Author Archives: Clay Stafford

About Clay Stafford

Clay Stafford (www.ClayStafford.com) is an author and filmmaker and CEO of American Blackguard (www.AmericanBlackguard.com). He is also the founder of Killer Nashville (www.KillerNashville.com), an organization devoted to writers of the mystery, thriller, and suspense genres. His latest projects are a feature-length documentary “One of the Miracles: The Inge Meyring Smith Story" (www.OneOfTheMiracles.com) and a music CD "XO" (www.JefferyDeaverXOmusic.com) with mystery writer Jeffery Deaver.

Are We There Yet – Where No Man Has Gone Before? / Author Tom Collins

Posted on May 22, 2013

I try to include some far out stuff in my mysteries, but I’m finding that is hard to dabble in science fiction when we keep catching up with it. Drones are becoming commonplace. The college where I received my undergraduate … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Green Light For Murder” by Heywood Gould / Saturday, May 18, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 18, 2013

Today’s featured book is Green Light For Murder by Heywood Gould I’ve heard it said that the only good producer is a dead producer.  In “Green Light for Murder”, Heywood Gould takes that literally.  This is a true insider’s look at the … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Dead Insider” by Victoria Houston / Friday, May 17, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 17, 2013

Today’s featured book is Dead Insider by Victoria Houston There is so much to like about Victoria Houston’s new novel, “Dead Insider,” I almost don’t know where to begin. Plot-wise, it is what I might call a suspenseful cozy, or maybe a … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective” by Christine Amsden / Wednesday, May 15, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 15, 2013

Today’s featured book is Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective by Christine Amsden Nothing delights me more than a new discovery and what delights me even more is that I found it from an independent publisher here in my own backyard, Twilight Times Books in … Continue reading →

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My First Literary Advice / Award Winning Author/Screenwriter Heywood Gould

Posted on May 15, 2013

It’s 1963. I’m twenty- one and I have the best job in the world— police reporter for the New York Post. I’m making $95 a week and paying $53 a month in rent. A bowl of shrimp fried rice costs … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Another Sun” by Timothy Williams / Tuesday, May 14, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 14, 2013

Today’s featured book is Another Sun by Timothy Williams I love taking trips to places I’ve never been and I think this is the first novel I’ve read set in Guadeloupe.  It is an underdog tale with a twist. “Another Son” by … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “The House of Special Purpose” by John Boyne / Monday, May 13, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 13, 2013

Today’s featured book is The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne If you are looking for a page-turning mixture of suspense and betrayal within a well-executed part love story, part historical epic, and part-tragedy, then “The House of Special Purpose” is … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “The Mothers” by Jennifer Gilmore / Friday, May 10, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 10, 2013

Today’s featured book is The Mothers by Jennifer Gilmore It is amazing how, when one can’t have children, that one sees children and pregnant women everywhere, hears women getting pregnant who didn’t want to be, hears innocent remarks made by family members … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Don’t Go” by Lisa Scottoline / Thursday, May 9, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 9, 2013

Today’s featured book is Don’t Go by Lisa Scottoline Most of the books I read from Lisa Scottoline are series related.  Here’s a standalone you won’t want to miss.  Scottoline is one of the best writers I’ve ever read.  This one goes … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “No Way Back” by Andrew Gross / Wednesday, May 8, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 8, 2013

Today’s featured book is No Way Back by Andrew Gross In Andrew Gross’s “No Way Back,” a woman has an affair and, while in the illicit situation, her lover is murdered.  In self-defense, she kills the killer, whom she IDs as a … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Blood Trade” by Faith Hunter / Tuesday, May 7, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 7, 2013

Today’s featured book is Blood Trade by Faith Hunter “Blood Trade” is the sixth in the Skinwalker series from USA bestselling author Faith Hunter (also known as writer Gwen Hunter). Jane Yellowrock is a vampire killer who finds herself working for the … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Shadows On a Cape Cod Wedding” by Lea Wait / Monday, May 6, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on May 6, 2013

