Sunday, June 15, 2025

Literary Dad Goals: The Fictional Unsung Hero Dads Who Deserve a Father’s Day Shoutout by Sarah E. Burr

Happy Father’s Day, Writers Who Kill! I’m taking back the reins from my character Winnie Lark and her “Off the Page” interviews to share my annual Father’s Day blog post.

In the past, I’ve shared stories about my own wonderful father and the fictional fathers we all adore. For this year’s post, I wanted to highlight the fathers or father figures who are often overlooked by the literary world. Remember, not all heroes wear capes. Some wear sweater vests, tell you to eat your vegetables, and warn you about the dangers of solving mysteries. In the pages of fiction, we meet many famous father figures, but today I’m raising a virtual glass to the unsung literary dads. These are the overlooked, the quiet champions, the lovable oddballs who make fictional childhoods feel like home.

Here are some of my favorite literary, under-the-radar dads (and dad-like legends) who have delighted me throughout the years.

 

Mr. Nicolson (From Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison)
This hilarious, coming-of-age series defined my tween years. While Georgia Nicolson is off chasing boys and navigating the deeply traumatic trauma of eyebrow shaping, her dad is the unsung comedic relief and emotional grounding force. He’s awkward, exasperated, and wonderfully loving, even when Georgia thinks he’s the most embarrassing person on Earth. Mr. Nicolson is a reminder that not all heroes are smooth. Some are just endearingly supportive in the face of teen chaos.

 

Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (From the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind)

One of my favorite characters of all time, Zedd is a wizard, an eccentric mentor, and main character Richard’s surrogate father. Zedd may be more of a magical grump than a gentle cuddler, but his love for Richard is fierce, protective, and surprisingly tender beneath the sass and fireballs. Every chosen hero needs a wise, old guide, and Zedd fills that role with paternal pride.

 

Matthew Cuthbert (From Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery)

Matthew didn’t plan on raising a red-headed whirlwind, but once Anne Shirley entered his life, he quietly gave her his whole heart. His shy smiles, wordless support, and puffed sleeve heroics made him a father in the truest sense. Matthew proves that the softest hearts often make the strongest dads.

 

Bob Cratchit (From A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)
While he often stands in Scrooge’s shadow, Bob Cratchit is one of literature’s most quietly courageous fathers. Though poor in coin, he is rich in kindness, spirit, and resilience. His love for his family is unwavering. Bob represents the dads who hold their families together with hope, a warm hearth, and possibly a plum pudding or two.

 

Fenton Hardy (From the Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon)

A retired detective-turned-private investigator, Fenton Hardy is the reason Frank and Joe are always hot on the trail of suspicious ne'er-do-wells. He encourages his sons’ sleuthing (a questionable parenting choice, but I love it), offers sage advice, and intervenes when things get dangerously real. Fenton is a rare kind of mystery dad who respects his kids' curiosity and always has their backs.

 

Chief Brown (From the Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol)

Chief Brown might be Idaville’s top lawman, but he’s also the supportive dad of boy-genius Encyclopedia Brown. He doesn’t hover or micromanage. Instead, he trusts his son’s sharp mind and lets him help solve neighborhood crimes (the '60s sound wild). Chief Brown is the kind of dad who encourages independence while always being just a phone call away from backup.

 

Henry & Grandfather Alden (From the Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner)

At the start of this children's series, Henry steps in as the de facto dad for his siblings, protecting and providing for them with bravery and hot stew. Later, when they reunite with Grandfather Alden—a once-feared figure turned loving patriarch—the series gains not one but two wonderful father figures. Grandfather Alden transforms into the cozy granddad of dreams. He is kind, present, and always ready to help solve a mystery with cookies at the ready.

 

These father figures may not be on every “Best Dad in Fiction” list, but they deserve all the love, books, and maybe a fresh pair of socks. Whether they’re solving crimes, raising rambunctious kids, or just quietly being there with a mug of cocoa, these dads are the literary glue that holds their fictional families together.

To all the dads who taught us, protected us, and made us laugh—thank you. We see you. We appreciate you. And we wish you a Happy Father’s Day!

 

Which underrated literary dad melts your heart?

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Has AI Made Copyrights Obsolete?

