Delicious Suspicious

It is my pleasure to welcome talented writer Elizabeth Spann Craig to my blog today. Her newest release, Delicious Suspicious, debuted yesterday. She is writing this series as Riley Adams.

Thanks so much to Teresa for inviting me to guest post today! I’m delighted to be here at Journaling Woman today. My cozy mystery release, Delicious and Suspicious, released yesterday and I’m enjoying visiting my writing friends’ blogs to promote it.

Modern day writers have a lot to do when a book comes out. There is blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, and other promo to be done.

Sometimes I think my favorite authors from the past had it pretty easy. Oh, they worked hard on their manuscripts, without a doubt. But they didn’t have social media as the distraction that we do. They either wrote longhand or on a typewriter—and didn’t have that urge to check their email inbox or their @ replies on Twitter.

But sometimes I wonder how they’d have fared with social media promoting. And which author would have chosen what medium as their favorite?

Here’s my unscientific analysis:

Shakespeare—He’d have been a Twitter superstar. After all, he’s master of the short, witty quote.

Jane Austen—Hmm. I’m going to say she’d have embraced Facebook. I think she’d have loved the interaction—from a safe, online distance.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—The creator of Sherlock Holmes? I’m thinking he’d have been a blogger. He had too many stories…I think he’d have blogged his fiction. Or maybe sold lots of short stories for Kindle.

Mark Twain—He’d have given Shakespeare a run for his money on Twitter. But I think he’d also have been interested in Facebook and blogging, too. He’d have put on an amazing blog tour.

Dr. Seuss—Can you imagine the amazing blog he’d have?

Now it’s your turn. How do you think your favorite authors from the past would have communicated with their readers?

Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin as Riley Adams, the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink (under her own name). Delicious and Suspicious released July 6, 2010: When a food scout from a cable cooking channel is murdered, it's only natural for restaurant owner Lulu Taylor to take it personally. After all, her barbeque restaurant served the scout's last meal. But danger lurks as Lulu investigates the crime. Will she clear the restaurant's name, or is she next to be skewered?

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/
http://mysteryloverskitchen.com/
Twitter: @elizabethscraig

Comments

Jennifer Shirk said…
Cool post. :)
I think Ernest Hemingway would have embraced blogging. (with the comments turned off) LOL
Jan Morrison said…
hmmm...Dante would've been into the farm ap on facebook; Proust would've written long long blogs; and L.M. Montgomery would have had a knitting blog.
Ha! This is going to be fun. Yes, Hemingway probably would have blogged--with very short, terse sentences. :) No comments for him, for sure!

Jan, you are *cracking* me up! I can't stop laughing here. Esp the knitting blog...snort!

Teresa, thanks so much for letting me hang out here today! I appreciate it.
I think Dr. Seuss would've been great at Twitter as well.
You're welcome, Elizabeth, thanks for visiting here.

Steinbeck would have blogged with long posts, I think. And Facebook might have interested him too so he could see what others were up to.

Laura Ingalls Wilder would have blogged as well writing about her experience on the farm first (to help others)and then promoting her books, but only when Rose (her daughter) had tried it first and encouraged her to do so.

This IS fun.
Natasha said…
I absolutely see Jane Austen having perhaps more than one Facebook profile, with multiple personnas. The safety of FB interactions is what would have attracted her.

Dame Christie would have blogged. One of those long rambling blogs about people watching.


Congratulations, Elizabeth on the release of D&S.

And JW, I am following you!
Anonymous said…
Elizabeth - What a clever and creative question!! There's no doubt in my mind that Agatha Christie would have blogged. She would have enjoyed the opportunity to "step back" and observe life the way bloggers do. However...she'd have enjoyed just as much "blog-hopping" to see what others write.
Helen Ginger said…
What a fun question. The authors I was gonna do have been done (and I agree). Hmm, Lincoln wrote, so I'll say he'd have twittered. He liked short and to the point.
Mason Canyon said…
Teresa, thanks for hosting Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, congratulations on your latest release, wishing you much success. I think Margaret Mitchell would have been good on Facebook, but would have been a better blogger with beautiful, detailed descriptions included in each of her post.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress
Unknown said…
ROFLMAO! You all have me in stitches! I especially like the visual of Mark Twain (or Shakespeare) twittering. They'd both have thousands of *friends* on Facebook too!

Congrats on your book release, Elizabeth! And JW thanks for hosting Elizabeth today! I've been meaning to check out your blog, and now I'm a follower too!

Have a fabulous day ladies!
Mary Aalgaard said…
What a great way to think of authors who have gone before us! Dr. Seuss. I'd LOVE to read his blog. Oh, the thinks he could think... Emily Dickenson would have been one of those anonymous bloggers with a tree for her photo.
Alex--He'd have had a million followers. At least!

Teresa--I think I'd have to have bookmarked Steinbeck's blog posts for days when I had more time!

Yes! I can see Rose telling her mom that she needed to get online and start a blog. That's probably exactly how it'd have panned out.

Rayna--Good point about Miss Jane...I think multiple personas would have meant she could observe lots of people in different groups. She was the ultimate observer!

