2013 Favorite Debuts

I went back and forth on how to do this one. Should I just include debuts that came out this year or all debut novels I read? I decided on the latter since my other lists have included books published prior to 2013. This year I read 21 debuts (a new high, topping 18 in 2010). Of those there was only 1 I didn't finish, so they were all very good debuts. These are the ones that were favorites of that group. I'll definitely be watching closely for more from these folks.


Country Hardball by Steve Weddle - I've just finished this one, so you'll get the review soon. It's very unusual for a collection of short stories to appear on my end of the year favorites lists...primarily because I don't read many. But this one is exceptional. The interconnection of the stories telling an overall story of a Southern small town is engaging, lyrical and authentic. Great, great book!

The Qualities of Wood by Mary Vensel White - This one technically debuted last year as an ebook; it will have its print debut next year, so I read it sandwiched in the middle. Another authentic look at a small town full of colorfully dimensional characters. The writing is beautiful and the atmosphere is rich. Hope there's lots more to come from White.

The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne - The depth of this plot is suspenseful and beautiful. The dual storylines are handled deftly and the characters are stunningly memorable. For me the little added bonus on this one is seeing the workings of the British legal system. Ballantyne integrates them without weighing down the story but still providing a birds-eye view.

Loyalty by Ingrid Thoft - The introduction of Fina Ludlow to the crime fiction world is a highlight of my 2013. She's a great female character vying in a male-dominated world. Thoft balances the humor with her situation's gravity and creates a great all-around PI. I'm looking forward to Fina's future feats!

Dead Harvest by Chris Holm - This debut was actually last year also, so I was a little slow in my introduction to this great trilogy. And really any thing that can pull me out of my traditional crime fiction realm has to be pretty spectacular. The meticulous care Holm took in creating this "Collector" world made for an amazing story and an all-around fun reading experience.

Shadow of the Corps by James DuPont - I know you've all experienced the "I can't put this book down" read. Shadow of the Corps is one of those for me. And then at the end, I didn't want to put it down. The plot twists, the psychological element, and fascinating characters all add up to one outstanding debut.

It's always fun to discover new authors, isn't it? These are my favorite debuts of 2013, but I actually read 65 authors who were new to me just this year. While adding so many new authors to the mix makes it challenging to keep up with everyone, it's fabulous to know that there's plenty of good stuff out there to keep me in good books for a very, very long time. What new authors did you discover this year?

Tomorrow I'll wrap up 2013 with my overall favorites list. Hope you'll stop back and share your favorite reads this year!

Happy Reading! 

Kicking off the year-end favorites

It's that time of year when I reflect back on the books I've read and put together lists of my favorites. I'll start with a little recap of my reading stats for you. I'm hoping to fit another one or two books in before we ring out the year next week, but they will be 2014 publications, so I feel ready to run down my favorites at this point.

So at this point I've read 98 books. A smaller percentage of that number were audiobooks this year: only 30. The 98 books were written by 92 different authors, and 65 of those authors were new to me this year.  I read 21 debut novels (3 debuted earlier than 2013).

I wish I could double those numbers, but alas, I simply don't read that fast. And while I wish I could read more of the books that come out, I don't ever want reading to turn into a chore for me. I read at a pace that allows me to absorb and enjoy my books. I'm happy with that.

Now onto our first look at favorites - favorite book covers.

I've discovered that I'm not a fan of commercial book covers. In other words, I don't like what sells. I prefer covers that elicit something from me. I love covers that have strong meaning and connect well with the books they are wrapped around. So, you may find my choices a little odd...that's just me, a little odd! And just a little side note, these are only covers from those books I read this year. I know there are fabulous covers out there I haven't seen or picked up yet as well...

If You Were Here - Alafair Burke

I love all of Alafair Burke's books, but this is by far my favorite of her covers. I'm often drawn to colors that are not black, white or red because those are so dominant in the crime fiction genre. But this cover's simplicity conveys a lot of meaning connected to the book. This is definitely a gold star book cover.

The Broken Places - Ace Atkins

While the use of the car mirror isn't a new one, I find the use in this cover especially strong given the role of the storm in the book. There's a great deal of atmosphere created in this cover without bogging it down with a lot of insignificant and busy detail.

