"The plot of an Alafair Burke thriller doesn't just rip from the headlines. She's one step ahead of them. 212 scares you and keeps you turning the pages into the wee hours."
— Harlan Coben

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Happy Halloween!

Friday, October 31, 2008

I love, love, love Halloween. For the last couple of years, my Halloween tradition has been to dress Duffer up and walk around the village so revelers can play with him and tell him how cute he is (he likes that).

Alas, no trick or treating with the Duffer tonight for me. I'm leaving for the Delaware Book Festival. The panel tomorrow with Tess Gerritsen and Mary Jane Clark will more than make up for it, but what about the Duff? The husband refuses to dress him up in my absence. It's a shame, because isn't he a cutey pie in his Batman outfit?

posted by Alafair Burke at 9:36 AM 2 comments


Video of the Day

Thursday, October 30, 2008

I'll resist the temptation to tell you how to vote, but, please, on Tuesday, VOTE, because otherwise, these people will do it for you:

posted by Alafair Burke at 5:54 AM 3 comments


Book Titles

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

At Bouchercon I sat on a panel with the always-hilarious Chris Grabenstein, who said he thought of his title Tilt-a-Whirl before he'd written a page of the book. I'm the opposite. With the exception of Missing Justice (about a missing judge: get it?), all of my book titles have come only after I've finished the manuscript, and then only after I've hemmed and hawed and polled all of my friends about the many possibilities.

Well, I'm at the same place again. I'm off and running on the next Ellie Hatcher book, with no titles in sight. It had me wondering about the significance of titles. From a commercial perspective, the most successful series titles are undoubtedly Sue Grafton's "A is for..." etc. and Janet Evanovich's "One for the Money..." etc. Early on, these titles helped readers recognize the books without remembering the author. Now they help readers keep track of where they are in the series.

But with those exceptions, what's the value of a title? How closely does it need to relate to the subject matter of the book? I fret because I want the title to be perfect, evoking a certain feeling and also relating directly to something important about the book. Angel's Tip, for example, is the name of the last drink Chelsea Hart orders before she's killed, but it also refers to a father's tip to the police after a dream about his murdered daughter has him wondering if his daughter's cold case might be related to Chelsea ("He did not know anything at all about Chelsea Hart or her trip from Indiana, but he could not help but wonder if her murder had something to do with the dream that had pulled him from his bed so early that same morning, brushing his cheek like the tip of an angel's wing.").

In the end, though, is all my hand wringing for naught? My hunch is that the tone just needs to be right. Lee Child's books, for example, all strike the same Reacheresque tone, but are for the large part interchangable. Bad Luck and Trouble and Nothing to Lose are both kick-butt titles and could probably be the titles for any books in the series.

So what kind of tone should an Ellie Hatcher novel strike? Angel's Tip sits just right with me. Dead Connection, on the other hand? I can see why Entertainment Weekly praised the book but dissed the "dopey title."

Any suggestions for #3 in the series? (Yes, I'm serious. Please name my next book without even reading it. Praise and gratitude await you.)

posted by Alafair Burke at 6:23 AM 2 comments


Thanks, Dru!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Dru, a frequent visitor and commenter to this blog, has posted a new review of Angel's Tip here, saying "This thriller will keep you turning pages."  Thanks!

posted by Alafair Burke at 11:24 AM 1 comments


My awesome grandmother

Thursday, October 23, 2008

I know that many bloggers use their blogs as a sort of public diary, sharing personal reflections and experiences. I haven't spent much time contemplating my goals for this blog. I write about writing. I share my book news. I make you listen to my silly stories about life in NYC with the husband and the Duffer. But today I'm sharing with you the reason why I was laying low during the last week. Frances Benbow Burke, one of the fabulous grandmothers to whom I dedicated my third novel, passed away Tuesday morning in Houston, Texas. She was 101.

My grandmother was a real live wire. Many of you in Texas met her during her youthful 90's at my early readings at Murder by the Book. At my first reading in 2003, I watched with nervousness as she made her way from the parking lot with her walker. I stopped worrying when she encountered an untrimmed hedge trespassing on the sidewalk; she lifted the walker over her head and continued on her way. Inside, she watched with such pride and a beaming smile as I read some pretty foul stuff from Chapter 1. I apologized later for the bad language and she said, "Oh, darling, I couldn't hear a word you were saying, but you looked so happy."