 

Guest Post by Jennifer Sadera

My husband has a cool job. He creates unique spaces for museum exhibits in New York City. Among my favorite of his projects over the years are: The Costume Institute and Karl Lagerfeld exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the live-plant-wall project in the main entrance at Lincoln Center; the Tiffany Gallery in New York Historical Society; and the Anne Frank exhibit at Center for Jewish History. A bonus for me: attending the openings of all these exhibits.

At these events I meet some of New York’s movers and shakers and conversations are usually interesting. Inevitably, discussion pivots to what I do. When I explain I’m an author, most people are intrigued and ask a lot of questions, but every so often people declare that they, too, could write a book. At this point I paste on a smile and try to look interested as the person before me launches into a fifteen-minute oral dissertation of the book’s premise, plotline, characters, and theme. When I ask them how far along they are in the writing process, the answer is usually a head shake and admission that they haven’t actually begun writing.

This always makes me grit my teeth. Honestly, if you tell me you’re a lawyer, a doctor, an exterminator, or nearly any other job on the planet, it’s highly unlikely I will pipe in with, “Oh, I could do that.” I could not do those jobs because I am a writer. That is my job, and it’s not as easy as it looks. Trust me. I started writing at age eight. My dad was my first editor and critic (thankfully he was not critical!), which gave me the curiosity to learn all that I could about writing. After college, I worked on the staffs of Woman’s World, Beauty, and Redbook magazines. When both my children were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and I needed to be near them to manage their condition, I ditched New York City and began a freelance writing business in my home. I can trace the evolution of my writing style through the hundreds of clips from the magazines, newspapers, and other periodicals I contributed to over many years. And still, I was offered my first contract by a traditional publisher only after writing six books over 12 years. And I’m one of the lucky ones.

People know this. Powerful people like Mark Zuckerberg. He doesn’t have time (and probably not the talent since he is not a writer) to create the millions of books he needs to train AI and give his company, Meta, an advantage over the competition. But this is apparently no problem. He allegedly took our books without offering compensation or even asking for permission, wiped the copyrights, and has turned the world’s best writers into teachers for their replacements.

How can this be, you may wonder. Copyrights protect a writer’s intellectual property . . . until a trillion-dollar company decides to disregard laws. It can afford to. As intimated in a recent article in the Atlantic, it’s cheaper to compensate for the pirated intellectual property of more than 7 million writers than fall behind in the worldwide AI race. Strange set of priorities, don’t you think? Who is he protecting? Certainly, not the right to create.

There’s a saying that those who create don’t destroy, but what about those who steal creations? I assert that destruction of artists and livelihoods—already a struggle—can be the only outcome. He’s literally stealing from those who can least afford it. There’s a reason most of us creatives fall into the “struggling artist” category. 

A black and white sign with a skull and bones

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

The Authors Guild is on top of this issue with a class-action lawsuit underway. If you think your writing was pirated, you can search the Library Genesis database (www.libgen.is/fiction), which lists all books from “publicly available internet sources.” Simply type your name into their search bar. If your book comes up, as mine did, your work has been stolen for the use of training AI.

Let’s face it, artists of all types—writers, photographers, and painters to name a few—are the low-hanging fruit in this situation. Our work is easy to access and ripe for the picking if the plunderer can afford to disregard the law and settle their debts at a later time—once they rake in the trillions from their AI victory. We are the David to Zuckerberg’s Goliath. But we know how that battle ended, don’t we? Reach out to the Authors Guild and find out what action you can take to keep our collective intellectual property protected.

But for now, I’d love to hear different perspectives. What do you think, is there an upside to using AI in this capacity? How might AI help our writing community?


Jennifer Sadera is the author of the recently released domestic suspense I KNOW SHE WAS THERE (CamCat Books). Her writing has earned her multiple awards at Atlanta Writers conferences and a fellowship at Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. A former staffer on Woman’s World and Redbook magazines, she now contributes to ITW’s The Big Thrill and is a finalist for Chronogram  magazine’s top author of the Hudson Valley, New York, where she lives. She is a proud member of ITW, MWA, and SINC.



