April 2024 Blog Posts (6)

Crime writing couple to talk about the challenges of writing as one

Crime fiction enthusiasts – and I know from my experience at Kirkcudbright Book Week that there are plenty of them in Dumfries and Galloway – will be interested in a  fascinating event to be staged in the area in May.

The Mill on the Fleet at Gatehouse of Fleet, in conjunction with Bakehouse Community Arts, will present an evening with husband…

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Added by John Dean on April 30, 2024 at 10:26 — No Comments

Taking the reader into the heart of the action

Review: Murder at the Caravan by David Pearson (The Book Folks)

Authors are driven to write by a range of inspirations, everything from compelling character to mysterious plots, from the need to write with pace to an instinctive feel for landscape, from powerful themes to sharply political points…

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Added by John Dean on April 14, 2024 at 19:33 — No Comments

A compelling read

Review Status Drift by Ian Robinson (The Book Folks)

As regular readers of my reviews may well be aware, I am a huge fan of Ian Robinson’s work and a major reason in this series is the central character DS Sam Batford, who walks the fine line between corrupt cop and heroic…

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Added by John Dean on April 11, 2024 at 9:30 — No Comments

Something a bit different

Review: The Counterfeit Detective by Simpson Grears (Rymour Books)

The problem with even the very best crime fiction, as well written as it may be, is that a lot of it can feel very similar. That is why we readers should welcome something that’s a bit different, and why we should welcome books like The Counterfeit Detective by Simpson…

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Added by John Dean on April 11, 2024 at 8:46 — No Comments

Author re-launches online crime fiction course

Best-selling crime novelist and creative writing tutor John Dean has launched the latest version of his online Crime Fiction Course.

The course, which runs in eight parts and can begin at a time and date to suit the writer, helps emerging authors to improve their writing and aims to increase their chances of being successful, either in…

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Added by John Dean on April 9, 2024 at 11:31 — No Comments

Crime writer ready for challenges ahead

I was pleased to hear that crime writer Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin has been elected as the new Chair of the Society of Authors.

The novelist takes over from Joanne Harris to begin a two-year term as Chair of the SoA’s board of directors. Joanne has held the position since 2020 and has now come to the end of her second two-year term.

Vanessa, who…

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Added by John Dean on April 3, 2024 at 17:11 — No Comments

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John Dean posted a blog post

Closure of site

HelloThis note is to say that I have a new website at www.johndeancrimewriter.co.uk, which means that this site will close on April 15.My new website includes my usual news and views, details on my novels, handy hints for writers, information on my assessment and editing services and much more.I would like to thank all of you for supporting this website over the years. I can still be contacted on the same email address deangriss@btinternet.comSee More
Apr 2
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Crime writers to sign copies of newly-published novels

A book signing due to be held by author John Dean as part of Kirkcudbright Book Week has been expanded to include fellow crime writer Ryan Stark.John, who lives in Dumfries and Galloway, will sign paperback copies of his recently-published novel The Meek Shall Inherit (The Book Folks), which will be available to purchase during the event at Feast Café, 32 St Cuthbert…See More
Feb 26
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Lead me to the keyboard

This is where writing comes perilously close to madness but I am a strong believer that fictional characters, if allowed their head, can tell their own stories and all the author has to do is type!It does not happen every time you write, which is why authors must value it when it does, but it happened to me today when writing an account of a Zoom conversation between…See More
Feb 20
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At the top of his game

Book Review The Red Shoes Mystery by David Pearson David Pearson continues to delight his many fans with his latest crime novel, in which his investigators O’Shea and Maguire face their most challenging case yet—the mysterious death of Maria Hyka.As Maguire and her team dig deeper, they uncover connections to a shadowy underworld and, as ever, with David’s books, it is…See More
Feb 12
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A welcome addition to the crime fiction canon

Book Review - Murder in the New Forest by Carol Cole (The Book Folks).It’s always a moment laden with anticipation when a new crime series emerges onto the scene and Carol Cole does not disappoint with Murder in the New Forest (The Book Folks).At the heart of the novel is a new central character, DI Callum MacLean, newly arrived in Hampshire from Glasgow and plunged into…See More
Feb 5
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Jan 25
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Bestseller chart success

I am delighted that two of my crime fiction works are this morning in the top 100 Organised Crime Kindle charts on Amazon.The DCI John Blizzard box set containing the first seven novels in the series, (The Book Folks) for just 99p - now if that is not an outstanding offer, I do not know what is -  is at number 43 (it is already topping various anthology charts).My new…See More
Jan 20
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Grant award helps develop crime fiction programme

Organisers of the fourth annual Kirkcudbright Book Week have been awarded a £1,750 grant from the Robin Rigg Community Fund to help them develop the crime fiction component of the festival.Kirkcudbright Book Week is designed to celebrate the growing literary scene in and around the South West Scotland town and crime fiction has proved to be a popular genre with audiences…See More
Jan 17
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Jan 8
John Dean posted a blog post

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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