The Killer Nashville International Writer’s Conference was the first of its kind I’ve ever attended. I didn’t know quite what to expect but tried to put my best foot forward: Served on 3 panels (Writing Spies and Espionage, Settings, Witness Reliability),...
Last week I sat down with fantasy author Vee James to talk about the creative process. He’s the author of NECCABASHAR, the tale of a young demon climbing the corporate ladder in Hell with hilarious results. (Comedy Channel, take note. This is your next breakout...
We make resolutions, fight the good fight for a while, and then lose track and lose heart. Sigh. This year, break the resolution-defeat-discouragement cycle before it gets going. Start some rituals instead. These 10 help me keep writing, hit deadlines,...
I was on Facebook recently (who among us can’t start a sentence that way?) and someone in a writers group asked what was our biggest concern. My answer was “Playing small.” Does anybody else feel like this? Although I’ve been a published author for 5 years, I can’t...
Last year, I was lucky enough to attend the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival. Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Ford was guest speaker and winner of the 2015 F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Literature. Ford is the author of...
Mysteries are all about complicated people solving complicated plots. We love characters with issues—even a Fatal Flaw--that make them vulnerable and real. It’s why Spenser has his Code, why John Rebus hangs out in the Oxford Bar, why a 1000-year-old spirit lives...
How many moving parts does it take to build a mystery novel? Do you want the short answer? (lots) Or the long answer? (lots and lots) Building Blocks Now, I'm not whining over the terrible fate of being a mystery author. Actually, I like being a mystery author. I like...
With so many books out there, how do you make an informed reading choice? From the author's point of view, it's all about "book discoverability.' But I read more than I write and from the reader's perspective, it's all about knowing the book won't disappoint. How to...
Every thriller needs the big climax, right? But suspense needs to be built with action scenes that intrigue us. The mystery setting Remember how in THE KEY TO REBECCA, there's the big climax in the desert as the spy, Wolff, tries to get the radio he's left with the...
In CLIFF DIVER, Detective Emilia Cruz starts piecing together a police investigation by using a timeline. Emilia’s love of timelines will be an element of her crime-solving skills in every book in the Emilia Cruz mystery series. It’s her go-to problem-solving...
For years I thought creativity belonged exclusively to artists, writers and musicians and longed to be part of such a creative elite. Wow, was I wrong. Now that I’m older and wiser (hopefully) I know that we all have the ability to be creative in any part of our lives...
There are certain interview questions to ask someone who has just published a novel in a mystery series. And other questions that are sort of odd. Here are the ones I’ve been asked lately. 1. Why did you write it? I wrote Cliff Diver: An Emilia Cruz Novel because...
Ready to sweeten life? Throw out a sour mindset?As the author of a mystery series--a relatively solitary occupation--I can’t afford to let my inspiration ebb away. I’m constantly looking for new sources of motivation, the confidence to tackle new projects, an trying...