Avoiding the Pretense

by Clare Langley-Hawthorne I'm still on the road and by the time this post 'airs' I will probably be on a plane somewhere over t...

How Will Your Book Get Discovered in The Roiling Sea of Digital Publishing?

James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell Ah yes, this is the question of 2012 for authors (and traditional publishers, for that matter). Last y...

Area Code 504.1

I love New Orleans on the installment plan. A week is plenty; more than that, and I would no doubt find myself permanently seduced by the ci...

Reader Friday: Time For a TKZ Redesign?

UPDATE: After a spirited discussion in the comments, we have decided to keep the template as is. For those of you who prefer black-on-white ...

Crime Fiction Rocks at 2012 Bouchercon Mystery Conference!

by Jordan Dane @JordanDane I’ll be attending one of my favorite conferences is coming up on Oct 4-7, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. Bouchercon is...

The Male Perspective

I’m hosting a panel at an upcoming conference on Romantic Elements in F&SF: The Male Perspective. What does this mean? The conference co...

The kid stays in the book

By PJ Parrish Tell me if this ever happens to you: You're typing along, and you're hearing the voices in your head. It's a coupl...

The Movie Deal

by Boyd Morrison When I was asked to join this great group of writers to blog on a regular basis, I bet they didn’t think I...

The Three Rules for Writing a Novel

James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell My Rule: Don’t trust a brilliant idea unless it survives the hangover.  – Jimmy Breslin All due...

A Walk in the Park

by Mark Alpert This is my first post for The Kill Zone, so I want to talk about inspiration. Right now I’m starting a new thriller and looki...

Reader Friday: Knock Out!

What's the first book you can remember reading that really knocked you out? That carried you away into a story world that you didn't...

Blogs vs. Vlogs

by Michelle Gagnon I recently branched out from "adult" novels to young adult, and with that transition has come a major shift in ...

What is Writer’s Voice?

by Joe Moore If I asked a musician to play a melody on a trumpet, then asked another to play the same melody on a cello, chances are you c...

There's Nothing like the First Time: Getting Published

My critique group hit a double this week. Two members of the writing group announced that their short stories have been accepted for publica...

Beach Reading

by Clare Langley-Hawthorne This week finds me sunning myself on a beach in Palm Cove so I'm effectively off the grid (and on mama duty)...

Writers and Coffee

James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell What do you brew to do what you do? For most writers through the centuries, it’s been the coffee bean, th...

An Introduction; and Found in the Translation

Please allow me to make an introduction. Next Saturday, September 22, as I make my way down to New Orleans for a legal seminar, movie role a...