BITCH CREEK: A NOVEL


Book Description

". . . It's wonderful to see Tapply get out of the city and into an altogether different kind of time that suits his unhurried storytelling perfectly."--Kirkus Reviews "Outstanding . . . electrifying . . . ingenious . . . one of the most convincingly heroic and likeable of contemporary sleuths."--Publishers Weekly "Tapply is . . . a worthy successor to Hammet and both MacDonalds (Ross and John)."--Chicago Tribune William G. Tapply has created a fresh new world in Bitch Creek, a steamy, perfectly crafted mystery introducing Stoney Calhoun, an unlikely hero. Stoney is a man without a past. A tragic event has obliterated his memory and he has been given-as so many might like to receive-a chance to reinvent himself. That's not an easy task when a man doesn't know anything about himself, except that he is smart and utterly self-reliant. Stoney is driven by a current from within. He has settled in Maine and has become a fishing guide, and he's busy reeducating himself. He's also in love, and he is slowly coming to terms with the sometimes ghostly glimpses of his past. Life is sweet, until someone close to him is murdered, and Stoney suspects that he himself was the intended target. In a riveting process of investigation and self-discovery, Stoney delves deep into the mysteries of the murder and begins, unwittingly, to uncover vital truths about himself. In Bitch Creek, Tapply has created a unique and intensely likeable protagonist. He has fashioned an ingenious plot that exquisitely unfolds along with simultaneous layers of personality and intrigue. With stunning surprises and dead-on dialogue, Bitch Creek will be hailed, along with Stoney Calhoun, as Tapply's latest brilliant creation.




The Everything Guide to Writing Your First Novel


Book Description

For an aspiring novelist, nothing is more intimidating than a blank page or computer screen. This step-by-step guide helps you get past that hurdle, start writing, and cross the finish line to first draft in only twenty-six weeks! This guide covers the entire novel-writing process--from polishing an idea to finding an agent and submitting to publishers. This practical guide takes you through the ins and outs of writing and publishing your first book, including how to: Create authentic characters, engaging plotlines, and believable settings Edit for tone, structure, and pacing Find the right agent Market and sell your work to publishers Build a career as a novelist Complete with writing exercises, inspiring examples, and expert advice from bestselling novelists, this book is an excellent starting place for anyone interested in the art, craft, and business of writing fiction.




Crafting Novels & Short Stories


Book Description

Learn How to Create Stories That Captivate Agents, Editors, and Readers Alike! Inside you'll find the tools you need to build strong characters, keep your plots moving, master the art of dialogue, choose the right point of view, and more. This comprehensive book on the art of novel and short story writing is packed with advice and instruction from best-selling authors and writing experts like Nancy Kress, Elizabeth Sims, Hallie Ephron, N.M. Kelby, Heather Sellers, and Donald Maass, plus a foreword by James Scott Bell. You'll learn invaluable skills for mastering every area of the craft: • Define and refine your characters. • Make your plot and conflict high-energy and intense. • Hone your story's point of view. • Create a rich setting and backstory. • Craft dialogue that rings true. • Select the right words and descriptions throughout your story. • Revise your story to perfection. Throughout you'll find supplemental sections that cover special topics like getting started, beating writer's block, researching your work, and getting published. They'll help you integrate your skills into a balanced, productive, and fulfilling career. Whether you're writing flash fiction, a short story, a novel, or an epic trilogy, you'll come away with the tools you need for strong and effective storytelling.




Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Revised and Expanded Edition


Book Description

A Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award Finalist for Best Critical/Biographical Work Discover the secrets to crafting an unforgettable mystery! To piece together the puzzle of your mystery novel, you need patience, resilience, a solid understanding of the craft, and a clear blueprint for combining the plot, characters, setting, and more. And while patience and resilience must come from you, the essentials of craft and the plan to execute them are right at your fingertips with Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel. This completely revised and updated edition features solid strategies for drafting, revising, and selling an intriguing novel that grips your readers and refuses to let them go. New York Times best-selling author Hallie Ephron shows you how to: • Create a compelling sleuth and a worthy villain • Construct a plot rich in twists, red herrings, and misdirection • Bring the story to a satisfying conclusion • Sharpen characters and optimize pace during revision • Seek publication through both traditional and indie paths Filled with helpful worksheets and exercises for every step of the process, Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Revised and Expanded reveals the keys to writing a memorable story that will have fans of mystery, suspense, and crime clamoring for more.




Fly Fisher's Pattern Book


Book Description

Bestselling angling author Gene Kugach has compiled a wide-range gallery of flies, some familiar, some obscure, that will enhance any fly tier's repertoire. Culled from tying demonstrations presented at the Chicago Fly Fishers, a Chicago-area club, this collection features favourite patterns and variations, as well as originals created by club members, including many by the author. Each fly is illustrated, its origin and uses given, and its tying steps explained in detail. Patterns include wets, drys, streamers, nymphs, crustaceans, leeches, terrestrials, and lure-streamer combinations.




Out Cold


Book Description

The death of an unknown teenager in his backyard leads Boston attorney Brady Coyne on a very personal and deadly quest for the truth.




Gray Ghost


Book Description

Seven years ago, Stoney Calhoun woke up in a VA hospital with no memories. He still remembers nothing from before then, except that he has a few unexplained skills--a gift for angling, an ability to read French--and recently it's been made clear to him that it would be best if he never does. Working as a guide on Casco Bay, Maine, Stoney is out with a client on an early morning fly fishing expedition when they find the charred remains of a recent corpse on a small, uninhabited island. A couple of days later, Calhoun's client turns up in the driveway of Stoney's cabin in the woods--shot dead in the front seat of his SUV. In the midst of a couple of inexplicable murders, both of which clearly have something to do with Stoney, past or present, it's up to him find out the truth...or risk becoming the next victim.




The Nomination


Book Description

Vietnam war hero and Massachusetts Judge Thomas Larriganis hand-picked by his friend the president to fill the upcoming vacancy on the Supreme Court seems like the perfect candidate.




Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel


Book Description

Solve the MYSTERY of how to write and sell a KILLER story! With the help of interactive exercises, mystery author and crime fiction critic Hallie Ephron gives you the momentum you need to turn a kernel of an idea into an intriguing mystery novel. You'll learn to capitalize on your writing strengths and shore up your weaknesses. This comprehensive guide covers every aspect of mystery writing, including: • planning, twisting the plot, and constructing a credible surprise ending • creating a compelling sleuth and a worthy villain • deceiving and revealing with red herrings and clues • writing investigation, spine-tingling suspense, and dramatic action • revising - from sharpening characters, to optimizing pace, to smithing words • engaging the reader By the time you finish reading part one of this book, you will have a blueprint for your entire story. Parts two and there take your blueprint from idea to well-polished novel. Part four is an insider's guide to getting it into an agent's or publisher's hands."




Dark Tiger


Book Description

Seven years ago, Stoney Calhoun woke up in a VA hospital with no memories and a series of unexplained talents (language ability, weapons expertise, etc.). Since then he's been living quietly, working as a part time fishing guide and co-owner of a local bait shop—with an unnamed visitor coming around occasionally to see if he's regained any memories. But this time, the visitor shows up looking for his help—and creating potential mayhem in Stoney's life to prove he's serious. In exchange for making those problems go away, Stoney must go to the far corner of Maine, sign on as a guide at a high end fishing lodge, and look into a couple of suspicious deaths. A government ‘operative' was found shot dead in a staged murder/suicide pact involving a local sixteen year old girl. Now Stoney has to uncover what the dead agent was investigating and got him killed—without being killed by the very same people.