Why You Should be Reading More Thrillers by Women--and a CONTEST

I don't often go on tilt, as my boys say, but once in awhile, I get frustrated with the book industry. Case in point: A conference I once loved posted their line up of "star authors." There wasn't a single woman in the bunch! When I asked why, they told me, "Oops. We couldn't come up with any women's names who would be big draws, especially since we usually feature thriller writers."

They must be drinking their own Kool-Aid, something spiked with testosterone, because my bookshelves are full of thrilling reads by fantastic women writers.

1. Heather Graham -- I just finished Let the Dead Sleep. Graham is a writing masterclass on the page. This book has it all: a slightly paranormal twist; a fantastic New Orleans setting done right; strong female protagonist; and interesting secondary characters. Oh, and did I mention a rollicking plot?

2. Meg Gardiner -- Her newest book The Shadow Tracer combines a couple of fascinating female protagonists with a glorious panorama of a setting and adds a current topic (fanatic religious sects) in a fast paced adventure that I couldn't put down. And yeah, I consider Meg a friend. She's fantastic.

3. Kathy Reichs -- Somehow I missed Deadly Decisions, so I picked up a copy and I'm having trouble tearing myself away. I always learn so much from Reichs, and she's as impressive in person as she is on paper. Her entire Temperance Brennan series makes for chilling, thrilling, and thought-provoking reading.

4. Lori Armstrong -- Her "Mercy Gunderson" series is superb, and a great example of how a character can grow and change as a series progresses. Mercy's backstory makes her a compelling character.

Here are a few other reasons I value these authors--

1. They didn't choose to write under a pseudonym. Yup, they are women and they don't care who knows it. Got to admire that!

2. They don't indulge in gratuitous violence/perversion toward women in their books. Too many "thriller" authors take the low road by indulging all their blackest, most foul imaginings and frankly, scare the bejeebers out of me. These talented authors stay within the bounds of good taste while offering great reads.

3. Their female protagonists are appropriately strong and weak, rather than super humans.

4. Nobody immediately has sex with the first man who wanders across her path. Honestly, I've had it with books by men where the male protag beds every woman on every page. I mean, REALLY?

Here's the thing: Most women buy hardback books for their husbands/boyfriends to read. Why not buck the trend as exhibited by the-conference-that-shall-not-be-named? Why not buy a hardback by one of these fine women authors and hand it to the guy in your life...

After you read it, of course.

CONTEST

To make it easier on your wallet, I'll send one lucky commenter a copy of Let the Dead Sleep. Just tell me who your favorite female thriller writer is!

You Can't Phone It In

Beth Groundwater posted this outstanding information about planning a Blog Book Tour. Go to http://midnightwriters.blogspot.com to read it. (I'm having some STUPID "cookie" problem with Internet Explorer so I can't share the tiny url...yet. Will someone please explain to me why the same computer that was a happy camper last night woke up with new rules this morning?)

Anyway, and last Monday I promised to post more about Desire Pathways and getting noticed. Suffice it to say, Internet Explorer is making that DIFFICULT. Argh.

But here's a paraphrase of what a mentor of mine once said, "It's not worth going if nobody knows you showed up."

So...how do you distinguish yourself? Do you attend meetings and conferences and never make new friends? Are you so hum-drum that people forget you? Are your marketing materials so pedestrian that they get tossed?

I once went to a writers' and fans' conference with a friend. We were pleased to be rooming together because we were both "wanna-be" mystery authors at the time. Everywhere we went we spoke to people and introduced each other. One evening, back in our room, she said to me, "This is entirely different from the last time I came. Last time, the person I roomed with only left the room to go to specific sessions. She spent the rest of the time holed up here. She'd pull on her clothes to go hear a panel, then come back here, strip to her underwear and watch TV."

Wow. What a social idiot. (Yeah, I'm a tad cranky today.)

Then my roomie paused and grimaced. "And she needed new underwear, too."

UGH.

Hear me clearly, I'm an introvert. I know, I know. If you've met me, you'd find that hard to believe, but the definition of an introvert is someone who is energized by alone time. An extrovert is energized by social contact. So...I'm still being me when you see me out in public, and I'm genuinely happy to be with you, but you need to know that after extended face-time, I need to find a hidey-hole and crash. For a while. Then I'll be back on the floor saying, "Hi," and asking you how your life is going.

When I go to a conference, I go to meet people. I go to make new contacts. And if I know you and you don't know the author or fan standing next to me, I'll introduce you. I don't "hog" my contacts. That's not how it works. That's not polite, and it's certainly not good business. In fact, it's borderline selfish and rude.

So this whole idea of staying in one's room--wearing your undies, no less--and only showing up to hear a panel or a speaker is just...okay...one word? STUPID.

Why not save the money and stay home?

This is life. You can't phone it in.

Don't even try.