Come for the Mysteries. Stay for the Characters.
This is an updated article from 2019. The term mystery or crime fiction covers many subgenres, cozy mysteries being a very popular one. What makes a mystery a cozy? Below are the four most prominent features of cozy mysteries, ones that I incorporated into my YA mystery, A Shadow on the Snow. COZY MYSTERIES ALWAYS… Continue Reading →
So happy to introduce to you, author V.L. Adams! In her guest post “Start with the End: Leaving Clues in a Mystery”, V.L. discusses the topic every mystery writer fears–writing a mystery that isn’t the least mysterious–and a way to tackle this problem. Take it away, V.L! Anyone who’s read more than a few mysteries… Continue Reading →
When I wrote my Christmas mystery, “A Rose from the Ashes,” I thought it might qualify as a cozy mystery. What makes a mystery a cozy? At Killer Nashville, a writers’ conference, I attended a session hosted by authors Debra H. Goldstein, Phyllis Gobbell, Maggie Toussaint, Alexia Gordon, Linda Thorne, and J.C. Kenney to find… Continue Reading →
Writing the wrap up right is just as critical to writing a satisfying ending as crafting a thrilling climax. The wrap up, or denouement, is the section of the ending after the climax in which loose ends, or most of the loose ends, are tied up and explained. A well-constructed wrap up to a mystery… Continue Reading →
If you want to write crime fiction, you should investigate the possibilities of attending a writers’ conference for that genre. I attended my first crime writers conference in August. Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference covers crime fiction in all its subgenres – suspense, cozy mysteries, whodunits, police procedurals, even YA and middle grade mysteries. Attendees… Continue Reading →
JPC Allen Writes