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

I'm finishing up the 26-disc audio of this one right now. Again, I like the simple design. I like the sense of depth--inviting you to look inside, the appearance of texture and the font--among my all-time favorite fonts. There's an overall aura of something hidden and mysterious behind the paper. This cover does a lot with little.

Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies - Chris Kluwe

Maybe it's because I see so many dark and melancholy covers in the crime fiction genre, but I just can't help smiling when I see this cover. It has such a sense of whimsey to it. The contrast between the big male football star and the carousel horse is striking. This is a beautifully unique book and I think the artists came up with a beautifully unique cover.

Brilliance - Marcus Sakey

As with Alafair Burke's work, I thoroughly enjoy all of Marcus Sakey's work. And likewise, I feel the cover for Brilliance is his best cover yet. The depth perception, the use of light and shadows, it's all such a strong image. I love the way they've positioned the title and Marcus' name. Had they moved the blurb to the back cover or made it A LOT less prominent I'd say this cover is perfect.

Today's post will be a twofer: two favorites lists for the price of one (since they are both short). My next list is my five favorite first lines from 2013. First lines from any book I read this year, whether published in 2013 or earlier were considered for this list. I think these mostly speak for themselves, so here you go:


From Dead Harvest (Chris F. Holm): "Light spilled through the window of the pub as I watched them, casting patches of yellow across the darkened street but conveying no warmth."

From Gun Machine (Warren Ellis): "On playing back the 911 recording, it'd seem that Mrs. Stegman was more concerned that the man outside her apartment door was naked than that he had a big shotgun."

From A Quiet Vendetta (R.J. Ellory): "Through mean streets, through smoky alleyways where the pungent smell of raw liquor hangs like the ghost of some long-gone summer; on past these battered frontages where plaster chips and twists of dirty paint in Mardi Gras colors lean out like broken teeth and fall leaves; passing the dregs of humanity who gather here and there amongst brown-papered bottles and steel-drum fires, serving to tap the vein of meager human prosperity where it spills, through good humor or diesel wine, onto the sidewalks of this district... Chalmette, here within the boundaries of New Orleans."

From The Titled World (Tom Franklin & Beth Ann Fennelly): "Dixie Clay was squelching through the mud along the creek's swollen banks, shooing mosquitoes with her hat, when she saw a baby coffin bobbing against a sycamore snag."

From Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies (Chris Kluwe): "I've decided to call my own mind." (Note: since this is a series of essays and articles, this is only the first line to the first essay. Virtually every first line for each entry in the book is worthy of appearing on this list.)

There you have it! My five favorite covers and my five favorite first lines from books I read this year. How about you? What were standouts for you in these categories?

Murder & Mayhem in Muskego 2013 - Part 1

As you know, last weekend was the annual Murder & Mayhem in Muskego conference in Wisconsin. The majority of the fun takes place on Saturday, but Friday night is a meet-and-greet with many of the authors. At the meet-and-greet, one panel is hosted and this year I was asked to moderate that panel.

I had a panel full of fun people and laughs are always welcome at the end of the week. So I decided on a game show format for the Liar, Liar panel. Each of the authors sent me fun tidbits about themselves before hand and I took one of those tidbits as their "truth" then altered the others ones. The volunteers/contestants had to guess which was the truth.

My authors on the panel included Dana Cameron, Julie Hyzy, Sean Doolittle, Marcia Clark, and Chris Holm. They were all super fantastic and I can share the entire panel with you since I video taped it. Special thanks go out to my friend George Lichman who ensured the camera kept running during the panel. So when you have some time to kick back and enjoy some laughs, here is the Friday night panel from the 2013 Murder & Mayhem in Muskego, LIAR, LIAR:

Dead Harvest - Chris F. Holm

First line: "Light spilled through the window of the pub as I watched them, casting patches of yellow across the darkened street but conveying no warmth."

Chris Holm's debut novel and the beginning of the Collector Trilogy is a stunning story of good versus evil. Taking the abstract ideas and giving them physical characteristics, he offers our three-dimensional world a peek into the fourth dimension--the spiritual dimension, full of angels and demons and...Collectors.