Friday, June 13, 2025


 


Advice for Aspiring Authors from the Writers Who Kill

by Heather Weidner

June is the season of graduations and speeches about future adventures. To celebrate, I asked the Writers Who Kill what advice they would give to aspiring authors, and they provided a wealth of valuable information for folks at any stage of their careers. 

Find Your Crew
“Find a good supportive critique group. Learning how to provide a good critique will help your writing even more than the advice you get from your group."
~ James M. Jackson

“My advice to new writers: make friends in the writing community because writing is an up and down business, but they will be there to support you in the good and bad times (keeping you sane doing the thing you love).” 
~ Debra H. Goldstein 

“I’d tell new writers to find their tribe. Writing is a solitary pursuit, but not a lonely one. I highly recommend checking out Sisters in Crime and especially the Guppy Chapter. It’s the place to go to find encouragement and answers in a safe and nurturing environment.”
~ Kait Carson

“Seek out a writing community. Writing, for all its joys, can often feel like a solitary path. But even the most solitary journeys are made lighter with kindred spirits by your side. Surrounding yourself with fellow writers who understand the late-night edits, the plot twists that won’t twist, and the triumph of typing “The End” can make all the difference. Whether you connect through a local Sisters in Crime chapter, a virtual writing group, or a cozy nook within your own community, take the step to reach out. Speaking as a lifelong introvert, I can promise you this: having writing friends in your corner doesn’t just enrich your craft, it nourishes your spirit.”
~ Sarah E. Burr

Listening to Criticism
“Embrace helpful, constructive criticism and ignore hateful, biased, ignorant opinions of your work.” 
~ Margaret S. Hamilton

Perseverance
“Never give up! Building a writing life is a marathon not a sprint. Volunteering is the easiest way to meet your peer group, raise your profile, introduce your work to a wider welcoming audience, and make new life-long friendships!”
~ Martha Reed

“Just 200 words a day is a novel in one year.”
~ Judy L. Murray 

“Writing is work, and you need to treat your writing life as a business. Guard your writing time. It’s valuable. Also, invest in a good author headshot.”
~ Heather Weidner

“Keep on writing. Persevere. Get involved with fellow writers to learn your craft and critique your work. And keep on writing.”
~ Marilyn Levinson

“Don't stop and don't give up.”
~ Nancy Eady

“The difference between a writer who is published and one who isn't — the published writer didn't give up. Be too stubborn to give up.”
~ Grace Topping

Hone Your Craft
“Enjoy your writing. Love what you create. Share it with others in a writing community, in person and online. Listen carefully to other people's critiques (and bite your tongue when you want to defend your work) to find nuggets you can implement to improve. And then, give other writers the same courtesy.”
~ K. M. Rockwood

“Be patient. (I know, that's a hard one.) Focus on the writing before you spend too much headspace on publishing and all that entails.” 
~ Korina Moss

“Whether you're talking about life or about writing, you have to find your own way. What works for you? People are always asking writers about their “process.” Are they a pantser or an outliner? Do they write 1,000 words a day? Do they listen to music or write in silence? In the long run, you have to find what works for you. That might take a while in writing and in life.”
~ Susan Van Kirk

“Read, read, read. Read voraciously in the genre you want to write but read other genres as well. As you're reading, notice. What do I love about this? Where do I start skimming?”
~Lori Roberts Herbst

“Revision is the key to success.” 
~ Molly MacRae

What was the best piece of writing advice you received? 


Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. 

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a crazy Jack Russell Terrier. 



Thursday, June 12, 2025

Creating a Fictional Character

 


By Margaret S. Hamilton

Betty Birdsall is one of the first characters I created while populating the fictional college town of Jericho, Ohio. She is named for my mother, Betty, an active garden club volunteer. Slender and energetic, her gray curls crushed under a sun visor, my fictional Betty is usually found weeding the public display beds and watering the hanging flower baskets on Main Street. She drives a Prius station wagon loaded with gardening tools and yard bags.

 


Betty is a widowed schoolteacher who taught third grade for forty years. In addition to the mandated public-school curriculum, Ms. Birdsall took her students on nature walks every Friday. Her students and their children acknowledge they can still identify fifty kinds of tree leaves, native pollinators, and local wildflowers. Her classroom windowsills were lined with seedlings and forced tulip and hyacinth bulbs. On Earth Day, her class traveled to a local park to plant tree saplings.

