Category Archives: Fiction

“Raoul Whitfield: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Best of Them” (by Boris Dralyuk)

Posted on September 18, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Two weeks ago Mark Evan Walker contributed an article to this site about largely forgotten mystery writer Brett Halliday and his most famous character, Michael Shayne. This week another writer who has faded from memory—and was perhaps never given his … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Characters, Fiction, Guest, History, Noir, Novels, Writers | Tagged black mask magazine, blackmask, characters, history, literature, magazines, noir, novel, raoul whitfield, writers, writing_technique | 4 Comments

“When the Place Itself Is a Mystery: Ten Tips for Someone Writing in an Exotic Location” (by Nathan Beyerlein)

Posted on September 11, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Nathan Beyerlein is a blogger, a teacher of English as a second language, and a world traveler. His first fiction, “The Tricky Business in Mai Chau,” appeared in EQMM’s Department of First Stories in June of this year. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Characters, Editing, Fiction, Guest, International, Setting, Writers | Tagged elleryqueenmm, exotic, fiction, genre, literature, locale, location, setting, writers, writing, writing_technique | 3 Comments

“Call for Michael Shayne” (by Mark Evan Walker)

Posted on September 4, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Two weeks ago, when Mark Evan Walker posted about his career as an illustrator, I mentioned that he is also a knowledgeable fan of crime and mystery fiction. This week he shares with us some reflections on a character who’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Characters, Fiction, Genre, Guest, History, Illustration, Noir, Writers | Tagged brett halliday, crime, detective, genre, history, michael shayne, mystery, pulp | 5 Comments

CHILD CHARACTERS IN CRIME FICTION

Posted on August 28, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Using child characters in crime fiction involves navigating land mines. This is something I wrote about a couple of years ago on EQMM’s website, but as I’ve had a few additional thoughts about it since then, here’s an update to … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Editing, Fiction, Publishing, Writers | Tagged characters, child characters, controversy, editing, elleryqueenmm, eqmm, fiction, writers, writing, writing_technique | 5 Comments

“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 crimefiction, denmark, international, mystery, norway, passport, scandinavia, sweden, thriller, translation | 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 editing, history, literature, sherlock, sherlockiana, short story, writing_technique | 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 characters, england, fiction, history, literature, sherlock holmes, subversion, victorian england | 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 advice, characters, editing, fiction, mystery, suspense, thriller, writers, writing, writing_technique | 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 characters, elleryqueen, fiction, literature, short stories, short story, writing_technique | 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 editing, literature, publishing, short stories, short story, writers, writing, writing_technique | 1 Comment