Sam Thornton is one of the Collectors. He collects souls of the damned, a job he sentenced himself to when he made a deal with the devil. His intentions were good, selfless even, but a deal with the devil is a deal with the devil and Sam pays the price for all eternity.

However, when Sam is called upon to collect the soul of a young girl he's certain is innocent, Sam can't bring himself to do it. No collector has ever refused an assignment before; there's no precedent for this behavior. So Sam and the girl find themselves on the run from human authorities and both sides of the hereafter. They have to somehow evade everyone, including immortal demons who can possess any human form, prove the girl is innocent and prevent a battle between Heaven and Hell.

Now I know what's going through your mind right now, "Jen read this?" Yes! And I loved it. It was extraordinary on several levels. A paranormal/sci-fi fan can read this book and enjoy the "living dead" aspect of it. Adventure fans can appreciate the constant action and impending doom. Suspense fans are sure to appreciate the twists around each corner. While I enjoyed all of these elements--and I'm now convinced some of my neighbors are demons--the level I devoured most was the symbolism. The battle between Good and Evil takes on a new appearance. The portrayal of angels and a loss of free will is daring and thought-provoking.

Building a new world, as one must do in paranormal writing, gives a writer some freedoms that realism doesn't allow. However, to maintain a credible new world, it has to have its own rules by which the writer is confined. An "anything goes" kind of approach will turn off most any literate reader. Holm has created a meticulous set of rules for his world that are marvelous. There's such beauty in the intricacy. Take for example this excerpt of Sam explaining the torture of eternity as a Collector:

"'This job--this curse--it feeds on that remorse, forcing you to relive the choices that delivered you to this fate every time you snuff out a life. Every time you tear free a soul, you see every joy, every disappointment, everything that brought that person to where you yourself once were. Every time, some small part of you relives that moment of collection, again and again, in perfect agonizing detail. With every soul you take, you're reminded of how beautiful life once was, and how you let it slip away.'"

Holm is the almighty Creator of this world he constructed. While it may not have come about in seven days, at the end, it WAS good!

Dead Harvest can also claim wonderfully rich characters scampering around in a complex and fast-moving plot. It's a visual story that thunders through the imagination.

If I was forced to come up with a weakness for the book, the best I could say is Holm likes the word "slick" (as in slippery) and he uses it often. That's honestly the best I could do because I absolutely loved his depiction of this other dimension, a world colliding unknowingly with our own. He convinced me it's there and I can't wait to read more!

Dead Harvest is available in paperback (ISBN: 9780857662187) from Angry Robot. There's also an unabridged audio version (ISBN: 9781455885336) from Brilliance Audio, narrated by Brian Vander Ark. I may have to take the next book for ride via audio to see if they did the trilogy justice!

Bouchercon 2013!

I'm sure many of you know that the panel schedule for Bouchercon 2013 was posted yesterday, so now I can officially talk about the panels I'll be moderating this year (and beg you to come if you're attending).

I've had tremendous experiences moderating and interviewing at Bouchercons and Murder & Mayhems, and each experience has been special in its own way. What makes this year extra special is that I was very generously given a significant say in setting up my panels. So if they flop, it's all on me!

O.k. Forbus enough mumbo jumbo, get to the point, right? Here we go.

I have two panels. The first one will be Thursday at 1:20 and it's "You're Only Human: Secret powers & other little-known talents that would make us great Super Heroes...or Villains." My incredible line-up of authors for this panel includes Catriona McPherson, Daniel Palmer, Tom Schreck, Zoë Sharp, Michael Wiley  and the villain part of the panel...Brad Parks. :-) Capes and masks are optional. I have a strong suspicion that there will be much laughing going on in this panel. Plus I'm brainstorming a contest so there will likely be extra incentive to attend!

The second panel is Friday at 3:10. This one is "Stop in Nevada: If the IRS asks, it's research: places we've visited, people we've met and boneheaded things we've tried, all in the name of a story." My stellar authors for this panel include: Lou Berney, Alafair Burke, Dana Cameron, Sean Chercover, and Chris Holm. Holy freaking cow, right? I'm hoping to unearth some unusual, exciting and entertaining stories from these masters. I hope you'll join us. I'd like to do something creative with this panel, too, but an idea hasn't hit me as quickly as with my other panel. We'll see what I can conjure up.


