A nice spread in Florida Weekly magazine details an interview with thriller writer Lisa Black, in which she talks about getting published, how to process a crime scene and why readers are eternally drawn to mystery stories. She also introduces us to a forensic mannequin named "Bob" who has...
by Lisa Black Whether you begin as a child or an adult, we learn more from playing with a group than just how to tell a treble clef from a bass. 1. We are not all playing the same notes, and we shouldn’t be. That would be a very boring song and a very boring story—and a very boring life if we...
Trying to stop the spread of the coronavirusby Gayle LyndsWhat’s stranger than fiction? Perhaps it’s when fiction seems to predict a major current event. A few days ago a news story in The Hindustan Times, dateline Beijing, China, reminded readers that this had just happened – again.Here’s...
by Lisa Black Though Chris mentioned Noor Inayat Khan in a previous roundup of female spies, I ran across a small display of her story this past summer in DC’s The Spy Museum. Her tale is complicated, surprising, and...
by Karna Small BodmanEnjoying the romantic Valentine chocolates received last week while reading a thriller, I reflected on a question I’ve heard asked at many writers’ workshops and conferences: Should we weave a romantic relationship into our thrillers, or “play it straight?”It turns out...
by Chris GoffGuess what?DARK WATERS, the first book in my Raisa Jordan thriller series, has been selected for Amazon's January 12th "Wish List Reads Gold Box January Kindle Deal." What does that mean? I did a little research on the "Gold Box Deals," and I'll admit, I'm still a little...
by Lisa Black As Billie Holiday sang, I love New Orleans. And I don’t say that because like sushi, feng shui and working out, it would sound totally uncool if I didn’t. I also don’t pretend that I understand the city and its...
Nucky Johnson, in hat, next to Al Capone (3rd from right) In the fall of 2010 my husband and I began watching the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. My husband never passes up a show about gangsters, and I love a good period piece based...
Submitted by Karna Small BodmanSeveral of us Rogues just attended one of the best writers' conferences in the country. Sponsored by Mystery Writers of America, some 1,000 authors (published and aspiring) along with agents, editors, reviewers, librarians, booksellers and fans of the mystery crime...
by Lisa Black Politicians have always asked for money during their campaigns, to be used to help them win the election. But why do they ask for it when they’re not technically ‘campaigning’? Their term isn’t up for another three years, but still they...
