I Blog For You

Reality

2007-11-03T19:28:00.001-04:00

The reality is...this is one blog too many. Obviously, I haven't been keeping it up. And I'm the one who tells everyone that a blog that is not updated is worse than useless! Time to listen to my own advice.

My business is going in a new direction, and while blogging will still be important, this one has to go dark.

Thanks for reading. I hope you'll visit my personal blog, The PegBoard.

Oh, No...Say It Ain't So!

2007-05-20T21:38:00.000-04:00

Writers all over the country and perhaps the world are today mourning the loss of the Snark. No, she's not left this life, only the blogosphere, but that's bad enough. Miss Snark has been part of my "start the day" routine for more than a year. With a balance of honesty, humor, and snarkiness, this literary agent set many writers straight on the world of publishing. Her clue gun was merciless when trained upon a nitwit. Yet beneath the crusty exterior of stiletto heels and ever sloshing gin pail, we knew there was a caring soul who wanted writers to succeed. Her passion for George Clooney was matched by her passion for dishing out frank advice.

Her blog went dark today after two years and some two million hits. She is leaving it up so that future snarklings can troll through the archives and still find her wisdom. Killer Yapp is licking up the last of the gin as her cry fades one last time..."Write well!"

Thanks, Miss Snark.

Who Was That Man With the Wild Hair?

2007-04-09T18:01:00.000-04:00

Washington, D.C.'s Metro riders had an unexpected – and unrecognized – treat one morning in January. In the L'Enfant Plaza Station, as thousands of government workers and contractors streamed by on their morning commute, a street musician laid down his violin case, picked up his instrument and bow, and began a serenade. He played classical music for three-quarters of an hour, collected some decent tips, then packed up and left.

What the commuters didn't know, and only one in over 1,000 recognized, was that they had a free concert from the matinee idol of violinists. A few days before he had packed them in at Boston's symphony hall to the tune of $100 and more a ticket. Soon after his incognito appearance in the Metro station, he left for a tour of European capitals. But this morning he was part of a Washington Post experiment that proved once again that we see and hear what we expect to.

Who was that man in jeans and a Washington Nationals baseball cap? And could he make it as a street musician? Read the story and find out. Watch the short videos for the sound of his music. You'll find yourself shaking your head and wondering if you, too, would have walked past the virtuoso of the subway.

Thanks to Miss Snark for the link to the article.

**Spoiler Alert: His name revealed below for those who just can't wait.**

The man with the wild hair and the $3.5 million violin was…Joshua Bell

Poynting the Way

2007-02-16T09:53:00.000-05:00

There must be as many morning routines as there are people, from the traditional coffee blast to the contemplative tai chi moves. There are morning people; those annoying types who can form full, coherent sentences within ten minutes of awakening. And there are the ones who ease into the day allowing it to unfold as it will, a gift to be unwrapped slowly and savored.

Most weekdays I find that Al Poynter is a good guy to wake up with. He sends me "Al's Morning Meeting," an email newsletter full of interesting stuff served up in bite-sized pieces. Sort of like tapas for the mind, the writing is fresh and accessible. Usually he has two or three topics and includes copious links that snare the unwary information junkie.

Today it's just one story, a profile of a retiring newsman with a knack for storytelling. Normally I would say, "that's interesting" and move on, but the links were too intriguing to ignore – they promised critters and nature stories. This story of a man, a dog, and a Canada goose named Daisy will take you away from whatever has your blood pressure rising. I guarantee you'll get not only a smile but also one of those magically quiet "wow" moments that will smooth out your day.

After you've seen the video, go to Poynter's site and sign up for the newsletter. Your mornings will be brighter and your brain will thank you.

Let's Hear it For Over-Achievers

2007-01-29T17:10:00.000-05:00

This story is so full of wonderful visual images: an eagle with aspirations that exceed his talons' strength and wing lifting capacity. Sadly he didn't live to tell his grand-eagles about the day he scored a major trophy, but I love that he tried.

And enjoy another tale with a better ending, so far. Shot, refrigerated, and revived during surgery...that's one tough duck.

Here's to all the over-achievers, whether winged or finned or furred or human. You've got to love 'em.

She's Got Grammar and It's a Hit

2007-01-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

This does my heart good – to learn that a grammar geek has a highly rated podcast! With the English language under assault from sloppy emails and text message abbreviations, the thought that someone could have a hit with grammar is delightful. A few years ago it was the book "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" that grabbed attention. Now it is Mignon Fogarty and her "Grammar Girl's Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing."

