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To Destroy Jerusalem

It was an honor to work with Howard Kaplan on two political/espionage thrillers, including The Spy’s Gamble and To Destroy Jerusalem. Kaplan holds a BA in Middle East History and has lived in Israel and traveled extensively through Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, experience which informs his writing. The Los Angeles Times says Kaplan’s writing is “in the best tradition of the genre” and that he is “without peer in his grasp of the delicate and explosive relationship between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”

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Lions and Lambs by J L Abramo

It’s an honor to welcome Shamus Award-winning author J.L. Abramo back to the site. A longtime fixture in the crime fiction community, Abramo is probably best known for his Jake Diamond PI series (Catching Water in a Net, Clutching at Straws, Counting to Infinity and Circling the Runway). Today, Abramo stops by in conjunction with his latest release, American History (Down & Out Books), and shares a little backstory on the Leone and Agnello families, around whom American History revolves.
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Banned Books Week 2018: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Today is the start of Banned Books Week 2018:

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, BBW highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted banning of books across the United States.

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The Wolf, The Wizard & The Woad

“Writing a novel is hard work and not for the faint of heart. However, with Elizabeth on your team you can rest assured that your work has been examined and dissected carefully by a professional of the highest order. I have received many compliments on my ‘fine writing,’ and I know these compliments are a direct result of Elizabeth’s magic touch.” — Florence Love Karsner

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Want to Amp Your Thriller’s Suspense? Add Fatigue. by Nick Kolakowski

It’s a pleasure to welcome Nick Kolakowski back to the site. In addition to authoring the novels A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps and Slaughterhouse Blues, Nick’s work has appeared in publications including The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, North American Review, Thuglit, and Crime Syndicate Magazine. His latest novel, Boise Longpig Hunting Club, is out now from Down & Out Books. Today, Nick stops by to explain how making sure characters reflect the toll their actions would take on them in reality helps add believability, and suspense, to fiction.
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Inspiration from Ellen & Clint by Gray Basnight

Gray Basnight stops by in conjunction with the release of his newest, Flight of the Fox (Down & Out Books). Flight of the Fox uses the rumored relationship between FBI Director J Edgar Hoover and FBI Associate Director Clyde Tolson as the jumping off point for a “what if” modern-day thriller in which a professor must run for his life while trying to decode a mysterious journal, the contents of which certain members of the government will stop at nothing to keep from seeing the light of day.
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The Importance of Authentic Diversity in Crime Fiction by Terrence McCauley

Award-winning author Terrence McCauley returns to the site today. After a run of successful releases in his James Hicks thriller series, McCauley is taking a break to revisit the 1930s and his character Charlie Doherty (Prohibition, Slow Burn, The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood). The Fairfax Incident (Polis Books) catches up with Doherty now working as a private investigator. Today, McCauley stops by to talk about the importance of authentic diversity in crime fiction, both on the page and behind the pen.
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Motivation by Susan C. Shea

It’s a pleasure to welcome Susan C. Shea back to the site. Susan is the author of the Dani O’Rourke mystery series (Murder in the Abstract, The King’s Jar and Mixed Up With Murder), as well as a French village mystery series featuring American expat Katherine Goff. The second book featuring Katherine, Dressed for Death in Burgundy, which follows series debut Love & Death in Burgundy, is out now from Minotaur Books. Today, Susan stops by to talk about what motivates characters—internal vs external, everyday vs extraordinary—and how to make sure readers care as much about that motivation as the characters do.
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Relentless

“I’ve worked with Elizabeth on both self-published and traditionally published books. Each time I found her to be extremely professional, timely and she provided a great knowledge of the genre of crime fiction, as well as fixed my grammatical travesties. I could go with any number of people to correct my spelling, but Elizabeth gave my writing a bit more that I feel really helped push it to its final stage.” — Mike McCrary