I sometimes call myself an “accidental” mystery writer. I’m not an accidental writer, by any means; I’ve been telling stories since I could speak, and began writing them down shortly after. I have notebooks upon notebooks filled up with stories from my elementary and middle and high school days – stories written during class, when […]
A Happy Accident by Jenny Adams Read More »
Old homes have always fascinated me. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a hundred-year old farmhouse hearing stories about those who lived there long before our family. I remember looking at the towering maples in the yard, thinking of the people who planted them a century ago, and marveling at how different their lives
If Walls Could Talk: Historic Houses in Crime Fiction by Kate Michaelson Read More »
“If the police show up, make sure you’re holding the package.” The fellow CIA officer prepping me to meet a deep cover agent wasn’t trying to scare me, although he sure succeeded. No, he was simply being practical. I was expendable. The source wasn’t. Meeting a CIA source in a foreign country involved a head-spinning
The Gift that Keeps on Giving by Carmen Amato Read More »
Today is the official release day for Elevator Ride- Book 1 of the Valkyrie Brothers Trilogy—an action-packed, age-gap, rom-com mystery! For me, “release day” always conjures visions of a novel in a cage with the barred door being slowly raised in a darkened Barnes & Noble. Slowly, the novel takes its first steps into its
Release Day by Bethany Maines Read More »
It is an accomplishment to write the first draft of a book, but it is an even greater feat to polish that book into something that sparkles. This post is written by a mystery author, but elements of it can be applied in total or in part to other genre fiction. As I’ve published in
How to Write a Complex Plot by Maggie Toussaint aka Valona Jones Read More »
We live in interesting times. Then again, I suppose all times have been and always will be interesting in one way or another. I’m someone who has always found plots and characters for my books in current events—from local to worldwide. Everything I read about, see on the news, and observe winds up parked in
Living in Interesting Times by Lois Winston Read More »
I write long and short – novels and short stories. Most writers prefer one to the other because they require different skills, but I really enjoy the challenge of both. One problem with writing short stories that appear in periodicals and anthologies is that people may read or hear about one story, but they often
With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying by Debra H. Goldstein Read More »
I’m currently mentoring a gifted fourteen-year-old author who’s writing a novel. Each week, I share a quote with her from a writer that I’ve found either helpful or humorous. Some of my favorites include: “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you
My Favorite Writing Advice by Lynn Slaughter Read More »
It’s been said that San Francisco considers its opera only slightly less sacred than the Holy Grail. The city is totally an opera town. That’s one major reason why I chose to set Overture to Murder, Book 3 in my Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series, at San Francisco Opera. The City by the Bay and
It’s Not Always a Mystery: Following a Series Protagonist’s Journey by Erica Miner Read More »
When 2024 began, it appeared that all but one thing would be status quo. The only change would be the birth of a new grandchild in April. That child, a boy, arrived as planned and immediately charmed everyone by being easy going. For me, writing became complicated when my Sarah Blair series ended and a
Farewell to a Decidedly Eventful 2024 and a Wish for All for 2025 by Debra H. Goldstein Read More »