Bringing characters to life in fiction

A recent review of The Railway Man on Amazon stated: “I really like the character of DCI Blizzard. The interaction with other colleagues and staff is very good. I like the humour in the books and often find myself laughing out loud. Blizzard has his faults and can be quite set on his ideas but I think that's what makes him more interesting.”

I was delighted to read that because for books to work, characters must be real. As a writer, you want your readers to forget that they are reading a novel and instead be transported into the world of your characters.

That was brought home to me a few years ago when a reader approached me at an event and told me off because Blizzard had been unpleasant to one of her favourite characters!

That pleased me because as a writer you spend so much time focused on the techniques of writing and perfecting your craft (a constant process) that you sometimes forget that for your readers these are real people.

Book details:

Few tears are shed when an ex-boxer and local hard man is found dead in a disused railway signal box.

When DCI John Blizzard is called in to investigate, he discovers no shortage of people who would want the bully dead. But getting any of them to come forward proves difficult.
Having interrupted the opening day of the public display of a steam engine that DCI Blizzard lovingly helped restore, few are keener than he to see the perpetrator under lock and key.

It transpires that the victim once gave a man life-changing injuries with a cruel sucker punch, thus Blizzard’s colleagues think they’ve found a likely suspect. But the veteran detective is not so sure. In fact, the real culprits might be much closer to home.

Set in the fictional port city of Hafton in northern England, THE RAILWAY MAN is a traditional British whodunit with a thrilling contemporary twist. The novel is the third title by John Dean to feature the burly, no-nonsense detective, John Blizzard, a man who refuses to take no for an answer. All the books in the series, in order of publication, are:
1. THE LONG DEAD
2. STRANGE LITTLE GIRL
3. THE RAILWAY MAN
4. THE SECRETS MAN

You can buy the book in ebook or paperback format at

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RAILWAY-MAN-Blizzard-murder-mystery-ebook/...

Views: 23

Add a Comment

You need to be a member of John Dean Crime Novelist to add comments!

Join John Dean Crime Novelist

Latest Activity

Tom Southern is now a member of John Dean Crime Novelist
Thursday
John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook
Wednesday
John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook
Wednesday
John Dean posted a blog post

Authors highlight different ways of starting to write a book

I have just started writing my next crime novel and I have more time to concentrate on it now that Kirkcudbright Book Week, which I help organise, has come to an end for this year.In fact, the subject of how best to begin a story cropped up during Book Week, not least when I chaired an in-conversation event at the Selkirk Arms, featuring crime writers Traude Ailinger,…See More
Wednesday
Ann Bloxwich updated their profile
Mar 7
Ann Bloxwich is now a member of John Dean Crime Novelist
Mar 7
John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook
Feb 27
John Dean posted a blog post

Tackling the dreaded blank first page

 I am working on a new DCI John Bizzard crime novel for my publisher The Book Folks, and that means being faced with the dreaded blank first page.So, how do writers get going under such circumstances? How do they start writing their story? Well, in this hectic world, I have always felt that there is a lot to be said for holding back and allowing myself a little time to…See More
Feb 27
John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook
Feb 16
John Dean posted a blog post

Tickets still available for crime fiction events

Traditionally, events featuring crime writers are very popular at Kirkcudbright Book Week in Dumfries and Galloway and tend to sell out. However, with just three weeks to go until the beginning of the event, there are still plenty of tickets available for the three crime fiction offerings.Crime writers due to appear include: Monday March 4   Ryan Stark Selkirk Arms High…See More
Feb 15
John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook
Feb 8
John Dean posted a blog post

Writer’s debut novel tells a dark tale of murder

I am delighted to have played a small part in this book making it into printCastle Douglas writer David L Haigh has had his first novel published, telling a  tale of murder in a rural community.Crime novel Land Kill, which has been published by Michael Terence Publishing, tells the story of a former stockbroker turned pheasant farmer, who was the last known person to…See More
Feb 8
John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook
Feb 7
John Dean posted a blog post

Getting it right from the beginning

I have just started writing my next crime novel for my publishers The Book Folks and as with every new book, that blank first page is at once exciting and daunting.The excitement comes because it takes all that planning that I’ve been doing over recent weeks (mostly on my walks with the…See More
Feb 7
John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook
Feb 4
John Dean posted a blog post

Giveaway treat for audience at crime fiction event

Audience members attending a specially-organised night of crime fiction during Kirkcudbright Book Week will be given a free copy of a 100-page deluxe brochure exploring crime fiction across the British Isles.The brochure has been put together by the expert team at publisher The Book Folks, which has four of its authors attending the event.In Conversation with the Book…See More
Feb 4

Videos

Members

© 2024   Created by John Dean.   Powered by

Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service