Talking Shop: Plan A, Plan Be, Plan See

Today, Jon's talking shop -- three tricks he's learned about writing novels while writing novels -- over at Elise VanCise's blog Gladiator's Pen.

- I have writer friends whose workspaces are immaculate. I have friends who write every day, including one who gets up at 5:30 a.m. and writes for two hours before heading to his day job as a lawyer. I have friends who make detailed outlines. I have friends who start at the beginning and write their way forward, in perfect linearity, to the end. That is to say, I have friends who are neater, more disciplined, better organized, and generally much smarter than I am! ...

Continue reading at Gladiator's Pen.

Writerhead

Today, Jon Jefferson's in the interrogation room over at Kristin Bair O'Keeffe's blog Writerhead.

Putting Faces on the Dead

We're back in the U.S...back in the U.S. of A. for this post over at crime writer Jen J. Danna's blog Skeleton Keys. Along with this forensics-related post, we're releasing an exclusive excerpt from The Inquisitor's Key.

-One of the hallmarks of the Body Farm novels is that the fiction incorporates realistic and detailed forensic techniques. The new book, The Inquisitor’s Key, is no exception. One of the techniques that’s used is radiocarbon dating—also called carbon-14 dating, or C-14 dating...

Continue reading at Skeleton Keys.

E-Publishing, Take 1: An e-story excerpt from "Madonna and Corpse," and a book giveaway!

A few months ago, my editor asked if I’d consider writing an original short story—something connected to The Inquisitor’s Key in some way. The story would be published electronically (for Kindle, Nook, and iPad/iPhone readers) shortly before the book’s pub date, to help build reader interest. It sounded interesting, so I said “sure!” and starting writing. The resulting e-story—“Madonna and Corpse”—is a “prequel” to the novel. Set in Avignon, France, it stars the French detective, Inspector René Descartes, working a baffling art-forgery case just before his world collides with that of the book’s heroes, Dr. Bill Brockton and Miranda Lovelady. Here’s the beginning of Madonna and Corpse; if you like this sneak peek, please download the e-story (99 cents – how can you lose?!?) and you could win a free signed copy of The Inquisitor’s Key. The giveaway quiz-contest will be open to everyone who downloads/reads Madonna and Corpse and emails us correct answers to the quiz questions. Questions will be posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, so start reading! (If you don't own an e-reader, don't lose hope. You can download this free Kindle app for your PC & read the Madonna and Corpse right on your home computer!)

The Knights Templar and the Body Farm

Today, the blog-tour bus goes amphibious as Jon heads across the (virtual) pond to chat with the folks at Shots - Crime & Thriller E-Zine about weaving together the Knights Templar and the Body Farm.

Fact/Fiction: The beautifully blurry line

 Today, the blog-tour bus skidded to a stop at Janice Bashman's blog The Writing Life, and I'm talking about the blurry line between fact & fiction -- in writing, life, and religion.

Here's a taste:

-Writing The Inquisitor's Key – a crime novel set in France – required a research trip to Avignon, a walled city in Provence, nestled in a bend of the Rhone River. The task loomed, daunting, even overwhelming – all those wines! all that cheese! – but someone had to do it, right? So in May 2011, I dusted off my passport, packed my French phrase book (“La toilette?”), and headed off for a grueling week. Seriously, folks: authentic forensic detail and meticulous research are trademarks of the Body Farm novels, so I had to go. Really I did...

Read the rest of the article at The Writing Life.

Gone Roadtrippin' : Blog & Book Tour 2012!

If you’ve been lurking around the blog lately, you may have noticed that no one's been home for a few days—weeds sprouting up in the flowerbeds, the mailbox bulging. Don’t worry, though. We didn’t intend to pack up and ride out without leaving a little note.

In anticipation of the May 8, 2012 release of The Inquisitor’s Key, I've decided to embark on a tour across the blogosphere...before I leave for the continental United States book tour. I'm nailing this note to the outside of the (virtual) Body Farm gate: an invitation to each and every one of you. 

Meet up with us on The Inquisitor’s Key Blog Tour 2012—without even leaving your chair!—and then find us on The Inquisitor’s Key Book Tour 2012 in a city near you. On the blog tour, not only will you have the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the new Body Farm novel, but you’ll get inside access to exclusive interviews, book reviews, and book giveaway contests. On the book tour, you’ll be able to meet us—Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bass, the men behind the mysteries of Jefferson Bass—and pick up a signed copy (or two..or ten) of The Inquisitor’s Key.

Calendar of Blog-Tour Events

I’d be honored, dear readers, if you'd leave comments on the guest blog posts below in support of Jefferson Bass, the Body Farm series, and The Inquisitor’s Key! We're trying to get the word out to those who are not familiar—yet—with the Body Farm novels and the great work being done at the Body Farm, but we need your help. Visit these blogs in April and May and show readers that Jefferson Bass has the most diehard fans of all. Tell the world to read The Inquisitor’s Key!

