160) Murder at the Hotel Orient - Alessandra Ranelli. Quirky and sassy characters, decent mystery and a clear love of Vienna and her character. Fair warning for anyone looking for a cosy mystery - this has a lot of spice and smut!

More spice than you could ever hope for... Are YOU checking in to the Hotel Orient? www.thebooktrail.com/book-trails/... @alessandraranelli.bsky.social @johnmurrays.bsky.social

Felt cute, might delete later.

Y'all Look at this LOOK AT THIS!!!!!!

Endless thanks to @theauthorguy.bsky.social for blurbing my debut novel and making my dad’s year!

A spicy new murder mystery novel by @alessandraranelli.bsky.social set in modern-day Vienna, with a timeless, golden-age feel. Sterling is the concierge at an infamous love hotel, facilitating anonymous liaisons. When two guests are found dead, can she find the killer? UK publ. 30/4/26 #books 💙📚⚡️

Heed that warning, darling.

The Hotel Orient is a real place in Vienna where the staff take no names and ask no questions. MURDER AT THE HOTEL ORIENT is set there, but everything else in this queer murder mystery is made up (or is it?, they'll never tell) #ewgc

When you finish reading a murder mystery set in a hotel while you're staying at a hotel, of course you have to do a mini photoshoot 😄📚 So delighted I received an ARC of MURDER AT THE HOTEL ORIENT by @alessandraranelli.bsky.social. Watch for this one in May! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #murderatthehotelorient

Answering the question on EVERY crime reader’s mind: Which member of the Thursday Murder Club is the most fuckable?

I am SO excited to reveal the US cover of my new fantasy horror novel The Bone Door! I am equally excited to scream about the STUNNING special edition. This will be a limited first print run. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. So if you want to ensure you get the pretty I advise you to pre-order asap.

Answering the question on EVERY crime reader’s mind: Which member of the Thursday Murder Club is the most fuckable?

*NEW BLOG POST* Today on #damppebbles I am sharing this week's #WWWWednesday post. Find out what I've recently finished reading, what I'm currently reading and what I plan to read next! Check out my post here... ➡️ buff.ly/xksxFLC #BookSky #skybrarians #books #bookish #book

Ooh this made my morning! I had so much fun making these miniatures for the Bloody Scotland nominees and I am delighted by how well they were received!

So proud of DB and I am excited for him to go on sub next week! I expect Charlie will have quite a few suitors vying to snap her up.

✨AGENT ANNOUNCEMENT✨ Just in case you missed the big news from @dbtelford.bsky.social earlier.

After ONLY TWO WEEKS in the query trenches, Killer Twist Pitch Prize Winner @dbtelford.bsky.social has signed with literary agent Katie Fulford of Bell Lomax Moreton! Crying all the happy tears for you! Can’t wait to see editors fighting over DEAD MEN DON’T SING in the fall. Congratulations!

2 days after sharing the pitches, 6 out of the 9 shortlisted manuscripts now have agent interest, including Grace’s lush, lyrical mystery. Grace has such a gift and I think historical fans will fall for her voice.

The Killer Twist Pitch Prize Shortlist! Agents, pay attention, l'd bet some of these will find rep any minute now. This decision was IMPOSSIBLE with stunning novels across the crime genre (& some cross-genre gems) Cheers to the shortlist. Can't wait to see what's next #KTPP #MurderAtTheHotelOrient

Check back on Wednesday March 19th at 6pm CET for the Killer Twist Pitch Prize short list reveal!

Our Lit Festivals manager, Clem is celebrating her 35th Birthday today & her present to YOU could be 35 books 📚 All you have to do is like this post, pop your guesses for Clem's height in the replies below (and be following us on Bluesky)!  We will randomly select a winner on 17/03/2025 (UK only).

Confirm your reservation now, Darling, because UK pre-order for Murder at the Hotel is officially open. Mysteriously, 💋Sterling Lockwood, 🛎️Concierge & Keeper of Secrets If your alias is the name of your favorite fictional character, who are you checking in as?

New Post, in which another author‘s husband inspires me to explore the deep web, and what I discover leads to an experience I never dreamed of. Okay, it’s not as bad as it sounds. alessandraranelli.com/2025/03/08/y...

Got a flurry of last minute entries for the Killer Twist Pitch Prize (you are all such naughty procrastinators!) and some of them had me shouting. This is going to be an impossible decision! Tomorrow is the LAST DAY to enter!

Enjoy some of my favorite lines from the entries. Crime writers, want to see yours on the board? Enter your query by March 2nd!

