I’m often asked why I choose to write mysteries, sometimes in a way that suggests I’m throwing away any writing talent I have. Mysteries are often deemed formulaic and crass, dealing with brutal crimes and unsavory characters and leading to a foregone conclusion, with only the “whodunit” in question.  Like all forms writing, mystery selections range from very bad to very good. I contend that the good is as good as any you’ll find. Here are few reasons I write—and…

Here are five easy steps to selling more books than anyone, ever:

1. Surf and study the Internet until you understand every single aspect of it.

2. Gain practical knowledge of the buying habits of every current reader and prospective future readers.

3. Establish a personal relationship with #2 using #1.

4. Maintain #3 long-term with daily contact, offering enticements, encouragement, and unique gifts/prizes

5. Write a steady stream of fascinating books when…

I used that term the other day on Facebook. I don't claim to have invented it, though I might have, but it struck me as something writers can certainly relate to.

For readers, the sense that a novel we love is ending is a sad thing. We don't want to leave those characters and that place, because we've grown to love the vicarious experience. For writers, there is some of that, but I'll let you in on a secret: writing is work. Aside from the first novel, where one has all the time in…

I've been working on a Tudor-era historical mystery for over a month now, and it's the fourth in a series. At first it went well, and I thought I had a viable rough draft almost finished.

Then the wheels fell off. Reading what I had done, I found that my secondary character was exactly like the main character, only younger. There was no mystery for either of them to solve. And the dynamics between characters is either messy or missing.

It was time to start over.

Since…