Dot Dead Diary

An Ode to M.J.

Wednesday I taught a "master" course in mystery-writing along with Cornelia Reid and John Billheimer.  We had a blast.  One thing all three of us commented on was how supportive the crime fiction community is.

This was brought to mind again yesterday when I saw M.J. Rose's name in the paper.  Her terrific thriller, The Resurrectionist, is being turned into a TV show called Past Life that will be on Fox this fall.  A great sign too:  David Hudgins, the co-exec producer of Friday Night Lights (pay attention, Shelby) is honchoing the show.  Holy mackerel, M.J.! 

Last summer when I needed advice on my career direction, M.J. steered me the right way.  In March when I was looking for blurbs for the book I have coming out this fall, M.J. got back to me fastest of all.  It's great to see wonderful things happen to good people.

 

A scene from Past Life, based on M.J.'s The Resurrectionist, on Fox this fall 

A New Face?

Despite the familiar aphorism, book buyers do seem to think you can tell a book by its cover.

In a recent story on NPR, Martha Woodroof reports “the use of novelist photos steadily increased as the text-driven magazines of the first half of the 20th century gave way to the picture-driven ones of the second half.” Nicholas Latimer of Knopf relates a conversation with a People’s Magazine editor who told him that “if you have an attractive looking author, there’s a better chance that your book will get reviewed.” Latimer bemoaned this state of affairs: “That is just shocking to think that you have to have an attractive author first, and then if they’ve written something interesting they might review it.” (Click here if you want to listen to the whole NPR story.)

I’m screwed. Damn! Is a plastic surgeon as necessary as a good editor then?

Jessa Crispin, the BookSlut, tells NPR listeners, “You know, I have met too many writers who look absolutely nothing like their author photo. So you meet them at a party, you're like, who are you? Like, did you hire somebody for your author photos? Should I get someone to stand in for me?”

Good idea! I have a book coming out in October. Maybe getting the right stand-in for my author photo is the answer. Others employ ghost writers. I'll use a ghost face.

Below are four potential author pix. Which one will send Smasher to the top of the bestseller lists?