Joanna Campbell Slan recently interviewed author David Morrell, one of the four featured authors at Love is Murder #13 next February. This is the third of five interviews that will appear in Kiss! Kiss! Bang! Bang! Visit www.loveismurder.net and click on "Exciting News" to read the newsletter archives and previous interviews with Hank Phillippi Ryan and Donald Bain 

Slan: In The Successful Novelist and at Sleuthfest two years ago,

Author David Morrell

David, you talked about the importance of being "true to you" as an author. In the face of market demands and fewer publishers, could you give us a pep talk?  

It seems like publishing is a business of trends. How does an author sell a book-and stay "original"-in this environment?

Morrell: This is my 39th year as a published author. I've never seen anything like the current turmoil in publishing. Borders went out of business because its huge stores couldn't sustain a three-part market: music, videos, and books. Sales of CDs faltered in favor of digital downloads. DVD sales dropped in favor of downloads and Netflix rentals. Then e-books came along. Publishers are trying to adjust to the uncertainty. The traditional paperback is losing importance compared to the trade paperback. Advances and print runs are lower, except for the biggest names. The temptation is to chase successful trends, but nothing lasts forever. When trends change, there's more chasing. It's a poor way to plan a long-term career. In my writing classes, I emphasize that we need to be first-rate versions of ourselves and not second-rate versions of other writers. Only distinctive authors last a long time. We go to them because nobody has the skill or vision to offer what they do. But if the false values of wealth and fame are what an author wants, that author will always be unsatisfied, both artistically and personally. Before I write a book, I always answer the following question-why is this book worth a year of my life?  Our culture changes so fast that there's no guarantee anything we write will appeal to readers by the time it's published. I'd sooner write a book that's important to me. If it isn't a bestseller, at least I had the privilege of writing the book. At the very least, I know there's a ready market in the e-format, which gives authors a freedom they never had before. 

To read the rest of the interview with David Morrell, go to http://www.JoannaSlan.blogspot.com 

David Morrell will be a featured guest at Love Is Murder. His most recent book is The Naked Edge, available on Kindle. Learn more at www.davidmorrell.net.

Joanna Campbell Slan is the author of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series and the forthcoming Jane Eyre Chronicles, featuring Jane Eyre as an amateur sleuth. Go to www.JoannaSlan.com.  

Unpublished authors of fiction: here's your opportunity to get your short story published in our 2012 LIM Program Guide!

THE RULES

1. Only those authors who have never published fiction in any medium are eligible.

2. The story must be in the crime, suspense, thriller, or horror genres.

3. Maximum word count-5,000 words.  No minimum.

4. Manuscript must be double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, page numbered, with cover sheet that includes your name and contact information (especially e-mail).

5. Put the TITLE at the top of page 1 or in the header (after the cover sheet) but do not put the author's name or contact info on any page except the cover page so that judges do not know who wrote the stories until judging is finished.
6. Mail three copies of the manuscript to:

Susan Gibberman

Love is Murder Short Story Submissions

Schaumburg Township District Library

130 S. Roselle Road

Schaumburg, IL  60193

Deadline: entries must be postmarked no later than  

October 15, 2011

Winner will be announced in the November 2011 K!K!B!B! newsletter.  

Good luck!and remember, "You can't win if you don't enter!"  

Can't wait 'til February? Then join us at one or both Love Is Murder Chicago-area mini-cons in November! Mystery fans can meet and talk with authors, and get a taste of the February con. These events are FREE and open to everyone, whether or not you're attending the February conference (but of course, we know you'll be there!)  

The 2011 mini-cons take place at: 

· The Waukegan Public Library, Saturday, November 5, 1:00pm   

Luisa Buehler, Shane Gericke, Tasha Alexander, and Andrew Grant.

· The Vernon Area Library, Saturday, November 12, 1:00pm    

Raymond Benson, Robert Goldsborough, Michael Harvey, Jeffrey Small.

The number 13 has multiple associations with American history - the most recognized being the 13 stripes in the American flag that represent the original 13 colonies.  

Some other bits of "13" historical trivia that you may not know:

· Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and second President of the United States, was born on April 13, 1743.

· The United States government took out a loan for the very first time on September 13, 1789... from banks in New York City. (And we've been borrowing, and borrowing, and borrowing ever since...)

· The number 13 abounds on the reverse side of the dollar bill. In the Great Seal of the United States, there are 13 bars on the shield, 13 leaves and 13 fruits on the olive branch, 13 arrows, 13 stars above the eagle, and 13 plumes of feathers on each of the eagle's wings. The pyramid, opposite, has 13 steps. Wording-wise, "E pluribus unum" (out of many, one) and "Annuit coeptis" (God has favored our undertaking) each have 13 letters.

· The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is the one that forbids slavery: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

· Prohibition (the Eighteenth Amendment) lasted for 13 years, from 1920 till 1933. During that time, the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol for consumption was illegal... unless you got a prescription from your friendly local doctor, permitting you to drink for "medicinal purposes." Not surprisingly, the number of prescriptions for alcohol skyrocketed. Or, if you happened to be a Catholic priest or a rabbi, the law allowed you ten gallons of sacramental wine per adult, per year, for use in your religious ceremonies... which did wonders for attendance among would-be drinkers who might not otherwise have darkened the doors of a church or synagogue. One Jewish congregation in Los Angeles went from 180 families to 1,000 families within the first 12 months of Prohibition.

(Sources: www.mysticalnumbers.com, www.npr.org)

Quest for the Crystal Skull  

by David Ciambrone

Virginia Davies-Clark encounters some killers and an old crystal skull with something important in it.

The Dreamer Gambit  

by Kathryn Flatt

Troubled detective helps a singer in trouble for mentioning a dead man's name on TV.

Are you an author attending LIM 2012? Then take advantage of a terrific opportunity to advertise your work to more than 500 readers of our newsletter, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang!

Option 1 ($10 per title/newsletter issue): Book title and name.

Clyde's First Murder by I. M. A. Writer;   

one issue = $10; all six issues = $60

Option 2 ($15 per title/newsletter issue): Book title, name, and brief description or series information (15 words max).

Clyde's First Murder by I. M. A. Writer 

All Clyde wanted was a vacation by the sea. What he got instead was murder!

OR

Clyde's First Murder by I. M. A. Writer

Third in the "Men and Murder" series

OR

Clyde's First Murder by I. M. A. Writer
Award-winning short story from the anthology  "Men and Murder" by WhoKnows Press

One issue = $15; all six issues = $90   

Authors can advertise their books in one or more newsletters, up through the final issue in January, 2012. To participate in Author Spotlight, send the information requested above to Diane Piron-Gelman at wordnrd@gelmanmanor.com. Payment can be made on our website via PayPal, or authors can send a check or money order to: LIM, c/o Terri Stone, 1009 Iroquois Ave., Naperville, IL  60563. Advertising for all issues must be received by the first of the month.