My career has been based on the simple act of answering the phone. Apparently, I’m no good at self-promotion, but very good at answering phones. It’s happened a dozen times. I had never even thought of writing for TV when I got a call from Andy Breckman. He had found a few of my solve-it-yourself…
Since I’ve spent most of my working life writing mysteries and creating mystery games, the questions always come up. How did I get started? Did I always fantasize about killing people? Do my friends feel safe when they’re in a room with me? I can’t answer that last one, but I suppose I always loved…
One of the most frequently asked questions for a mystery writer is, “Do you have everything plotted out in advance?” The answer – my answer at least – is “no.” There have been times when I’ve been halfway through a book and not known who the killer would be. Okay, that happened once. But you…
Until recently, I’d never thought of myself as a writer of cozies. I was a mystery writer who wasn’t interested in violence and, for some reason, wasn’t fascinated by sex. These were always the parts I rushed through as a reader, eager to get back to the characters and the story. Maybe that was part…
FROM A LIFETIME OF MYSTERIES TO A FIRST NOVEL. I don’t know why I never wrote a novel before. It was thirty years ago when I first got involved with mysteries. I was a young playwright in New York when a techie friend asked, “Do you have any ideas that would work on a laserdisc?” …
I am often asked for advice from young writers who want to break into the mystery genre. There are, of course, books written on this topic. But here are five quick rules that I believe are critical: Pay attention to logic. Mystery fans want it to all make sense. Action isn’t as important in a…
Since I’ve spent most of my working life writing mysteries and creating mystery games, the questions always come up. How did I get started? Did I always fantasize about killing people? Do my friends feel safe when they’re in a room with me? I can’t answer that last one, but I suppose I always loved…
It’s always been my theory that the things that excited you as a ten-year-old, before all the limits and temptations of life lead you astray, are your true passions. For me, those early loves included mystery books, humor and dogs. Since then, I’ve spent most of my life writing mysteries and owning dogs. Two out…
