Category Archives: Characters

“For Love of Gothic: When Home is the Most Mysterious Place of All” (by Laura Benedict)

Posted on April 3, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Laura Benedict’s first fiction publication was in EQMM in May of 2001. Since then, she has become a successful novelist with two dark suspense novels (Isabella Moon and Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts) to her credit, and, most recently, a modern … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Fiction, Gothic, Guest, Historicals, Setting, Supernatural, Thrillers | Tagged classic_mystery, fiction, foreign language, genre, gothic, historicals, literature, mystery, novel | 9 Comments

“History Mystery” (by Amy Myers)

Posted on March 27, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Ellery Queen thought the historical mystery the hardest of all to write. But he must have been drawn to the form, because he produced some of our genre’s most memorable stories involving history, such as “The President’s Half Disme,” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Fiction, Guest, Historicals, History, Setting, Writers | Tagged elleryqueenmm, eqmm, fiction, historical fiction, historicals, history, literature, setting, short story, writing_technique | Leave a comment

“Truth or Point of View?” (by V.S. Kemanis)

Posted on March 20, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

I read a lot of unsolicited manuscripts and it sometimes seems to me as if everyone who ever earned a law degree at some point tries to write a mystery. The reasons are obvious: The law is meant to serve … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Courtroom Mysteries, Fiction, Guest, Setting | Tagged courtroom mystery, judges, jury, lawyers, literature, mystery, setting, themes, trial, writers | 3 Comments

“Tips and Other Compensations” (by Terence Faherty)

Posted on March 13, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Terence Faherty’s fiction has earned a number of honors, including multiple Shamus Awards from the Private Eye Writers of America. He writes both contemporary and historical mysteries for EQMM, mostly in two series, those featuring Owen Keane and Scott Elliott. … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Fiction, Guest, Writers | Tagged characters, fiction, mystery genre, mystery writing, writers, writing, writing_technique | 8 Comments

ON FANS

Posted on March 6, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Since my last post, the nominees for this year’s Agatha Awards have been announced and EQMM wishes to congratulate all of the nominees in the short story category, but especially regular EQMM contributors Dana Cameron and Art Taylor. Dana earned … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Conventions, Fiction, History | Tagged characters, fandom, fans, literary, literature, Malice Domestic, mystery, noir, publishing | 1 Comment

“Murder, He Giggled” (by Jack Fredrickson)

Posted on February 27, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Jack Fredrickson, whose fiction-writing career began in EQMM’s Department of First Stories in 2002, has gone on to write a series of award-nominated novels featuring Chicago P.I. Dek Elstrom. He has a distinctive style, creating noir ambiance with wry prose. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Editing, Fiction, Guest, Noir, Setting, Writers | Tagged humor, men of mystery, mystery, noir, novel, publishing, short stories, short story, tone, writers, writing_technique | Leave a comment

“The Bridal Gown Theory of Creativity” (by Doug Allyn)

Posted on February 20, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Several writers have told EQMM that they prefer writing short stories to novels because ideas come to them easily. The late Edward D. Hoch, for example, became impatient with the few novels he wrote because other story ideas had to … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Fiction, Guest, Setting, Writers | Tagged influences, literature, novel, short story, story ideas, writers, writing, writing_technique | 5 Comments

“Something Is Going To Happen” (by Cheryl Rogers)

Posted on December 12, 2012 by somethingisgoingtohappen

In her post for us this week, Australian Cheryl Rogers describes herself as a new writer. That may be true in terms of the length of time she’s been at it, but she is already a well-recognized writer of short … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Editing, Fiction, Setting, Writers | Tagged elleryqueenmm, eqmm, literature, setting, short story, writers, writing_technique | 2 Comments

“From Noir to Julius” (by Dave Zeltserman)

Posted on November 20, 2012 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Dave Zeltserman’s crime-noir novels Small Crimes and Pariah were both selected by The Washington Post as best books of the year. His short story “Julius Katz” won the Private Eye Writers of America’s Shamus Award for best P.I. story, and a second story in that series, … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Guest, Noir, Writers | Tagged dave zeltserman, elleryqueenmm, eqmm, fiction, genre, literature, magazines, noir, private eye, writing | 1 Comment

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SERIES

Posted on November 7, 2012 by somethingisgoingtohappen

In my last post I said I wished there was more talk of the work of classic authors in the field at mystery conventions. One writer who ought to be considered a luminary of the genre, and worthy of such … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Conventions, Fiction, History, Magazine, Setting, Writers | Tagged ed hoch, fiction, literature, locked room, mystery, puzzle, sam hawthorne, series | 4 Comments