Novelist Owen Fitzstephen shares how a quote from crime novelist Dashiell Hammett unlocked multiple crime novels, the silver lining of a moved publication date, his best tip for other writers, and more!
Readers are drawn to disaster stories, but they also yearn for hope in the eye of the storm. In this post, Karol Hoeffner shares her advice on creating a realistic disaster story and then infusing it with hope.
In this post, McClinton shares her experience of winning the Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, how she plans to move her writing goals further, and so much more!
In this post, debut author Carole Stivers shares how a family trip in the desert Southwest in 2003 resulted in her debut novel in 2020, what wrong assumption she had about agents, how Hollywood got looped in before the book was picked up by a publisher, and more!
In this post, bestselling author Chris Mooney shares why he knew his latest novel Blood World would be a big book, why he felt people might think he's deranged, what writers need to master the most to find success, and more!
In this post, Samantha Downing shares how the process of writing her second novel (He Started It) differed from her first (My Lovely Wife), her one piece of advice for writers, and more!
Mindy Mejia, author of The Dragon Keeper and Leave No Trace, shares what inspired her most recent novel, Strike Me Down, when she prefers to start new projects, her best piece of advice for other writers, and more.
Why do many thrillers fail to thrill? It's usually from a lack of suspense. Novelist Leslie Lutz shares six tips to create suspense in a thriller novel.
Norwegian author Camilla Bruce shares how her cats inspired her debut novel You Let Me In, what it was like waiting to be a published author, and more.
Rachel Howzell Hall and Alex Segura discuss diversity in crime fiction, what they admire most in crime novels, their participation as judges in the Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, and more.
Author Mark Stevens shares his experience of rewriting the first book in his Allison Coil novel series after realizing he was recommending readers start with books later in the series.
In this post, learn how to write a mystery novel from beginning to end, including developing a fascinating premise, ways villains justify crimes, writing a mystery series, and more.
Mystery writer Kristen Lepionka shares how her love of solving mysteries led her to researching her family history, and what genealogists and mystery writers have in common.
As a criminal defense lawyer who has tried over 200 jury trials, thriller author Ed Rucker has a few tips to share on writing a legal thriller.
Layover author David Bell describes the normal and not-so-normal habits in the daily life of a thriller author.
To pitch the right agents, you first need to know exactly what it is you’re pitching. Learn the subtle differences among the many subgenres of suspense—and how to meet and exceed expectations in every one.
Learning magic taught Michael Kardos several important lessons about performance and technique that have served him well when writing suspense.
There’s much more to a great police procedural than just getting the procedures right. Here, Carrie Smith shares her secrets.
When I'm trudging through the messy middle of a book, I double check my list of must-haves to punch up the pace. Here's what you can do to strengthen the middle of your novel.
Hitchcock was dubbed the ‘Master of Suspense’ for very good reason. He knew how to manipulate an audience and keep them watching. Here are seven tips to remember when writing suspense to keep your reader turning pages.
Every writer should be focused on this one thing to motivate him or her when writing a suspense novel.
