John Dean Crime Novelist is a social network
Welcome to my site. I am a crime novelist living in South West Scotland who was published by Robert Hale between 2004 and 2014 and now by The Book Folks. I have had twenty two titles published
The Book Folks titles are
Dead Hill eb pb/audio
The VIxen's Scream eb pb/audio
To Die Alone eb pb/audio
The Long Dead eb pb/audio
Strange Little Girl eb pb/audio
The Railway Man eb pb/audio
The Secrets Man eb pb/audio
To Honour the Dead eb pb/audio
A Breach of Trust eb pb
Thou Shalt Kill eb pb
Death List eb pb
Error of Judgement, eb pb
The DCI Blizzard Murder Mysteries Books 1 to 3
A Collection containing the first three books in the DCI John Blizzard series of murder mysteries (The Book Folks) has been published in e-book format.
A Flicker in the Night eb pb
The Killing Line eb/pb
The Latch Man eb pb
Kill Shot eb pb
No Age to Die eb pb
Last Man Alive eb/pb
The Vengeance Man eb/pb
The Girl in the Meadow eb/pb/hb
Writing as John Stanley
The Numbers Game – a DCI Danny Radford novel
Sentinel – a DCI Danny Radford novel
You can buy my Book Folks titles at:
Dead Hill
The Vixen’s Scream https://www.amazon.co.uk/VIXENS-SCREAM-captivating-mystery-featuring-ebook/dp/B06Y45R6B4/ref=pd_sim_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6QY89RN533S2REGRQBZB
Strange Little Girl https://www.amazon.co.uk/STRANGE-LITTLE-GIRL-Detective-Blizzard-ebook/dp/B076TBXS9W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1509018472&sr=8-2&keywords=strange+little+girl+and+john+dean
To Honour the Dead
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CMK9GYW/
A Breach of Trust
Thou Shalt Kill
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HKQL7XS
Death List
Error of Judgement, eb pb
The DCI Blizzard Murder Mysteries Books 1 to 3
A Collection containing the first three books in the DCI John Blizzard series of murder mysteries (The Book Folks) has been published in e-book format.
You can find out more and buy the book at
The DCI Blizzard Murder Mysteries Books 4 to 6 is out.
This is a collection containing the second three books in the DCI John Blizzard series of murder mysteries (The Book Folks) published in e-book format.
A Flicker in the Night
The Killing Line - The Book Folks (eb/pb to come) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084WR73YH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=john+dean&qid=1582032771&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
The Latch Man
The DCI Harris Murder Mysteries Books 1-3
The box set featuring the first three DCI Jack Harris mysteries published by The Book Folks, is on sale. DCI Jack Harris loves the peace and solitude of the rolling hills of the Pennines in the north of England so when criminals interrupt his quietude, he makes no qualms about catching them, even if his actions run the townsfolk and his fellow officers up the wrong way.
You can find out more, or buy the boxset, at
The second DCI Jack Harris boxset has been published by The Book Folks in Kindle format, including books four to six in the series.
You can find out more, or buy the book, at
No Age to Die
Last Man Alive eb/pb
The Vengeance Man
eb /pb
The Girl in the Meadow
Writing as John Stanley
The Numbers Game
Sentinel
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 20 crime novels and currently published by London-based The Book Folks, is the creator of DCI John Blizzard and DCI Jack Harris.
The online course, which runs in eight parts and can begin at a time and date to suit the student, will help writers to improve their technique and improve their chances of being successful, either in competitions or admissions to publishers.
When they enroll, students will be offered ongoing one-to-one feedback on their work, be it short stories or novels.
John, who is a member of the UK-based Crime Writers’ Association, said: “Writing can be a lonely pastime and my aim is to help aspiring writers to improve their technique and improve their chances of being successful in a very competitive market.
“Crime fiction remains hugely popular and, hopefully, I can help aspiring writers to develop their ideas, and because it is online it does not matter where they live.
"In recent years, I have worked with writers from everywhere from Croatia to Australia and New Zealand.”
There is no official certificate of qualification at the end of the course, which will be led by John.
The course costs £75.
For further details you can contact John at deangriss@btinternet.com
Mentoring
A reminder that, in addition to the various free things we do, one of the paid-for services I offer is one supporting writers.
Why should you hire a professional writing mentor, though?
Isn’t it enough to attend a class/workshop or a writing group? Or ask a friend or relative to comment?
Well, it depends what you want and need and bespoke mentoring can help some writers, providing the experience and expertise to -
• understand your work
• nurture you and your writing
• let you retain control of your ideas and your writing
* provide expert, specific advice about what is working and what isn’t.
I focus on major issues, such as how your story hangs together, what your characters are doing or could be doing, what is hurting your story’s momentum, what story elements are not pulling their weight.
I identify the differences between good and great and point out your writing strengths, so you become confident about what not to change.
I also give suggestions and help you establish good processes and writing goals and suggest markets for your work.
If long-term mentoring does not appeal, I run short writing courses as well.
