For almost a year I’ve been writing this weekly blog about various topics related to Murder, Mayhem and Medicine.  Since I write thrillers and murder mysteries, the blogs essentially have been an extension of my book research.  And from the comments I’ve received, I believe I’ve given valuable information to other writers in these genres.

The initial purpose for this blog was to highlight my writing and to connect with other writers and potential readers of my work.  It’s been a tool to further my craft on several different levels.

Along the way, however, I’ve seen interesting blog trends emerge.  Some fizzled quickly, but others have gained credibility and I’d like to share those with you today.

Three of the more important blog trends:

The Author Interview:  A great way to consistently have an interesting blog is to write about others—specifically, to have others write about themselves and their published, or soon-to-be-published work.  Recently, a fellow writer interviewed me for his blog.  It was fun, it highlighted my novel in progress and it gave my writer friend Clive Eaton enough blog material for that day.

The Next Big Thing:  This is an interesting, and quite new, phenomenon in blog writing.  It’s a kind of chain letter for writers to promote their work and have a ready-made blog all at the same time.  It goes like this: you construct five to ten questions and answers about your work and then post it on your blog.  You then tag five more people to do the same thing in the near future by providing a link to their blogs.

These tagged writers are supposed to post the same questions and their answers on their blog site and then tag five more people to do the same thing on their blogs at a later date.  In that way the blogs get linked and readers migrate from one blog to another.  The ultimate goal of this blog chain is to increase readership for your blog and others.

Since writers Lori Gordon and Peggy Bechko have tagged me recently for The Next Big Thing, the following is a demonstration of my follow-through for them.  Be sure to go to their blog sites for a visit and to see their answers.  They’d appreciate that.  I won’t tag five more blog writers today to carry on the thread since it’s the holiday season and everyone’s overloaded with other commitments.  I’ll save that for another time.

THE NEXT BIG THING INTERVIEW:

What is your working title of your book?

State of Illusion

Where did the idea come from for your book?

Several years ago, I sold my infusion pharmacies, but I missed the business.  My wife suggested that I write about it.  That presented a whole new set of challenges: do I write a “how-to” book, a memoir or something else?  I chose the something else.  I always dreamed of writing fiction, but never had the time.  Now I had the time and a rich history in clinical pharmacy to draw upon.  I decided to write a thriller about clinical pharmacy turning sinister.

What genre does your book fall under?

Thriller/Mystery.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

For my protagonist, Jon Masters, I would say Gerard Butler, the Scottish actor.

What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Clinical pharmacist Jon Masters discovers that the investigational drug study he’s managing is a sham and his life implodes when evidence found at a murder scene implicates him in an elaborate scheme to distribute a cheap, yet pharmaceutical quality, street drug cleverly disguised as the experimental drug.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-Published.

How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About 9 months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Little has been written about a pharmacist protagonist who battles an international crime organization, so my book is unique in that respect.  But my inspirations come from the works of thriller authors Joseph Finder, Steve Martini and Robin Cook.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My wife.  Since I have always loved reading murder mysteries and thrillers, I would often turn to her and ask, “What would happen if…?”  I asked that question again one day, and she seemed interested to find out the answer and suggested I write about it.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

This book gives an interesting perspective of modern life in China.

The Blog Roll:  My friend, and fellow writer, Seumas Gallacher recently started this last trend in blogs, and it’s interesting how he links his site to others.  He calls his invention “The Blog Scratchers Union”, or “TBSU” for short.  Essentially, he promotes other writers and their blogs by simply writing a short intro to other writers and then lists their blog site links.  It’s a great way to get your blog link listed on other blogs.  The following sites constitute my “TBSU” for today and I invite you to check out these sites.

http://bookmavenpicks.wordpress.com

http://jimlwright.wordpress.com/

http://scifimagpie.blogspot.com/

http://www.shannonmcroberts.com/

http://thomasrydder.wordpress.com/

http://www.chaptersandchats.com

http://SaintsRestNovels.blogspot.com

http://danielabram.wordpress.com

http://www.lucaveste.com

Thanks for letting me mention my upcoming novel in “The Next Big Thing” as well as pay back the kindness of some of my fellow blog writers in “The Blog Scratchers Union” Blog Roll.

Thoughts?  Comments?  I’d love to hear them!