I have just started writing the next Jack Harris crime novel and, as with every new book, it’s at once exciting and daunting. Exciting to find out where the planning I’ve been doing over recent weeks takes me, daunting because a lot of work lies ahead and a blank computer screen is a scary thing.

I’m only 700 words in but they are words which…

I am carrying out the editing of the latest DCI Blizzard novel before sending it to my publishers The Book Folks and, as I may have mentioned in previous blogs, for me this is the most enjoyable part of the writing process.

I know that some writers detest editing and love the creative process of filling blank pages but I am one of those authors…

I have written an article explaining how the Crime  Writers' Association is supporting a campaign in favour of libraries which has been launched by the Scotland on Sunday newspaper. at a time when many libraries are threatened by cutbacks.

You can read the published article at…

Novelist John Dean has announced a series of weekend workshops to be held specifically for writing groups in Spring and Summer 2022 at his home in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

John, author of 21 crime novels and currently published by London-based The Book Folks, is the creator of the popular DCI John Blizzard and DCI Jack Harris series and…

I am currently working on the next DCI John Blizzard novel and, as such, my mind is very much occupied by the idea of motive.

A crime writer has always to think deeply about the nature of evil. My novels very often have career criminals among their cast of characters but, mostly, they feature ‘ordinary’ people driven to extraordinary acts such…

The Crime Writers' Association has announced the eagerly-awaited winners of this year's Daggers awards - well done to all those who were successful. You can find out who won at 

thecwa.co.uk

I am delighted to have been asked to make a short film for Dumfries and Galloway Libraries Service, my local library service, in which I answer questions about writing from some of their Facebook followers.

Work like this is particularly close to my heart because I am one of two Libraries Champions for the Crime Writers’ Association, with…

Want to learn more about crime writing? Then this online course could be for you

I am pleased to say that Last Man Alive, the latest book in the series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jack Harris, is selling well and attracting positive reviews and ratings, having been published by The Book Folks.

In the book,  my 21^st crime novel to appear, Harris is on the trail of a missing man whom he suspects of having…

Bestselling crime writer Leigh Russell joins interviewer Sara West to talk about her books, the success of her Geraldine Steele series (more than one million sales) and her top tips for writers in the latest instalment of the free Tall Tales Mysteries Mug Shots series of films. Tune in onto their Youtube channel at…

I am returning to my theme of how writers evoke reactions in their readers for this blog. Good writing is about triggers with the author using words, phrases, images, places and sensations that reach deep into the reader’s mind.

That reaction will be based on something that the reader has actually experienced, or may be something that the…

I have just written a chapter for my latest Blizzard novel in which my detectives fall out with witnesses then with each other, all of which allows me to come back to one of my familiar themes for my blogs – conflict.

I find that writing becomes easier if there is conflict in the air. Why? Because stories need things to happen and conflicts…

I have just ordered the paperback version of Shots Fired, the latest in the Nash and Moretti crime fiction series written by Ian Robinson and published by The Book Folks.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two in the series so am looking forward to this one as a shooting leads the Metropolitan officers into an investigation taking in…

I am returning to a familiar theme for this blog, namely the right of a character to exist. The subject comes to mind because I am working on the latest DCI John Blizzard novel and, although some of my regulars appear, there is a cast of new characters as well.

The key to creating characters is not to confuse the…

I am delighted to announce that Last Man Alive, the latest book in the series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jack Harris, has been published by The Book Folks -  my 21^st crime novel to appear.

In the book, Harris is on the trail of a missing man whom he suspects of having dementia and being at grave risk, when he makes a…

As a writer, the question of pace dominates my thinking. Whether I am doing final edits on a novel or starting a new one (both of which I have done in the past week) the rate at which the story moves is crucial.

Pace should not be confused with speed. A story with good pace need not necessarily move fast but what it will do is move at a pace…

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…

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,…

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…

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