April 7, 2012 – Guest post @ My Bookish Ways

April 9, 2012 – Guest post @ Book Bitch Blog

April 11, 2012 – Review of The Inquisitor’s Key @ Chaotic Compendiums

April 17, 2012 – Fact/Fiction: The beautifully blurry line - in writing, life, & religion @ The Writing Life

April 17, 2012: Review of The Inquisitor's Key @ Jenn's Bookshelves
April 20, 2012: Weaving Together the Knights Templar and the Body Farm @ SHOTS Crime & Thriller Ezine
April 23, 2012: Review of The Inquisitor's Key @ Book Reviews by Elizabeth A. White
April 24, 2012: Putting Faces on the Dead - in fact and in fiction @ Skeleton Keys
April 25, 2012: Writerhead Wednesday @ Writerhead
April 26, 2012: The Story Behind the Story: The Inquisitor's Key @ The Rap Sheet
April 28, 2012: Q&A @ Author's Corner
April 29, 2012: Plan A. Plan Be. Plan See. @ Gladiator's Pen
May 2, 2012: From Limbo with Love @ Poe's Deadly Daughters
May 3, 2012: Picture the Book: The Inquisitor's Key @ The Divining Wand
May 5, 2012: Stabbed Ribs, Barbecued Bodies & Other Forensic Adventures @ Putting Words Down on Paper
May 6, 2012: Review of The Inquisitor's Key @  Book Nerd
May 6, 2012: Guest post @ BookPeople's Blog
May 7, 2012:  Guest post @ Indigo Fiction Blog
May 7, 2012: Q&A @ Julianna Baggott's Blog
May 8, 2012: Guest post @ CrimeSpree Magazine
May 8, 2012: Guest post @ The Book Case
May 9, 2012: Guest post @ Crime Fiction Collective
May 9, 2012: Review of The Inquisitor's Key @ Dew on the Kudzu
May 10, 2012: Guest post @ The Writer's Forensics Blog
May 11, 2012: Review of The Inquisitor's Key @ Luxury Reading
May 11, 2012: Q&A @ Mystery Tribune
May 14, 2012: My First Time @ The Quivering Pen
May 14, 2012: Guest article @ Beatrice
May 15, 2012: Guest post @ Pattinase
May 15, 2012: Featured article @ Author Magazine

Calendar of Book-Tour Events

If you’re planning to attend one of our book-tour events this year, please click the appropriate event link below, then JOIN the event on Facebook so we know how many to expect at the party! We want to see YOU in the crowd. Please comment at the end of this post as well to let everyone know which event you’ll be attending. Let's see a show of hands!

1.      A Private Event in Knoxville, Tennessee

Farragut Chamber of Commerce

12284 North Fox Den Drive

Knoxville, Tennessee

May 8, 2012 at 7:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

2.      Fundraising Benefit in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

New Hope Center

602 Scarboro Road

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Tuesday -- May 8, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Purchase tickets to this benefit here.

3.      Jefferson Bass in Scottsdale, Arizona

Poisoned Pen

4014 N. Goldwater Blvd

Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

            Wednesday -- May 9, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

4.      Jefferson Bass in Woodstock, Georgia

Fox Tale Book Shoppe

105 E. Main St.

Woodstock, Georgia

Thursday -- May 10, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

5.      Lunch with Jefferson Bass in Decatur, Georgia

Capozzi’s Decatur

1355 Clairmont Road

Decatur, Georgia 30033

Friday – May 11, 2012 at noon – 3:00 p.m.

6.      Jefferson Bass in Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville Madison County Public Library

915 Monroe St.

Huntsville, Alabama 35801

Friday – May 11, 2012 at 7:00p.m.

7.      Jefferson Bass in Nashville, Tennessee

Parnassus Books

3900 Hillsboro Pike

Nashville, Tennessee 37215

Saturday – May 12, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.

8.      Jefferson Bass in Knoxville, Tennessee

Kroger

11244 Kingston Pike

Knoxville, Tennessee

Sunday – May 13, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.

9.      Jefferson Bass in Knoxville, Tennessee (2^nd appearance)

Books-A-Million

8513 Kingston Pike

Knoxville, Tennessee 37919

Sunday – May 13, 2012 at 6:30 p.m.

10.  Jefferson Bass in Maryville, Tennessee

Hastings

501 N. Foothills Plaza Drive

Maryville, Tennessee 37801

Monday – May 14, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.

11.  Jefferson Bass in Coral Gables, Florida

Books & Books

265 Aragon Ave.

Coral Gables, Florida 33134

Tuesday – May 15, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.

12.  Jefferson Bass in Vero Beach, Florida

The Vero Beach Book Center

2145 Indian River Blvd.

Vero Beach, Florida 32960

Wednesday – May 16, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.

13.  Jefferson Bass in Tallahassee, Florida

Books-A-Million

3531 Thomasville Road

Tallahassee, Florida 32309

Saturday – May 19, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.