Kristin Wolden Nitz

Category: YA mystery

  • Characters Who Are Too Dumb to Live

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    As I might have mentioned before, one of the tricky things about writing in the suspense/mystery/thriller genre is ensuring that your characters aren’t too dumb to live.  There has to be a reason for them to keep their deadly secrets or roam through dangerous places.  In fact, there was one series of books by a mystery…

  • Promoting the Backlist

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    Peachtree Publishers does such a lovely job of promoting the books on their backlist.  My friend Sondy was at ALA and took a picture of SUSPECT being promoted even though it came out last fall. She also found SAVING THE GRIFFIN face out. It does have an extremely tempting cover.

  • When It All Goes Down

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    Once again I can’t help thinking about how this is the weekend in June where the mystery weekend in SUSPECT would take place. Weather did really play a role in the plot. Weather, seasons and climate do play or at least should play an important role in establishing the setting in novels. In every book that…

  • ‘Tis the Season to Read SUSPECT

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    I’ve always enjoyed reading books in the season when they are set.  I’ve done this most often with the work of Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels because that writer, whose real name is actually Barbara Mertz, does such a fabulous job of bringing in the season as well as the physical setting. So I can’t help thinking…

  • Keystone State Reading Association

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    SUSPECT was one of ten books picked for the High School KSRA 2011 YA book award .  Students can vote on their favorite title as long as they’ve read at least four of the following books:         Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins, Charlesbridge           Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson, Simon and Schuster       Five…

  • The PSLA YA Top 40 (or so)

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    Suspect made the Pennsylvania YA Top 40 (or so) list.  I’m afraid that “or so” means closer to 200 books, but it’s still a lovely honor.  Here’s the review from the librarian who nominated it:  Seventeen-year-old Jen goes to help her Grandma Kay for the summer at the bed-and-breakfast she owns, but finds herself investigating the…

  • Reading Reviews

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    One extremely wise writer compared good reviews to crack and bad reviews to poison.  And she’s right.  It would probably be wiser to stay away from places like GoodReads where you run the simultaneous risk of becoming addicted to the “Attagirl!” feedback and being injured by the people who just don’t buy into your book’s solution.  So…

  • Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    SUSPECT was nominated to YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list! A group of fifteen will evaluate the nominees at the American Library Association Midwinter conference and come up with the 80 or so  finalists.  I’ll add the link once this list is updated.  Right now, it only shows the nominees through September 30.  My…

  • The Flip Side of Tight and Focused

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    One of the reasons that there are so many books in the world is that different things appeal to different readers.  While the New York Journal of Books reviewer felt that the writing was tight and focused, one blogger felt my book was about fifty pages too short and ended too soon.  I have to…

  • New York Journal of Books Review Revisited

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    Kristin Wolden Nitz
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    While I was delighted by the suggestion from THE NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS that I’d written something with a bit of edge,  my publisher pulled out the following quote: The story is sharp and lean; the writing is tight and focused. I’m sure that my mentorship with noted author and all-around great guy Gary…