January 2024 Blog Posts (6)

A thousand reasons to get the editing right

I have been editing the working draft of the latest Jack Harris crime novel before sending it off to my publishers The Book Folks at the end of the month.

For me, as I have mentioned in previous blogs, this is the most intense and most enjoyable stage of the writing process and it’s worth recapping why all writers need to give the process due…

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Added by John Dean on January 23, 2024 at 10:23 — No Comments

Box-set hits the top of the chart

I am absolutely delighted that my recently-released DCI John Blizzard Kindle box-set of crime novels (The Book Folks) has hit Number One in three of Amazon's crime anthology charts, earning the coveted Orange Bestseller Logo.

Thank you to everyone who bought the box-set and has supported me down the years…

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Added by John Dean on January 22, 2024 at 18:30 — No Comments

Fancy writing a besteller?

Ever thought about writing a bestseller? Well, if you have, the talk to be given by author Ryan Stark during Kirkcudbright Book Week is well worth attending.

Ryan moved from IT Specialist to full-time novelist eight years ago. The learning curve was steep and, with no knowledge of the writing process, it was quite a journey. Yet from a…

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Added by John Dean on January 17, 2024 at 14:02 — No Comments

Author added to panel

Crime writer James Davidson has been added to the panel for an in-conversation evening staged by publisher The Book Folks during Kirkcudbright Book Week.

He has agreed to appear following the recent death of author James Andrew, who was due to appear.

Event details: Wednesday March 6 In Conversation with the Book Folks Crime Writers…

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Added by John Dean on January 13, 2024 at 22:10 — No Comments

All the author has to do is the typing

The process of writing continually teaches the author new lessons. It also reiterates the wisdom behind old ones. The truth of that statement has been proved to me yet again as I write the final chapters of my latest DCI Jack Harris novel for my publisher The Book Folks.

I have found myself struggling with pulling together the threads of the…

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Added by John Dean on January 3, 2024 at 10:02 — No Comments

Publisher to host crime fiction event during book week

 

I am really looking forward to being part of this event as part of Kirkcudbright Book Week, which runs in the Dumfries and Galloway town between March 4-10 2024.

Wednesday March 6 In Conversation with the Book Folks Crime Writers Selkirk Arms High Street Tickets £8 7pm - Publisher The Book Folks presents an evening with some of its…

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Added by John Dean on January 3, 2024 at 10:00 — No Comments

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The way authors work

A few years ago, I ran a creative writing course and, at the beginning of one of the sessions, I asked my fifteen students how they worked.The result was fifteen different answers –one author wrote everything by hand then typed it onto their computer, another wrote it all in note form then linked the notes together, one did not edit anything until everything was…See More
Dec 29, 2024
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Knowing when to cast all caution to the wind

Writing is an art form which combines two skills which appear, at first glance, to have nothing on common – unrestrained creativity and well-controlled discipline.However, good writing is not possible without either of them. To explain, as I write the latest DCI Jack Harris crime novel, I am being disciplined and following the synopsis that I developed right from the…See More
Dec 27, 2024
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Written in a flash

 I am part of the team that organises an annual short story competition for young writers in Dumfries and Galloway, as part of the run-up to Kirkcudbright book week 2025 in March. The competition is run by the event organisers Kirkcudbright Book Week Society and Kirkcudbright Library. Myself and Lesley Garbutt from the Library are the judges and this year we have asked…See More
Dec 13, 2024
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Festival announces top quality crime fiction 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…See More
Dec 10, 2024
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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
Dec 7, 2024
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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
Nov 20, 2024

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