Read widely and extensively. Good writing should inspire you.
I was impressed by Graff’s attention to detail during the police procedural scenes. The technicalities of crime scene investigation and forensics are well described, without delving into gruesome details, as fits the cozy genre.
A BIAS FOR MURDER is a charming cozy, in which the amateur sleuths piece together the crime like the pattern of a quilt.
Just because I’m short doesn’t mean I’m weak. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself.
Write every single day. Try for one page. In less than a year, you’ll have finished a book.
Interview with Essie Lang - a literary travel guide to her books, her most memorable day as a bookseller, and her advice for aspiring writers.
When a wrong turn is a right turn, and an excerpt from Ginger Bolton's BOSTON SCREAM MURDER.
Daryl Wood Gerber's goal is to create a well-crafted puzzle for the reader, so that they will derive the same pleasure that she experiences when she reads a good mystery.
Lynn Cahoon has a mystery file with news emails about local murders kept inside.
Elizabeth J. Duncan’s latest Penny Brannigan title ON DEADLY TIDES offers a lovely escape to Wales, amidst a cleverly plotted mystery, reminiscent of Agatha Christie.
Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon and The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. Those books helped me learn to plot my stories.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Publishing is hard enough without constantly comparing your accomplishments with someone else’s. Celebrate every single victory.
I really enjoyed the creative aspect of crafting the magical elements. They often came to me unbidden, whether it was the village backstory of the Jin ancestors or the supernatural talent of Whiskers, the magical bunny (with a nod to Chinese mythology) in the Jin family.
I think one of the things that holds new writers back is the idea that a first draft is supposed to be perfect. It’s easy to fall into the trap of self-editing or giving up partway through a manuscript, but first drafts aren’t supposed to be perfect or pretty. They’re supposed to be messy.
