.
5. Marketing is an important factor.
6. Fans are an important asset.
7. The More Success, The More Pressure.
8. They faced a key turning point.
9. They're grateful.
10. There is no single profile for a bestselling author.

Who Reads Mysteries?

The Sisters in Crime-commissioned 47-page report on the book selection habits of the mystery book buyer can be found online here.

The study, titled “The Mystery Book Consumer in the Digital Age, is the first of its kind to provide an overview of the mystery/crime fiction book-buying landscape, with information on who buys mystery books, where they buy them, what they buy and why they make their mystery book purchases. The research is based on publishing industry data gathered and interpreted by the PubTrack book sales analysis division of Bowker – a unit that specializes in business intelligence for publishers, retailers and authors – with input from a Sisters in Crime survey team.

Among the findings of the study:

The majority of mystery/crime fiction buyers tend to be women over the age of 45. Overall, 68 percent of mysteries are purchased by women; more than half of mystery buyers are more than 45 years of age. Buyers 18 to 44 years of age purchase 31 percent of the mysteries sold.

Most of the mystery buyers – 48 percent – live in suburban areas, 27 percent reside in rural areas and 25 percent live in urban areas.

The majority of mysteries – 35 percent – are purchased by individuals who live in the South, 26 percent are purchased by people in the West, 20 percent by those in the Midwest and 19 percent by individuals in the Northeast.

Mysteries are obtained mostly through purchases from brick-and-mortar stores, followed by library borrowing and online purchasing. A total of 39 percent are obtained through in-store purchases, 19 percent are borrowed from libraries and 17 percent are purchased online. Online purchases in the mystery genre top those for other types of fiction.

The full survey provides a detailed look at these and other findings, including demographics, purchasing, factors that influence mystery buying, mystery reading behavior, ebooks and more.

Do I Need An Editor?

I know what your argument is: it costs money to hire an editor. Yes, it does, and why shouldn't it? Do you expect to get paid for your work when your book is published? Of course. The problem is if you don't present your best-looking manuscript to publishers, expect rejection letters as a consequence. I came across an excellent article about this very topic:

Why Fiction and Nonfiction Writers Need a Proofreader and Editor

Read more at Suite101: Why Fiction and Nonfiction Writers Need a Proofreader and Editor http://www.suite101.com/content/fiction-and-nonfiction-writers-need-a-proofreader-and-editor-a328633#ixzz1ATA3GE6L

Heading to a critique session on a snowy Saturday morning. Are all writers somewhat odd?

I will be speaking to a group of young writers today at Spotsylvania High School in Virginia.

For those who got Kindles for Christmas, read a Chicago thriller: http://ping.fm/ffpif

Ahttp://ping.fm/3Exdy thriller on the streets of Chicago: Gripped By Fear

Another List

Happy New Year! We are inundated with lists of every type at this time of year. Most of them are rather boring and meaningless, but here's a list of the best writing tips that you may find helpful as you work on your novel, short story, poem, or wherever your muse nudges you.

The Best of Daily Writing Tips in 2010.