The fantasy: I knock out a ton of writing at the beginning of the day. The reality: I’m frequently distracted by email when I first wake up.  It seems vital to me that [...]

Defining yourself as a writer is a topic that I’ve touched on before. Agent Nathan Bransford’s blog post last week covered his exasperation with people whose identities are too wrapped up in being [...]

I’ve been learning Twitter this week, and I feel a little like the bald guy in “The Scream.” Folks who read my blog know that when it comes to reflecting on a topic, [...]

I’m a goal-setting kind of person. I love making lists and keeping notes. I like tracking my progress. And I like New Year’s resolutions. But I always feel sad at the end of [...]

I can be a squeamish reader. And a picky one.  I’ll give anything a whirl (particularly if it’s a book recommendation from someone I respect.)  But sometimes I don’t stick with a book; [...]

This post serves as a shout-out to all those parents out there who write.  All writers face obstacles to writing,  but this post specifically addresses the unique problems faced by moms and dads [...]

“From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it.” Groucho Marx “Prolonged, indiscriminate reviewing of books is a [...]

  I participate in a promotional group for mystery writers.  We have a great time, promote our books, and share ideas.  We talk about our books and answer questions about writing for readers. [...]

“Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.” Jules Renard  (1864 – 1910) ”We do not write because we want to; we write because we [...]

Like many writers, I’m a huge fan of books. If I hear a recommendation, I’m there. The library has made it so easy for me—simply sign in online, request a book, and go [...]

I’ve been listening to dire warnings way too much lately. I’m something of a news junkie (print, web, and television), but I’ve had to cut back on my habit like so many others [...]

Writers’ roles in book promotion have changed a lot in the last twenty years.  Instead of being expected merely to write and edit, they’re looked at as partners in the publicity process.  If [...]

I’ve just recently come back from spring break with my children.  I think it was a nice break…for them.  I tried to maintain my writing schedule to the standard I have at home—with [...]

I’ve been really slammed with writing lately, but I have come across several interesting blog posts that I thought I’d share here. The first is a guest post by Veronica Heley on the [...]

Rachelle Gardner’s blog recently discussed switching genres.  She contends that you can’t be successful in publishing if you change genres.  She recommends specializing in one particular area. I’m not sure that I agree.  [...]

Today we welcome our guest blogger, Jack Kilborn (pseudonym for JA Konrath), whose new release Afraid will hit the shelves March 31.  Click here to read a sample.  Be sure to check out [...]

Judging from the interest I’ve noted on posts about planting clues, I thought we could take a closer look at several mysteries….the clues and red herrings that make them such intriguing reads. Because [...]

Things are really moving along with the production of my book, Pretty is as Pretty Dies. My publisher, Midnight Ink, will be releasing the book August 1st. In the meantime, there’s a lot [...]

A s many of you know, blogging, Twittering/Tweeting, and Facebook-ing can add a major time-sucking element to your day.  But…it can be useful in both the networking sense and as a way to [...]

There’s an excellent new post on Mysterious Matters regarding motives for murder.  It’s important not only for your perpetrator to have a strong motive, but for each of your suspects to have a [...]

Most fans of mystery novels know a lot about detectives—likely more than they know about suspects and murderers.  After all, the reader is usually following the case and evaluating the clues through the [...]

As I mentioned in my last post, it’s a challenge to write mysteries; you have to get in the heads of so many different people.  Today we’re going to think like a suspect.  [...]

One of the reasons writing mysteries (mysteries that are any good, anyway) is challenging is that you have to “get inside” so many heads. You have to think like a killer, suspect, and [...]

Writing is one of the least-expensive activities on earth; you don’t need a lot of sophisticated equipment to do it. Don’t, however, underestimate your need for some tools to successfully capture your ideas [...]

Writing can be an isolating experience, but it doesn’t have to be. There are ways to get plugged in to the writing community: join a group, read a forum, sign up for a [...]

What’s your favorite type of mystery to read?  Your reading preferences usually help determine whether you’re writing a police procedural, noir, private eye, or cozy mystery.  My favorite genres of mystery are the [...]

  I’ve mentioned before that I think placing clues is the trickiest part of mystery writing.  After all, you don’t want your clues to be too obvious (no neon signs screaming for the [...]

Naturally, at the top of the your list should be an accountant or tax preparation service. Most writers are word-people, not numbers-people. If you are going solo, or plan on using tax preparation [...]

I’ve discovered that I’m really, really lucky. The art department at Llewellyn Publications (Flux/Midnight Ink) has tremendous talent and has been receiving much acclaim for their covers. They sketched out a preliminary cover [...]

I’m a subscriber to the Dorothy L. listserv for mystery lovers. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading or writing mysteries. You subscribe to the listserv (my subscription is through my Google [...]