Margot--I think you're right--in fact, I can see her spending TOO much time on other people's blogs and needing to rein herself in!

Helen--I can see him doing it, too!

Mason--Margaret Mitchell *totally* would have been online. But I wonder how she'd have faced questions about when her next book would come out? Ack. I'm guessing that's a reason why Harper Lee avoids the internet. :)

Crystal Clear Proofing--They'd have been the cool kids on Facebook for sure!

Mary--Ha! You're so right--DEFINITELY a tree for Miss Dickenson. Or..maybe she wouldn't even have owned a computer? (The thought of going computer-free scares me!)
John Steinbeck was a rather prolific writer – I’m thinking he would have embraced blogging.
I think JD Salinger would have started a blog and a facebook and twitter account, then then abandoned each of them in short notice.
Hi Elizabeth ... Dickens would have blogged, as would Kipling, Churchill would do everything ..

Well done on your newest release and getting it up and published .. nice title too ..

Good luck with it and I'm glad Teresa asked you over .. thanks Teresa .. all the best to you both .. Hilary
Elspeth Futcher said…
Churchill would have tweeted short statements that would be retweeted constantly and also written a historical blog that would have set records for the longest posts ever.

Thanks for hosting Elizabeth today, Teresa! This was fun to think about.
Laura S. said…
Awesome post! I agree with your choices. I think Dr. Seuss would be highly popular on twitter, too, with his short, snappy rhymes!

J.R.R.Tolkien would've been a blogger for sure. They'd be pages for the languages and maps of Middle Earth. That'd be a super cool blog!
Jane--And maybe he'd have had more than one blog? One for his fiction and one for nonfiction/historical?

Kat--Ha! Yes, he'd have been disgusted with it all in no time.

Hilary--Ah, Dickens! I think he would have had a really cool blog. He had a great mind for the market, I think (remembering the serials he wrote.) Maybe he'd have had a serial on his blog? Or on Kindle, even?

Elspeth--He could write both ways, couldn't he? I think he might have had these esoteric arguments with his commenters, too!

Laura--I can totally see Tolkien with tons of extras on his blog! That would be cool. Wish Rowling would do something similar. And she's still around!
Hart Johnson said…
LOVE THIS!!!! What a fun game...

I am going to choose MY favorite old author... Tolstoy would have blogged with his social commentary... explaining why people DO the strange things they do.

I'm pretty sure DICKENS, DID blog. They just called it serials back then *snort* (Dumas, too)

I can totally envision that Tolkein website--I think it would have been a little like Rowling's with a lot of little hidden prizes for the persistent!
Elizabeth--have you been to her site? There is a ton more at the Lexicon, but her site is actually quite dynamic--but NOT the blog content... that's missing.

Thanks for hosting JW!
I think I'd have had Tolstoy's blog on heavy rotation in my Google Reader. :)

I'm going to have to check back with Rowling's site--it's been a couple of years (probably almost *exactly* a couple of years because it was right before her last HP release). I thought it was a cool site then--the things you could move around on the desk, etc. If she could blog with us, though! Although, I have a feeling she's still trying to take a vacation from all that work she did with HP! Who can blame her?
Anonymous said…
I think Plato, Socrates, Kant, Nietzsche and other philosphers would make great Twitterers. They would agrue back and forth and probably crash the system.

Stephen Tremp
Unknown said…
I don't know which is more delightful; the guest post or the comments!
Stephen--And *those* would be worthwhile tweets--not like what they had for b'fast or anything!

Judy--The commenters made the post, for sure! :)
Anonymous said…
Love this post. Thanks so much for hosting, Teresa!

I think Heinlein would have blogged with with comments turned off, while Marion Zimmer Bradley would have liked Facebook and blogged.
Anonymous said…
Oh, what a fun post!

I'll do Margaret Mitchell, who would have been too private for Facebook or Twitter, but would have joined both anyhow and accepted all friend requests because it'd be impolite to say 'no,' then avoided writing a second book because she had to keep up with all her online pals.

She'd have loved to run a blog site, posting articles about Atlanta and history. I'm thinking, with some confidence, she'd have thrown in a few stories.

- Corra :-)

The Victorian Heroine
Anon E. said…
A Dr. Seuss blog uh huh
Betty Manousos said…
Great choices! Great post! I'd love to see the blogs of those amazing writers!
Hope you're having a great Tuesday, Teresa!
B xx
I bet that wise Dr. Seuss would have the most colorful blog on the block! I love to read the Seuss books to children. I loved your takes of the writers of old plugged into our modern day world. Still, if I'd have my rathers...I'd choose a pen and tablet to write, but a girl has to keep up with the times.

Ya'll have a delightfully blessed weekend.
Great blog post and comments! Too fun! Newest follower and lover of your blog! :-) ~ Coreen
JudyH329 said…
Agatha Christye would have had a blog! It would have been instructive and full of information. I can see her walking around with a Blackberry, checking to see her schedule and maybe Twittering, keeping others and herself abreast of what's going on!

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