Category Archives: Writing

“The Return of Poggioli: T.S. Stribling’s Sleuth Given a New Home in EQMM” (by Arthur Vidro)

Arthur Vidro is a freelance fiction editor who publishes a thrice-yearly print journal called (Give Me That) Old-Time Detection (please direct any inquiries to oldtimedetection@netzero.net). He is also the author of two stories for EQMM. The first of them, “The … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Editing, Ellery Queen, Fiction, Genre, Guest, History, Magazine, Story, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

“When Does the Past Become History?” (by Elizabeth Zelvin)

Elizabeth Zelvin is the author of the well-received Bruce Kohler mystery novels. She is also a short-story writer of note, having two nominations for the Derringer and three for the Agatha award. Her stories have appeared in both EQMM and … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure, Books, Characters, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Historicals, History, Private Eye, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

SUSPENSE, SERIALIZATION, AND THE SHORT STORY

Five years ago I posted on the topic of serialization on EQMM’s webpage forum. I continue to be asked, often, whether EQMM serializes novels or novelettes. My position has always been that any piece we publish must be sufficiently self-contained … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Editing, Fiction, Genre, History, Magazine, Publishing, Readers, Suspense, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Mysterious Secret Lost Reason For This Title (Buried Inside The Following Post!) (by Kristine Kathryn Rusch)

Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a winner not only of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine’s Readers Award but of the comparable award given by our sister publication Asimov’s Science Fiction. Mystery and science fiction are not the only genres in which she … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Business, Editing, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Historicals, Novels, Publishing, Readers, Setting, Story, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Writing a New Series” (by Dave Zeltserman)

Dave Zeltserman is the author of the Julius Katz mystery series, which began in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and has won the Shamus and multiple EQMM Readers Awards. Its next entry, “Archie on Loan,” will appear in EQMM’s 75th-anniversary issue (September/October … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Characters, Editing, Fiction, Guest, Setting, Thrillers, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“The Role of Place in Creating Suspense” (by Sheila Kohler)

Sheila Kohler is the author of fourteen books, and the winner of the Willa Cather Award and two O. Henry Prizes for her fiction. Born and raised in South Africa, she has lived in the U.S. for many years and … Continue reading

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“In Defense of Dan Brown and Bad Sentences” (by Michael Noll)

Michael Noll debuted in EQMM in the July 2015 issue with “The Tank Yard,” a story that was subsequently selected for the 2016 volume of Best American Mystery Stories. He is the program director at the Writers’ League of Texas … Continue reading

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“Fleshing Out Mysteries” by Sharon Hunt

Sharon Hunt’s short stories had already appeared in a variety of literary magazines before her EQMM debut in August 2015 with “The Water Was Rising.” That story is currently nominated in the best-short-story category for Canada’s most prestigious award for … Continue reading

Posted in Fiction, Genre, Guest, Noir, Setting, Story, Suspense, Thrillers, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Ballet, Law, and Mystery” (by V.S. Kemanis)

V.S. Kemanis’s first story for EQMM appeared in our September/October 2013 issue. At that time she was already the author of many published short stories and the first novel in her Dana Hargrove legal-mystery series had appeared to strong reviews. … Continue reading

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“1962: The Savoy Party Photo” (by R.T.Raichev)

R.T. (Raicho) Raichev’s previous post for this site examined the short stories of P.D. James. Raicho is a lifelong fan of English crime fiction and wrote his university dissertation on the subject. In this new post he examines and compares … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Characters, Classic Mystery, Fiction, Genre, Guest, History, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments