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 […]
One of the many tasks an author tackles when she has a new book released is to develop a list of discussion questions for book clubs. While I enjoy every part of researching, writing, revising, publishing, and marketing a book, creating discussion questions is one of my favorites. Years of doing lesson plans, creating assessments, […]
Word Games I’ve played word games for as long as I can remember. Crossword puzzles, acrostics, Scrabble, Boggle, and MadLibs were all favorites before apps like Words with Friends, Lexulous, Upwords, and Wordle came on the scene. I love them all, and I play regularly with friends, strangers, and computers. Recently my nephew told […]
When a new book is released, celebration ensues. Not just for the author, whose joy in sharing the new product with the world is undoubtedly immense. Other stakeholders can participate in the launch activities and have fun in the process. Who are the other stakeholders? The obvious ones are the editors, cover artists, formatters, […]
Saralyn Richard writes award-winning mysteries that pull back the curtain on settings like elite country manor houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Her works include the Detective Parrott mystery series, Bad Blood Sisters, Mrs. Oliver’s Twist, A Murder of Principal, and Naughty Nana, a children’s book. An active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery […]
Interiority by Saralyn Richard I recently attended a virtual meeting at which the author, Mark Stevens, spoke. He claimed the main reason a reader likes a fiction book is interiority. Since all writers aim for readers who like our books, I paid attention. Mark did an excellent job of explaining what interiority is—masterful, in fact, […]
It’s no secret that I worked in urban high schools as a teacher, administrator, and consultant before becoming an author of fiction. So, when I wrote A MURDER OF PRINCIPAL, all of my close friends and colleagues couldn’t wait to see whether they would make an appearance in the book […]
I’m often asked about favorite books, and I consider that an unfair question for someone who reads as much as I do. Practically every book I read is my favorite when I’m immersed in its world, identifying with its characters. I truly have hundreds of favorite books that have touched me at different times […]
Libations Fit for a King by Saralyn Richard Who’s up for some amazing libations at an exclusive party? The dictionary definition of “libation” is “a drink poured out as a ritual offering to a deity.” (Oxford Dictionary, Oxford University Press). Sometimes libations were given as an offering to a god or spirit, often in memory […]