She and Sean bonded the first time they met. I was telling her a story and paused to make sure she knew what an email was. She said, "Of course I know what an email is. I'm old, not stupid. Now consider yourself reprimanded." The last time I saw her in August, she complimented my new short haircut, but then couldn't resist holding her fingers a half inch apart: "Maybe just a little shorter," she strongly suggested.

I could go on, but the point of all my memories was that Polly, as she was known, truly was a force to be reckoned with and remembered, with a strong wit and sharper tongue and enough personality to fill a ballroom for her 100th birthday party. I'm proud to have her genes. Goodbye, Grandmother. I will miss our visits.

posted by Alafair Burke at 2:32 PM 4 comments


I'm so grossed out right now

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Duffer has been sucking on his right foot all day, which he often does if he has one of his many delicate skin issues. I finally picked him up and flipped him over to get a better look. Turns out he stepped on chewing gum. I started out on a mere 1-2 on the grossout scale, using cotton pads and hydrogen peroxide to try to clean his paw. By the time I was done, my fingers were pulling what was apparently peppermint gum from his pads. I've washed my hands four times but soap's just not cutting it. Boiling water? Acid? I'm pretty much ready to sacrifice future use of my hands if necessary.


Hey, Numbnuts out there: Stop spitting gum on the streets.

posted by Alafair Burke at 5:12 PM 7 comments


Professor Burke

Sunday, October 19, 2008

My professorial persona was profiled today on Crim Prof Blog, a blog for fellow crim law profs.   Hofstra finally got a decent picture of me, so thank goodness for that.  (One of my colleagues said about my previous photo that I looked like I was either crying or had just eaten something really sour.  Not good.)

posted by Alafair Burke at 1:31 PM 0 comments


A Comment on My Driving

Friday, October 17, 2008

Author Jonathan Hayes, who graced my passenger seat on the way down to Bouchercon last weekend, has this to say about my driving: "Alafair is, to be frank, certifiably psychotic at the wheel, her need for speed almost carnal in its urgency. The combination of high speed daredevil manoeuvres (at one point, she drove under a semi just so she could slam us up the ramp of an empty car transporter trailer, shooting us up about 20 feet high, hurtling through the air to land squarely 8 inches in front of the black Tahoe that had irritated Alafair by dawdling in front of her for a good two minutes). (Seriously.)."

He is so totally exaggerating.

posted by Alafair Burke at 8:50 PM 2 comments


Joe the Plumber update

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Seriously? The guy who became an overnight sensation for worrying about taxes he might have to pay if he gets rich owes back taxes? Now that's rich. And totally embarrassing.

posted by Alafair Burke at 2:52 PM 3 comments


Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm big big big into birthdays, especially mine! To celebrate I watched this classic scene from my favorite eighties high school movie, Sixteen Candles. I wish I could stay home and watch the entire thing up to the moment that she gets cake on the table from that dreamy Jake Ryan (cue Thompson Twins), but I'll be at Hofstra all day. And just so you can have the Birthday song in your head all day long, on behalf of moi, here's the real thing. (Okay, sort of the real thing. Paul solo, but at least pre-Heather Mills.)

posted by Alafair Burke at 5:14 AM 6 comments


Debate at Hofstra!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Many of you have noticed that the third and final presidential debate will be held tonight at Hofstra, where I am a professor at the law school. Don't bother looking for me in the audience. The university had to go and do the right thing and gave all the tickets to students using a lottery system. Not a single professor, dean, or high-dollar muckety muck donor will get a ticket, at least not from the university's allotment.

As for the substance and tone? McCain has hinted at a smackdown, but the format calls for the candidates to sit next to each other at a shared table. Not exactly conducive to accusing your opponent of being pro-terror, now is it? We shall see...