As CNN reports, "The show is currently the 47th most popular podcast on Apple's iTunes service, right behind 'Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day.'" Fogarty says the shows have been downloaded more than 1.3 million times, and have ranked as high as number two on iTunes.

My writer and editor friends are all grinning with me, I'm sure.

Surprise = Laughter

2007-01-05T08:58:00.000-05:00

Don't you love it when something small and surprising makes you laugh out loud? That's happened twice for me in the past couple of days. Uncontrived humor gets me every time.

First, I was scanning the Inman News bulletin. Twice a day the latest real estate news appears in my inbox. Endless articles about the housing market in different areas of the country share space with advice on problems and advice on everything from dealing with appraisers to insect infestations (yuck). There's a blog, of course, and I usually scroll quickly through the most recent posts. Here's what - or who - stopped me this time: Lt. Worf. Seems a Silicon Valley real estate brokerage is doing everything they can to accommodate their clients whatever their origin. Besting every other broker around, they employ agents who speak a world of languages - including Klingon. K'plah!

And then there was the koala baby. The Tokyo Zoo introduced its baby koalas to the public on December 20. The babies are clingy and adorable, of course. But watch the brief Reuters video and you'll see a furry headlock that had me hooting. Fuzzy and funny - an unbeatable combination.

So what made you laugh today?

Are You a Giraffe?

2006-12-15T17:15:00.000-05:00

The Internet is a feast of wonders for info-hounds and knowledge-hogs. We can spend hours following link after link and discovering the most delightful nooks and crannies. Recently, thanks to my sister Kathleen, I discovered the Giraffe Heroes Project.

"Giraffe Heroes are people who stick their necks out for the common good." You probably know some in your own community. They are the people who see a need, don't ask for permission but just go ahead and do something about it using their own time and money. These quiet heroes act out of human empathy and a sense of what's right. That's not always a popular or easy thing to do. Not many of us would be willing to lose a career or home or even risk death to help others.

The Giraffe Heroes Project recognizes that their honorees face risks of many kinds in the course of making a difference – that's the "sticking your neck out" part. The site has a page devoted to the criteria for a "Giraffe" and invites nominations of those who work "…for the common good by alleviating suffering, rectifying injustice or advancing goals such as peace or a healthy environment." Take a few minutes to read their newsletter.

What does a Giraffe look like? Something like 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus or Doris Sassower or Mike Houck. Maybe even like you?

Not Your Traditional Thanksgiving Message

2006-11-23T19:23:00.000-05:00

Yes I am thankful today. Family and friends and cats, of course. But in the larger world, I'm thankful for examples of good judgment and plain old common sense overruling personal myopia and corporate greed.

I'm speaking, of course, about the OJ book fiasco. If ever you need a case history in how groupthink can go horribly astray, there it is. That book never got to publication without a lot of people convincing themselves and each other it was a good idea, or at least a moneymaking idea. Somehow they all managed to hold their noses and sign on to the concept that the American public can't get enough of that sick story.

They were spectacularly wrong. To all those independent booksellers who refused to order the book, and to the sponsors who would not be part of the TV circus, and to the bloggers and columnists and publishing professionals who raised such a ruckus...Thank you! In a matter of days you trumped Rupert Murodoch, one of the richest men in the world, and forced him to cancel plans that common sense should have told him were just plain stupid from the beginning.

I love the power of people to say "No!" and make it heard in the most cloistered executive suites. We should remember and use it more often.

(Murdoch photo courtesy of Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch)

"Life Is Too Short to Perfect Your Weaknesses"

2006-11-10T11:40:00.000-05:00

It's one of those phrases - you hear it, and in a nanosecond recognize an essential truth, and then in the next wonder why you never understood something so simply profound before. Some people have the knack of saying just what you need to hear at the time. Joeann Fossland is such a person.

If you're not involved in real estate you may not know of Joeann, but take the time now to meet her. Go to her website, Joeann.com, where she promises Relaxed Real Estate for Magnificent Agents through coaching, speaking, and a variety of services. Be sure to read her bio. You'll learn about a fascinating lady with a zest and appreciation for life that is infectious. She’s lived several lives in her one so far, and someday I want to spend an evening just listening to the wonderful stories I’m sure she has to share.

I met Joeann just about a month ago through my good friend and Realtor® extraordinaire, Margaret Rome. We had little time to chat, but I immediately felt that Joeann is giving and caring with the openness that lights the world. If she didn't live in Arizona, I'd be buying her lunch at least once a month just to get a shot of that positive energy.

