Blog

Writing is like Golf? Maybe not.   In my other author persona, as Your Uncle Ralph, writing for entrepreneurs at LearningEntrepreneurship.com, I often use the analogy that business is like golf. Maybe the analogy applies to writing too. There are many similarities in writing and golf – how to get better and how to achieve the success you’re seeking, however Continue Reading

The Thriller Formula There’s a formula? Readers and critics often dismiss a writer for having a formula that is too obvious and makes the writing predictable and boring. It doesn’t matter if it’s the crime thrillers of James Patterson, the legal thrillers of John Grisham, or the action thrillers of Lee Child, who all consistently write best-sellers. They keep their Continue Reading

Underground Rage The man-train rattled and shrieked through the dark tunnel taking the dayshift crew into the mine. Frank Kerlak slouched on the wooden bench deep in thought, back-to-back with the other miners. They all sat in yellow slickers with their hard hats and high rubber boots, raised steel toes encrusted with mud from previous shifts. Their headlamps were detached Continue Reading

Back to Boston Pushing new projects You may have noticed that although Montreal is the home base for my Dale Hunter novels, Boston is also frequently the scene of the crime. That’s because my own history as an entrepreneur is similar to Dale Hunter’s (except for the crime and corruption); I had a distribution centre in Ashland, near Boston, for Continue Reading

What next? WHATEVER IT TAKES Novel #6 in the Dale Hunter Series was another chance to develop my process for writing a novel, however, the attempt to push as hard as Rick Mofina and write 1500 words a day, everyday, failed. I started on TRUST NOBODY December 1st and thought I’d try to do 60,000 words in forty days. Instead, Continue Reading

Something new to read? Browse these Free E-book Thrillers In case you’re still waiting for my next novel to be published, I thought I should give you a chance to look at some other crime fiction novels to read. Click on this link for a look at a wide-ranging selection of crime thrillers: Special Offer of Free E-book copies: February Continue Reading

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