I am delighted to say that the audio book of the DCI Blizzard mystery The Secrets Man (Whole Story QUEST), narrated by the brilliant Nicholas Camm, is out on Thursday June 27, 2019.…

Thoroughly enjoyed a great weekend course with authors from the Darlington-based Inkerman Writers, very creative! Now attention turns to July 6.

Indeed, there are still plenty of places left on both weekend summer courses for writers run by best-selling crime novelist John Dean at his home near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway.

John, author of 18 novels and currently published by London-based The Book Folks, is the creator of the popular DCI John Blizzard and DCI Jack…

At the end of a busy week, I am delighted that the DCI Jack Harris mystery To Honour the Dead (Whole Story QUEST) is out as an audio book, narrated by the brilliant Nicholas Camm, my second such launch this week!

You can find out more…

I am working on a new DCI John Blizzard novel at the moment and am at the stage when I am assessing what I have written so far, including a close look at the dialogue.…

Delighted to say that the DCI John Blizzard mystery The Railway Man (Whole Story QUEST) is now out as an audio book, narrated by the excellent Nicholas Camm. It is available at…

A quick reminder that best-selling crime novelist and creative writing tutor John Dean, who is based in Dumfries and Galloway, has launched an online Crime Fiction Course.

John, author of 18 novels and currently published by London-based The Book Folks, and the creator of DCI John Blizzard and DCI Jack Harris, also runs Inscribe Media Ltd, which…

You may know from my blogs, that, as a writer, I am always inspired by a sense of place, and living on a windswept hillside in southern Scotland certainly inspires me greatly.…

There are still places left on two weekend summer courses for writers run by best-selling crime novelist John Dean at his home near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway.…

One of the questions that I am occasionally asked in my creative writing classes is ‘how long should a novel be?’ It’s a question that sometimes crops up in reviews as well, with some readers saying that they felt that a story was too short and wondering why the author did not write more?…

Following on from my previous blogs on creating characters, a word about minor characters and the care you need to take when creating them.

But why, you may ask, spend unnecessary time on insignificant characters? Some may have roles so negligible that they won’t even get names:…

Still selling well! A gruesome find leads DCI Jack Harris to reopen an investigation into an air crash. You can find out more at…

According to the great American writer F Scott Fitzgerald, ‘Character is plot, plot is character’. He was right. It is through the interaction of characters with a variety of needs, situations and personalities that stories emerge and develop. But how do you create them? You have three choices.…

Looking for some great crime fiction for your summer holidays? Then look no further and check out The Book Folks at…

I recently gave a talk as part of Darlington Arts Festival, during National Crime Reading Month, in which I observed that crime writers offer a reflection of the world in which they live.

I have always believed that writing is a deeply personal pastime and you can see that in the…

A baby with bad guts, wife at the end of her tether, someone trying to kill him - no wonder John Blizzard is not sleeping!…

I make no apology for returning to one of my big themes for this blog because the subject is so important in any kind of writing. Getting the start right.…

I am hard at work on the next DCI Blizzard mystery but if you need a hit of the curmudgeonly detective in the meantime the first three books published by The Book Folks can be enjoyed in a new box set at…

The subject of reviews of books is getting a lot of attention at the moment with the advent of social media and Amazon, where everyone has a voice and everyone can be a critic.

I receive a lot of reviews of my novels and, thankfully, they are overwhelmingly positive but from time…

I am delighted to be part of Scotland's newest writing group, working out of Kirkudbright in Dumfries and Galloway  - meet the Gallery Writers at …