Joeann helps real estate professionals improve their businesses and their lives. She describes her blog as "Resources, articles and thoughts on being awesomely productive and creative while enjoying a life you love!" What else could you want?

The Joys of Intelligent Conversation

2006-11-06T12:52:00.000-05:00

The freedom of the internet allows for a staggering range of opinions, causes, and rants. From esoteric discussions to porn sites, you can find just about anything you want…or wish you’d never seen. People of strong beliefs plant their flags in the blogosphere and fill the cyberair with their “truth.”

It is refreshing, therefore, to find a blog that features intelligent and articulate discourse. OmegaWord is such a weblog. His subtitle is “How do we learn to communicate?” Read him – often – and you’ll be rewarded with a range of subjects and ideas treated with thoughtfulness that is never heavy or inaccessible. Clearly a word lover, he is also a fan of Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac which, as you know, is one of my favorites too. This is one blog worth your time and thought.

In the Market For a Haunted House?

2006-10-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

Inman News is the source for real estate news. Their site is full of the latest information for anyone in that industry. It is a subscription site, but I get their daily newsletters – there is a morning and an evening edition – and you can read any story on the day it appears free. Their blog is breezy and every few posts you'll find something of interest even if you're not a Realtor® or a mortgage broker or appraiser.

Today, for instance, there's a piece about a site that offers to help you find an (allegedly) haunted house to buy. Not interested in a house? The site also offers books, videos, and a ghost-hunting tool.

Then last week there was the post about what the more-money-than-taste crowd can do with their excess cash to make the life of a poor little doggie better. Like a mini-mansion decorated in doggie style for up to $100,000. What worries me is that there must actually be a market for this kind of thing. Wonder how many jugs of milk and loaves of bread that could buy in Darfur? (End of rant.)

The Inman blog is a quick, easy read and worth a visit. Though you can only read a story on Inman News the day it appears (without a subscription), the blog is always open.

Don't Have a Cow...Give One

2006-09-23T17:11:00.000-04:00

Full disclosure - this post is also on my personal blog, The PegBoard. But I feel so strongly about it that I'm copying my own content and publishing it in both places.

Last week Richard Branson pledged $3 billion to fight the global warming that certain people in Washington are pretending doesn't exist. It does, it's a problem, and Branson is doing something about it.

Not long ago Warren Buffett gave billions to the Gates Foundation to fight a variety of diseases including HIV and AIDS. Some in Africa and Asia still try to pretend that AIDS is not a problem. It is, and Buffett and Gates will make a difference.

I can spell "billionaire" but that's as close as I'll ever get to the likes of Branson, Buffett, and Gates. Ah, but I can make a difference just as they can. My choice is a solution to hunger that brings with it self-esteem, economic self-relieance, and the essential concept of giving back in recognition of the gifts you've been given.My choice is Heifer International. I first learned about them several years ago, and thought it was one of the best ideas ever. Don't just give people food, give them the means to feed themselves. Don't just hand them a month's worth of cheese, give them the cow so they can feed their children, make their own butter and cheese, sell the extra milk, and work toward self-sufficiency. People around the world – including right here in the United States – receive not only an animal but also training on how to care for it.

But the best idea – the one that makes Heifer unique and so effective – is the idea of "passing on the gift." People who receive a cow, or chickens, or rabbits, or a llama, or any gift from Heifer, agree to pass on the gift by sharing the animals' offspring with others in need in their community. Thus, the gift of self-reliance and self-esteem multiplies and spreads through the community.

So every year the largest contribution I make is to Heifer. As my business grows, so will my donation. I can't think of a better way to express my gratitude for gifts I've received than to pass them on to where they can make a permanent and positive difference for people who only want to care for themselves and their families.

If you have a favorite cause, start setting aside something every month to give. If you don't have a favorite of your own, consider Heifer. And pass on the gift.

You Can Quote Me

2006-09-05T21:25:00.000-04:00

I'm a sucker for quotations. Always have been. I don't agree with those who say using someone else's words is lazy. I believe you should celebrate and enjoy the well-turned phrase wherever you find it.

Over the years I've had famous (and not so famous) words tacked up on the side of file cabinets and bulletin boards where I can see them with a turn of my head. Right now on the bulletin board is "Well behaved women rarely make history" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. And over there under a magnet on the supply cabinet is Richard Bach's "You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however."

So you can imagine my delight when I discovered a blog devoted to quotes. I've barely scratched the surface, but have already added it to my daily read list. So when you need a few well chosen words, go to http://quotes.wordpress.com.

