Place in Fiction by Peter Gadol Every author has aspects of narrative that he or she looks forward to in writing a book, and also areas he or she may wish to ignore (I’m thinking of the way, say, Joan Didion will ignore basic stage management in any given scene; no one ever crosses a […]
Plotting or Pantsing? Which is better? by Lynette Eason Getting from POINT A to POINT B isn’t always in a straight line Do you ever sit down to start a new project and stare at your screen with equal parts anticipation and fear? I’ve written right at 50 books, novellas, etc. I’m traditionally published, which […]
How to Write a Killer Query Letter by Ellie Alexander You finished your first manuscript—congratulations! Now what? How do you start the process of finding an agent and how do you write the (gasp) dreaded query letter? My first piece of advice for writers beginning the querying process is to take a minute to celebrate […]
The Impossibility of Historical Fiction James R. Benn Readers of crime fiction know the drill. Most often there’s a protagonist, some sidekicks, various obstructionists, a murder, and a murderer. The search for truth kicks in and the game is afoot. This fictional construct in a historical mystery offers readers something extra; a lagniappe […]
Making Your Inner Writer Stand Out Seven Jane It’s a well-known fact: most writers—myself included—are introverts. We spend a lot of time with our faces either buried between the pages of books or awash in the glare of our laptop screens. We have an affinity for cats—just ask Neil Gaiman, Ernest Hemingway, or […]
8 Tips for Writing Authentic Historical Mysteries Erin Lindsey So, you want to write a historical mystery. You want it to be authentic and meticulously-researched enough to please the pickiest pedants. But dammit, Jim, you’re a novelist, not a historian! Where do you start? I have no idea. Or at least, I didn’t […]
A Plot to Publish Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli In my entire writing life, I have only met one writer who didn’t want to be published. A member of the writing group I belonged to, she wrote small gems, her stories short and stunning. I suspected she’d tried agents and traditional publishers with no luck […]
Getting the Word Out by L.C. Blackwell I spent more than eighteen months writing For Sale Murder. Draft after draft—researching, editing, formatting, designing a cover, finding beta readers, choosing an Indie distributor, prepping the book for upload, and more. I thought I was ready to release my very first mystery baby, all 85,000 […]
What’s the Point? by Mark de Castrique A friend of mine was standing in line at the sales register of a local bookstore. The woman in front of her was checking out, and the clerk made a suggestion for a novel. She handed her customer a display copy and the woman quickly thumbed […]
Adding a Supernatural Element to Your Thriller by Nicholas Kaufmann Growing up, I was a Monster Kid through and through. One of my favorite memories from my youth is how every Sunday morning at 11 AM, WPIX-TV out of New York City would show an old, black-and-white Abbott and Costello movie. It seemed […]