Author: Andi Marquette

Andi Marquette once wanted to be a seafaring pirate. But she realized that could be a problem, growing up in the Rocky Mountain West and Southwest. So she became an editor, anthropologist, and historian instead. But that, too, didn't satisfy her weird cravings for stories and strange realms. Now, she's a writer ensconced in Colorado and when she wants to go pirate-ing, she just makes something up.

Anna Katherine Green and the birth of detective fiction

Hey, kids–

So, I was thinking about the history of sleuthing/detecting in fiction/literature and I decided to do some digging. I’d heard of Anna Katherine Green, and I’d heard about her character, Violet Strange, who’s credited as the first female sleuth in fiction.

But Green is also known as the mother of American mystery, and she’s credited as writing and publishing what’s known as the first American detective novel, The Leavenworth Case, in 1878 (image below). It’s available at Amazon, if you’re interested (reprinted, obviously). This book, featuring detective Ebenezer Gryce, was published nine years before the debut of Sherlock Holmes.


source: C. Martinelli’s blog

There’s more…

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by Categories: Books, Cool stuff to read, History, Things that might make you thinkTags: , , , 1 Comment

Writer’s Digest interview with Patricia Cornwell

Hey, peeps!

If you’re a US writer (heck, a writer anywhere!) and not a subscriber to Writer’s Digest, try it. At least for a year to see how you like it. And if you’re a reader but not necessarily a writer, there are some FAB interviews with authors in WD.

For example! The October 2012 issue of Writer’s Digest has this super-cool interview with international supah-star crime writer Patricia Cornwell, by Jessica Strawser. As those of you who are familiar with Cornwell are aware, her premier character is medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

If you’re not a subscriber, find someone who is so you can read it or buy the issue. It’s available in print, but it’s not available to non-subscribers online. If you purchase the digital issue online, I believe it gives you access to online content relevant to that issue not available in the print. Like the extended version of the interview, in which Cornwell briefly discusses gay characters and mainstream fiction in the online outtakes.

I’ve been reading Cornwell off and on since Postmortem (1990) was released, and I’ve followed her career peripherally. One of the things that I really appreciate about her books is the extensive research she does for each one. It shows. And for crime writing, that is, I think, ultra-important.

In the interview, she discusses her writing process, the boundaries she keeps, and how she approaches writing and forensics. One of the things I appreciated about the intro to the interview is the matter-of-fact way her marriage to psychiatrist Staci Ann Gruber is treated. It’s mentioned, and. . .that’s it. No OMG THE GAY CRIME WRITER freakout. A mention of her marriage to her, and on to a couple other pertinent details about her successful defamation suit against a writer who accused her of plagiarism then waged an online war against her character.

So let’s have some more tidbits from the interview!

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by Categories: Cool articles, Cool stuff to read, Coolness, InterviewsTags: , , , 7 Comments

The Dog Stars: more post-apocalyptic reading for you and yours

Hi, peeps!

So I was reading the latest issue (September 2012) of Outside Magazine (cuz it’s one of my faves) and I came across a little piece in “Dispatches” about how contributing writer Peter Heller has just published his first novel. (It’s in THIS issue)

I’m a fan of Heller’s nonfiction work, so I was intrigued, especially when I heard that The Dog Stars is a post-apocalyptic novel.


SOURCE: peterheller.net (re-sized here)

And then, lo and behold, he’s been all over NPR the past couple of days. So if you’re not sure you want to purchase this book, or if you’re interested in more about it and in Heller, check these out:

” ‘Dog Stars’ Dwells on the Upside of Apocalypse”
QUOTE:
We’re in the middle of a golden age (if that’s the right term for it) of doomsday narratives. …the world is regularly being smashed by asteroids, ravaged by viruses and overrun by zombies. Pop culture’s embrace of end times has become, if not casual, then matter-of-fact. The apocalypse is a given; get over it already.

Getting over it already is the challenge facing Hig, the narrator of The Dog Stars, Peter Heller’s crackerjack new novel set a decade or so after an epidemic wiped out 99 percent of the U.S. population. With its soulful hero, macabre villains, tender (if thin) love story and action scenes staggered at perfectly spaced intervals, the story unfolds with the vigor of the film it will undoubtedly become. But it also succeeds as a dark, poetic and funny novel in its own right.
SOURCE: Jennifer Reese, “Upside of Apocalypse,” NPR (link above)

Heller was also interviewed at Fresh Air, which aired yesterday in my time zone. There, he talks about growing up in New York with his yearning for the outdoors and exploration, his work in nonfiction and journalism, and then his novel. You can catch that RIGHT HERE, baby. Hit the link for audio and also written highlights of the chat.

I’ll be picking this up soon.

Happy reading, happy writing!

by Categories: Apocalypse, Books, Cool stuff to readTags: ,

“Crime in the City” plus other stuff

Hey, kids! Hope things are groovy with you and yours this Friday.

So, for reals. NPR has this series it’s been doing called “Crime in the City.” It’s interviews with crime writers talking about their fictional detective and the cities in which they set their novels. Freaking AWESOME. Today was an encore presentation of an interview with author Colin Cotterill, who writes mysteries based in 1970s Laos.

Listen to it HERE.

Other authors in the series include Karin Slaughter, Mike Lawson, Benjamin Black, and Jo Nesbo. Cities like Oslo, Moscow, Athens, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dublin, and Seattle. And other places like Brattleboro, Vermont. I mean, for reals. I totally love this series. I’ve been introduced to some awesome authors and fictional detectives. And I secretly wish NPR would send me out to interview them. (Hello? NPR? Are you listening?) So go check out Crime in the City. I think you’ll dig it.

Another fun tidbit, via Publishers Weekly: 6 famous authors who kept their day jobs.