Today’s featured book is Shadows On a Cape Cod Wedding – An Antique Print Mystery by Lea Wait A dead body on the beach, a second murder, and the looming hurricane amidst wedding preparations and a number of romantic and social issues … Continue reading →

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Clichés and the Writer / Author Randy Rawls

Posted on May 1, 2013

So now you’re a writer. You qualify for the title because you’ve 1) published your first book, 2) finished your first book, 3) begun your first book, or 4) decided to begin your first book. Doesn’t matter which, you’re well … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Final Settlement” by Vicki Doudera / Tuesday, April 30, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on April 30, 2013

Today’s featured book is Final Settlement by Vicki Doudera If cozies are your thing, you’ll be sold with “Final Settlement” by Vicki Doudera.  This is the fourth installment in her Darby Farr real estate mystery series. I love the characters and the … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Submergence” by J.M. Ledgard / Monday, April 29, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on April 29, 2013

Today’s featured book is Submergence by J.M. Ledgard J. M. Ledgard’s “Submergence” has figuratively grabbed me by the…neck.  Every few months I read a book like this and it just blows me away.  This novel hit me in the gut. The story … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “The Bone Man” by Wolf Haas / Friday, April 26, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on April 26, 2013

Today’s featured book is The Bone Man by Wolf Haas In “The Bone Man” by Wolf Haas, former detective Simon Brenner no sooner gets on the job than his client goes missing.  Foul play (or fowl play – pardon me) is suspected, … Continue reading →

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Paris Book Expo Showcase / Author Dennis Winstead

Posted on April 24, 2013

Now that all of our books, cards and catalogs are delivered and the U.S. Commercial Service folks in Paris have completed the March 21-25 Paris Expo – Porte de Versailles, I’d like to take this opportunity to showcase the expo … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Skin in the Game” by R.P. Finch / Monday, April 22, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on April 22, 2013

Today’s featured book is Skin in the Game by R.P. Finch The University of West Alabama came upon a prize with R. P. Finch’s first novel “Skin in the Game.” This is a delightfully original and quirky book. Backstabbing deals. Characters’ high … Continue reading →

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Make My People Go / Award-winning author Brad Crowther

Posted on April 17, 2013

At a writers’ conference several years ago, Michael Connelly was asked why he killed off Terry McCaleb, the protagonist in Blood Work and other books. Connelly said he no longer could see himself spending a year up close and personal … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “The Mystery of Mercy Close” by Marian Keyes / Monday, April 15, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on April 15, 2013

Today’s featured book is The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes Page-turning laughs await in the new mystery from Irish author Marian Keyes’ “The Mystery of Mercy Close.” This is the fifth Walsh Sister novel. Helen, the protagonist, is the youngest … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Farewell To Freedom by Sara Blædel / Thursday, April 11, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on April 11, 2013

Today’s featured book is Farewell To Freedom by Sara Blædel Sara Blædel was voted as Denmark’s most popular novelist three times in a row. That’s no surprise. When it comes to police procedural, she’s always been one of my favorites. “Farewell to Freedom” … Continue reading →

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Characters for Hire / Author Ken Vanderpool

Posted on April 10, 2013

  Key Players Everyone knows the most important people to any successful business are their customers. Running a close second and facilitating that success are the company’s employees. As a hiring manager in operations for the past forty years, I … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger / Friday, April 5, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on April 5, 2013

Today’s featured book is Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger William Ken Krueger’s new deeply human grief-ridden novel “Ordinary Grace” is as much a literary novel as it is a mystery. Told from the point-of-view of a 13-year-old boy, Frank, an about-to-be … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “The Seventh Victim” by Mary Burton / Wednesday, April 3, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on April 3, 2013

Today’s featured book is The Seventh Victim by Mary Burton This is a sick, edge-of-your-seat ride with no good end in sight. From the first page you know it is going to be a rollicking ride. Mary Burton’s “The Seventh Victim” blew … Continue reading →

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Killer Idea / Author Warren Bull

Posted on April 3, 2013

Nothing is as hard for a fiction writer as reality. I’m not talking about the grim reality of searching for an agent, the marathon of trying to get something published or even the annoyance, carving out time to write between … Continue reading →

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Best-Laid Plans / Author Michael Guillebeau

Posted on March 28, 2013

I’ve been at this business of learning to write for sixty-one years or four years, depending on how you count. I keep learning and losing the same old things and find myself spending more time scratching my head than writing. … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Book of the Day on Vacation

Posted on March 23, 2013

Clay Stafford (founder of Killer Nashville & our book reviewer) is taking a much needed vacation. Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day will return on Monday, April 1, 2013.

