John Dean's Blog (675)

The art of plotting

I am ten thousand words into the latest DCI Jack Harris novel for The Book Folks, which means that plotting is very much at the forefront of my thinking.

To make a plot work, you need a strong story and in crime fiction that comes from watching characters overcome challenges – a murder, a mystery etc.

My initial plots tend to be very…

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Added by John Dean on May 12, 2023 at 16:32 — No Comments

Reviewers have their say

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review my latest crime novel The Name on the Bullet, published by The Book Folks.

You can find out what the reviewers thought of DCI John Blizzard's latest outing, and buy the book in ebook, paperback and hardcover format, at…

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Added by John Dean on April 28, 2023 at 11:30 — No Comments

Forensic scientist to help launch National Crime Reading Month

Leading forensic scientist and author Professor Jim Fraser will be the guest speaker at the Scottish launch of the Crime Writers’ Association’s National Crime Reading Month (NCRM) in Edinburgh.

National Crime Reading Month runs throughout June and is organised by the CWA, which is celebrating its 70th jubilee year, in partnership…

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Added by John Dean on April 26, 2023 at 16:49 — No Comments

An excellent read

It might not be true that you can entirely judge a book by its cover but you can certainly judge it by its opening pages and this novel is a perfect example of how to get it right from the off. Fast-paced and tension-filled, they plunge the reader straight into the story and the narrative does not loosen its grip, keeping the reader hooked until the…

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Added by John Dean on April 24, 2023 at 11:13 — No Comments

Joining the dots

As you will have become aware from my blogs on the subject over the years, an author’s use of back story carries with it many perils, namely the temptation to pack in far too much information.

Back story refers to the characters’ history and one of the most common mistakes I note when I’m called upon to offer comments on inexperienced…

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Added by John Dean on April 18, 2023 at 11:27 — No Comments

Letting your characters speak

I have written blogs before about the importance of characters in the writing process and I have just experienced another powerful example of the role that they can play.

I am 5,000 words into the new Harris crime novel and was writing a scene in which I had ground to a halt. I knew what I wanted the scene to achieve but seemed to have hit a…

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Added by John Dean on April 5, 2023 at 16:15 — No Comments

New book is published

I am pleased to announce that I have a new crime novel out. The Name on the Bullet has been published by London-based The Book Folks and is the latest in the series featuring DCI John Blizzard.

In the book, which is my twenty third crime novel to be published, a high-profile detective on a reality television cop show is killed and Blizzard…

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Added by John Dean on April 4, 2023 at 13:00 — No Comments

Tribuites paid to publisher

Tributes have been paid to publisher John Hale, who has died aged 92.

John ran Robert Hale for more than 50 years, and many authors, myself included, had good reason to appreciate his wisdom and patience.

As my first publisher, he taught me so much about the craft of writing and the publishing industry and I shall be forever grateful…

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Added by John Dean on March 25, 2023 at 16:03 — No Comments

A chance to relive Book Week

Did you miss out on an event at the recent Kirkcudbright Book Week? Or maybe you attended an event and would like to re-live it all over again? In which case, why not visit their podcast site and do exactly that?…

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Added by John Dean on March 21, 2023 at 9:00 — No Comments

Writers express concern at threat to libraries

As the Crime Writers' Association Libraries Champion in Scotland (one of three UK Champions), I am…

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Added by John Dean on March 8, 2023 at 15:14 — No Comments

Meeting up with old friends

With my most recent DCI John Blizzard crime novel having been submitted to the team at my publisher The Book Folks, my attention has turned to the new DCI Jack Harris story.

But what does a writer need when beginning such a large project? Well, there’s a lot to think about but, above all, the author needs an idea that is strong enough to…

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Added by John Dean on March 6, 2023 at 13:40 — No Comments

An entertaining evening

A packed room enjoyed one of the early events of Kirkcudbright Book Week on Monday night (February 27) when four crime writers entertained the audience at Broughton House.

In an event entitled A Walk On the Dark side, Jackie Baldwin, Ian Robinson, Ann Bloxwich and John Dean talked about everything from how they create murderers and develop…

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Added by John Dean on February 28, 2023 at 15:26 — No Comments

Crime writer is interviewed for podcast

These are exciting times for crime author Ann Bloxwich with a new publisher, a new book and a forthcoming appearance at Kirkcudbright Book Week to celebrate.

