You’ve just tossed a handful of popcorn into your mouth when “Bam!” the killer jumps out of the closet. You jump, choke, and rush to the kitchen for a cool drink to clear the cough and curb your adrenaline. While that movie success is the result of a million-dollar budget, authors don’t have that luxury. […]
Tag Archives | mystery
Five “Killer” Genres Unpacked: The Difference Between a Mystery, Detective, Crime, Thriller, and Suspense Novel
Someone is killed in the book, therefore it’s a thriller. Or is it a mystery? A killer left a string of clues, so it’s a suspense. No, it must be a mystery. Right and wrong. Now you get why this can be so darn confusing! The “Killer Genres” are one of those tricky, sticky, picky […]
Rogue the Durum (Ezra James Mystery Book One)
What does an FBI Special Agent, a Chicago detective, a Rwandan Priest, and a Finnish national all have in common? Sounds like the beginning of a joke. It’s not. Rather, it’s the premise behind the entertaining mystery Rogue the Durum by Stephen J. Kolbe. When a social network executive is found stabbed to death and […]
Author Q&A With Patricia D’Arcy Laughlin
Patricia D’Arcy Laughlin was born and raised in Trinidad, of French and British ancestry. She was educated there, the UK, and the US, experiencing a multitude of cultural influences and world-traveling for much of her life. Having created her own painting medium, “Unique Stainings On Wood,” she won “The Prize of Excellence” in a 52-country […]
I Did It For You
Talk about a mind-bender. This new suspense by author Amy Engel swiftly draws you in to one mystery layered upon another. A small-town thriller with a unique spin on how guilt can be a disturbing bedfellow. When Greer Dunning decides to take an extended break from her school counseling job in Chicago, she doesn’t go […]
Use of Quotes in a Book
Guest Post: Use of Quotes in a Book by Best-Selling Author Joseph Lewis Now and then, when you open a book and begin to read, do you ever notice some books have a quote or two before the first chapter begins? Authors might use a quote to inform or focus the reader on what his/her […]
Author Q&A With Lucinda Race
Lucinda Race draws inspiration for her books from her dreams. When she was younger she believe everyone’s dreams were like chapters in a book. It was only as she began talking to other authors that this wasn’t the case. So either she was a little nuts, or she needed to sit down in front of […]
Nobody Washes Dishes in a Suspense Thriller: Why I Love Cozy Mysteries
Guest Post by G.P. Gottlieb, author of Charred: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery I prefer reading mysteries in which characters live normal lives. They do their jobs, grocery shop, go to the dentist, and order new air purifier filters. When I read a novel, I want to see (or be able to imagine) regular people who […]
The War Widow
This historical fiction release by Tara Moss is a cleverly woven tale of love, mystery, and empowerment, set in 1946 Sydney, Australia. It might sound like a strange combination, but it’s my take. I’ll tell you why. First, I love the protagonist, Billie Walker, a war widow who’s taken over her late father’s struggling detective—or, […]
The Girl Who Lived
When Faith is released from the psychiatric hospital, she struggles to regain her footing. Despite the fact that her mother has established for her a daily routine, an apartment and scheduled several support groups to keep her focused, she can’t cope with reality. As the guilt-ridden survivor of a horrific crime in which a ‘rat-faced […]