A Mystery with a Detective Team
Recently I’ve taken a step back from the cycle of writing, editing and marketing to get some perspective. And I[…]
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Category: Books
You Wrote a Murder Mystery, Now What? Part Deux: Independent Publishers
Congratulations on writing your mystery! And you want the world to see it! Today we’re talking about independent publishers.
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Vacation Reading: a Mystery Novel, a Memoir, another Mystery Novel, and Vampires
I finally got to travel last week, and I loaded my kindle with plenty of reading material. Four in one week is not my personal best, that is reserved for the vacation where I read a book a day, ran out of books, and had to find a bookstore in a panic before the flight home. Obviously before kindles. I read a mystery novel (times 2), a memoir, and a sliver of vampire fiction by Octavia Butler, who never disappoints in the “taking a trope and turning it inside out, on its head, and sideways” department.
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The Point of Words
Although many living things communicate with each other (my dog certainly feels a burning need to let me know the mail has arrived the very moment it does), humans, at least on this planet, are the only ones who have language. And novels. And stories. And Instagram.
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How a reader becomes a writer
Every writer has been there; on the precipice between reader and writer, wondering how, or if, to make the leap. Here are three steps to get you started on the path from reader to writer.
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Free Stuff
As writers (at least as writers in the U.S.), we are expected to give away a portion of our product. We give away signed books, ebooks, short stories, novellas, etc.
And I don’t even want to put in writing what someone asked me to give away today. Let’s just say the request that landed in my inbox made me think long and hard about the value of a FREE THING.
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Writing in Multiple Genres: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
You think of me as a mystery writer, right? But I also write romances. And I’d never read a romance before I accidently wrote one.
Sounds silly right? When I started writing my first NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli mystery, I thought Corelli’s love interest, Brett Cummings, was a man. But when I was writing the scene where they meet, the Brett who showed up on the page, was a woman. I was shocked. I tried changing her back to the man I intended but once she was on stage, I couldn’t go back.
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Love is in the . . . plot (everywhere you look around)
Catriona McPherson asks the burning question: Now, as ever, when I think up a top five list, I am preparing to hear what I missed. Let me know your favourite romantic sub-plots and, once again, Happy Valentine’s Day!
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What Saved Me From a Spot on Hoarders
I come from a family of hoarders. Okay, not the kind that gets you on TV, the kind who leaves dirty dishes, take-out containers, and trash lying about. My parents’ house was always clean, Just crowded. Very crowded. With a double dose of hoarder in my DNA, what saved me from the hoarding hall of fame? Read on…
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