Only a few days left! Here’s a peek at a few favorite lines!

7 Days left to enter the Killer Twist Pitch Prize! If you’re an un-agented crime/ thriller writer, why not enter? While some contests charge $30 for AI to read your book, this has free entry & no catch. 🥇 wins a trip to Harrogate for Theakston’s Crime! See 📌 for details.

🚨BURYING JERICHO WATERSTONES PREORDER DEAL🚨 The gorgeous BURYING JERICHO hardback has been chosen to be part of Waterstones’ pre-order promotion happening this weekend! Grab Scott Jericho’s latest adventure for a bargain price using the code PREORDER25 right here www.waterstones.com/book/burying...

Murder at the Hotel Orient is on Goodreads, and it would be marvelous if you'd add it, Darling. Mysteriously, Sterling Lockwood Concierge & Keeper of Secrets Hotel Orient, Vienna www.goodreads.com/book/show/22... #MurderAtTheHotelOrient #MATHO #goodreads

Introducing The Killer Twist Pitch Prize for Unagented Crime Writers! Top Prize: 4-Day Pass #TheakstonsCrime + 3-night hotel stay in #Harrogate, Pitch Revision & Coaching. (a $1250 value) 2nd Place: @JerichoWriters Agent 1-on-1! T&Cs apply, See www.alessandraranelli.com/prize for details.🧵1/4

#WritingCommunity If you entered the #KillerTwistPitchPrize you should’ve seen a confirmation page & received an email within 24hrs. As of now I’ve confirmed all entries. If you’re having issues you may have to enter again and ensure you fill all required sections! Also: new prizes:

#writingcommunity In case you missed the big announcement yesterday ⬇️

Introducing The Killer Twist Pitch Prize for Unagented Crime Writers! Top Prize: 4-Day Pass #TheakstonsCrime + 3-night hotel stay in #Harrogate, Pitch Revision & Coaching. (a $1250 value) 2nd Place: @JerichoWriters Agent 1-on-1! T&Cs apply, See www.alessandraranelli.com/prize for details.🧵1/4

By Request: The Murderboard! Can you solve the case before February 2nd at 18:30 CET? In 30 hours I'll reveal exciting news for #amquerying crime writers

QUERYING CRIME WRITERS! Check back in on Sunday February 2nd at 18:30 CET for the big reveal! Or can you guess what it is before then using the clues behind me?

Hi Bluesky. I have a lot of followers on here but ai tend to feel like my posts disappear into the ether. If you're a querying writer, here are some tips for honing your one line pitch. alessandraranelli.com/2025/01/27/4...

Message my American friends!

Unpaid carers are under-represented in writing, publishing & the Arts more generally; I'm in a good position to begin to collect data (more on which soon). I also believe that unpaid carers should be protected in law - @carers-uk.bsky.social on The Equality Act here. www.carersuk.org/reports/maki...

Price per book: 2 Euros My self control from 1-10: 0

Sometimes book research requires stepping on a few toes.

This was a vulnerable thing to share, but I had some lovely feedback on it. Thanks everyone ❤️

New Blog: 20 Tips For Writing While Sad (from an author with PMDD) ilsaseeksrick.com/2024/12/15/2...

Just finished A VERY BAD THING and I'm convinced, without Googling to confirm it, that J.T. Ellison has celiac disease because the rep in the book is flawless. "I can't get sick this week so I'll eat bananas & chocolate" is so real. It's a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Certified Gluten-Free Crime Novel.

First rule of Height Club: You must be this tall to enter.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating today. And if you are alone today or missing a loved one, my heart goes out to you.

I have more to be thankful for this year than I ever imagined was possible. But if I could only mention one person it would have to be my agent @HarryIllingworth.bsky.social For now, ~ 10 bajillion tiny pies later, I am thankful the baking is done. 🦔 A Happy Thanksgiving, indeed.

I'm in Austria, but the most sacred tradition Thanksgiving is alive and well: I just sent my spouse to the store for more butter.

By the sound of things downstairs my wife and her book club pals sure have drunk a lot of books.

A note to fiction authors, mainly myself: The events in your novel are All. Made. Up. They might feel set in stone, but they aren't. There is no law that you cannot change them! Signed, A tired author who just had a breakthrough.

#SimmondsWritingTips Today's tips are all about how to start your book. You're ready, blank Word doc or notebook in front of you, ideas whirling in your head. Now what? Let's look at how to grip your readers from page one...