As fiction writers, one of the most important tasks we have is to keep our readers wanting more. One way to do that is through the use of surprise. But what happens when the surprise becomes too predictable? We’ve all read novels where we could easily anticipate what was coming and found ourselves disappointed when…
Tag: mystery
Stepping Outside Genre
In 1980, I moved from Los Angeles to Denver and took my second job in journalism, working for The Rocky Mountain News. A friend worked there. He was someone I knew from my youth in the suburbs of Boston. My friend, Phil Reed, turned me on to mysteries. And I started reading them with abandon….
Rocky Mountain Writer #193
Jennifer Kincheloe & The Body in Griffith Park Jennifer Kincheloe is a research scientist and writer of historical mysteries. Her novels take place in 1900s Los Angeles among the police matrons of the LAPD combining mystery, history, humor, and romance. Jennifer’s novels have been finalists in the Lefty Awards, the Macavity Awards, the Colorado Author’s…
Rocky Mountain Writer #191
Susan Spann & Ghost of the Bamboo Road Susan Spann is the award-winning author of the Hiro Hattori mystery novels, featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo. The latest in the series, Ghost of the Bamboo Road, was published this month. Susan began reading precociously and voraciously from her preschool days in…
Rocky Mountain Writer #190
Laura VanArendonk Baugh & NaNoWriMo Laura VanArendonk Baugh was born at a very early age and never looked back. She overcame childhood deficiencies of having been born without teeth and unable to walk, and in time she became a behavior analyst, an internationally-recognized animal trainer, a costumer/cosplayer, a chocolate addict, and of course a writer….