If you're attending, I hope you'll put us on your schedule. I'm committed to providing everyone...panelists and audience alike...a fun time. If you've been sitting on the fence about whether to attend or not, take the plunge...come join in the fun. 

And in other regular Friday news, I'm still working on the new schedule for 5 on Fridays. I've sent out some new invites and am sending out more, so stay tuned on that front. We will be continuing!

Contests this week:

There's still time to enter to win the entire Agatha Raisin series at Criminal Element.  They also have a children's graphic novel up for grabs: Revenge of the Lizard Club.

Friday Reads has Charles Todd's A Question of Honor this week in their giveaway.

Grand Central Publishing is giving away three copies of Psych's Guide to Crime Fighting. I haven't watched TV in ages, but I loved that show when I did watch. As goofy as it was, it always made me laugh.

And William Morrow has a JA Jance sweepstakes going on their Facebook page.

And I have two other links I want to share with you before I turn you loose for your weekend. First is Pop Culture Nerd's Stalker Award Voting. Be sure to mosey over there before the 20th at 9PM Pacific and vote.

The other link is this one from BookRiot that absolutely cracked me up this week. If you didn't see my post of it on Facebook, it's a must read! Shit Book Snobs Say - A Translation

That's all for me this Friday. Have a super great weekend and happy reading, my friends!

Five on Friday: Chris Holm

So it turns out yesterday played a pretty rough toll on me, so I don't have much to share in the way of housekeeping. I do want to send out a congrats to Chuck B who won the blogiversary contest. I have a nice box of goodies going out to him.

I also thought you might like to know that tomorrow is Read in the Bath Day (no I didn't make it up). I expect you all to observe accordingly, but protect those books or devices.

If you're still looking for a Valentine card for your sweetie (or your secret sweetie) this is terrific...and it looks like it would be quite easy to make, if you have the supplies.

That's all the odds and ends I have to share. Since I'm not on my game today, I'm glad Chris is here to take up the slack. He's a super nice guy, married to an equally nice gal. It's a treat to be able to sit and talk with them. A treat I wish I could indulge in more often. Chris rocked the crime fiction world with his debut novel Dead Harvest and I'm beyond delighted that he made time to hang out with us. Please help me welcome the uber-talented Chris Holm and enjoy this wonderful Five on Friday!

I love Chris' picture, appropriate and taken right here in NE Ohio!

If I could tell my 16-year-old self one piece of advice, knowing what I know now, it would be:

Only one piece? Because believe you me, that kid coulda used reams of advice. Then again, every bit of pain he suffered through – and every damn-fool mistake he made along the way – somehow wound up landing him exactly where he wanted to be, but was too scared to even admit aloud. I’d hate to muck that up. So I think what I’d tell him to maybe ease his burden, spoiler-free, would be:

Don’t worry, kid. Hard as it is to believe, you’re not alone; you just haven’t met your people yet. But they’re out there, and they’re incredible. Hang in.

One thing I have no tolerance for is:

Bigotry in any form – which sounds like a no-brainer in this day and age, but it isn’t. Gay and trans rights in this country are opposed at every turn, and I think that’s in large part because too many folks in favor of them grant the opposition legitimacy by engaging them in polite debate, when in fact their position amounts to nothing more than hate-speech and should be labeled as such.

A skill I’ve always wanted to have, but don’t is:

Collecting music is a lifelong passion of mine – an obsession. But, much to this music-geek’s dismay, I have no musical ability whatsoever. Lord knows I’ve tried. As a kid, I played saxophone in the school band. My band leader pulled my parents aside one day and said, “You know, showing up to rehearsals isn’t enough – Chris really needs to practice at home if he wants to be any good.” To which my parents replied, “He plays at home all the time!” In college, I wound up playing percussion – terribly – on some friends’ band’s album; I hope to god no copies still exist. And I still muddle through to this day, which leads me to…

The best gift I ever received:

About twelve years back, my wife Katrina gave me my first guitar: an entry-level Yamaha acoustic. I don’t think she had any idea what she was in for. As I mentioned, I’ve no musical ability whatsoever. Can’t play. Can’t sing. Don’t seem to improve much, no matter how often I work at it. But that hasn’t stopped me from trying. To this day, I still play guitar nearly every day, banging through the couple dozen songs I’ve learned with zeal, if not talent. And, dear sweet woman that she is, Katrina never complains. If that ain’t love, I don’t know what is.

The #1 item on my bucket list right now is:

I don’t have a bucket list, for two reasons. One, because – like most writers – I’m insatiably curious, and a bit of an experientialist; there’s very little I don’t want to try, to see, to do. That’d make for a mighty unmanageable list. And two, I think bucket lists – like lotto tickets, long-gestating vacation plans, and the promise of retirement – encourage folks to delay living, or to parcel it out into small chunks. That’s an understandable instinct, but I think it’s also a dangerous one, and I push back against it every chance I get.

But I suppose if I had to pick something, I’d say my number-one item would be to write full-time. At present, I have a day job, and while I’m grateful for it (since writing doesn’t pay all my bills), I’d love the opportunity to live my passion. 

If Chris starts a musically untalented club, I'll be able to join with flying colors! Many thanks to Chris for his time and his wonderful responses. I hope you'll check out his work if you haven't already. Have a great weekend and happy reading, friends!

Bouchercon Part 1 & A Facebook Giveaway

Well, I may get the record for latest Bouchercon post, but here it is finally. Prepare for photos and fun!

Bouchercon was, of course, in my back yard this year. And as always I had a fantastic time meeting up with friends from all over the country who all share a love of crime fiction.

My good friend and fellow blogger, Lesa Holstine, flew in Wednesday and I picked her up from the airport. Do you think I thought to get a picture of us together? Jen, fail #1. But we were roommates for this - her first - Bouchercon. I'm so thrilled I could share her first Bouchercon with her.

Thursday kicked off the official festivities. I only attended one panel, and that was the "What an author will do for a story" panel with Sean Chercover, A.C. (Andre) Frieden, Jamie Freveletti, and Sam Reaves. The panel was moderated by PR rep extraordinaire Dana Kaye. These authors have traveled all over the world in search of their stories.

Jamie Freveletti and Andre Frieden

Sean Chercover says his lack of focus ignited his travel and various forms of employment and that ultimately resulted in his stories. His big piece of advice for sparking ideas, though, was to indulge in a "shath." For those who are not familiar with a "shath" it is when you sit in the bath tub and run the shower over you...thus, a "shath."

Sean "argh, matey" Chercover and Sam Reaves

While Sam Reaves has a strong background in languages, which was helpful with interviews abroad, he says, you can't write a travel log. The research is interesting, but that alone doesn't make for a great crime novel.

Sam Reaves and Jamie Freveletti

My other adventures Thursday included interviewing Sophie Littlefield and Juliet Blackwell, which hopefully you watched on Thursday. I also picked up xuni.com's fearless leader, Maddee James from the airport, attended the St. Martin's cocktail reception - and was able to chat with Steve Ulfelder, who is absolutely wonderful - and had dinner with Brad Parks. I decided to forego the opening ceremonies at the Rock Hall. As I mentioned, this is my backyard, the Rock Hall wasn't a big sell for me.

Friday kicked off with the Mary Higgins Clark breakfast. It was geared toward librarians, but some reviewers and bloggers were invited as well. Mary Higgins Clark is a charming, humorous, vivacious lady. Whether you're a fan of her work or not, she was a super fun guest of honor for this breakfast.

Mary Higgins Clark

Criminal Element's fearless leader, Clare Toohey and Tracy Kiely

Following the breakfast was my first panel as moderator. It was the "Old Friends/New Friends" panel with Parnell Hall, Mary Jane Maffini, Jeff Cohen/E.J. Copperman, and Libby Fischer Hellmann. We had a full house and I thank everyone who came out. Several people stopped by to say "hi" and I want you to know that meant the world to me. So thank you!

We had a great conversation about series characters. I was fascinated by Jeff and Libby's differing views on writing characters of the opposite sex. Jeff has taken his experience with the women in his "real" life and build on those to create his female protagonist, while Libby learned early she thinks too much like a female to write a male protagonist.