And Fridays for the next few weeks over at Women and Words I’ll be interviewing some authors! Today is lesfic romance author Janet Albert. Check it out.

Happy reading, happy writing, happy Friday!

by Categories: Books, Cool stuff to read, InterviewsTags: , ,

Calls for Submissions

Hey, kids–

Lambda Literary always has some groovy calls for submission going on.

Like, for example, this sexy anthology of dark erotic tales via Riptide Publishing:

Riptide Publishing Open Submission Call: Bump in the Night

Keep us earthbound or launch us into outer space. Unveil the hungry horrors of this world or of one full of fantasy and magic. Show us too-friendly creatures from the deep or amorous plants in the rainforest. Expose us to a mad scientist’s tireless steam-powered machine or a matriarchal tribe’s sperm-milking farm. Take us into Hell, or merely into the dark recesses of someone’s dreams. Show us eager “victims” or hesitant ones, or even full-blown resistance . . . as long as it all works out in the end.

Whatever they may be, explore your wildest fantasies in this collection of dark erotic tales.

(These stories will be released as a single ebook and print anthology. Select stories may be released individually several months after the release of the anthology.)

Length: 5,000 to 10,000. Slightly longer or shorter stories may be accepted, but be prepared to wow us.
Genres: Any
Heat Levels: HOT!
Ending: No tragedies, please
Orientation: Any LGBTQ
Submissions Due: Saturday, December 1, 2012
Acceptance Letters Sent By: February 1
Anticipated Release Date: October, 2013

Click the link for all the details.

M2Q Zine:
Genderqueer is a word that points to infinite possibilities for playing with, sabotaging, cutting up, reinventing and/or reclaiming gender. However, there is a frequent perception that genderqueer is most often claimed by people who were assigned female at birth. This zine aims to address this by creating a space for genderqueer people who were assigned male at birth to tell their stories, examine and explore their identities and experiences, and offer their perspectives and visions on gender, queerness, and beyond.

Click the link for more info.

Lavender Review:
Lavender Review is an international, biannual e-zine dedicated to poetry and art by, about, and for lesbians, including whatever might appeal to a lesbian readership.
The theme of Issue 6 is Muse.
The deadline for submissions is November 15, 2012.
See http://lavrev.net for complete guidelines.

Just a taste of what you’ll find at Lambda Literary’s calls for submissions. So go on. See what’s cookin’ and maybe get in on some.

Happy Wednesday.

by Categories: Calls for submissionsTags: , , , , 2 Comments

On health and happiness

Hi, all–

Been busy ’round here. If you haven’t yet, you might want to cruise over to Women and Words, especially on Fridays, because the summer blast tour is going on with several authors. On a whole bunch of Fridays, I’ll be chatting with different authors who write LGBTQ fiction. Most of them are doing book giveaways, as well, so you might score some new reading material. So far, I’ve chatted with Renée Bess, Lynette Mae, and Kate Mclachlan. And there are more to come! So come on by and hang out!

Anyway, I caught this blog by author Tracy Cooper Posey, who writes romance and paranormal/urban fantasy. In it, she offers 11 tips as to why authors should consider building and maintaining good health as those things relate to writing.

Interested about my take on links between health and happiness? Read on…

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by Categories: Inspiration, Random WTF stuff, Things that might make you thinkTags: , 1 Comment

News n’ stuff

Hi, peeps —

I’ve been doing a summer blast tour over at Women and Words. That means I’ve been interviewing authors on Fridays. So far, we’ve had two with the third lined up for this Friday. Each has done a book giveaway, so if you’re interested in some lesfic and gay dude fiction, come on by Women and Words Fridays to see who I’ve got in the hot seat.

This Friday it’s author Kate McLachlan, who writes time travel mystery/thrillers. I think you’ll enjoy her quirky characters and humor. For more info on her books, click here. You can visit Women and Words here.

You might be interested to find out more about authors Renée Bess (who writes pretty intense character-driven romances and romance-tery) and Lynette Mae, who writes thrillers starring military personnel or police personnel (set in the 1980s and 1990s). Click those links to check ’em out.

Also, there’s an auction under way to help avid lesfic reader/fan Kara Leonardo, who was severely injured in a car accident in February that claimed her partner’s life. The auction is helping raise funds to help her get settled in the wake of this terrible event. Several authors have donated books and other things to help out. You can find out more about that AT THIS LINK RIGHT HERE. The “Master List” page on that site lists everything up for auction. Thanks.

As for me, I’m hammering away on Far Seek book 3 and New Mexico 4. So I’m keeping busy! Hope to have the new Far Seek book to the publisher before the end of the summer. Keep yer fingers crossed…

Happy Monday!

by Categories: Events, News, Random WTF stuffTags: , , ,

In Memoriam: Sally Ride

I was one of thousands of Gen X girls who thought that Sally Ride hung the moon. Scientist, astronaut, professor, writer, and mentor/cheerleader to get young people and kids interested in science — especially girls — Ride was an inspiration to the adventurous spirit in all of us.

On June 18, 1983, she was granted the mantle of instant icon when she became the first American woman in space, aboard the shuttle Challenger (at 32, she was also the youngest American in space). Here’s a news report from June 24, the day Challenger landed in California (bad weather in Florida precluded it landing there).


link

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by Categories: In MemoriamTags: , , 1 Comment

Sometimes to write, you must stop

Came across this post over at The Write Practice.

Joe Bunting says that sometimes, in order to write (create), you must stop writing. He uses Bob Dylan and Ernest Hemingway as examples of artists who stopped their chosen work, put it aside, and came back better than ever. Bunting says that he does not write once a week. That includes no Tweeting or emailing. He takes a break.

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by Categories: Inspiration, Technology, Things that might make you thinkTags: ,