I have written before about the way that some writers respond first and foremost to plots, ideas they hear or read which become the germ of a story. Others respond to characters. Maybe they see someone in the bus queue and an idea sparks to life featuring that person.

I have always thought that I am a writer who reacts primarily to places, as…

The latest DCI Jack Harris mystery is out. The Killing Line is published by The Book Folks and is my nineteenth published crime novel.

In the book, a schoolgirl is found dead after taking drugs, the second death…

Good writers, particularly when it comes to novels, have a deep knowledge of their characters and the way they interact with each other. And they know all about their history.

The thought process is crucial but comes with a cautionary note - you do not necessarily need every detail to go onto the page. Why? Because back story has become an increasingly hot topic for many publishers. The argument goes that the modern reader wants things to keep moving. That is certainly true of crime…

Best-selling crime novelist John Dean is running an online mentoring and writing workshop programme for aspiring authors.

John, who is based in Dumfries and Galloway, has had eighteen novels published and is with London-based The Book Folks.

John said: “Writing can be a lonely pastime and my programmes help writers tackle some of the…

I dropped in on one of the crime fiction Facebook sites of which I am a member the other day and someone had asked authors of series featuring the same characters what kept them coming back to them?

I have been thinking about this recently, having just delivered the latest in the DCI Jack Harris series to my publisher The Book Folks and moved on to the next novel, one in the DCI John Blizzard series.

So what keeps me coming back? After all, I could tell my stories using other…

Had enough of the cold, wet and dark? The hint of better things to come making you look forward to your Summer break? Then why not include a writing weekend in Scotland?

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…

There is still time to enter the Crime Writers’ Association’s Margery Allingham Short Mystery competition 2020, which closes at 6pm on 29 February.

The CWA’s mission is to find the best unpublished short mystery, one that fits into legendary crime writer Margery’s definition of what makes a great story when she said: “The Mystery remains…

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…