Celebrate the Annual Event
It is not as you believe, my Angel. I am not a bad man. You may think it odd that we have never spoken. I stand within ten feet of you, my Love, and the words falter, trapped in my throat. I wait for you on the platform this morning and when I don’t see you I begin my search. I spy you in the last car, walking to your seat. You prefer the solitude of the quiet car. I get that.
Hmmm… You have someone to kill. You need a creative way, and the old-fashioned gun, knife, rope, or Pillow Suffocation simply won’t do. Using a medication sounds intriguing. In the alphabet soup of drugs, which one makes the perfect instrument of death?
There is nothing so annoying as reading a book or watching a movie and finding inaccuracies in things like police and courtroom procedures. I am not a pedant but I prefer accuracy in my own writing and that of others, whether the result is within the pages or up on the screen.
As a former UK detective and a barrister, trial counsel to Americans but we got to wear those wigs and gowns, I have an advantage in my own writing to portray accuracy.
So how does a crime writer without the same advantage set about achieving accuracy?
Continue reading “Crime Division: How to Achieve Accuracy by Stephen Bentley”
I collected bugs for biology class. Watched waves washing the shore for physics. Spilled corrosive acid on my good jeans in chemistry, so they ended up looking like a fashion statement. What I didn’t learn: a) English grammar, b) sentence structure, c) paragraph structure, d) any writing structure, e) comma’s (OH I HATE COMMA’S). Bottom line. I never took English composition.
Continue reading “Mystery Writing: One Scientist’s Journey by Rosemarie Szostak”
Embers of a long smoldering fire have recently been stoked. The winds of a publishing war are stirring, and opening salvo’s have been unleashed! Have battle lines been drawn between independent and traditional publishers? Is so, who in the end shall emerge the ultimate victor? Time, as they say, will only tell. Truly, the world of the printed word in this 21st century has entered an interesting, if not historic, and truly exciting era.
At least for some, that is.
Continue reading “INDIE VS. TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING: BATTLE LINES DRAWN? by Steven Perkins”
INTERVIEW WITH MAURICE ‘BIG MO’ DOLAN:
PROTAGONIST OF NICK RIPPINGTON’S NEW NOVEL – WORKING TITLE: HEADERS
Hi. I’m Paul Melluish, crime writer with London’s Evening Guardian. Currently I’m putting a book together about the most dangerous criminals of the 70s and 80s and was granted exclusive access to Maurice ‘Big Mo’ Dolan, renowned sub-Post Office robber currently incarcerated in London’s Belmarsh Prison. Here is the transcript of our conversation…
Firstly, I’d like to say a big thank you for the opportunity to write this brief article, and to reach more potential crime thriller fans as a result. Thousands of books are published each and every day, and getting your work noticed amongst all the other offerings is a major challenge that many writers will relate to only too well. The blockbuster writing big name headline grabbers are a very small minority. Far too many great books go unnoticed because they aren’t brought to the attention of the reading public, the majority selling only a handful of copies at best. Book blogs like this play an essential role, particularly for Indie authors, and I’m delighted to contribute in any way I can. Publicity can be the difference between success and failure. The Mystery Thriller Page is a brilliant example of the opportunities provided by dedicated book loving bloggers, and should be embraced by all budding and current writers in the genre. Fantastic! Long may it continue.
Continue reading “Get to know John Nicholl. An MTW Author With Three Best Selling Thrillers!”
In fiction, three is a magic number: Three-Act Structure, Beginning-Middle-End, Three Plot Points, and Goal-Conflict-Resolution. Three is everywhere and must be grappled with by authors at every turn.
Mystery Thriller Week celebrates this intriguing phenomenon of three and invites you to submit a 300-word hook that will showcase your flexed writing muscle. A hook is what grabs the reader and snares him into reading the rest of a book. While there are many hooks throughout a book, this contest will focus on what should be the first page of a novel.
We want to read your best Write Hook! Enter Below!
Continue reading “CONTEST IS CLOSED / MTW Write Hook – Contest Rules”
Continue reading “Mystery Thriller Week Kickoff February 12-22, 2017”
Mystery Thriller Week 2017 has a surprise for you when all the hard work of NaNoWriMo screeches to a halt and is a distant memory. A completely free online MTW scheduled for February 12th – 22nd next year will help keep you motivated to crank out that final Work In Progress you started in November. This is your personal ticket for a unique opportunity to connect with both new and award-winning published authors, writing specialists, story coaches, editors, publishers, bloggers focused on reviewing books, vloggers, podcasters promoting the craft of writing, filmmakers, and numerous fans itching to learn more about the Mystery Thriller genre.