“Geez. How can you write a whole book?” I get asked that a lot. Most people see a book as an extended homework assignment or some written report to humanity that has to be done before they take the dirt nap. It’s always presented, from those people who ask, as an obligation—as some onerous task that one has to suffer […]
What is crime? It begins as a kernel of an idea that metamorphoses itself into a series of thoughts that lead to a transgression against the law and, sometimes, the taking of a human life. It upsets the balance in a safe and ordered world. But this turmoil and chaos are precisely what an author craves and desperately needs when
Is this you? You’re just getting started in the field of mystery writing and eager to hone your craft. You’d like to enroll in a writing course or attend a conference, but don’t know how you can afford it. Perhaps the expense of doing research for your current work in progress is keeping you from your goal. If this sounds
Part III: The Courtroom—Guilty Plea and Trial Part I and Part II of this series explore police procedure and constitutional rights during the investigation phase. Now, on to the really fun part! The courtroom. Writers: Your fictional perp is caught and indicted. It’s time to deal or go to trial. Arraignment and Bail Hearing First stop, arraignment on the indictment.
Part II: Stop & Frisk, Arrest, Identification Procedures, Indictment Last week in Part I: Search and Seizure, I asked (and mostly didn’t answer) the question of whether you should worry about getting the law right in your stories and novels. It’s up to you—after all, we’re writing fiction! For the sake of realism, if you want your fictional perp to end
Part I: Search and Seizure For my novels about a female prosecutor, much of the “legal research” is in my head from a career in criminal justice and the court system. Police work and courtroom drama are great for building suspense. I also strive for accuracy under the law. Authors: Should you be concerned with accuracy? After all, you’re writing
While it is possible to find mysteries, from fluffiest to darkest, that take place in the author’s version of never-never land, I prefer mysteries set in some semblance of the real world. There, diversity equals reality. How do we incorporate the varied world around us–races, disabilities, sexual identities and so on–into our storytelling? And how do we do it accurately
In this installment of “On the Case,” we talk to Detective Derick Waller, who is one of the NYPD 12, a group of minority officers who sued New York City and the department in 2016 over the use of illegal and discriminatory arrest quotas. Detective Waller retired from the NYPD on August 31, 2016, after serving 21-3/4 years. He is
Like most writers I know, I write because I have to. Not the kind of have to where you’re going to die if you don’t. Or even the kind of have to because if you don’t you can’t pay the bills and you’ll starve to death and so will your family and then you’ll be thrown out on the street
One question I get asked frequently as a mystery author is whether I spend a great deal of time doing research before writing my novels. The answer is yes. I’ve done a heckuva lot of research for my books. Just not the kind you might think. I’m a longtime New York City journalist (New York Post, New York Daily News,
