I LEARNED IT AT THE MOVIES: NEBRASKA

Nebraska's not a perfect film. It’s got a slightly flabby middle and also treats some minor characters in a way that I found condescending. However, I forgave the flaws for three reasons: Bruce Dern and June Squibb are brilliant, the question posed by the script is compelling; the mid-Western setting, integral to the story and shown in digital black and white, is stark and bleak and gorgeous all at the same time.

You can read more and join the conversation at Women of Mystery today.

Forgive the BSP ...but

I wanted to share this review of Damned If You Don't, recently up at Over My Dead Body, a webzine that features mystery reviews, author interviews, and good noir short fiction.

"The setting for DAMNED IF YOU DON'T is a small town in the Catskill Mountains. When a friend's property falls prey to a fraudulent land-grab scheme, Hannah Fox steps into the fray. Unfortunately, the shady developer behind the scheme is murdered and Hannah's friend is the prime suspect. Readers will be captivated by the author's twist on this murder. What if the victim was a bad person and deserved to die? It's hard to believe this is the author's debut novel. She gets everything right; intriguing plot, memorable characters, atmospheric setting. I do hope there will be more Hannah Fox mysteries. But if that is not to be, at least let there be more mysteries by Anita Page, please."--reviewed by Cherie Jung.

WEEKEND PROMO! DAMNED IF YOU DON'T

         $1.99   DAMNED IF YOU DON'T: A GREAT WEEKEND DEAL FROM   KOBO   $1.99

Download a FREE KOBO app to your tablet, smartphone, or computer and take advantage of Kobo's $1.99 weekend price for Damned If You Don't.

Right now you'll find the same great deal at Amazon. Sample chapters available at Glenmere Press.

Readers say:

"The plot races through enough unexpected twists to fool any crime reader. In her debut novel Anita Page, an accomplished short story writer, has delivered an absorbing and suspenseful tale." 

“Hannah Fox is as sweet and complex as a Napoleon. Like the pastry I found myself wanting more of her dealing with the interesting friends and rich characters that led to her unintended debut role of successful amateur sleuth. This is a character that I look forward to seeing more of.”

"I just loved Anita Page's "Damned If You Don't" I loved this book from the first paragraph until the last page.This book kept my interest and I finished it in two days. Looking forward to reading more of Anita's books in the future."

Who Do You Love, Baby?

In honor of the day, I thought we might share literary valentines. Who’s high on your list of fictional lovers, either in or out of our genre, and who doesn’t make it to the first rung?

I hope you'll join the conversation at Women of Mystery.


Damned If You Don't, a Glenmere Press e-book, 
available in the usual places.

Damned If You Don't

has been selected for Amazon's  Big Deal promotion.

 Yeah, so?

So you can buy a copy for your Kindle for 99 cents from Jan.17th - Feb.2nd.

    I never buy without trying on.

 Me either. That's why I invite you to read a couple of chapters over at Glenmere Press.

Damned If You Don't features Hannah Fox, daughter of sixties radicals, who together with the intrepid Women of Action, takes on the bad guys and the power brokers when an eminent domain scam threatens her Catskill Mountain town.

When the scam ends in murder and her friend becomes a suspect, Hannah faces hard choices, convinced the murder was a heroic act, even when it’s clear she may be the killer’s next victim.

"...Anita Page's debut novel is a winner start to finish..."  The Gumshoe Review
"...well plotted and paced, with surprising twists."  Buried Under Books
"...an intelligent plot and an appealing heroine..." The GenReview 

I hope you'll also check out my friend Cathi Stoler's Nick of Time, another Glenmere Press e-book available as a  99 cent January Big Deal at Amazon. 

My short story "Don't Be Afraid" is up at Kings River Life this week.

The Box of Books

When, at age eight or nine, I inherited a box of books from my cousins, I felt as if I'd been given the world. I remember very clearly the smell and texture of those old cloth-covered hardbacks, and the feeling of anticipation as I unpacked the box at home. One of those books was Little Women, which gave me my first seductive glimpse of a writer’s life: Jo March scribbling in the attic with a pet rat for company. In fact, a few of those books might still be on our shelves.

I thought about that box recently while poking around Project Gutenberg, the user-friendly site founded by the late Michael Stern Hart that at present offers 44,479 e-books for free download. What a gift! 

You can join the conversation at Women of Mystery today.

Sometimes you have to tell...

...your characters to shut up and stop sniveling. As Alice Munro's story "Gravel,"in her Pulitzer Prize winning collection, Dear Life, makes clear,  the less we tell readers what to feel and the more we leave to their imagination, the greater the emotional impact.

You're welcome to join the conversation at Women of Mystery today.