Creating a Fictional Town by Judy Penz Sheluk Agatha Christie was the master of creating atmosphere and place, whether she was at the English seaside, or solving a murder in Mesopotamia. I’ve never been to Minnesota, but when I sit down to read the latest John Sandford novel, I feel as if I’m returning to
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Looking at Your MS by Carolyn Mulford Writing a book is a long, hard slog. Typing the last word of the first draft brings a moment of exultation and an evening of celebration. I go to sleep confident the plot intrigues, the characters appeal, and the language delights. The next morning reality hits. Knowing I
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Virginia is for Mysteries – Volume II Heather Weidner and Teresa Inge are blogging today about their experience coordinating the Virginia is for Mysteries anthology series. Virginia may be for lovers, but to nineteen authors, Virginia is for Mysteries: Volume II. The anthology of nineteen short stories, set in and around the Commonwealth, features Virginia
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Gearing Up by Debra H. Goldstein It’s coming! Will I survive? The hardcover version of Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery already is available for pre-order, but on April 20, 2016 the print and e-book versions will launch. I’m excited and scared. I thought the hard work was
Three Ways of Looking at Austin Mystery Writers or, Why I Go to Critique Group by Kathy Waller #1 Yesterday Dominica felt faint, and Molly, my protagonist, steered her to a bench on the courthouse lawn and then dithered over what to do. She couldn’t leave Dominica there to topple off the bench, but asking
A Perfect Place for Murder by Tracy Weber Seattle’s beloved Green Lake Park is my dog Tasha’s and my favorite walking and squirrel-prowling destination. So it was a natural setting for several pivotal scenes in Karma’s a Killer, my third Downward Dog Mystery. The three-hundred acre park contains grassy fields, a lake suitable for boating,
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Holiday Happiness. Happy holidays. One and the same? Not by a longshot. The phrasing of “holiday happiness” and happy holidays” is the difference between a state of being versus a wish. Not everyone has the opportunity or the desire to experience either. During the past the few weeks, everywhere I went, people told me “Happy
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Writing a Mystery Series by Rabbi Ilene Schneider I write a cozy mystery series. They feature an amateur sleuth, Rabbi Aviva Cohen. All the sex and gore are off the page. There is humor. There is a lot of back story. There is a happy ending. They differ from other cozies in that there are
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“Far-Flung Family Ties” by Nancy J. Cohen As we approach the holidays, we begin planning our family celebrations. These may not always be the joyous occasions we’d like. Disagreements, envy, cultural gaps with married partners, and secrets can keep families apart. In PERIL BY PONYTAIL, my recent release and #12 in the Bad Hair Day
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What Do Teen Readers Want? by B.K. Stevens Earlier this month, I participated in an unusual panel at Bouchercon in Raleigh, North Carolina. The panel’s topic wasn’t unusual—these days, most mystery conferences devote at least one panel to young adult novels—but the panelists were. Three of them were real, live young adults, members of a high-school
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