The Biz of Fiction

Two weeks ago, I was caught up in a wave of layoffs by my former employer. I haven't really discussed it publicly because the shock is still too fresh.

Upon hearing of my new "freelance" status, several have instantly asked whether this means I am going to start writing fiction full-time. Perfect as that sounds, the statistics are against me. (Even the great Elmore Leonard had to publish twenty-three novels before he had a hit.)

But now that I have my nights and weekends back ... and, well, all the weekdays, too ... at least I can get to writing again. In fact, 2008 was already the year I planned to reinvent myself. (I just expected to still have health insurance for my wife while I was doing it.)

Part of this new strategy starts with the free mystery story we're offering to subscribers to our newsletter.

Meanwhile, some advice on the business of writing from agent Chip MacGregor:
Interviews, Platforms, and Careers
State of Confusion
More on the "Part-Time to Full-Time" Discussion

Meet the authors of HPMysteries

The new group-blog Spyglass Lane gives you the opportunity to meet the authors of the brand-new cozy mystery line Heartsong Presents--MYSTERIES! (Judging from the blog's links, that list of authors now includes Anita Higman, Candice Miller Speare, Christine Lynxwiler, Cynthia Hickey, Dana Mentink, Darlene Franklin, Eileen Key, Elizabeth Ludwig, Frances Devine, Janelle Mowery, Janice A. Thompson, Linda P. Kozar, Lisa Harris, Mary Connealy, Nancy Mehl, S. Dionne Moore, Sandra Robbins, Susan Downs, Susan Page Davis, and Yvonne Lehman. (You can also check in with the editors at their own blog, The Edit Cafe blog.)

As previously mentioned, this month sees the official launch of the subscription series. My wife and I already subscribed and are anxiously awaiting out first round of books. (All for the low price of $13.99 -- plus free books just for trying the club out!) Details about the offer here.

MURDER, SHE WROTE still going strong

April is a busy month for mystery writer-turned-sleuth Jessica Fletcher. Some twelve years after its cancellation, Murder, She Wrote is still doing brisk business -- including a new DVD box set and a brand-new novel. (No surprise, really, when you consider that CBS did not cancel the long-running series due to lack of interest, but because advertisers wanted younger viewers.)

In fact, 2008 will see two brand-new hardcover Jessica Fletcher mysteries: In April, Murder, She Wrote: Murder on Parade (NAL Hardcover), followed this October with Murder, She Wrote: A Slaying in Savannah. Penned by "Jessica Fletcher with Donald Bain," the two titles in 2008 means there will soon be thirty original novels in print starring Cabot Cove’s favorite mystery solver.

Meanwhile, the original 1984-1996 series starring Angela Lansbury continues its march to DVD. Season Seven was released last October. Season Eight comes out April. (Updates at TVShowsOnDVD.com)

Not bad for a show that was replaced with something nobody even remembers.

Book news 29 Jan 08

Several items of interest from our friends at TitleTrakk:
The Rook by Steven James
T.L. Hines' third novel "The Unseen"
Blessed Are the Meddlers by Christa Banister
The Molech Prophecy by Thomas Phillips

And the folks at Keep Me In Suspense have an interview with Nancy Mehl. Her new cozy mystery In The Dead of Winter is one of the first titles in the brand-new imprint Heartsong Presents -- Mysteries. Mehl shares what got her started, the hardest part writing a book, and advice for aspiring novelists.

Megazeen Christian Comics

Megazeen, home of "Cheese-Free Christian Comics," has added a link to Erica's and my very own Fallen World on their online comics page. There are also all sorts of other important links, like for Mecha Manga Bible Heroes. And the long-awaited Megazeen: The Sci-Fi Issue will finally be out in February. Updates at the Megazeen blog.

Mystery TV Themes: THE LONE RANGER

This entry has been moved to Crime TV.

