Friday, July 31, 2009

Hello, World

What is Do Some Damage?

Seven writers. Seven voices. One blog.

Mission statements are for soldiers and themes are for superheroes. Ideas are what it’s all about, and we have a few.

Writing can be lonely. Sitting at a desk typing. Walking in the park thinking. Throwing things at the wall screaming. These are not things that we do in polite company. But who says we have to be polite?

This Web site is a collaboration of seven crime writers sharing their thoughts on reading, writing, publication and modern media. What is the future of crime writing? And which bits of the past are worth keeping?

There will be something here for all crime fiction fans. Looking for reviews, recommendations and interviews? Stick around because some really cool things are on the way. If you’re an aspiring writer, looking for tips on how to break a story or an insight into how the publishing industry works, keep reading. Already involved in the industry? We’ll be asking some interesting questions and inviting you clever folks with such great taste to join in the discussion.

In gathering the talent for the site, we wanted to assemble a group of writers at various stages of the job. One day you may read about one of us planning for a book tour. The next day you might follow along as another writer deals with plot developments in the debut novel or complains that the movie deal for his latest books won’t allow him to offer creative input.

It won’t stop there, though. Take a look at the roster and you’ll see film buffs, comic geeks, music fans and beards. In fact, like all good criminal enterprises, we each bring something different to the table. Some of us have settled into a voice, while some are still searching. Some have publishing deals, others are still fighting the good fight. Some are between contracts, while some are just between books. We have a Scotsman, an Englishman, two Canadians and two Americans. Oh, and Dave--he’s from some place called New Jersey.

Seven writers. Seven voices. One blog.

The line-up doesn’t end there. We’ll see a developing cast of writers, agents and readers contributing to the discussion, taking it in new directions. This is a blog that won’t sit down or stand still.

Writing and publishing will certainly be hot topics here, but so will reading. As writers, we love to read. Speaking of which, I’ll need to stop here as I just got three new books in the mail. Anyone ever heard of this Russel McLean guy?

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Tomorrow:

August One - the day this blog launches.

This is also the day that MTV launched. The channel that once played music videos and kept the acid-washed jean companies afloat.

Here are some other big events from the first day of August in years gone by:

1291: The cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden form a protective confederation that will become the nation of Switzerland.

1498: Columbus lands in South America

1914: First World War erupts

1944: Warsaw Revolt begins

1954: The Yangtze River floods in China, killing 40,000 people and forcing 10 million others to leave their homes.


Info from http://encarta.msn.com/ and http://history.com

Thursday, July 30, 2009

COMING SOON

DO SOME DAMAGE officially launches this weekend. If you need your fix of crime fiction before then, check out Keith Rawson's "Marmalade" over at Beat To A Pulp. Our own Scott D. Parker and Jay Stringer have recent pieces there, too.

And if you're a film noir fan, the folks over at the Internet Archive have a great collection of films for you.

So, if today is Thursday where you live, you only have two days to wait until this site officially kicks off.