Blog

Good Guys & Bad Guys Are you sure who’s who? If the writer is not sure who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, then how can the reader be sure? Well, that’s exactly where the fun begins. It’s not just the plot twists that make for a good mystery or suspense novel, it’s also the characters Continue Reading

Plans & progress reports Do we need both? When I was a young management consultant I was often asked by the partner responsible for each project to provide a regular progress report. I sometimes thought it was just an excuse to bill some expensive hours to my budget and waste my time, so my smart-ass response was, “Do you want Continue Reading

Plans for Readers & Writers in the New Year What’s on your list? Preparing my plans for 2023 I’ve started by looking back at the past year and reviewing the most memorable books to influence and inspire my own writing. Some modern classics, some different styles and themes; all worth reading. They include: Rick Mofina’s domestic thriller, Her Last Goodbye Continue Reading

Trust nobody Or trust everybody? You may have read the story in NO EASY MONEY told by Dale Hunter to the young entrepreneur next door explaining it as Rule #1 – Trust nobody. An old shopkeeper had decided it was time to teach his young son about the business. He told him to climb up the ladder to the top Continue Reading

Recommended Reading in Crime Fiction From writer to reader During our recent panel discussion at the Atwater Library with Montreal crime writers, members of Crime Writers of Canada  (https://www.crimewriterscanada.com/), we were asked what writers we would recommend who represent the best of what we do. Here are our recommended lists for you to consider. Please advise of anyone we missed! Continue Reading

The Evolution of Crime Fiction From Sherlock Holmes to Jack Reacher A lot has changed in the last 150 years of mystery and suspense writing. The choices for readers and writers have evolved in so many different directions for style, stories, and characters since the early adventures of Sherlock Holmes to the crime thrillers of today. This was the topic Continue Reading

Power & Privilege Writing with passion & purpose Writing with Passion and Purpose “Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable.” In this follow-up report for fellow writers, readers and friends on the Bouchercon-2022 conference in Minneapolis and my continuing year of re-engaging with the real world, I wanted to elaborate on a memorable quote by Rick Mofina, an internationally acclaimed bestselling Continue Reading

Review of Going to Beautiful Paperback, 300 pages, Published May 1, 2022,  USBN: 978-1-988754-35-2   A particularly enjoyable part of the “post-pandemic” era for me is to finally get away from social media and meet real people – writers, friends and fans – in person again, especially those whom I have only met through Zoom meetings, online interviews and Facebook or Continue Reading

Christmas Gifts in September? And now October?   Yes, you deserve it. Summer holidays are over, the kids are back at school, and you’re back at work trying to navigate away from health risks, climate disasters, and the political and economic turmoil around you. Looking forward to your next break?  Let’s leapfrog past Halloween and Thanksgiving and avoid the stress of Continue Reading

Bouchercon? MWA? Let me explain. I know it can be confusing to follow all the acronyms and code words of the secret society of crime writers, I’m still learning them myself. Fortunately, we’re not that secretive. Writer-to-writer and writer-to-the-world we are dedicated to sharing our words and our stories to share the joy, the lessons, and the ideas that we Continue Reading