Still selling well! A gruesome find leads DCI Jack Harris to reopen an investigation into an air crash. You can find out more at…

According to the great American writer F Scott Fitzgerald, ‘Character is plot, plot is character’. He was right. It is through the interaction of characters with a variety of needs, situations and personalities that stories emerge and develop. But how do you create them? You have three choices.…

Looking for some great crime fiction for your summer holidays? Then look no further and check out The Book Folks at…

I recently gave a talk as part of Darlington Arts Festival, during National Crime Reading Month, in which I observed that crime writers offer a reflection of the world in which they live.

I have always believed that writing is a deeply personal pastime and you can see that in the…

A baby with bad guts, wife at the end of her tether, someone trying to kill him - no wonder John Blizzard is not sleeping!…

I make no apology for returning to one of my big themes for this blog because the subject is so important in any kind of writing. Getting the start right.…

I am hard at work on the next DCI Blizzard mystery but if you need a hit of the curmudgeonly detective in the meantime the first three books published by The Book Folks can be enjoyed in a new box set at…

The subject of reviews of books is getting a lot of attention at the moment with the advent of social media and Amazon, where everyone has a voice and everyone can be a critic.

I receive a lot of reviews of my novels and, thankfully, they are overwhelmingly positive but from time…

I am delighted to be part of Scotland's newest writing group, working out of Kirkudbright in Dumfries and Galloway  - meet the Gallery Writers at …

I am preparing a new course and at the heart of it, as so often, will be the subject of characters.

Creating strong characters – not necessarily strong people but well defined characters – is crucial because you can create the finest landscapes, the…

You can check out the latest reviews of DCI John Blizzard mystery Strange Little Girl (The Book Folks) at…

I am delighted that the dates for the next creative writing course at Kirkudbright Galleries have been announced.

Writing Course with Author John Dean

July 19 @ 10:30 am - September 20 2019 @ 12:30 pm - £65 10 week block Kirkudbright Galleries, Kirkudbright, Dumfries and Galloway

The course will…

As some of you may know, I am a big supporter of the UK’s National Crime Reading Month, which runs throughout May.

Initiated by the Crime Writers' Association and its sister the Crime Readers Association, it is featuring events the length and breadth of the UK.

What has come home time and time again is the public's insatiable thirst for…

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…

You may be aware that I run an online crime fiction course and one student writing a novel asked me a couple of questions about his main character, the protagonist. The answers may interest those writers who are…

I am very grateful to all those people who have bought the latest DCI Jack Harris novel Error of Judgement (The Book Folks), keeping it high in the Amazon Kindle charts. Your support is much appreciated.

You can buy the book in e-book or paperback at…

Railways have always played a part in my life. My grandfather worked on the recovery trains in World War Two and my father helped found a railway museum so it is not surprising that I shared his interest as I grew up.…

I have always been interested in where writers’ ideas come from. Indeed, it is the theme of the talk I will deliver at Catstrand Arts Centre as part of National Crime Reading Month in May,…