January 2020 Blog Posts (7)

A question of pace

I have been critiquing a number of manuscripts by aspiring crime writers in recent months and on each occasion, a central part of my report has focused on pace.

One thing that I have learned over the years from reading fiction and observing the changes proposed by my editors, is the importance of pace in the final manuscript.

Get it wrong and you are jeopardising your chances of success. Get it right and it keeps the reader turning the page.

I take these thoughts into my…

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Added by John Dean on January 29, 2020 at 14:16 — No Comments

Past and present

Like many crime writers, I am fascinated by the impact that my characters’ past has on their present. The latest DCI John Blizzard mystery, the seventh in the series published by The Book Folks, is a case in point.

In A Flicker in the Night, a spate of murderous arson attacks evoke bitter memories for stalwart detective Blizzard. It was a…

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Added by John Dean on January 27, 2020 at 14:58 — No Comments

Strange Little Girl hits 150

Delighted to say that the DCI Blizzard crime novel Strange Little Girl (The Book Folks) has reached 150 ratings on Amazon. You can find out more at…

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Added by John Dean on January 24, 2020 at 14:11 — No Comments

Being inspired by a sense of place

As some of you may know from my previous blogs, as a writer I am always inspired by a sense of place; it is something that features prominently in my DCI Harris novels (I am close to finishing the new one).

Whether it be a gloomy city or a stunning hillside, a glass-strewn council estate or a majestic waterfall, something about my surroundings triggers ideas.

So how do writers create sense of place? For a start, it is crucial if you write about a place that the reader can see…

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Added by John Dean on January 24, 2020 at 13:51 — No Comments

When the going gets tough...

I am currently working on the latest DCI Jack Harris novel and, with 44,000 words already written, I am deep into a series of emotional scenes as people confront the destruction of their dreams.

ndeed, a theme of the novel is the different way that people confront tough realities. The result is that I am creating scenes full of raw emotion and human frailty.

That means that, like many writers, I am drawing on real life experiences. For me, it’s the only way to do it. Writers…

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Added by John Dean on January 10, 2020 at 10:00 — No Comments

Fancy tapping into your creative side?

A reminder that best-selling crime novelist John Dean has announced the 2020 dates for weekend writing workshops at his home between Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright 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 Harris…

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Added by John Dean on January 8, 2020 at 15:31 — No Comments

Book week programme is announced

The programme has been announced for the first ever Kirkcudbright Book Week, which will run between Monday March 2 and Friday March 6, 2020.

The week is designed to celebrate the developing literary scene in Kirkcudbright and the wider Dumfries and Galloway area and includes a series of mainly free events featuring authors from the area.

Writers appearing over the week include children’s author Alan McClure, poet Chrys Salt, crime writers Jackie Baldwin, Ian Patrick and John Dean,…

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Added by John Dean on January 6, 2020 at 9:41 — No Comments

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Festival announces top quality line-up

One of the strongest features of Kirkcudbright Book Week right from its early days has been the popularity of crime fiction - and the 2025 event is set to continue the tradition.The programme to run in the South West Scotland town between March 3-9 includes appearances by several best-selling crime fiction authors as well as those starting out  on their writing careers.One of the highlights will be a performance by award-winning crime novelist Chris Brookmyre and Dr Marisa Haetzman, who was a…See More
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How to keep a long-running series fresh

Writing a long-running series of novels, as can so often be the case for crime fiction authors, brings its own set of challenges, not least how do you keep the writing fresh for reader and writer alike?As I start the latest DCI  Jack Harris novel for my publisher The Book Folks, the twelfth in the series where the action is divided between the North Pennines and southern…See More
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An exciting time

Having just completed my latest DCI Blizzard crime novel for my publisher The Book Folks, this is both a nervous time and an exciting time. Nervous because, however experienced you are (and this is Book 25), it’s always a tense time as you wait for feedback from your publisher. You are never too old to learn!Exciting because your thoughts turn to the next book, which…See More
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Injecting energy into your crime novel

I am currently 43,000 words into my latest DCI Blizzard crime novel for The Book Folks and key to getting the process right is to ensure that the story continually benefits from injections of energy to maintain its momentum - and increase it, where necessary.But how do you do that? It’s not as simple as the old crime writers adage that if you want to inject momentum into…See More
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A challenge for the reader

Crime writer Ian Robinson has a new novel out, marking the return of renegade police officer Sam Batford in his latest undercover assignment for the Metropolitan Police.In Lines Crossed (The Book Folks), an armed gang is robbing cash vans in North London, and Detective Sergeant Batford’s bosses want his help catching them. That’s not all that they want, though.…See More
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