Crime TV Main Titles

• AGATHA CHRISTIE'S GREAT DETECTIVES
• ALIAS
• AVENGERS (w/ NEW AVENGERS)
• BARNEY MILLER
• BATMAN 1966 (w/ THE ODD COUPLE)
• BONES
• CHECKMATE
• DRAGNET
• EQUALIZER (w/ CALLAN)
• GET SMART
• HARDY BOYS / NANCY DREW MYSTERIES
• HART TO HART
• HAWAII FIVE-O
• IT TAKES A THIEF
• JUDD, FOR THE DEFENSE
• KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER
• LONE RANGER
• MAGICIAN
• MAGNUM, P.I.
• MANNIX
• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
• MOD SQUAD
• MONK
• NBC MYSTERY MOVIE
• PERRY MASON
• PETER GUNN
• ROCKFORD FILES
• S.W.A.T.
• SAINT
• SIMON & SIMON
• STARSKY & HUTCH
• T.J. HOOKER

"Hi, Miss Sleepyhead"

After a hiatus, my wife Erica's online comic strip The Miller Sisters returns with Part 5, #17 on TitleTrakk.com. (Scroll to bottom of page.) Julia's inherited superpowers are revealed -- so, what does a Christian college girl do now?

Catch up on the story at The Miller Sisters Archives
Erica on ComicSpace
The Miller Sisters at OnlineComics.net

FREE mystery stories!

Free mysteries and crime fiction at the click of a button -- all online! These links lead to books and stories by several authors, including Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), G.K. Chesteron (Father Brown), Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot), and (ahem) me.

INNOCENCE OF FATHER BROWN G.K. Chesterton
MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES Agatha Christie
ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES Arthur Conan Doyle
THE THINKING MACHINE Jacques Futrelle
Crime Fiction Bookshelf
Detective Fiction Bookshelf
Mystery Fiction Bookshelf
"Ruin" by Chris Well
"Mind Your Own Business" by Chris Well
"The Golden Age" by Chris Well
"Henry's Gift" by Chris Well
"Study of Newspaper Fonts" by Chris Well
"Little Country Church" by Chris Well
"Naked Truth" by Chris Well

Related links:
10 Christmas Crime Stories -- Online!
The sound of murder: Mystery fiction podcasts
All Aboard For Murder: 10 Mysteries and Thrillers On Trains
Christmas Can Be Murder: 10 Seasonal Mystery Titles
Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple

TV on DVD: Mission: Impossible, Hulk

More news from our friends at TVShowsOnDVD.com:

Incredible Hulk Plans Revealed for Last 3 Seasons of Bixby/Ferrigno Series
Mission: Impossible Leonard Nimoy's 'Paris' Coming to DVD with 4th Season!

Related:
Mystery TV Themes: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

Discovering new mysteries onstage

Big news for mystery fans out of the International Mystery Writers' Festival in Owensboro, KY: The 2007 fest swept the nominations in the play category for the Edgar Awards (pdf). On top of that, this summer's event will sport the U.S. premiere of a lost Agatha Christie play and the world premiere of new Sherlock Holmes mystery (pdf).

This year's festival is June 12–22. Info here.

Crime Fiction vs. Cozies

Over at my new ShoutLife profile, I posted a blog about why I've started leaning in the direction of whodunits. And it has kicked off quite the discussion ...

Comics: FALLEN WORLD

Between our website and her ComicSpace profile, my wife Erica has now posted all three installments of our indie comic FALLEN WORLD. The odd numbering is because it was our three-part zero issue. (To the non-comics readers out there, a "zero" issue is like a TV pilot.)

But, alas, life and other projects got in the way, so we never got around to the actual series ...

FALLEN WORLD #0-A: SMALL FORTUNE
An FBI agent receives a cry for help from an unlikely source ...
STORY: CHRIS WELL
ART: ERICA WELL



FALLEN WORLD #0-B: SMALL LOAD
A family squabble turns into a hostage crisis ...
STORY: CHRIS WELL
ART: ERICA WELL



FALLEN WORLD #0-C: SMALL COMFORT
FBI Agent Jonah Chang receives an ominous message from beyond the grave ...
STORY: CHRIS WELL
ART: ERICA WELL



MORE CHRIS & ERICA COMICS AT STUDIOWELL.COM AND COMICSPACE.COM/ERICAWELL

"What got you started writing?"

