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The Devil Is in the Details or the Mathematical Mysteries of Timelines
I don’t know when I first heard the axiom, “the devil is in the details,” but it is certainly true when it comes to writing mysteries. Mathematically, the ages of characters and dates of events must be worked out in advance. Many a time I have written a paragraph...
Is It the End After You Write “The End?”
Writing “The End” on a manuscript is a luxurious feeling, followed quickly by exhaustion. Tons of anxiety and pressure fall from my shoulders, and I know I have finished another novel. It’s a bit sad because I’ve lived with these characters I love and admire, and then...
Never Take a Trip on Halloween
[I published this post several years ago, but felt it was worth revisiting.] Ever have one of those “Alfred Hitchcock moments” where everything seems totally normal but later turns weird? Such a moment happened to me when flying from Illinois to Phoenix, Arizona. My...
I Love Historical Research…Maybe Too Much Part II
In my last post I discussed the plan I was making for the second Sweet Iron mystery. Because I have no imagination when it comes to titles, we are calling it Book #2. Eventually, the spirit will move me, and I'll have a title. Since I'm going back in time with this...
I Love Historical Research…Maybe Too Much
I always find it interesting that readers wonder how authors write books. What process do they go through? How do they do this or that? How do they manage to write over 300 pages of words that fit together (we hope)? Do they plan out an entire series, or do they...
Connie Berry’s Kate Hamilton Mysteries
This spring I discovered a new Midwest mystery writer by reading her second book first, and then doubling back to her debut. Connie Berry lives in Ohio, a state qualifying her to be in my Midwest neighborhood. I highly recommend her series to all mystery readers, but...
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