A Little Bit Every Day I started writing the fifth book in the Allison Coil Mystery Series on Jan. 1, 2014. (Yeah, New Year’s Day. Just Because.) I finished the draft on Monday, March 28. I wrote 500 words a day. That’s 453 days, which would have been 165,433 words if I made forward progress…
Tag: Mark Stevens
Notable Quotes From Left Coast Crime
Antler Dust: The Longest Ride
I wrote Antler Dust in the mid 1990’s. I’d tell you the exact date or year, but I have no clue. Friends gave me feedback and fellow writers, too. In pretty quick fashion, I got a good agent in New York City. (This was my third manuscript and third agent in New York; I was…
This Podcast is Your Podcast
This is a simple note of thanks – it’s the season – for the podcast support to date. Guests, thanks for participating. Listeners, thanks for your patience. (I know the audio has not been NPR-perfect.) To one guest in particular (I’m looking at you, Ken Kirchner) thanks for re-recording the entire episode when the recorder…
Invitation to the Game
This question popped up on a discussion group recently and it’s one I’ve pondering of late. Here was the abbreviated question, posted by Shalanna Collins: “I’m wondering how you feel about the ‘invitation to the game’ that constitutes the mystery opening trope. What I mean is . . . when you pick up a mystery,…