Every author has their own particular way of approaching a new story; some make a meticulous outline and stick to it. Others have only the vaguest idea of what’s going to happen and just strap in and find out as the characters drive. Mine sits somewhere in between: I tend to know the ultimate outcome
The Times the World Shapes the Story by Ryk E. Spoor Read More »
During those intense, isolating Covid years, my wife and I watched just about every streaming detective series we could find. Some were riveting, others meh, a few downright boring, but most of them shared one peculiar characteristic: The crime solver––whether a cop, detective, PI, amateur sleuth, male or female––was, one way or another, semi-dysfunctional. They
Crime Writers, Stick to Your Guns! by Gerald Elias Read More »
I invented a virus. Fortunately, I did it in a novel. When I started writing The Hellraiser, the third book in my Charlie Martens series, I wanted to take the science a little further than I had in my previous books. I had spent most of my working life as a doctor, so I have
The Day My Thriller Became Reality by Sophy Smythe Read More »
Words are the instruments with which writers ply their trade. On good days, the work seems to magically flow in an unending stream. On others, a writer may lean on a dictionary or thesaurus in search of a perfect word to set the tone, or describe a character, or ensure that the language reflects the
Word Games by Gay Yellen Read More »
Has an older relative ever told you an old family story that surprised you? Or perhaps you’ve stumbled (hopefully not literally) over an item at a flea market and wondered what it was ever used for? Or maybe you have happened on a historical marker that gave you peek into previously unknown events of the
The Fun of Writing Historical Fiction by Carol L. Wright Read More »
Many crime fiction protagonists don’t have to take care of anyone except themselves. They are single, divorced, or widowed. Some are young and haven’t found anyone to start a family with. Others are older, or jaded, or have lost what family they had. Being single makes the sleuthing life of an amateur – or a
Characters Who Need Caring For by Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day Read More »
Did you know “Mystery”, the genre we all know and love, wasn’t a genre in the early 1800s? There was romance (which did not mean what it does today) and horror (which does mean what it does today), history, and biographies, but no Mystery. In addition to writing full-length mysteries, including my current release Guilty
Once a Mystery, Always a Mystery? By TG Wolff Read More »
People often ask me where I get my ideas for my books. A lot of my ideas come from real life. Yes, I write murder mysteries, but that doesn’t mean that I have been involved with murders. Sometimes a building or a house will spark my imagination. One of those buildings is a stone mansion
SETTING BASED ON REAL LIFE by Valerie (V. M.) Burns Read More »
Why is “Murder She Wrote” set in Cabot Cove, Maine? Probably first and foremost because the creators of the popular series wanted a charming backdrop that provided a plausible home for a retired teacher/mystery author turned amateur sleuth. And the small tight-knit community meant Jessica Fletcher had access to everyone and everything she needed to
Why There? Because Settings Matter by Mary Lee Ashford Read More »
“Relax,” said the librarian in the history department at the Los Angeles Public Library. “If you can’t find it, probably no one else can.” Probably. Hmmmmm. Probably doesn’t mean won’t, and knowing my luck, some self-important blowhard is going to find some uber obscure factoid that I missed in my latest historical mystery and work
TERROR IN THE RESEARCH RABBIT HOLE by Anne Louise Bannon Read More »