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Perps & Guns – It’s No Mystery / Award Winning Author Marco Conelli

Posted on March 21, 2013

When writing the young adult Matthew Livingston Mystery Series, I get to inject some of my 20 plus years’ experience as a NYPD detective into my stories. The beneficiary of said experience is the main character of the books, 17 … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Hunting Daylight” by Piper Maitland / Thursday, March 21, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on March 21, 2013

Today’s featured book is Hunting Daylight by Piper Maitland I’ve discovered a new series!  Today’s Book of the Day is two-for-one.  Fellow Tennessee writer Michael Lee West has duplicated herself into writing alter ego Piper Maitland.  Berkley sent “Hunting Daylight” by Piper … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Book of the Day / Wednesday, March 20, 2013 / “Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction” by Tracy Kidder & Richard Todd

Posted on March 20, 2013

Today’s featured book is Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd “Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction” by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd provide a rare treat for nonfiction writers.  Here is the chronicle of two men … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Book of the Day / Tuesday, March 19, 2013 / “Heart of Ice” by P.J. Parrish / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on March 19, 2013

Today’s featured book is Heart of Ice by P.J. Parrish I save books from P.J. Parrish for when I know I won’t be interrupted. For “Heart of Ice” even sleep had to wait. I can’t say enough superlatives about this writing dynamic … Continue reading →

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AMAZON ANNOUNCES IT WILL PAY AUTHORS SOONER THAN OTHER PUBLISHERS

Posted on March 19, 2013

Reblogged from Clay Stafford: Could it be a sign of the changing times and could, once again, that renegade Amazon be changing the face of the publishing industry?  VP of Amazon Publishing, Jeff Belle, sent a revolutionary letter to authors’ … Continue reading →

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Why Do Amateur Sleuths Solve Crimes? / Author Sharon Woods Hopkins

Posted on March 13, 2013

Last month I participated on a panel called “Killing Me Softly” at a writers’ conference. It wasn’t about the 1973 Roberta Flack song, as I first thought. Rather, it was a lively discussion about what that title would mean relative … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Dead Letter Day” by Eileen Rendahl / Tuesday, March 12, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on March 12, 2013

Today’s featured book is Dead Letter Day by Eileen Rendahl A smorgasbord of supernatural characters await in Eileen Rendahl’s well-written “Dead Letter Day.”  Third in the series and a combination of mystery, fantasy, and romance, this novel is an excellent blend of … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Three Graves Full” by Jamie Mason / Friday, March 8, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on March 8, 2013

Today’s featured book is Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason Bodies buried in the backyard. Well, the front yard, too. And he only killed one of them. Excellently plotted and filled with surprises, it is an unlikely romp of Good Samaritans, curious … Continue reading →

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Okay, I Love Television. So Sue Me. / Award winning author Laura Hayden

Posted on March 6, 2013

I’ve been enamored with it all my life. When I was a kid, I loved television so much that my parents felt compelled to limit me to one hour a day. So what did I do? I started a diary, … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Baksheesh” by Esmahan Aykol, translated by Ruth Whitehouse / Tuesday, March 5, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on March 5, 2013

Today’s featured book is Baksheesh by Esmahan Aykol, translated by Ruth Whitehouse Bribery can get you many things. Including an apartment where a dead body turns up and you become the main suspect.  Such is the case with Esmahan Aykol’s second book … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I” by Stephen Alford / Monday, March 4, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on March 4, 2013

Today’s featured book is The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I by Stephen Alford “Assassinations, espionage, torture, spies, double agents, cryptography, indignities. Page turning. Well-researched. This could be a spy novel, but it’s not; it happened. The Elizabethan … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Bonded Labor: Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia” by Siddharth Kara / Friday, March 1, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on March 1, 2013

