A Blog for Readers and Writers of Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Fiction
I’m talking about writers’ conferences, not relationships! Returning last week from Left Coast Crime in Bellevue, Washington, I found a flurry of comments in my inbox, addressing the question: was it worth it? It’s a good question to ask.
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Is the road to hell really paved with adverbs? Heavens! None of us wants to commit a mortal writing sin, and so new writers are advised to ruthlessly cut them out of our writing. Your writing will always be stronger without them, we’re told. But is this advice always true?
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Think back—way back—maybe to your childhood or high school days. And think of a person you remember vividly—someone other than your family or personal friends. I did this recently and immediately thought of an unexpected person—Mildred Rowley, one of my mother’s childhood friends.
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It is a truth universally (well, maybe generally) acknowledged that romance in a good crime novel must be relegated to a sub plot. If solving the mystery is primary, we’re told, the book is a crime novel. If the outcome of the romance is primary, the book is a romance. Makes sense. But what if the romance is the mystery? What if the romantic relationship between two people creates or solves the crime? Because it’s Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d mention five crime novels where the heart of the plot (pun intended) is romance.
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“Sexual repression, dark alleys, great detectives, ornate prose,” says author James McCreet (“Why we all love a Victorian Murder,” The Guardian, 15 May 2011). “No wonder the 19th century is our template for crime fiction. A murder is somehow more quintessentially English when committed on the cobbles of a foggy East End alley. If there’s a silhouetted top hat, a rustle of crinoline and a scream cut short with straight razor, all the better.”
I couldn’t agree more. Here are my Top Ten Reasons why Victorian England is the perfect setting for murder:
Have you ever been ticketed for a rolling stop? In case you’re not familiar with the term, a rolling stop[…]
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Recently I met Kate Michaelson, a new author with a fresh voice and a talent for telling riveting tales of suspense. She’s here today on Miss Demeanors to tell us a little about herself and her debut novel, HIDDEN ROOMS.
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We’ve all heard stories about successful authors who could literally wallpaper their offices with rejection letters. We’ve also heard about first-time authors whose manuscript was snapped up on their very first attempt at querying. Querying an agent or acquiring editor at a publishing house can be a complicated, lengthy, and frustrating experience. But are there proven strategies for giving your manuscript the very best chance of acceptance? Turns out there are.
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Before I was published, a writer friend advised me not to read the reviews of my books posted on sites like Amazon and Goodreads. I must have looked at her funny because she went on to say, “I never read reviews. My daughter screens them and sends me only the good ones.”
As inexperienced I was at that point, I knew I couldn’t follow her advice.
A question I’m frequently asked is, “When did you become a writer?” I usually answer with one of my favorite quotes (no idea who said it): “You aren’t a writer because you write; you write because you’re a writer.” In other words, writing isn’t something you do but something you are. Writers must write. And once you start writing, you’re never the same, and you can never go back. There are certain things you can never do again.
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