"I would urge other writers, at whatever point in their careers, to take the time to read this indispensable handbook....Telling Lies for Fun & Profit should be a permanent part of every writer's library."

-- From the Introduction by Sue Grafton

Characters refusing to talk? Plot plodding along? Where do good ideas come from anyway? In this wonderfully practical volume, two-time Edgar Award-winning novelist Lawrence Block takes an inside look at writing as a craft and as a career.

From studying the market, to mastering self-discipline and "creative procrastination," through coping with rejections, Telling Lies for Fun & Profit is an invaluable sourcebook of information. It is a must read for anyone serious about writing or understanding how the process works.

Christmas Eve. While the world sleeps, snow falls gently from the sky, presents await under the tree ... and murder is afoot. In this collection of ten classic murder mysteries from the best crime writers in history, death and mayhem take many festive forms, from the inventive to the unexpected. From a Santa Claus with a grudge to a cat who knows who killed its owner on Christmas Eve, these are stories to enjoy - and be mystified by - in front of a roaring fire, mince pie to hand.

"Death Cruise": Crime Stories on the Open Sea, edited by Lawrence Block, is a collection of murder mysteries with settings aboard cruise ships and written by several members of the International Association of Crime Writers, including Agatha Christie, Nancy Pickard, Piet Teigeler, Edward D. Hoch, Ralph McInerny, John Mortimer, and Carolyn Wheat.

Can there be a better, more romantic setting for a crime story than a ship on the open sea? Step onto any vessel - even an inter-island ferry - and you experience an aura of romance, adventure, and mystery. All the stories contained in Death Cruise are set aboard cruise ships. Written by members of the International Association of Crime Writers, a global fraternity of mystery writers, these compelling stories come from many nations, including England, Belgium, Denmark, Cuba, Brazil, America, Germany, Spain and France. This global line-up includes: "Problem at Sea" by Agatha Christie; "Nine Points for Murder" by Nancy Pickard; "Hodegetria" by Jeremiah Healy; "Under My Skin" by Chris Rippen; "S.O.S." by John Lutz; "Honeymoon Cruise" by Richard Deming; "Rhine Ablaze" by Jacques Toes; "The Merry Ghosts of the Grampus" by Arnaldo Correa; "Lost and Found" by Benjamin Schutz; "The Wind & Mary" by Piet Teigeler; "The Theft of the Bingo Card" by Edward D. Hoch; "Mutiny of the Bounty Hunter" by Ralph Mclnerny; "The Mermaid" by Jacob Vis; "Chess on Board" by Erik Amdrup; "A Cruise to Forget" by Barbara Collins and Max Allan Collins; "Havanightmare" by Jose Latour; "Miscalculation" by Jan Burke; "The Deep Blue Sea" by Ina Bouman; "Rumpole at Sea" by John Mortimer; "The Time of His Life" by Carolyn Wheat Bon Voyage! And be sure to take a good mystery with you.

This first volume in the Seven Deadly Sins Series, Speaking of Lust is a collection of outstanding short stories on that exceedingly deadly sin we call lust. In addition to being the title of this anthology, "Speaking of Lust" is also the title of Lawrence Block's original novella that leads off this unique collection. "I had as much fun writing 'Speaking of Lust' as I've had with anything in years," Block writes in the introduction, "and if you enjoy it half as much as I did you'll be happy indeed. As I already know you'll be happy with all the other stories in the book."

This second volume of Opening Shots is a collection of twenty-three first stories published by prominent mystery and crime writers. Some of these offerings are remarkably mature, professional work. Others are more obviously early works, before the writers' skills reached full maturity. But every one of them is a pleasure to read, and in each can be seen the seed of the writer's craft. "Each writer has included an introduction worth the price of admission all by themselves," observes Block. "Writers, it seems to me, are never more eloquent or more interesting that when they reminisce about their early days, and recalling one's first success seems a spur of anecdotage for most of us."Following on the heels of the successful first volume of this series, the stories in this stellar field include:"Final Rites" by Doug Allyn • "Don't Kill a Karate Fighter" by William Chambers • "Entrapped" by Harlan Coben • "Yellow Gal" by Michael Collins • "Together" by Jeffrey Deaver • "The Rough Boys" by Harlan Ellison • "Tole My Cap'n" by Joe Gores • "Layover" by Ed Gorman • "A Bunch of Mumbo-Jumbo" by Jan Grape • "The Cure" by David Handler • "Till Tuesday" by Jeremiah Healy • "Village of the Dead" by Edward D. Hoch • "Chalk" by Evan Hunter • "It's a Wise Child Who Knows" by Stuart Kaminsky • "Who Killed Cock Robin?" by H. R. F. Keating • "Medford & Son" by Dick Lochte • "Thieves' Honor" by John Lutz • "Not All Brides Are Beautiful" by Sharyn McCrumb • "Manslaughter" by Joyce Carol Oates • "You Don't Know What It's Like" by Bill Pronzini • "The Disappearance of Penny" by Robert J. Randisi • "A Victim Must Be Found" by Henry Slesar • "Blue Rose" by Peter Straub • "A Bad Night For Burglars" by Lawrence Block

The second volume in the Seven Deadly Sins Series, Speaking of Greed is a collection of short stories on the destructive deadly sin known as greed. In addition to being the title of this anthology, Speaking of Greed"" is also the title of Lawrence Block's original novella that leads off this unique collection.""My task as an anthologist in this series"", Block writes in the introduction, ""is threefold: first, I have to pick the stories; then I have to write a langoish novella with my four series characters, whom we know only as the priest, the doctor, the soldier, and the policeman; finally, I have to hammer out an introduction"".The stories Block has chosen are delightful. His novella delivers what he promises. And the introduction is a heads-up plea for authors to ensure that their work will continue to be read after they are no longer around to write any more.""