Mystery

Readers don’t want to guess the ending, but they don’t want to be so baffled that it annoys them.

Sue Grafton

The Art of the Twist – How to Shock, Surprise & Satisfy Your Readers

by Brian Andrews | Dec 14, 2020 | Craft, Mystery, Thriller

The key to pulling off an epic twist is three-fold: (1) understanding exactly what kind of twist you’re trying to pull off, (2) properly controlling the flow of critical information to the reader, (3) not disappointing the reader by failing to deliver the goods.

How to Write a Book Series that Pleases Readers Old and New

by Our Special Guest | Sep 23, 2020 | Craft, Mystery

Bestselling writer Marty Wingate offers reader-pleasing tips on creativity and continuity for ambitious novelists writing a book series.

What is Your Why? Finding Your Character’s Motivation

by Hank Phillippi Ryan | Jun 29, 2020 | Mystery, Thriller

In a novel, of any genre, the engine is the character’s decision making. Our job as authors is to understand why they do what they do–and allow it to reveal who they are. Hank Phillippi Ryan has some reasons you might use for a character’s motivation.

Career Authors Exclusive: Interview with Paula Munier

by Brian Andrews | Oct 23, 2019 | Mystery, Special Interview

As fate would have it, Paula and Brian have new books releasing on the same day (November 5th) and so they’ve decided to interview each other in a Career Authors exclusive double feature. This week, Paula is up first, answering questions about BLIND SEARCH, a mystery inspired by the true search-and-rescue case of an autistic boy who got lost in the Vermont wilderness

Writing Book #2: A Post-Mortem

by Paula Munier | Apr 29, 2019 | Craft, Life, Mystery

Writing your second novel can be surprisingly tough slog of rewriting and reimagining and rewriting again. Here are the lessons I learned writing my Book #2, lessons I hope will facilitate the writing of Book #3.

Writing Real News vs. Mystery Fiction: When a Reporter Gets to Make Stuff Up

by Our Special Guest | Apr 22, 2019 | Mystery

When reporter RG Belsky gets to make stuff up as a mystery writer, he finds similarities between fiction writing and journalism — starting with these 6 lessons.

What You Can Learn about Writing Cozy Mysteries from Hallmark Christmas Movies

by Our Special Guest | Dec 21, 2018 | Mystery

Christmas movies are the cozies of the TV movie world. Here are 6 things you can learn from them about writing cozy mysteries.

An Interview with Paula Munier on Her Launch Day

by Laura DiSilverio | Sep 11, 2018 | Craft, Life, Mystery

Paula Munier—agent, writing teacher, and debut novelist—talks to Career Authors about the challenges of writing a series featuring a dog as a main characters, the challenges of tackling the second book, and how life as a military brat affects the way she writes setting.

Formula for Writing a Cozy Mystery, Part 7: Pets

by Laura DiSilverio | Aug 29, 2018 | Mystery

Cozies and cats go together like peanut butter and jelly or Bert and Ernie. That might make it seem as if you can toss a tabby randomly into your cozy manuscript and your work is done. Not so fast. You have a few decisions to make before plunking a Pekingese into the first paragraph.

Taking over a Series: How to Write As Someone Else

by Our Special Guest | Jun 16, 2018 | Craft, Mystery, Publishing

Do you know Jessica Fletcher? Most people do. But what happens when the original author of a beloved series dies? Learn about writing as someone else.