It’s Time To Share, TKZers! What Are You Working On?

A while back, a TKZer made an excellent suggestion: to give an opportunity for readers to share something about their writing and latest projects.

So, this is the day we want to hear about YOU, your WIP, and recent accomplishments! Don’t forget to include a link so that folks can find out more about your work.

C’mon, it’s time to toot your horn!

34 thoughts on “It’s Time To Share, TKZers! What Are You Working On?

  1. Working on Blackthorne, Inc. #9, which will be m 28th publication. Books 1-3 in the series will be released as a boxed set in about a week.
    Also compiling a set of my 3 Mapleton mystery novellas, which will make it “book length” and it’ll also be in audio. Find me at https://terryodell.com

    • Sounds great, Terry! Audible audiobooks are my newest passion. The only nit I have in general is with some of the narrators. Some of the male narrators tend to go into a breathy, silly sounding voice for any female character. Thanks for stopping in today and sharing with us, Terry!

  2. Most gratifying experiences recently have been while reading at events. I read at a Noir At The Bar event at the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity Con in MD early this month. This one also also had as a reader Kill Zone contributor, thriller author and apparently multi-talented John Gilstrap who won the award by dusting off an unfairly hilarious, scary poem he had written in his, er, teens, as I understand it. Yes, a poem, or at least prose that rhymed. Ask him about the inscribed penknife he won for his performance. I read a Philly mobster story; he went with a camp zombie piece that correctly gauged the audience’s appetite for Halloween fare. John, once again, proved that he knows his audience. PSA: Noir At The Bar events during the last week of October are in support of a GoFundme campaign for Team Evie. Evie is teenage daughter to crime/noir/comics writer Duane Swierczynski and wife Meredith. I’ll be attending one in Philly this coming Sunday Oct. 28 at 6:30 at the Misconduct Tavern. I’m not expected to read, am waitlisted because of the enormous groundswell of support that has developed. https://www.gofundme.com/pcsv88-team-evie

    • Well, since you asked . . .
      The Buck knife prize is lovely. It’s inscribed with the words, “Fan Favorite – 10/5/2018”. That was my very first Noir at the Bar, and Chris, I thought your piece was terrific.

      I’d been looking for a venue for “The Ballad of Old Mack Cook” for many (many) years. I don’t think I could pull it off again at a Noir at the Bar (because it’s kind of a little bit like cheating), and I know damn well that it would never survive a serious poetry reading. Creatures, Crimes & Creativity (C3) is always a great time.

  3. Kathryn –
    I was one of those who suggested the TKZ sharing. Thank you for giving it a go!
    I recently released “Wrongful Deaths”, book number three in my medical suspense-thriller series.
    Central to the story is the opioid addiction crisis. I’m pleased with how the realities of this scourge fit within an action-packed, emotion-laden tale. My resources included law-enforcement, EMS, attorneys, treatment specialists, and many others who are on the front lines dealing with the criminal, medical, legal, and personal horrors this deadly epidemic is causing. Readers become informed via 100% authentic content while engaged in a suspenseful tale about characters they care about.
    https://goo.gl/XTSLQ7
    It’s interesting and fun to see what is happening among this remarkable group. I hope others feel the same.
    Thank you for the opportunity to share and the chance to see what other TKZers are doing.

    • Tom, thanks for the suggestion! It’s wonderful to read about everything the folks in our TKZ community have been up to. Congratulations on the release of book number 3 (that’s a great title, btw!) . Medical thrillers are one of my absolute favorite genres. I remember getting to ask Dr. Robin Cook a question at a conference once—it was so much fun!

      • Thank you, Kathryn.
        A reviewer said “John Grisham ntroduced legal suspense and intrigue to the mainstream – Tom Combs has done the same with the world of medicine.” The truth is Robin Cook beat me to the punch by decades 🙂
        If you’d like to try the first book in my series I’d be happy to gift it to you. Please email me at tcombsauthor@gmail.com if interested. The offer is there for any other TKZ faculty who might be interested…a small gesture in appreciation of the years of posts I’ve benefited from.
        Thanks for all who are sharing today. I’m too lazy to reply to all but love seeing the work of fellow TKZers and will be following up. Thanks!

  4. I’m actually taking a break from writing as I just released the third book in my Enid Gilchrist cozy genealogy mystery series. I also did a ton of research for this book (forensic/genealogy DNA related–see my blog for details). I always have to take a break between books. I’m old and I need to clean my house. What else can I say? But my mind won’t stop considering possible plots for the next book. I’m insisting the thoughts stay on the back burner, though, as I also have a TBR pile that needs my attention. I love to read as much as I love to write, and I believe reading helps me improve my own writing. So off I go! You can find me here: http://sylviaanash.com

    • Thanks Sylvia! I also take breaks now and then to clean the house, tend to my family and read other people’s books. Sometimes I feel guilty for not writing every day, but I’m always listening, thinking and planning what to write the next time I sit down, just like you.