You can contact me at deangriss@btinternet.com
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?…
ContinuePosted by John Dean on March 21, 2023 at 9:00
As the Crime Writers' Association Libraries Champion in Scotland (one of three UK Champions), I am…
Posted by John Dean on March 8, 2023 at 15:14
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…
ContinuePosted by John Dean on March 6, 2023 at 13:40
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…
ContinuePosted by John Dean on February 28, 2023 at 15:26
Author announces 2023 weekend workshops for writing groups
Novelist John Dean has announced a series of weekend workshops to be held specifically for writing groups in Spring and Summer 2023 at his home in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
John, author of 22 crime novels and currently published by London-based The Book Folks, is the creator of the popular DCI John Blizzard and DCI Jack Harris series and will run courses based around sense of place from his 19th Century hillside home between Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright.
The workshop for groups of no less than four and no more than nine will be suitable for writers of all prose genres. The number of events will be limited and bookings are on a first-come-first-served basis. They will operate on dates agreed with the groups.
John, who has taught creative writing for twenty years, said: “My experience from having run weekend workshops at my home for four years is that the opportunity for members of writing groups to stand back from the hustle and bustle of daily life and focus on their writing, while at the same time being inspired by a stunning landscape, is something that appeals to many authors.
“The workshops have inspired some highly creative work and provided writers with powerful inspiration by allowing them to draw on the stunning landscape surrounding the house, as well as affording them the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other in a relaxed atmosphere.”
The cost is £95 per person, including catering, for groups of between four and six with a discount price of £80 per person for groups of seven, eight or nine.
Dates can be arranged to suit groups’ preferences and more information is available by emailing John on deangriss@btinternet.com The course is non-residential but advice can be offered on local B and Bs and hotels.
-----
Author launches online crime fiction course
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 22 novels and currently published by London-based The Book Folks, and the creator of DCI John Blizzard and DCI Jack Harris, is based near Castle Douglas.
The online course, which runs in eight parts and can begin at a time and date to suit the student, will help writers to improve their technique and improve their chances of being successful, either in competitions or admissions to publishers.
When they enroll, students will be offered ongoing one-to-one feedback on their work, be it short stories or novels.
John, who is a member of the UK-based Crime Writers’ Association, said: “Writing can be a lonely pastime and my aim is to help aspiring writers to improve their technique and improve their chances of being successful in a very competitive market.
“Crime fiction remains hugely popular and, hopefully, I can help aspiring writers to develop their ideas, and because it is online it does not matter where they live. In recent years, I have worked with writers from everywhere from Croatia to Australia and New Zealand.”
Themes to be included are:
An examination of where ideas come from - what triggers ideas in writers? Once you have the idea, how do you develop it? The course will look at the art of turning ideas into plots
How can you use sense of place, creating locations and landscapes to aid your storytelling?
How to pick characters to do the job. What are their functions in storytelling? This will include a look at everyone from lead investigators to villains and take in everyone in between
How conflict can be used to develop stories that assume a life of their own
That all-important start to your story - how do you grab the reader right from the off?
Writing with pace - how do you produce a narrative that keeps your reader turning the page?
Pulling it all together - how to edit the finished piece of work, how to make those changes that make all the difference and spot the passages that need to be deleted and the new ones that require writing
How to pitch to publishers and agents
The course costs £75 and can be timed to fit in with the writers’ lives. Because the course is online, those writers taking part can do the work at a time and pace that suits them. There is no official certificate of qualification at the end of the course. For further details you can contact me at deangriss@btinternet.com
Manuscript assessments
John works with his daughter Laura, a skilled editor and manuscript assessor, to provide manuscript assessments. Should you be interested in finding out more, then feel free to drop John a line and he and Laura can discuss your needs. For further details, you can contact John at deangriss@btinternet.com or ring 07889 554931.
Talks
John gives talks on crime writing to organisations ranging from library reading groups and writing groups to men's forums. He also delivers creative writing workshops at venues including arts centres and libraries. He can be contacted on deangriss@btinternet.com
Are you an aspiring crime writer who is keen to develop your craft? Then perhaps I can help. I work with my daughter Laura,…Continue
Started by John Dean Feb 23, 2021.
Novelist John Dean is offering online courses for writing groups who may be struggling to meet in person during the current coronavirus restrictions.Crime writer John, who is based in Dumfries and Galloway and has been a creative writing tutor for…Continue
Started by John Dean Feb 7, 2020.
John Dean is one of five UK and Ireland Libraries Champions appointed by The Crime Writers’ Association.Key elements of the…Continue
Started by John Dean Sep 12, 2018.
I have read a number of the Blizzard series on Kindle—Strange Littke Girl,The Railway Man, The Secrets Man and The Long Dead. Got The Latch Man from a third party seller on Amazon. Are there others in the series?
Started by Deborah Kaback. Last reply by John Dean Aug 8, 2018.
© 2023 Created by John Dean.
Powered by
