Writing short has always been a challenge for me. I have an easier time writing a hundred-thousand-word novel than a ten-thousand-word short story. A five-hundred-word book description is even more difficult—how to capture the gist of a whole book in five hundred words??? But the hardest and most pressure-fraught task is coming up with a […]
I’ve been thinking a lot about book clubs, and I’ve known a lot of them over the years. Big ones, small ones, literary ones, social ones, online ones, in-person ones. I’ve belonged to a few, myself, but in recent years I’ve attended mostly book clubs where my books were being discussed. And even those have […]
When I was a junior in college, as an English major, I was required to take a course in John Milton. Taught by a professor who had made Milton his life’s work and who strove to model himself after the legendary poet, the course had the reputation for being the hardest one on campus. I […]
By Saralyn Richard Once in a while in the writers’ journey, serendipitous moments occur, and they seem magical. I’ve had three such moments recently and will share them with you. First of all, I’m writing an historical mystery that takes place in my hometown, Galveston, Texas, after the 1900 Storm, which is still the deadliest […]
Many of you know that my sidekick for many years was a naughty-turned-nice sheepdog named Nana. Nana was our second sheepdog, and we had high expectations for her, since our experience with the breed was stellar. In fact, we’d always believed sheepdogs were people in dog suits. Nana, however, surprised us by being the wildest, […]
According to Stephen King, “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.” Much has been written about the importance of the first line of a novel. And lists of the best first lines grace the internet with abundance. Here […]
My current work in progress is a historical mystery, my first foray into writing in that genre. It’s also the book I’ve wanted to write since I was fifteen years old. There are a lot of reasons the project has stalled over the years, but now that I’m fully into it, I’m finding so much […]
A Big, Happy Announcement! By Saralyn Richard Winning a Silver Falchion award is a big deal! Like the Edgar from Mystery Writers of America, and the International Thriller Writers award, the Killer Nashville silver falchion contest is an annual international competition that draws hundreds of entries from the finest mystery writers in the industry. The […]
In the business of writing mysteries, a person can hardly avoid the police. I know. I’ve written seven mysteries, eight if you include my children’s book, which is a bit of a mystery. Throughout the journey, I’ve relied on advice from various law enforcement personnel to help me tell an authentic, believable story. Sometimes I […]
The Killer Nashville conference is coming up next month, and I’m going. Getting ready has brought back memories of my first KN conference, and this article I wrote afterwards. It explains why, like the swallows to Capistrano, I’m eager to return. How the Killer Nashville Conference Changed My Life as an Author The benefits of […]