Beasts and Birds

2006-08-27T16:23:00.000-04:00

If you have a blog on Blogger, you know that the login page has a rolling list of recently updated blogs, and a category called "Blogs of Note." A few months ago I clicked on the noted blog out of curiosity, and found one worth revisiting.

Rigor Vitae is written by "A failed field biologist with credentials to be a street sweeper, NASA spokesman, or wildlife artist. Settled for the third option." His artwork is breathtaking, and his writing about art and nature is both detailed and thought provoking. For someone like me who doesn't have nearly enough time to study everything I want to learn about, this site is a welcome addition to the list of favorite blogs. His droll sense of humor doesn't hurt, either.

Bibliophilic Obsession

2006-08-20T21:11:00.000-04:00

Books are akin to jelly beans, potato chips, and Dove chocolates: once you’ve had a taste, you simply cannot stop with one or two. Readers and writers joke despairingly about the height and breadth of their TBR (to be read) piles. Most of us have more than one. There’s the next-to-the-bed TBR, the living room TBR, and the not-yet-piled TBR that resides in several bookcases scattered around the house.

Personally, I favor baskets. Under my glass coffee table live an assortment of baskets with an eclectic collection of books and magazines. Favorites like Schott’s Miscellany and Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, stay there after reading for a quick word snack. The best of the bunch from each Malice Domestic mystery conference live there, too, waiting for the chance to be my next traditional mystery read. An assortment of other fiction and nonfiction titles are stacked in an order that makes sense to me both under and on top of the table.

Then there are the boxes and bags in the basement. More Malice books, treasures from my Mother’s and aunt’s collections, and the odd book of quotations or high school yearbook, all waiting for a new home in that bookcase that lies in neatly stacked pieces with assembly hardware and directions nearby.

So you might say that the last thing I need is to learn about any other books. You could say that my present collection plus the two pages of my Amazon wish list should hold me for a decade or two. You would be wrong.

Every day I receive an email from Garrison Keillor with new-to-me discoveries. A bit of poetry, a bit of history, and facts about authors famous and obscure. The Writer’s Almanac is not a blog but it is a daily read, and that’s close enough for me. When the CNN alerts become too depressing, my Writer’s Almanac is a refuge of sanity.

High Flight - Part One of Many

2006-08-11T22:46:00.000-04:00

Flying is an unfulfilled passion for me. Not commercial jet flying – certainly not any more. It used to be fun; these days the intrusive paranoia that envelopes any trip to an airport has destroyed the last bit of enjoyment. And that was back in the good old days last week when you could still take a bottle of water or a Chapstick on board.

No, I’m talking about flying in a small plane. The thrill of rolling down the runway, bouncing gently on three tires, steering with your feet, watching the needles swing round the instrument faces until takeoff speed is reached, pulling back slowly on the yoke, and suddenly, effortlessly…you are flying. The earth drops away. You bank left, holding the yolk back slightly, stepping on the rudder, seeking a perfectly coordinated turn.

It’s been years since I soloed, way back when BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport was still Friendship Airport, and Piper Cherokees shared approach control with 747s. That day is as clear as the sunlit afternoon a year ago when I sat strapped into a T-6 Texan turning loops over Warrenton, Virginia.

Hangar flying is what I do these days. Financial realities don’t allow for a hobby with a price tag that might give Warren Buffet pause. But having the memories, I can feel myself at the controls of a little Cessna, light and flirty as a dragonfly. I can even imagine flying with the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds, flinging myself and my machine around the sky in formation, screaming along feet above the ground and then soaring straight up, back home to the blue ocean sky.

All this is to point you to a flying blog – one of several that I’ve found and enjoyed. It is, appropriately enough, called Hangar View. Check out the wonderful photos from Oshkosh, the annual roundup of flying enthusiasts and their beloved machines.

Happy landings!

Where Are the Reunion Blogs?

2006-08-06T21:16:00.000-04:00

There are millions of blogs, and the blogosphere is growing exponentially. So why is it that I seem to find uninhabited niches? In this case, school reunions. Googling turns up very few blogs, and Technorati brings up scores of people talking about their reunions, but not blogs for the reunions.

High school reunions are on my mind because we are just back from a bittersweet weekend in New Jersey. A dozen of my husband's fellow graduates got together for a high school reunion, tagging along on the reunion activities of the class after theirs. I went along and enjoyed seeing him reconnect with people he had known all those years ago.

