I am delighted that the latest DCI Jack Harris mystery Error of Judgement (The Book Folks) continues to do well in the various Amazon Kindle best-seller charts. You can find out more at…

I have just finished the first draft of the latest DCI Blizzard novel for The Book Folks and, as is my wont, I will now leave it for a few weeks then come back to edit it with fresh eyes.Only then will I know for sure if it's achieved what I hoped for it and how much remains to be done.

That means that, in the meantime, I can start work on a new novel in my other series, featuring DCI Jack Harris. A different setting, rural against city, a different cast of characters, a different…

Best-selling 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 crime novels published and is with London-based The Book Folks. He is a co-director of Inscribe Media…

New Writing North has announced the winners of the Northern Writers’ Awards 2019.…

There is a debate that has been rumbling on in writing circles for years, namely the balance between ‘show’ and ‘tell’. But what does it mean? Well, this is telling:…

I am delighted to say that the audio book of the DCI Blizzard mystery The Secrets Man (Whole Story QUEST), narrated by the brilliant Nicholas Camm, is out on Thursday June 27, 2019.…

Thoroughly enjoyed a great weekend course with authors from the Darlington-based Inkerman Writers, very creative! Now attention turns to July 6.

Indeed, there are still plenty of places left on both weekend summer courses for writers run by best-selling crime novelist John Dean at his home near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway.

John, author of 18 novels and currently published by London-based The Book Folks, is the creator of the popular DCI John Blizzard and DCI Jack…

At the end of a busy week, I am delighted that the DCI Jack Harris mystery To Honour the Dead (Whole Story QUEST) is out as an audio book, narrated by the brilliant Nicholas Camm, my second such launch this week!

You can find out more…

I am working on a new DCI John Blizzard novel at the moment and am at the stage when I am assessing what I have written so far, including a close look at the dialogue.…

Delighted to say that the DCI John Blizzard mystery The Railway Man (Whole Story QUEST) is now out as an audio book, narrated by the excellent Nicholas Camm. It is available at…

A quick reminder that best-selling crime novelist and creative writing tutor John Dean, who is based in Dumfries and Galloway, has launched an online Crime Fiction Course.

John, author of 18 novels and currently published by London-based The Book Folks, and the creator of DCI John Blizzard and DCI Jack Harris, also runs Inscribe Media Ltd, which…

You may know from my blogs, that, as a writer, I am always inspired by a sense of place, and living on a windswept hillside in southern Scotland certainly inspires me greatly.…

There are still places left on two weekend summer courses for writers run by best-selling crime novelist John Dean at his home near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway.…

One of the questions that I am occasionally asked in my creative writing classes is ‘how long should a novel be?’ It’s a question that sometimes crops up in reviews as well, with some readers saying that they felt that a story was too short and wondering why the author did not write more?…

Following on from my previous blogs on creating characters, a word about minor characters and the care you need to take when creating them.

But why, you may ask, spend unnecessary time on insignificant characters? Some may have roles so negligible that they won’t even get names:…