 

Betty’s husband taught botany at the local college. They welcomed visitors to their woodland gardens next to the bird sanctuary. Betty still lives in the brick bungalow on the back college lane with Mabel, her feisty terrier mix.



 

Betty is kind and willing to share her gardening knowledge with novice gardeners, but she also has high standards. She doesn’t tolerate wanna be gardeners who purchase coneflowers and daisies in five-gallon pots, plant them in a new flower bed, and then announce that their garden is ready for the annual house and garden tour. Betty believes gardens should blend into the landscape, with perennials planted in a continuous bloom sequence, and winter interest bushes like hollies and red-twigged dogwoods providing a year-round dimension to the garden.

 

She supports and adheres to current Ohio law, allowing six home-grown marijuana plants per adult in a household, grown inside or out of sight from the street. Betty has known many chronic pain patients who have benefited from marijuana and makes their locally sourced consumption possible.

 


In my recently published story, “With a Little Help From Her Friends,” Betty readies her own gardens for the local House and Garden Tour while supervising preparations for the other featured gardens. Deer and rabbits have feasted on the daylilies and hostas. Snapping turtles are on the move, laying eggs in the nearby green space. And there’s Hugo, a six-foot black rat snake hunting for moles, chipmunks, and mice.

 

Assisted by her chemistry professor neighbor, Betty identifies the culprit responsible for killing the annuals in public gardens around town. Hugo and his slithery friends ensure that the perp doesn’t escape before the police arrive.

 

Mystery Short Story: With A Little Help From Her Friends | Kings River Life Magazine




 

Writers and readers, have you created characters based on a real person or certain characteristics of a real person?

 

Margaret S. Hamilton’s debut amateur sleuth mystery, What the Artist Left Behind, is on submission.

 

Home - The Official Website of Margaret S. Hamilton 

 

 

 

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

My Father Always Finds Corpses by Lee Hollis: A Review by E. B. Davis

 

With a wryly witty and assured voice and a vastly entertaining cast of characters, Lee Hollis puts a modern slant on the classic murder mystery as a father-daughter sleuthing duo are drawn into a case close to home . . .

You never forget your first corpse. For former child star Jarrod Jarvis, that discovery was twenty-plus years ago, and a lot has happened since he solved a string of real-life Hollywood murders. Now Jarrod lives in Palm Springs where he writes and directs local theatre, while quietly grieving the loss of his partner, police detective Charlie.

Jarrod hasn’t disclosed much about his sleuthing past to his daughter, Liv, who just earned a degree in criminal justice. There’s been distance between them since Charlie’s death, and Jarrod’s unsure how to bridge the gap. Liv, meanwhile, has put her career on hold in order to help her filmmaker boyfriend, Zel. His new documentary idea is to track down the surrogate who gave birth to Liv. Skeptical and annoyed by Zel’s pressure tactics, Liv goes to confront him at his apartment. But there’s no need to break things off—because someone has bludgeoned Zel to death.

Jarrod rushes to Liv’s aid, surprising his daughter with his ease around a crime scene, firing off questions like a modern-day Columbo with better hair and wardrobe. Another shock is quite how many people had motive to finish Zel off—including a Russian film professor, a former First Lady, and a sexy Secret Service agent. Together, Liv and Jarrod comb for clues across the sun-drenched Coachella valley, growing close again. But while there’s nothing like murder to bring a family together, this father-daughter reunion may be short-lived as long as a killer is on the loose . . .                                                                                                                                              Amazon.com

 

Lee Hollis is a pseudonym for the brother and sister writing team of Rick Copp and Holly Simason. Rick started writing for TV in the 80s and has an extensive resume of shows that he wrote for, created, produced, and sometimes acted in, which I will not enumerate here since he started at age twenty-four fresh out of New York University. His sister, Holly, wrote a cooking column in their hometown paper, which won awards. Together, they compounded their wins. My Father Always Finds Corpses was released on May 27. It is their fourth mystery series.