Mary Jane Maffini is absolutely delightful and shared experiences with us about making friends as a librarian and bookseller as well as writing with one of her best friends, her daughter. Parnell Hall talked mostly about how his books don't sell, but he would be willing to play the role of the Puzzle Lady in a movie if the offer ever presented itself.

The panel I attended after mine was called "Eve of Destruction." The panelists were all interesting, spirited and fun, however, the moderator spoke for the first 22 minutes of the panel and pitched her sister's memoir coming out later. Epic Fail!

Sophie Littlefield and Tracy Kiely

When the panelists were given the floor, a discussion ensued about female characters. Sophie Littlefield pointed out that we're more accepting of relateable characters now - characters with foibles; characters who aren't perfect. And Rochelle Staab pointed out that she feels there's an expected vulnerability for female characters that doesn't exist for males.

Tracy Kiely and Rochelle Staab

This was my first experience hearing Deborah Coonts on a panel and now I'm determined to read one of her books! She had me laughing when she told a story about her male fans writing her to ask for less feminine book covers. They have to take the covers off the books so people don't make fun of them reading! Gotta love it!

Sorry, I wasn't able to get a great pic of Deborah Coonts because of the champagne bottle. Bummer!

Whew! Friday was my busy panel day. A lot of great people to see and listen to. The next panel was the Ex Libris panel (a.k.a. the xuni.com panel). I wasn't able to do any tweeting from this panel because it was a dead zone for my cell phone, which was a real bummer because it was such a fun panel: Jan Burke, Marcia Clark, Jim Conway and Carter Wilson and moderated by Maddee James. They are a blast, let me tell you. They were creating fake first sentences for books - both their own and others. The one thing we all definitely took away from this panel: they like to drink. I think every book covered included a first line about some alcoholic drink!

Jan Burke and Marcia Clark...Jan looks like she's up to something!

Two of the nicest people you could meet: Marcia Clark and Jim Conway

Marica, Jim and Carter....looks like that line was especially funny!

Debut author Carter Wilson

The other thing that was abundantly clear was that they are all extremely talented writers.

All the panelists hard at work on their first lines!

Not done with Friday yet! Are you still hanging with me?

I attended the "Morally Challenged Characters" panel next. This panel included Lou Berney, Elizabeth Hand, Seth Harwood, and Chris Holm. It was moderated by Ali Karim. Again, it's fascinating for me to hear about how writers approach their stories.

Ali Karim, Lou Berney, Elizabeth Hand and a sliver of Seth Harwood

Lou indicated that he prefers to have a jumble of characters without any set designated roles for them. However, he also pointed out that if you have an unlikeable protagonist, you need to make sure the antagonists are sufficiently unlikeable to still make the protag look better.

Elizabeth likes to push her character to the border of where she'll go and what she'll do. While Chris Holm likes to discover the line his character won't cross and then put him in a situation that gives him no choice but to have to cross it.

Sorry about the lack of photos on this panel. The room was HORRIBLE for taking pictures. There were big pillars directly in front of where I was sitting. I moved to take this photo, but had to go over to the right side to be able to get anything at all...Jen fail #2.

So that was my crazy Friday line-up of panels. I'll save my final two days for tomorrow's post because I want to make you aware of a giveaway I'm doing on the Facebook page if you haven't seen it already. I do giveaways over here regularly and have some new ones coming up, but this is a FB page exclusive this time.

I took a Jen's Book Thoughts tote bag to Bouchercon and collected signatures from many authors. The bag has signatures on both sides. Some of the authors who signed it include: Lee Child, John Connolly, Karin Slaughter, Kelli Stanley, Alafair Burke, Marcia Clark, Michael Koryta, Steve Ulfelder, Brad Parks, Sean Chercover...whew, you get the idea. I'll include a card for the lucky follower with the names of everyone who signed the bag. To be in the drawing for the bag, you just need to be following the Jen's Book Thoughts page by Sunday, October 21st. I'll do a drawing and pick a name to win the bag and goodies from Bouchercon.

Just as I do periodic giveaways here on the blog, I'm going to start doing periodic giveaways over on the Facebook page as well. This is just the kick off.