What I found most interesting was how the years fell away as people met, and even more, the differences that separated them back then also disappeared. The bitter side of the sweet was what has happened to that school since they graduated, and how it is struggling to pull itself back up to the stature it had when they were students.

This trip made me wonder whether I should go to my own high school reunion in October. I was one who couldn't wait to get out of high school; it was a painful time for a wall-flower, aware as I was that I was not "in" or even close to it. Until this weekend, I had only some curiosity about the reunion because I thought those same divides might carry over the decades.

Now I think, if I've changed as much as I have, of course others have as well. What intriguing life stories might be waiting for me to hear? What would it be like to revisit the town where I grew up after so long away? Could I reconnect with the friend from grade school who shares my birthday, or the woman whose parents were such good friends of my parents? Fascinating are the possibilities now.

A reunion blog could be a place to exchange information, post schedules, or share "then and now" photos - kind of your own corner of "Classmates" but without the cost. A blog is much easier to set up and maintain than a Web site, and thanks to services like Blogger, it's free. It can be as public or private as you like. So why aren't there more reunion blogs?

Are You a Publicity Hound?

2006-08-03T10:28:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago some good friend turned me on to The Publicity Hound. Joan Stewart is a publicity expert who has a free weekly newsletter loaded with tips for gaining free publicity. That’s my price range for sure! A while ago, she started a blog to go along with her web site and ezine, and it’s joined my daily feed list. If you read her regularly, you’ll find that you start recognizing when a publicity or PR technique is smart, stupid, or just plain off target.

Joan has a few pet peeves that come through regularly, and I’m with her on thinking that photos of smiling people holding up an oversized check, or wearing hard hats and holding shovels, are deadly dull. The difference is that The Publicity Hound offers alternatives that make sense, and get you started thinking about new ways to promote your own business or event.

Recently Joan started an 89-day tutorial, "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases." Every day there’s a new email and a quick-read tip to improve how you write and distribute press releases to not only journalists but also potential customers. Like the ezine, it’s free, and I’m looking forward to following through on some of her suggestions.

Check it out for yourself. If you need help promoting your business, charity, book, or professional service, The Publicity Hound has plenty of ideas to get you going in the right direction.

Map Your Future

2006-07-31T20:48:00.000-04:00

Kerch McConlogue is one of those people you wish you had met earlier in life because you know you might have done more with her helping you along. Kerch is a life coach in Baltimore who has a web site with great information, and a blog that gave me and Margaret Rome a wonderful mention a couple of days ago. Take a look, and bookmark both of them for good advice and interesting commentary.

Anyone Create Jewelry?

2006-07-27T23:26:00.000-04:00

I’ve just spent more time than I had on a fruitless search for jewelry blogs. I love handcrafted jewelry and wanted to discover and share something remarkable. What I found were sly attempts to disguise advertising as a blog – there are plenty of those. Apparently someone is spreading the word that if you call it a blog, people won’t notice if every “article” is a photo of design F-3498 from your catalog.

No, I was looking for honest to goodness blogs about jewelry design and jewelry making. I know that artists love to talk about their work, sometimes in much more detail than anyone else can tolerate politely.

I can say that because I used to call myself an artist. A dozen years ago you would have found me with stubby fingernails and perpetually gritty clothes, happily ensconced in my studio creating and executing original designs in stained glass. Of a Thursday morning, several times a year, I would load my van with plastic crates and knock-down wooden tables. By the evening I would have transformed an 8’ x 10’ square of cement at some fairground into a display of light and color designed to delight the eye and part admirers from their money. Friday through Sunday I smiled, answered questions, and looked politely interested when a woman exclaimed that her 8 year old had learned to make stained glass “just like this” at camp one day.

You may have noticed I don’t do that any more. Wonderful it was, profitable it was not. So I went back to a “real” job for a while.

But I know there are hundreds of talented artists and fine craftspeople creating and selling their work. Creativity isn’t restricted to one medium per person, so why don’t jewelry makers also write blogs? Will I also find a dearth of fiber artists or wood turners or weavers? Stay tuned….

Women in Science - a Notable Example

2006-07-25T17:55:00.000-04:00

Like many women and not a few men, I shook my head in bafflement at the now infamous comments of Lawrence Summers, late of Harvard University. When Dr. Nancy Hopkins of MIT walked out on his speech, she expressed the disdain of thousands. I thought we had finally moved beyond the old concepts that there are subjects for “girls” and then there are the real subjects for “boys.”

