Tag Archives: setting

“Gun Culture” (by Scott Mackay)

Posted on September 3, 2014 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Canadian Scott Mackay has been contributing stories to EQMM for twenty-five years, and a number of those tales have received favorable critical attention, including February 1998’s “Last Inning,” which won the Arthur Ellis Award for best short story. (Several other … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Guest, History, International, Real Crime, Setting, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“A Sense of Place” (by Christine Poulson)

Posted on July 16, 2014 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Christine Poulson’s first crime novel was published in the U.S. in 2004, and she has been contributing stories to EQMM since 2007. Before becoming a full-time fiction writer, she was an academic who wrote widely on nineteenth-century art and literature. … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Setting, Story, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

“Inspired to Travel!” (by Joan Richter)

Posted on January 29, 2014 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Not many mystery writers can claim to have had Ellery Queen as their writing instructor, but Joan Richter was not only a student but a star pupil of Frederic Dannay (half the Ellery Queen team). He liked her work so … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Books, Ellery Queen, Fiction, Guest, History, International, Setting, Writers, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Just Send Me Back” (by Mary Jane Maffini)

Posted on November 13, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

There’s always at least a touch of humor in Mary Jane Maffini’s fiction—a spice that suits the traditional mystery. The Canadian author has won two major awards for stories in EQMM, and she’s also the author of three series of … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Books, Characters, Editing, Fiction, Genre, Guest, Historicals, History, Police Procedurals, Setting, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

PULL UP A CHAIR

Posted on November 6, 2013 by somethingisgoingtohappen

Starting in mid-October this year, most big retailers where I live had their halls decked with Christmas trees right beside the Halloween goblins. The effect was bizarre, but it did get me thinking early about holiday plans, especially holiday dinners—anticipating … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Characters, Editing, Genre, Setting, Writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 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 , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“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

“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 , , , , , , , , , | 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 , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments