It’s uncanny how our fictional stories can sometimes relate to events in the news. Some mystery writers will purposefully include social issues and current news topics in their stories. For others, like me, it may be coincidental. [Spoiler Alert] In MURDER PAYS A CALL featuring personal concierge Keri Armstrong, I introduce a character who had … Read more
It’s advisable for mystery writers to give each character a secret that may or may not relate to the murder victim. This makes them suspicious in the sleuth’s viewpoint until she can unravel what it is they’re hiding. In Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas recent TV movie on Lifetime channel, five former soap … Read more
Reading a cozy mystery requires a certain suspension of belief by the reader. Certain common elements are accepted in this popular subgenre and some are not. Let’s examine each one and see what we writers can do about them. Readers, feel free to chime in with your opinions! Dead bodies all over town Ever … Read more
Hi, I have a guest post today over at the Writers Who Kill blog on the “Elements of a Cozy Mystery.” If you’re a writer with an interest in this genre, these tips will be helpful. Or if you’re a reader who wants to know more about the writing process, this will give you a … Read more
When writing a mystery, it’s crucial to tie up any loose ends by the end of the story. You don’t want to leave readers hanging on what some incident or snatch of dialogue might have meant when they finish the book. There are several ways for you to keep track of these plot threads. You … Read more
During the Discovery phase of your novel, which I discuss in my post on Five Stages of Writing, you’ll begin formulating the characters. If you’re writing a mystery series, you may already know the protagonists and recurrent characters. So now you have to determine the suspects that are specific to your WIP (work-in-progress). As a … Read more
In discussing the mystery genre, writers often mention how crime fiction reflects the current state of our society. Morality in mysteries is another important consideration. What are the lessons learned by the protagonist, and in extension, by our readers? Personally, I don’t give heavy thought to these notions when I write a novel. Mostly I … Read more
Mysteries and food belong together. Why is food an essential element to the mystery novel? They belong together like peanut butter and jelly or macaroni and cheese. The joy of food balances the sadness of murder. At the funeral feast, people gather to celebrate life and to share a meal as a community. Dr. Christine … Read more
How do you keep track of timelines in your work-in-progress? Do you use graphs, charts, or plotting boards to note the days of the week? When I was starting out as a writer, I kept plotting boards. This was a poster board that I divided into blocks representing each chapter. After I wrote a section, … Read more
I’m excited to announce the release of Writing the Cozy Mystery: Expanded Second Edition. So you want to write a cozy mystery but don’t have a clue where to start? Or are you in the middle of a story and stuck on the plot? Perhaps you’re already writing a series, and you need tips on … Read more