Recently, someone interested in writing fiction asked how I got started as a writer. This is how I broke it down:

I started writing in school. It led to writing for the local newspaper and then freelancing for magazines (and, eventually, moving to Nashville to be a magazine editor for the last 14 or so years).

I got to be a novelist when I met the folks at Harvest House through my work and, over the course of a couple of years, I came up with something they liked and they offered me a contract. (That relationship has since ended; I now have an agent who is shopping a couple of projects for me right now.)

The thing that connects all the above together is that each opportunity led to the next opportunity for me. The school paper led to the city newspaper, led to the national small magazine, led to the national larger magazine ... etc.

So ... to boil all that down to a few action points:

1. Write a lot. Fiction, nonfiction, scripts, poetry, whatever. I am a firm believer that no writing is ever a waste of time. (To paraphrase Ray Bradbury, every write has a million words of bad writing within them; the trick is to keep writing until you get it out of your system.)

2. Look for all the opportunities you have within arm's reach. (Church newsletter, local newspaper, etc. Write book reviews, write a column, write short stories for an online zine, etc.)

3. Meet a lot of people. (Conferences, bookstores, writer's groups, etc.)

It is a really long road for most writers (I have hardly "arrived") ... so the advice many give is, only do this if you HAVE to. If you have the ability to not write, then this isn't for you.

Ten drafts, eleven drafts, twelve ...

As previously mentioned, I will soon (eventually) be giving an EXCLUSIVE WORLD PREMIERE short story to subscribers to my free newsletter WELL READ. The original plan was to initiate a holiday tradition and send it out for Christmas ... but it is looking like this first one is going to be late. (Well, "looking like" is being a little too gracious. We're already a couple weeks past the deadline.)

Here's the thing: Whereas one of my novels goes through three-four-sometimes five drafts before my time runs out ... this shorter piece has now gone through a dozen or more drafts. The difference seems to be that in a manuscript that has 80,000-100,000 words, there are all kinds of places to tuck in a clue or work in some foreshadowing. But when you're in the neighborhood of just 12-13,000 words -- especially with a murder mystery, which requires a lot of working parts -- there are not so many places where you can tuck in something and make it seem natural.

And since this is the launch of a series, I want it to be just right.

What this means to you:
1) If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, it's still going to be a few more days.
2) If you are not yet a subscriber, you still have time to sign up for this limited offer.

BONUS CONTEST!
As the number of drafts pile up, it occurs to me that we can have a drawing at the end, too. For those who have an interest, one subscriber will win a package that includes hard copies of two or three of the previous versions of the story -- with all the scribblings and notes in the margin that entails. Anyone who wants the chance to compare the various versions (including the original 15,000 word novella) with the final product, this will be your chance.

In the meantime, I just hope to finally finish this story ...

Mystery TV Themes: PERRY MASON

This entry has been moved to Crime TV:

Mystery TV Themes: PERRY MASON
Opening Theme: PERRY MASON RETURNS

More TV Main Titles:
Opening Theme: DIAGNOSIS MURDER
Opening Theme: MATLOCK
Opening Theme: BARNABY JONES
Opening Theme: NBC Mystery Movie (COLUMBO)
Opening Theme: THE ROCKFORD FILES

Crime TV Main Titles

• AGATHA CHRISTIE'S GREAT DETECTIVES
• ALIAS
• AVENGERS (w/ NEW AVENGERS)
• BARNEY MILLER
• BATMAN 1966 (w/ THE ODD COUPLE)
• BONES
• CHECKMATE
• DRAGNET
• EQUALIZER (w/ CALLAN)
• GET SMART
• HARDY BOYS / NANCY DREW MYSTERIES
• HART TO HART
• HAWAII FIVE-O
• IT TAKES A THIEF
• JUDD, FOR THE DEFENSE
• KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER
• LONE RANGER
• MAGICIAN
• MAGNUM, P.I.
• MANNIX
• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
• MOD SQUAD
• MONK
• NBC MYSTERY MOVIE
• PERRY MASON
• PETER GUNN
• ROCKFORD FILES
• S.W.A.T.
• SAINT
• SIMON & SIMON
• STARSKY & HUTCH
• T.J. HOOKER