The Mystery of Mysteries: 16 Steps to Writing the Cozy Mystery

The traditional mystery is sometimes referred to as a cozy mystery, as I explained in last month’s The Mystery of Mysteries post on the 12 steps to writing a traditional mystery. However, that seems to be more of a U.K. designation. In the U.S., cozy mysteries have special elements that differentiate them from traditional mysteries. …
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What We’re Reading: July is for Mysteries

Mysteries were my first love. As a kid, I read every single Nancy Drew book in the library. Then I moved on to supernatural mysteries by Lois Duncan. I read and read and read – murder mysteries, romance mysteries, fantasy mysteries, sci-fi mysteries, action adventure mysteries – any story that was a puzzle for me …
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What We’re Reading: Mysteries

Mysteries! There’s something about them that pulls readers in. Maybe it’s the puzzling out alongside the protagonist. Maybe it’s the urge to learn new stuff like what IS an undetectable poison. Maybe mysteries appeal because you get a two-fer (or more): the traditional structure of a novel with its plot and then the crime that …
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Nancy Drew: Detective…and Writing Teacher?

I was hooked on mysteries with my first Nancy Drew (Carolyn Keene). Who wouldn’t want to be her, zipping around in her little red car with her girlfriend, George, and boyfriend, Ned? She was intrepid, daring, smart, and very independent. In the 1950s, when I was reading Nancy Drew books, there weren’t many examples for …
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Sandra Carey Cody on Writing Mysteries & Author Responsibility

Welcome our new guest blogger, Sandra Carey Cody, author of the Jennie Connors mystery series. We’re thrilled to have her join us and are huge fans of her blog, Birth of a Novel. Why do I Write Mysteries? One of the clichés of writing is write what you know. Good advice, but I think even …
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