 

Jarrod Jarvis, a former child star, is now near sixty. His late husband, Charlie, a LA homicide detective, died ten years ago. They had paid a surrogate to have a child. Their daughter, Liv, is now in her 20s, and both have relocated to Palm Springs, CA from LA. Jarrod is still in mourning for Charlie and hasn’t dated, a situation his friends want to change. He is also at a loss as to how to improve his relationship with Liv, who was closer with Charlie. The murder of Liv’s boyfriend provides this opportunity. His experience and professionalism make him shine in his daughter’s eyes. Some first books allude to the MC having solved murders in the past, giving them an instant reputation and precedent, which I find unnecessary and a bit annoying. In this book, it’s sort of like that as readers aren’t enlightened about this previous experience, but… 

 

There are caveats and clues in the book that glimpse back to a before, starting with the title. Jarrod can’t always find corpses if this is the first one. And in fact, it isn’t. After researching Rick, I found that he had delved into mystery writing before collaborating with his sister. In 2001, he wrote the first Jarrod Jarvis mystery, The Actor’s Guide to Murder, followed by, The Actor’s Guide to Adultery, and finally, The Actor’s Guide to Greed, the latter winning a LAMBDA Literary Award for Best Mystery. These early books are set before Jarrod and Charlie marry and have Liv, and are living together in LA. It is wonderful to find that the harkening back to previous murder solving is actually substantiated by these books. Unfortunately, the illustrious prequels haven’t been digitalized and are quite expensive to buy. So, although they would be interesting to read, I probably won’t unless someone reissues them. Hint! Hint!

 

As you can imagine, the writing is stellar. However, unlike the other series written by Lee Hollis, these books have no cooking component and are without recipes. That’s the only negative! The secondary characters are memorable and include a gay couple and a former First Lady of the US, now a widow living in Palm Springs and a friend of Jarrod’s. Seeing Jarrod and Liv’s relationship blossom while investigating murder shows that future books may turn this sequel into the start of a new series. We can only hope so.     

 

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

How to Start Your Crime Story. Or Not. by KM Rockwood

Grab your readers right away. Start with the action. A body needs to show up in the first chapter (or even the first page.)

All good rules for writing crime fiction.

I’m always tempted to start with an information dump. After all, the readers need background for the characters and the story, right? But—if it’s all ho-hum details and no action, nobody’s going to read far enough to engage with the characters anyhow. So important background needs to be included in short spurts which should also serve another function, preferably advancing the plot.

So while my first draft is usually info-dump heavy, one of my goals on the next go-round is to extract the essential information and disperse it throughout the story.

“In the car on the way to the action” is another trap I tend to fall into. What better than to have a dialogue between characters that sets up the story and demonstrates participant’s traits? I suppose it may work for some skilled authors, but in my writing, it comes across as stilted and awkward. By this point, I recognize the problem, and either start over again or, if the beginning has got the story going, treat it like an info dump and go back to fix it on the second draft. Firmly park the car and disperse the important details.

Akin to that is describing a character’s physical appearance by having them look in the mirror. Since I tend in the direction of not enough physical description, rather than too much, that’s never been a problem for me.

Skip any mood-setting description. It may be intended to set the scene and the tone, but nobody besides Snoopy thinks it’s a great idea to start with “It was a dark and stormy night.”

The unnamed or mysterious narrator, observing from afar, can feel chilling and create tension, but unless it’s in the hands of an exceptionally talented author, it often ends up feeling like a cheap trick. Readers aren’t usually fond of ethereal, nameless characters. Sometimes, though, I’ll come to the end of an intriguing story and realize I still don’t know the main character’s name. It’s always been a story in first person point of view where I find myself identifying so closely with the character I don’t need a name. It’s just “me.”

Then there’s the popular TV meme of the scene of the murder. Usually outside with crime scene tape delineating the area, emergency
vehicles scattered around, often with their flashing lights (but the sirens muted—otherwise how could the audience hear the dialogue?) and official personnel scurrying around with clipboards, evidence containers, and body bags. Our main character is being brought up to speed by others on the scene. Works much better visually than on paper.

Prologues can feel like an awkward attempt to set up a story. They can be abrupt and distancing. Most editors these days seem to feel they should be avoided.

Maybe, though, rules like this are made to be broken.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, opens with a cryptic gift of a pressed flower. It immediately signals an intriguing long-ago mystery before the actual story begins.

