Raise your hand if you already know that the beginning of your novel must hook the reader? My guess is everyone’s hands shot in the air. Writing the perfect beginning, one that establishes mood, voice, genre, place. One that introduces characters and one that hooks. I’m exhausted just thinking about everything the first few pages […]
The Challenge and the Fun of Writing about Murder
Everyone writers meet advise them to “write what they know.” If writers did that, there wouldn’t be many books out there. As writers, we must go beyond what we know, but we must also base our writing on fact. Even fantasy writers must stay within the realm of believability. As a #mystery writer, I’m constantly […]
The Challenges and Fun of Writing a Murder Mystery
In this video Joan talks about the challenges and the fun of #writing a murder #mystery. Click To Tweet As a writer, you must first figure out what kind of mystery you’re gonna write. Believe it or not, there are lots of sub-genres to the mystery world. Once you make that decision, you can start […]
I See Murderer Everywhere. Do You? Thoughts on Writing Mystery
As a #mystery writer, my mind turns to murder nearly all the time. Click To Tweet Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t go around killing real people, just imaginary people. The fun part is if you don’t like someone, zap, you can knock them off with the click of a button on your keyboard. […]
MJ LaBeff Creates Suspense in her new book MIND GAMES
Today we are excited to welcome suspense writer, M.J. LaBeff” to our blog @MJLabeff Click To Tweet She’s written a number of books, including her newest release, MIND GAMES. Let’s learn more about M.J. the writer, and her books. JC: What made the “girl next door” start writing suspense stories? MJ: I’d always been a big fan of […]
The Confusing World of Mystery Genre
When I began writing fiction, I decided to write mysteries #amwriting #mystery Click To Tweet Why? I love to read mysteries. Actually I love reading lots of things, but I love the intrigue of a good mystery. When I picked up my pen and began the process of writing, I didn’t think, “What kind of […]
Q&A with Cozy Mystery Writer Nikki Haverstock
I’m excited to welcome Nikki Haverstock to my blog today @ranchernikki Click To Tweet Nikki is a fascinating person. Not only is she a skilled archer but she is also a skilled mystery writer who spends a good bit of her time cattle ranching. How’s that for unusual? When you read a Nikki Haverstock mystery, […]
Crosswords and Mystery Readers?
Recently I ran across an article that links crossword players with mystery readers. This made me wonder if it were true. In a recent post I asked the question of mystery readers, do they try to solve the mystery as they read. In other words, do they become sleuths along with the actual detective or […]
Calling all Mystery Readers! Do You Try to Solve the Mystery Puzzle?
I was talking with a colleague the other day about books. This is something I do quite often. I said, “Even though I figured out who did it, the book was still good.” She responded, “I never try and solve the mystery.” That made me wonder. Do most mystery readers try to solve the mystery […]
Spotlight on Cozy Mystery Writer–Susan Bernhardt
Being a huge cozy mystery fan, I’m very excited to have fellow-mystery writer, Susan Bernhardt here to talk about her new release, Murder Under the Tree. BTW, if you haven’t read The Ginseng Conspiracy, you are in for a treat Click To Tweet Aren’t we all looking for a new writer? I’m happy to introduce […]
