In the book world, “voice” is a difficult-to-define but prized element. “I can’t describe voice,” editors say, “but I know it when I see it.” When conceptualizing my latest Chloe Ellefson mystery, Death on the Prairie, I’ve thought a lot about finding a voice—and not just my own as a writer. Chloe is curator of …Read More
Character Growth: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
By Jason P. Henry (Conference Director, 2016 Pikes Peak Writers Conference) I’d like to believe my writing abilities have come a long way since I first started. I could attribute my improvement to many things, but there’s one factor that I hold in highest regard. That is the multitude of amazing people I have met …Read More
One Writer’s Tools … by Bailey Cates
Thanks for inviting me to guest, Patricia! It is a rare book event where some version of the question, “What is your process?” doesn’t come up. Heck, I want to know how other writers create stories out of nothing, too. Alas, I still haven’t discovered the magic formula. So instead I thought I’d share a …Read More
Literary Mystery Fiction: Finding the Sweet Spot … by Nancy G. West
Many people divide literary fiction from mystery fiction based on considering these elements: memorable characters and/or prose, sensory details, pacing (timing of events); high stakes; and tone (serious to humorous.) Which elements do these literary fiction authors, and one mystery writer, incorporate into their work? Most of these authors use all the elements. Since they’re …Read More
For the love of “old stuff”: the Chaw’se Miwok and Me … by Catriona McPherson
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy in Northern California but sometimes I miss the . . . old stuff that surrounded me in Scotland. The mediaeval streets, the fortified castles, the Roman walls, and of course the really old stuff: the standing stones. I’ve got an ambivalent attitude to standing stones, actually. I sort …Read More
My guest blogger tomorrow is Catriona McPherson, President of Sisters in Crime National
I am honored to have special guest Catriona McPherson on my blog tomorrow. She has a new book coming out early next month and it sounds like a great read.
The winner of an ebook copy of The Lady in Pink by J.A. Kazimer
Laura Michaela Banse will receive an ebook copy of The Lady in Pink by J.A. Kazimer Congratulations, Laura!!
The Art of Stealing Character … by J.A. Kazimer
All authors are thieves. We steal constantly. In fact, I’d keep watch over your family jewels whenever one of us is in sight. Now that I have your attention, and maybe even your outrage if you’re the kind of person who avoids the take a penny, leave a penny jar at your local gas station …Read More
“You Must Do the Thing You Think You Cannot Do” … by T J Viola
Early retirement was an offer I didn’t expect to take. The clincher came when I realized the last day to exit the company was my thirtieth anniversary date. I’ve learned to never question fate—so I took the plunge. One day I was in a high-pressure job living on a constant flow of adrenalin. The next, …Read More
Do You Know Your Nominative From Your Objective? … by Lois Winston
There are certain grammar errors that are like chalk screeching on a blackboard to me. I cringe when I hear them, and it’s all thanks to Peggy Riley Hughes. Mrs. Hughes was my seventh and eighth grade English teacher, a veritable martinet who literally beat grammar into us by smacking a yardstick on her blackboard …Read More