Category Archives: Characters

“Scandinavian Crime Fiction” (by Terje Thomassen)

Posted on August 14, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Oil painter and graphic designer Terje Thomassen contributed the art for EQMM’s March/April 2013 cover, but he is posting today about fiction rather than art—giving us a roundup of the best mystery writers in Scandinavia. It’s a subject he knows … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Fiction, Guest, International, Passport, Publishing, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“A Little Amusement at His Expense: Conan Doyle’s Sly Subversion of English Society,” Part 2 (by Dr. Kenneth Wishnia)

Posted on August 7, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

See last week’s post for Part 1 of Kenneth Wishnia’s discussion: “Barbaric Kings and Plodding Imbeciles: Conan Doyle’s Sly Subversion of English Society,” Part 1. The French author Honoré de Balzac once wrote that “behind every fortune lies a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Editing, Fiction, Guest, History, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Barbaric Kings and Plodding Imbeciles: Conan Doyle’s Sly Subversion of English Society,” Part 1

 (by Dr. Kenneth Wishnia)

Posted on July 31, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

I was editing EQMM’s February 2014 issue when this interesting two-part post by Dr. Kenneth Wishnia arrived in my in-box. Each year, EQMM’s February issue contains special Sherlock Holmes features, so the great detective and his creator, Sir Arthur Conan … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Fiction, Guest, History, Novels, Politics, Setting, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

WRAPPING IT UP

Posted on July 24, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

This week I’d like to expand on a post I made on November 8, 2010, on EQMM’s Web-site forum, concerning confession scenes. They’re a staple of our genre, so much so that I suspect most writers of crime fiction have … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Editing, Fiction, History, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“The Desert Island Mystery” (by James Powell)

Posted on July 17, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

James Powell is one of very few writers to be found these days writing exclusively at short-story length, and his unique blend of mystery, fantasy, humor, and historical fact sets him apart even within the fraternity of short-story writers. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Books, Characters, Editing, Fiction, Guest, Novels | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

In Praise of Short Stories: Why Should a Prospective Novelist Start by Writing Short Stories? (by John F. Dobbyn)

Posted on July 3, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Last week author Twist Phelan talked about some of the different challenges involved in writing short stories and novels.  This week, author John F. Dobbyn argues that even writers interested primarily in becoming novelists should begin by writing short stories. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Editing, Fiction, Guest, Magazine, Novels, Publishing, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“The Storied South” (by Brenda Witchger, aka Brynn Bonner)

Posted on June 5, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Brenda Witchger debuted in EQMM’s Department of First Stories in 1998 (under the pseudonym Brynn Bonner) with the story “Clarity,” a tale that went on to win that year’s Robert L. Fish Award for best short story by a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Setting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Wonderful, Terrible, Mysterious West” (by Susan Salzer)

Posted on May 29, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

When Susan Salzer’s March/April 2012 story “The Saint of Pox Island” was named a finalist for the Western Writers of America’s Spur Award this spring, we did a search of EQMM’s 72-year-long awards list (which you can find here, on … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Awards, Characters, Conventions, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Historicals, Noir, Western | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Writing to the Edge” (by Sandi Ault)

Posted on May 22, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Adventure is a mystery-crossover category that we haven’t discussed much yet on this blog, but we’re correcting that today. Sandi Ault’s series of novels featuring Jamaica Wild, a Bureau of Land Management agent, are chock full of adventure, as EQMM … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Characters, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Setting, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

“On Location in Paradise” (by Hayford Peirce)

Posted on April 24, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

EQMM’s August issue, which mails to print subscribers a few weeks from now, contains a story set in French Polynesia—often said to be the most beautiful region in the world. Entitled “The Lethal Leeteg,” the story forms part of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Fiction, Guest, Historicals, History, Police Procedurals, Setting, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment