Category Archives: Mystery novels
The Swag From A Writers Conference
A contrast in what I took home from two writers’ conferences I attended recently: the Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA) conference in July 2016 in Las Vegas; And, Bouchercon 2016 the worldwide mystery conference in New Orleans … READ MORE »
The Fickle Crime Fiction Muse
The hard work of writing my crime fiction novels has brought me joy, some success, and even enjoyment, this setting down of dark crime fiction for others to read. But once in a while the passion fades. And it becomes … READ MORE »
Posted in Mar Preston, Mystery eBooks, Mystery novels, Police, writing craft
Tagged crime fiction, mystery fiction, no dice, On Behalf of the Family, Payback, rip-off, writing craft
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The Writers Conference I Should Have Attended
Though it’s fast fading into the past—it happened in July 2016—I’m still thinking about this terrific group of law enforcement types, firefighters, and EMTs I met in Las Vegas. Here it is, the Public Safety Writers Association conference in July … READ MORE »
A Reader’s Attention Span
How long do you give a new book to hook you? Readers of contemporary fiction don’t have the attention span and discretionary time that readers had in the 1900s. Or even a decade ago. Now, readers will skim until they … READ MORE »
Perfection in Home and Word
It’s not easy selling a house or finishing another murder mystery. I find myself combing the fringe on the downstairs rug and setting up a search in Word for every time I’ve over-used the word “grin.” In short, polishing to … READ MORE »
The Magic of Storytelling
I live in a village of maybe 2000 people in the mountains of central California, seventy miles beyond the Los Angeles sprawl in the Los Padres National Forest. There’s a few restaurants, no movie theater, no mall, or much organized … READ MORE »