Never start with a dream. It can frustrate readers and make them feel cheated when they realize that a dramatic scene in which they have invested their attention is not real, even within the context of a fictional story.

Yet many would say that Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, which starts with "Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” is a perfect start to her story. Note, though, that there’s no attempt to entrap the reader by pretending it’s anything but a dream.

The “fake action” scene is similar to this. An exciting beginning which turns out to be a movie or a video game. I can’t think of any examples that “work” for me.

Philosophical openings don’t work for most of us, although some writers with serious depth to their works can carry then off.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

That famous start to Charles Dickens’ The Tale of Two Cities also breaks “any more than thirty word in a single sentence and the reader’s mind will check out” rule of thumb.

How do you like the starts to crime stories, both the ones you write and the ones you read?

Monday, June 9, 2025

Carry On, Wodehouse!

by Shari Randall

My book club needed a literary pick me up after one too many dour Important Books, so a member suggested the short story collection Carry On, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse. The book includes ten stories set in the carefree world of upper class Edwardian Britain about hapless socialite Bertram Wooster getting into trouble and his imperturbable valet Jeeves getting him out of it, all told in Wodehouse’s glorious prose. The perfect choice.

 

Haven’t read Wodehouse? You’re in for a treat. I’ve read only some of the Jeeves stories, but as a writer, I reveled in the serpentine plotting and masterful use of language. With some writers, you read along trying to understand how they do it. With Wodehouse, whose talent is so one-of-a kind, you just relax and enjoy the ride.

 

And funny? You bet. Here’s a sampling:

 

Bertie: “There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, ‘Do trousers matter?'”
Jeeves: “The mood will pass, sir.”

I started back to the house, and in the drive I met Jeeves. He was at the wheel of Stiffy’s car. Beside him, looking like a Scotch elder rebuking sin, was the dog Bartholomew.

 

I hadn’t the heart to touch my breakfast. I told Jeeves to drink it himself.

 

When I finished Carry On, Jeeves, I went down the Internet rabbit hole and found these intriguing facts about Wodehouse and his writing:

 

First things first. “Wodehouse” is pronounced Wood House. P. G. stands for Pelham Grenville, which was transformed (thank goodness!) into "Plum."

 

Wodehouse wrote 90 books, 40 plays, and 200 short stories! He also somehow found time to write Broadway musical comedies, and screenwork for MGM in Hollywood. 

 

In 1906, Wodehouse lived in New York City and collaborated with Jerome Kern during his musical comedy days. One of their songs from the Broadway show The Beauty of Bath was the most popular song in London at the time. 

 

In September 1914, Wodehouse married English widow Ethel May Wayman. He adopted her daughter, Leonora, and their marriage was lifelong and happy.

 

Wodehouse had twenty aunts and fifteen uncles!

 

The man who created such beloved and utterly British characters was the object of scorn at home during WW II. While Wodehouse was living in France, he was arrested by the invading German army and interred in a concentration camp for more than a year. When released, he made several lighthearted and apolitical broadcasts for an American show that was broadcast over a German radio station, a move that soured public opinion back home. He and Ethel moved to the United States and never returned to England.


The video game World of Warcraft features Jeeves, a robot butler.

 

Wodehouse was lauded by some unexpected critics. Here’s Hilaire Belloc, who considered Wodehouse “the best writer of English now alive.” In 1939, Belloc wrote in the Introduction to Weekend Wodehouse, “Now the end of writing is the production in the reader's mind of a certain image and a certain emotion. And the means towards that end are the use of words in any particular language; and the complete use of that medium is the choosing of the right words and the putting of them into the right order. It is this which Mr. Wodehouse does better, in the English language, than anyone else alive; or at any rate than anyone else whom I have read for many years past.”

 

Is there a writer you turn to when you want to laugh?

 

Sunday, June 8, 2025

HOW PAUSES IMPROVE YOUR WRITING POWER

By Korina Moss

One of the best pieces of advice I ever read was to treat writing like a muscle – if you use that muscle on a regular basis, it’ll work better and more efficiently. I’ve found this to be true. It at least gets you into a habit of writing, and now the days I don’t write feel odd. There was a time (before contracts and deadlines) when I’d wait to feel my muse before I’d sit down at my laptop, which could translate to weeks of not writing. My muse no longer dictates when I write—I drag her with me to the chair if need be. (If only I could drag myself to the gym since my other muscles have atrophied, thanks to my writing habit.) 

