Posts Tagged: writing mysteries

Building the Too-Perfect Protagonist

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One of the questions we writers get all the time is: “Is your protagonist you?“ I’ve heard a lot of different answers to this question, some long and some short, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone just come out and say what we all know to be true: “Of course he is!” Because really, is there ever any doubt?  Why create a heroic character — especially one who triumphs in the end — if you can’t live vicariously through him?  And how can you live vicariously through a character who’s totally removed from yourself? Has anyone ever read a Charlie Fox thriller and not seen Zoë Sharp herself doing all that ass-kicking? I didn’t think so. Sure,... more

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STORMING THE GATES: How To Write A Sure-fire, Can’t Miss, Guaranteed-To-Get-A-Read, Fiction Proposal

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W.L. Ripley is the author of two critically-acclaimed series of crime novels -- four books featuring ex-professional football player Wyatt Storme and four books about ex-Secret Service agent Cole Springer. His latest novel is Storme Warning, a stunning new mystery/thriller that we're publishing in February. We will also be re-releasing Ripley's other books through 2015 and early 2016. I live in rural Missouri, which is not in the middle of nowhere despite anything you may have heard. The middle of nowhere is a good fifty yards south of my house. Still, it’s two thousand miles from New York City and the publishing industry.  I’ve never been there and in no hurry to go. I am not a... more

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Mark Smith on Writing THE DEATH OF THE DETECTIVE

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I think it was Heywood Hale Broun who said, “When a professional man is doing the best work of his life, he will be reading only detective novels,” or words similar. I hope, even at my age, I have my best work ahead of me, but when I was writing The Death of the Detective, in my leisure hours I was exhausting the classic English who-dun-its written between the Wars, favoring Dorothy Sayers and Freeman Wills Croft, while also re-reading Raymond Chandler and re-discovering Nero Wolfe. In this regard I shared the addiction with the likes of William Butler Yeats, William Faulkner and FDR, among others. My first two novels, the companion novels, Toyland and House Across the White... more

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Ficton That’s Ripped from the Headlines

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Any self-respecting fan of Law & Order knows that the popular cop show franchise often draws its inspiration from crime stories that are “ripped from the headlines.” And no matter how many disclaimers emphasize that if the characters or plot bear any resemblance to a real-life individual or event it is completely coincidental, we instinctively recognize the original source. As consumers of popular culture, as participants in everyday modern life, we encounter dark and mysterious circumstances on a daily basis. Unless you have been residing among the Amish, or have elected to forego all modern conveniences by choice, you likely have heard about the activities of Jodi Arias —... more

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Super Crime Combos from Brash Books

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We've combined the first few books in some of our best series of crime novels into single, omnibus volumes...to make it much easier to sample and experience these award-winning, highly acclaimed tales...and at a big savings over buying the individual books. You don't want to miss these Super Crime Combos! Now Available for Pre-Order...and delivered on Thanksgiving Day BRAGG V1 - The first three, powerhouse novels in Jack Lynch’s Edgar Award-nominated and two-time Shamus Award-nominated Bragg series of PI thrillers...now together for the first time ever in one omnibus edition!Pre-Order the Ebook Pre-Order the Trade Paperback THE COMPLETE DEEMER - All three of Dallas... more

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Great Crime Writers Create Memorable Bad Guys

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Great crime writers like James Patterson, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, and even horror writers like Stephen King draw readers into their stories by creating complex villains we love to hate. In writing my crime novels, I pay just as much attention to developing the villain (or in some cases, villains) as I do when crafting the protagonist. Both characters must have strong, complex personalities and interest the reader to the point of near obsession. If a writer can do that, he or she has pulled the reader into the dark world all thriller readers want – fast, dangerous, and with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. WHAT MAKES A GREAT VILLAIN? Not too long ago, Publishers Weekly... more

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