Today’s featured book is Bonded Labor: Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia by Siddharth Kara “Brings new meaning to owing your soul to the company store. A study of debt bondage and violent enslavement of men, women, and children in … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Book of the Day / Thursday, February 28, 2013 / “Black Fridays” by Michael Sears / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on February 28, 2013

Today’s featured book is Black Fridays by Michael Sears. “Debut novel. Murder, corruption, finances, conspiracy, dead bodies, hedge funds, secret codes, the headiness of power, temptation. A man in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to redeem his life. Reads … Continue reading →

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How to Tell a Judge He (or She) Screwed Up / Bill Hopkins, Author and Retired Judge

Posted on February 27, 2013

I’m going to tell you how to diplomatically tell a judge that he (that’s used as an inclusive pronoun) has screwed up. You can use this information in your writing when you want your character–whether it’s a judge, lawyer, or … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Book of the Day / Tuesday, February 26, 2013 / “The Incense Game” by Laura Joh Rowland / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on February 26, 2013

Today’s featured book is The Incense Game by Laura Joh Rowland. “Here’s my numerical review: 16-15-1. It’s a lottery number you’ll win by. Sixteenth Century mystery. Treacherous politics. History. Culture. An earthquake bringing the city down upon them. Number 15 in Rowland’s … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “And When She Was Good” by Laura Lippman / Monday, February 25, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on February 25, 2013

Today’s featured book is And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman. “A mom’s sacrifices for her only child. A mom’s secret Heidi Fleiss life behind a gated community. A suicide that might be murder.  Washington D.C. politicians and power managers. Betrayal. … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day / “Splendors and Glooms” by Laura Amy Schlitz / Friday, February 22, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on February 22, 2013

Today’s featured book is Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz. “I picked it up to give to my son to read and loved it myself. Written by a Newberry Medal Winner who never delivers a less-than-stellar book. A confused little girl. … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Book of the Day / Thursday, February 21, 2013 / “The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies” by David Thomson / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on February 21, 2013

Today’s featured book is The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies by David Thomson. A comparative history of moving images from around the world by one of the film world’s best living film authorities. Great prose. Reads like a personal conversation. … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Book of the Day / Wednesday, February 20, 2013 / “Resurrection Express” by Stephen Romano / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on February 20, 2013

Today’s featured book is Resurrection Express by Stephen Romano. “Filmic in scope (written by a screenwriter). Debut novel. High-tech code hacking. A dead wife. (Maybe.) The fate of billions of lives. A death run. Action packed with unexpected twists. One you’ll recommend … Continue reading →

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My take on writing a “Cozy” / Kay Elam

Posted on February 20, 2013

My very first writing conference was Killer Nashville, and I was scared to death. After all, I envisioned the other attendees as real writers, many published, many successful. I was only starting my writing journey, but knew I needed to … Continue reading →

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Killer Nashville’s Book of the Day / Tuesday, February 19, 2013 / “All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Posted on February 18, 2013

Today’s featured book is All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren. “A classic. Pulitzer Prize winner. Modern Library’s 36th greatest novel of the 20th Century. The fictional rise of governor Willie Stark and the self-discovery of Jack Burden. Written in the classic voice … Continue reading →

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Translating Patrick Conrad’s “No Sale” / Jonathan Lynn, former Reuters correspondent

Posted on February 13, 2013

How do you translate a thriller written in a language you can’t speak? That was the challenge I faced when I undertook to translate prize-winning Belgian author Patrick Conrad’s novel Starr (now published in English as No Sale). Patrick has written a dozen … Continue reading →

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When Investigators Can Lie / Sheila Stephens, Law Enforcement and Forensic Psychology Expert

Posted on February 6, 2013

Movies and T.V. have changed public perception of the way investigations are conducted.  Many cop and P.I. programs, regularly, show the protagonist using a pretext, more often than not an outrageous one, to obtain information.  Ever wonder how legal that … Continue reading →

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