July 2023 Blog Posts (4)

A Walk on the Darker side at new Fringe festival

I am looking forward to meeting up again with fellow crime writers Jackie Baldwin, Ian Robinson and Ann Bloxwich for a special event entitled Walking on the Darker Side at the first ever Kirkcudbright Fringe Festival in the Dumfries and Galloway town.

Introduced and chaired by myself, the event will sees us exploring some of the main themes…

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Added by John Dean on July 31, 2023 at 9:39 — No Comments

A master at work

Book Review

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

 

The opening pages of this novel tell you everything you need to know about David Pearson as an author, that he is supremely confident in the way that he handles the task of crime writing. The story begins at Christmas when nothing is happening and few people…

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Added by John Dean on July 18, 2023 at 12:00 — No Comments

Breathing new life into a series

As you may know if you have read my recent blogs, I am at work on the latest DCI Jack Harris crime novel for my publisher The Book Folks.

A number of readers who follow the series have told me that they look forward to meeting the members of the regular ‘cast’ but it is crucial that I, as the author, put as much effort into creating new…

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Added by John Dean on July 17, 2023 at 13:09 — No Comments

Reports of John Blizzard's death exaggerated

Today, I read a couple of excellent online reviews of my latest DCI John Blizzard mystery The Name On The Bullet (The Book Folks), which were welcome, but both mentioned that it was a good way to sign off the series because Blizzard will not return.

Which was a surprise to me and the man himself. Indeed, I have just come off the phone from the…

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Added by John Dean on July 17, 2023 at 13:00 — No Comments

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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
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Knowing when to cast all caution to the wind

Writing is an art form which combines two skills which appear, at first glance, to have nothing on common – unrestrained creativity and well-controlled discipline.However, good writing is not possible without either of them. To explain, as I write the latest DCI Jack Harris crime novel, I am being disciplined and following the synopsis that I developed right from the…See More
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Written in a flash

 I am part of the team that organises an annual short story competition for young writers in Dumfries and Galloway, as part of the run-up to Kirkcudbright book week 2025 in March. The competition is run by the event organisers Kirkcudbright Book Week Society and Kirkcudbright Library. Myself and Lesley Garbutt from the Library are the judges and this year we have asked…See More
Dec 13, 2024
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Festival announces top quality crime fiction 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…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
Dec 7, 2024
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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
Nov 20, 2024

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