Category Archives: Fiction

THE SCIENCE OF CRIME?

Posted on April 17, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

I spent the week before last doing jury service on a medical malpractice case. After decades immersed in fictional recreations of trials and courtrooms (what mystery editor hasn’t encountered barrelsful of successors to Perry Mason), it was enlightening to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Courtroom Mysteries, Editing, Fiction | Tagged courtroom, fiction, forensics, judges, mystery, neuroscience, true crime | 3 Comments

“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

“A Conversation with Myself” (by Robert S. Levinson)

Posted on February 6, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

This week’s post addresses something we at EQMM often hear about from mystery novelists: their fear of the short story and their belief that they can’t produce a publishable one. Robert S. Levinson had already received critical acclaim for his … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fiction, Guest, Writers | Tagged elleryqueenmm, fiction, literature, short stories, writers, writing_technique | 3 Comments

THE WIDE WORLD OF MYSTERY FICTION

Posted on January 23, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

The Edgar Allan Poe Award nominations for 2012 are out and the staff at EQMM wishes to congratulate Tom Piccirilli, author of the November 2012 EQMM story “The Void It Often Brings With It” and Teresa Solana, author of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Awards, Editing, Ellery Queen, Fiction, History, Magazine, Translation | Tagged elleryqueenmm, eqmm, fiction, foreign language, literature, mystery, translation, translators, writers | 1 Comment