Mystery Melange

Brian Lindemuth with Spinetingler Magazine wonders if this is the year of the ePublisher, and as he proceeds to list the new ePub ventures that have sprung up this year, including one sponsored by Spinetingler and another by the magazine, Needle, plus a few more.

Of course, print publishers are still signing up authors, including the new indie publishing house Rickshaw Publishing in London. New titles include a scientific thriller titled NH3 by Stanley Salmons and the crime novel Lapland by Adam Death (supposedly his real name!).

Coming up next Wednesday, August 3, noir author Duane Swierczynski will be on hand for one of the regular Literary Salons sponsored by Janet Rudolph with the Mystery Readers Journal. Swiercyznski is the author of several novels including the Edgar and Anthony-nominated Expiration Date, as well as his latest, Fun and Games. For more information check out Janet's blog post.
 
Publisher Titan Books has acquired rights to three unpublished Mike Hammer novels from the late author Mickey Spillane's archives that will be completed by crime fiction writer Max Allan Collins and released between 2012 and 2014.

BBC Radio 4 has been the world's biggest commissioner of short stories, but now they've decided to cut their offerings by two-thirds, a decision that isn't popular and has summoned the likes of actor/author Stephen Fry to protest the move.

If you didn't make it to Comic-Con (like yours truly), the Los Angeles Times has some literary highlights, including John Cusack appearing in costume and talking about playing Edgar Allan Poe in The Raven. Poe also made an appearance, via 3D masks, at a showing of the film Twixt, which is about a has-been author who starts having dreams of the dead author.

If you own an Apple device, don't be surprised if you have fewer book choices now. Due to new Apple policies, eBook apps for Kobo, Barnes & Noble's Nook, Amazon's Kindle and Google eBooks have disappeared from the Apple app store and iTunes.

Kerrie Smith's blog, the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Carnival, is gearing up for the annual celebration of the author's birthday on September 15th. You can join in if you have a blog, or just wait until the actual day and return to the site to real all the postings.

For all you moms out there: the Telegraph suggests that rather than letting your daughter become yet another pink princess, buy her a book with a strong female character instead.

Got some old books lying around that you aren't good donation candidates? You might try turning them into a dress or handbags.