Back in the Pleistocene era when I was in high school, there actually were different aptitude tests. I recall feeling somehow inadequate when I scored so low on the “social work” scale that I was off the chart, and embarrassed that my “science” score was much too high to be considered feminine. After all these years, and having worked at NIH and met brilliant women scientists, I believed the progress was real.

But old misconceptions die hard, and in academe they become ossified in marble minds, so that progress can only be made when the marble becomes a headstone. A young woman Ph.D. candidate in the Northwest is chronicling her life as she progresses towards her dissertation defense date. She juggles her work, her family, and the challenges of being a woman in science. Her blog is a window into a world not many of us know, but is well worth a look

Words Fail Me (Almost)

2006-07-23T13:44:00.000-04:00

Where can you go to learn about hi-jinks in Hungary, a polluted pelican, or a concerted assault on teen partying by means of Barry Manilow and Doris Day music? All you need is this link: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/.

That last part – “OFF/beat” – tells you just about all you need to know. Reporter Emil Steiner says, “Funny news is everyone’s guilty pleasure, and so the goal of “OFF/beat” is to create a shared repository for anyone who wants a quick laugh at work or a memorable story for happy hour.” Any paraphrasing would not do this blog justice - go see for your self.

Sure, I check the Post headlines, but since I discovered OFF/beat a few days ago, this blog is on my daily read list.

And the Award for Most Creative Use of a Blog Goes To...

2006-07-19T18:19:00.001-04:00

You guessed it – the red paper clip guy. About a year ago a man with few resources and a lot of imagination began his quest. He planned to trade one red paper clip for one house. Undeterred by the obvious impossibility, he traded first for a blue fish pen, then a door knob that looked like E.T. Just one week ago he make his final trade – only the 14th in this chain – for a house at 503 Main Street, Kipling, Saskatchewan, Canada.

This young man, Kyle MacDonald, is a master marketer. He parlayed a unique idea into world wide attention, network TV interviews plus a new home. And he used a blog to record it all with an informal tone that had everyone rooting for him. Who doesn’t want to see the everyman score big? If he can do it, I can do it, right?

The quest had already been going on for several months when I first read about MacDonald on CNN in April, by which time he had traded up to a year’s free rent in Phoenix. (Sorry the link to that story has expired.) Four more trades and he had the house in Canada, plus a key to the city and a gig as Mayor for a day.

Now the copy-cats have begun. Good luck to them all…but they’ll never match the red paper clip guy for creativity and chutzpah.

In Murderous Company

2006-07-18T17:30:00.000-04:00

I spend a lot of time thinking about murder. Who should die? Why this person and why now? How to commit a gruesome crime and get away with it?

I’m not alone, of course. There are scores of perfectly ordinary people who do the same thing. We’re called mystery writers. The people who share our lives become accustomed to our delight in newspaper articles about bizarre murders, gruesome accidents, and strange events. We join groups like the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. We attend conventions where we learn about the poisons in our back yard, crime scene investigations, and the difference between a .375 magnum and a Glock 9.

And we write. True crime, police procedurals, thrillers, traditional mysteries, and variations on each type. We enter contests for the challenge and discipline of making a deadline, and to hear what the judges loved and hated about our work. We join critique groups to have the comments of peers who understand what we’re trying to achieve.

And we blog. Boy, do we blog. Singly and in groups. Published, soon-to-be published and still-looking-for-an-agent authors grab for a bit of the blogosphere. We write about what it’s like, we share the highs and lows. What I find delightful is the range of tone and attitude in these blogs. Some try to be helpful, others go for humor, and some few are blatant promotion. Of course we’re all promoting ourselves and our work; I simply prefer a lighter hand.

I’ll do individual blogs another day, but here are my picks among the current crop of mystery writer group blogs:

Murderati – Mysteries, Murder and Marketing: http://www.murderati.typepad.com/

The Good Girls Kill For Money Club: http://www.good-girls-kill.com/

Naked Authors – The naked truth about literature and life: http://www.nakedauthors.com/

The Lipstick Chronicles – Where the Book Tarts talk love, laughter, laundry and the mysteries of the writing life: http://thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com/

The Outfit – A Collective of Chicago Crime Writers (brand new this week with some heavy hitters): http://www.theoutfitcollective.com/

The Little Blog of Murder – Confessions of Five Ohio Mystery Authors:
http://www.thelittleblogofmurder.com/

The Lady Killers – Five female writers of mystery fiction share their wit and wisdom, writing tips and travel experiences: http://www.theladykillers.typepad.com/

Let’s see how many of them still rate a “Favorite Blogs” bookmark six months from now, shall we?