Update:  I am sooo tired of Joe the Plumber

posted by Alafair Burke at 2:21 PM 3 comments


Angel's Tip is a bestseller

Angel's Tip was #7 for September on the Independent Mystery Booksellers' Association list. Thanks to BV Lawson's In Reference to Murder for the list. And thanks, IMBA, for all your support!

posted by Alafair Burke at 7:01 AM 1 comments


Verizon is freakin EVIL

Monday, October 13, 2008

Two weeks ago, I called Verizon after a massive telemarketing and mass mailing campaign pestered me incessantly to switch to Fios for all my phone/TV/internet needs.  They gave me an "appointment" for today, between 8 am and 5 pm, then proceeded to call and email me at least 7 times in the intervening 2 weeks to confirm.  


It's now 6:12 pm.  No Verizon.  Nothing but busy signals to their help line all day.  The one time I did get through they told me I was on the list and someone would call me back with an ETA.  Of course, no one ever called.  Or showed.  Did I mention it was 70+ degrees today (a holiday) in NY?

Can a company be a nemesis?  Because if so, Verizon is now my official nemesis.

Update:  At 6:45, Verizon told me the guy was on his way.  I hung up, and the phone rang again.  It was the actual install guy saying he was calling it a day.  He then said he'd call me back .. still waiting.

posted by Alafair Burke at 3:10 PM 5 comments


My Fan Pics

Sunday, October 12, 2008


I know I'm supposed to carry myself at Bouchercon like an accomplished, confident writer, but, I can't help it: I'm also a fan who corners Laura Lippman and gushes for an hour about how much I love her.   I'm also the kind of fan who pulls out my iPhone for pictures.  These are two of my most prized photos from the conference.  Maybe I can send them to one of the paparazzi magazines.  Writers: Just Like Us.  They read Angel's Tip, too.  (Thanks, Dennis LeHane and Steve Hamilton, for the humor.)

posted by Alafair Burke at 5:33 AM 1 comments


Bouchercon panel


My panel yesterday at Bouchercon, Murder What Fun: Why we Love to Write Mysteries, was moderated by the lovely and brilliant Rhys Bowen and featured fellow panelists Chris Grabenstein, John Billheimer, and Tom Schreck.  Here's a picture of the terrific people who came to listen.

posted by Alafair Burke at 5:25 AM 2 comments


Bouchercon Fun

Saturday, October 11, 2008


Last night my publisher, HarperCollins, had a dinner with all of the Harper and Morrow authors at Bouchercon. Some of the ridiculously brilliant folks there: Laura Lippman, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Jonathan Hayes, Jonothan Santlofer, Dennis LeHane. I couldn't resist to take out my camera for some fan pics. Here's one of me and the very talented Val McDermid.

posted by Alafair Burke at 7:21 AM 1 comments


Why I love writing crime fiction

Friday, October 10, 2008

I guest blog today at the Baltimore Sun's Read Street.  In connection with Bouchercon, Read Street invited several authors to blog about a topic they'll be addressing during the conference.  I chose to write about the title of my panel, Murder What Fun: Why We Love Writing Crime Fiction.  For me, the answer to that question lies in a dark collision between my childhood in Wichita, Kansas, and my years as a Portland prosecutor.  Read the full story here.

posted by Alafair Burke at 4:57 AM 0 comments


Another autumn, another Bouchercon!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

I'm packing my suitcase to drive down to Baltimore today for this year's Bouchercon.  I'll do my best to blog from the premises and get a few photos of our favorite writers.  I'll also, of course, be collecting signatures to draft Christopher Guest to Bouchercon 2009.  If you're going to the conference, be sure to say hi.


(Photo is of me with Ben Rehder, Jim Born, and Barry Eisler at B'con 2005.  Don't I look young?  Aren't our teeth white?)

posted by Alafair Burke at 6:08 AM 1 comments


Another review, this time from Toronto

Sunday, October 5, 2008

The Globe and Mail says, "If you liked Alafair Burke's West Coast novels featuring Samantha Kincaid, you will love Angel's Tip... trust me, this one is excellent.... Burke pulls out all the stops... This is far and away her best book yet."  Read the full review here.

posted by Alafair Burke at 8:16 AM 0 comments


A new review for Angel's Tip

Saturday, October 4, 2008

The Philadelphia Inquirer likes me. Or at least Angel's Tip. Read the review here.

posted by Alafair Burke at 2:42 PM 1 comments

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