Ann talks about her writing career in the latest in the series of podcast interviews by Book Week Society chair Chris Walker and author Gerry Hassan, who will also be appearing during…

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Added by John Dean on February 19, 2023 at 16:00 — No Comments

Who wrote that then?

I have been carrying out the final edits on the latest John Blizzard crime novel before sending it off to my publishers The Book Folks and an insight into my thought process might prove interesting.

I love the intensity and focus involved in going through every page, every line, every word, to make sure that each one is as good as it can…

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Added by John Dean on February 15, 2023 at 10:22 — No Comments

Publisher backs Book Week

A publisher and an organisation which helps promote authors have joined the list of sponsors of Kirkcudbright Book Week.

One of the UK’s leading independent publishers, The Book Folks, specialises in crime fiction, mysteries and thrillers, although they dabble in other genres, too. They publish three authors who live close to…

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Added by John Dean on February 15, 2023 at 9:46 — No Comments

How Scotland inspires crime writers

I am looking forward to featuring in this event as part of Kirkcudbright Book Week:

Tuesday February 28 Free on-line event Talking Of Crime…2pm

A  Zoom event featuring crime writers from around Scotland, who will take readers on a tour of the country with each author explaining what effect the Scottish location of their books offers…

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Added by John Dean on January 26, 2023 at 9:45 — No Comments

An intriguing mystery

A quick reminder that the most recent DCI Jack Harris murder-mystery novel was The Girl In The Meadow, published by The Book Folks.

The novel sees Harris and his team embroiled in a challenging investigation after a skeleton is found during the refurbishment of a remote house on a windswept hill, having been there for three…

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Added by John Dean on January 11, 2023 at 9:25 — No Comments

Pulling the threads together

I am hard at work on the final stages of the latest DCI John Blizzard murder-mystery novel for my publisher The Book Folks and crucial to a process which has sometimes  been problematic is threads.

Threads run through every story and the trick for the writer is to pull them all together. In the case of this novel, I found myself running into…

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Added by John Dean on January 6, 2023 at 18:07 — No Comments

Author’s debut novel tells patron saint’s story

The first novel written by Darlington author Eric Foster is due to be published on January 28, based on a fictional re-telling of the life of Ireland’s patron saint.

Inspired by a long-standing love of Ireland, Becoming St Patrick has been published by Troubador Publishing and is based on extensive research conducted by Eric over…

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Added by John Dean on January 4, 2023 at 10:49 — No Comments

Crime writer interviewed for podcast ahead of Book Week appearance

It’s well worth checking out an entertaining podcast interview with crime writer Ian Robinson ahead of his appearance at Kirkcudbright Book Week.

Having spent twenty-seven years in the Metropolitan Police, Ian is now a full-time writer. Six of his crime novels have been published and Rubicon is currently in development with the…

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Added by John Dean on December 19, 2022 at 14:00 — No Comments

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An exciting character

Author Ian Robinson has a new crime novel out - and it’s attracting plenty of glowing reviews. Criminal Justice (The Book Folks) introduces undercover police officer Sam Batford, a man who walks the narrow line between successful detective and corrupt cop. The novel sees him sent to work with a serious crime team in London in an investigation which sees him play the good…See More
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Authors highlight different ways of starting to write a book

I have just started writing my next crime novel and I have more time to concentrate on it now that Kirkcudbright Book Week, which I help organise, has come to an end for this year.In fact, the subject of how best to begin a story cropped up during Book Week, not least when I chaired an in-conversation event at the Selkirk Arms, featuring crime writers Traude Ailinger,…See More
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Ann Bloxwich is now a member of John Dean Crime Novelist
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Tackling the dreaded blank first page

 I am working on a new DCI John Bizzard crime novel for my publisher The Book Folks, and that means being faced with the dreaded blank first page.So, how do writers get going under such circumstances? How do they start writing their story? Well, in this hectic world, I have always felt that there is a lot to be said for holding back and allowing myself a little time to…See More
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