  5. Just finished my 11th book and the last of a 3 book series. Begin work on my 12th. I’m also set to teach self-publishing as a community education course at my local community college in February, so working on the powerpoint for that. Thinking about a YA series but haven’t found a purpose there yet.

  6. “Lisa, a nineteen-year-old widow desperate for family, tries to find her unknown father. Can she show that he did not murder her mother fourteen years earlier?”

    My first novel is at 87K words. I’m editing a print-out right now. You see things you don’t see on the laptop screen.

    A number of my short stories, in various stages of revision as I learn more about writing, are available at medium.com and at http://www.ericbeversluis.com. Many were written in response to prompts at theweeklyknob.com, part of medium.com.

  7. “A young publicist’s career goals are threatened when a tweet accusing her famous client of plagiarism goes viral.” – working title is Boomerang

    First novel – will complete first draft in the next month and then on to revision, beta readers, developmental edit and hopefully publication.

    Also continuing my podcast where I interview debut authors of women’s fiction (www.maggiesmithwriter.com) I’m in awe at the productivity of the readers above. And even though I don’t write “thrillers”, I always find the blogs at KillZone add to my writing knowledge. Thanks for all you do.

    • Thanks for stopping in and sharing, Maggie! Your story reminds me of some unlucky souls who have managed to ruin their lives overnight by posting something ill-considered on social media, which then goes viral. There should be a standard pop up warning: “Do You Really Want To Tweet This?” ?

  8. Thanks for the opportunity!

    I’m working on my 11th book, the first in a series set in Natchez, MS about park rangers. Working title: Natchez Standoff. I’m also editing the last book of my Memphis Cold Case series Justice Delivered with a heroine who was trafficked for eight years.

    And on my blog each week, I have a Mystery Question for my readers to guess the answer to…it’s usually about stupid criminals. https://ptbradley.com/blog/ This week the title is “Can you guess the incorrect answer.”

    Each month I give away a book or gift card.

  9. “A watch that tells more than the time …”

    This is the tag line for my first novel, “The Watch on the Fencepost”, which is published by CrossLink Publishers. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon and other retailers. Official release date is February 2019.

    The book is a mystery about a young woman whose parents recently died in an automobile accident. A mysterious gold watch left on a fencepost leads her to discover a dark family secret and a suspicion that her parents were murdered.

    Using the problem-solving skills taught to her by her engineering professor father, she follows a series of cryptic clues and encounters a cast of characters who all had connections to her parents, including an actress with a talent for disguises, a politician with a secret of his own, and a handsome businessman who shows a sudden romantic interest in her.

    To stimulate interest in the book, I’m sponsoring a puzzle contest for people who sign up for my newsletter at kaydibianca.com. The winner will get a $100 Amazon gift certificate. (I was glad to see Patricia Bradley has a similar idea.)

  10. I’m starting a new series of short stories and novellas, using the classic noir style. The first novella is called ‘The Crimson Dragon Social Club. Here is the opening few paragraphs. First draft. Tell me what you think.

    The Crimson Dragon Social Club is for certain gentlemen only. It has a restaurant, a place to play mahjong, and maybe spend an evening upstairs with a willing young woman. Friday nights the elders of the Hip Sing tong usually meet to discuss their business. But there are times when crazy things happen. Like the night Arthur Tam and Jimmy “the Snake” Chee were thrown out for being drunk and disrespecting their elders. You wouldn’t think that would be a big deal. But it was.
    I’d met several leaders of the Dragon when I investigated Seattle Councilwoman Evelyn Wu’s murder.
    We caught her killer huddled under a boat in someone’s backyard on Beacon Hill. He fell down several times on the way to jail. I had two uniforms to take him over to Seattle General’s Emergency Room for treatment. Unfortunately, he died on the way. Members of the Dragon were grateful. That was back in 1949 when I was still a police homicide detective.
    Out of the blue, I got invited to have lunch at the Dragon with Mr. Lien Chan, himself.

  11. Thanks for asking! I’ve enjoyed seeing the variety of projects ya’ll are working on. I’m waiting for query responses on my debut “Death by Dissertation” and seriously considering self-pub soon. Preparing the sequel, “Dead Week” for next month’s NaNoWriMo is taking most of my free time. I’ve learned so much from TKZ and appreciate your support and encouragement. My website is here: http:\kellybrakenhoff.com

  12. I’m pushing through the last third of my WIP. I’ve been here before, but it’s still exhausting. At least I’m not losing confidence in this manuscript like all the ones before. I’ve also been hit by a new idea, and am working on it’s outline.

    Workwise, I’m interning at a lit agency, and starting to apply for other positions as the semester ends.

    • You’re doing the right thing, Azali—just keep writing! And I’ll bet interning at a literary agency is like getting a course in creative writing. Take copious notes!

Comments are closed.