May 2021 Blog Posts (8)

Filmed interviews with authors to feature in National Crime Reading Month

I am delighted to be part of this…

 

A newly-launched initiative designed to showcase crime writers will feature in National Crime Reading Month in June with four authors talking about their craft and the publishing industry.

Launched in January, Mug Shots is run by Tall Tales Mysteries, a leading UK murder mystery company based…

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Added by John Dean on May 31, 2021 at 14:29 — No Comments

In search of an idea

I have just finished editing my latest Jack Harris novel and am looking towards my next book, a process which always brings the idea of ideas into sharp focus.

So where do ideas come from? For some writers, stories start with a place, somewhere that strikes them so forcibly that the story unfolds around it. I tend to be like that. Hillsides,…

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Added by John Dean on May 27, 2021 at 19:30 — No Comments

To begin at the beginning...

I’ve recently been involved in a couple of discussions in social media groups about the best way to start a crime fiction story so I thought that I would pass on some of my thoughts.

One of the key things I tell those writers that I advise is that the opening lines of their crime stories are crucial because harassed publishers, overworked…

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Added by John Dean on May 20, 2021 at 11:44 — No Comments

Daggers shortlists announced

The Crime Writers' Association has announced this year's eagerly-awaited Daggers award shortlists. Well done to all those selected. You can find out the full details at 

thecwa.co.uk

Added by John Dean on May 20, 2021 at 10:36 — No Comments

In celebration of the art of editing

I have been editing the latest Jack Harris crime novel before sending it off to my publishers The Book Folks and I thought that an insight into the process might prove interesting.

I know that some writers dislike editing, preferring the creative process of filling a blank page, but I love it. Indeed, editing is my favourite part of the whole…

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Added by John Dean on May 14, 2021 at 10:30 — No Comments

Bud talks sense of place

Interested in crime fiction? Then check out my good friend the excellent Bud Craig talking about his craft in the latest instalment of the free Tall Tales Mysteries Mug Shots series of films. Bud, one of the Book Folks stable of writers, talks in particular about sense of place. You can watch the interview at…

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Added by John Dean on May 11, 2021 at 13:40 — No Comments

Celebrating sense of place

Should you so wish, you can check out my views on sense of place in an article specially produced for the excellent Trip Fiction website, at 

Talking Location With… author John Dean – the importance of place Blog |…

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Added by John Dean on May 11, 2021 at 11:45 — No Comments

Tackling the thorny issue of back story

I am editing the first draft of the new DCI Jack Harris novel for my publisher The Book Folks and dealing, as writers always do, with the thorny issue of their characters’ past – their back story.

Back story is a common theme in my writing, my teaching and my assessment of manuscripts and a theme that I return to in my blogs on a regular…

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Added by John Dean on May 11, 2021 at 9:38 — 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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