It's great to get into a writing routine, but after a while of overusing any muscle, it can get strained. Since my Cheese Shop Mystery series has come to an end with my recently released sixth book, Bait and Swiss, I was able to take a trip with my son for the first time in six years without a deadline or a book launch looming. Even without my series, my daily calendar is still packed with writing, editing, and book marketing commitments. Which is why I’d decided I was going to take a hiatus from being an author for our nine-day trip. 


During our time in Quebec City, instead of sitting down at my computer every morning, I sat down at a café for a coffee and croissant. 

Instead of using my writing muscle, I used my leg muscles to climb the hills of the city for a great view.

Instead of getting my word count in, I got my steps in exploring every quaint street with antique shops, art galleries, cathedrals, and a grand hotel. 



Instead of doing Google research, I learned firsthand about the Canadian government with a tour through the home of Canada’s Governor General. 

Instead of staring at my computer, I stared out at the St. Lawrence River. 

But you know what I discovered? You can take a break from writing, but you can’t take a hiatus from being an author. I soaked in every quaint street I walked and interesting person I met and delicious meal I ate and piece of art I pondered and street music I listened to and facts I learned; every laugh and conversation my son and I shared, and every new memory we made—all of it was absorbed. Without intent, to later be used for new ideas, new stories, new words on a blank page. As it turned out, when I left my author cap at home, my imagination flourished, and my writing muscle was revitalized. 


Readers: What does a vacation do for you? 


KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series set in the Sonoma Valley, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead, and two novels short-listed for Best Contemporary Novel. Listed as one of USA Today’s “Best Cozy Mystery Series,” her books have also been featured in PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, and Writer’s Digest. Korina is also a freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy and traditional mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.





Saturday, June 7, 2025

Till Death Do Us Part by Mary Dutta

It’s wedding season, and that means it’s writing season.

Not everyone tasked with composing speeches, vows, and toasts for various nuptial events has much experience in the writing world. It can be a real challenge crafting something appropriately heartfelt, touching, or humorous.

The internet is full of stories about people who got it wrong. The best man who decided the event was a roast. The maid of honor who didn’t prepare and instead rambled on way too long. The parent who used their time to revisit family grievances.

I'm guessing many of us have examples from our own circles. Last week my hair stylist told me about a wedding where the minister spent his entire sermon enumerating all the things that can go wrong in a marriage, killing the vibe for not only the bride and groom but everyone else in attendance.

When I was younger, I knew a couple whose best man praised the bride for standing by the groom “the whole time he was in jail,” a tidbit unknown to the bride’s extended family until that moment.

For anyone worried about their own marriage-related writing, plenty of published guides exist on how to approach the task. There are also writers-for-hire who will compose a toast, or even wedding vows, for a fee. AI is new option, although it’s hard to imagine that it could come up with a result as personal as such writing is meant to be.

And along with all the cringy examples of orations gone wrong, the internet offers all kinds of resources for wedding participants. One can find collections of best man jokes, variations on vows, and endless videos clips of other people’s celebrations.

I first ventured into the world of wedding writing with my story “Bridesmaid #1” in the anthology First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, edited by Writers Who Kill’s own Teresa Inge and Heather Weidner and featuring stories by several other of our bloggers as well.

More recently, I wrote a speech for my son’s rehearsal dinner. I didn’t look in a book or online for inspiration. I just used my writing skills to tell the story of my son, his now wife, and what their marriage meant to us. People laughed. They cried. And there was no murder weapon involved. I call that a happy ending.

Friday, June 6, 2025

Tracking Genres, by Lori Roberts Herbst


I enjoy reading almost every genre out there (with the notable exception of steamy romance), but I must admit that until I got to my 50s and became an author myself, I never really considered categorizing books in terms of the genre. I just read whatever sounded interesting—whatever story fascinated me.

 

Even now, most books seem to me to cross genre lines. What’s the difference between thriller and suspense? Between psychological thriller and horror? Between science fiction and suspense? And don’t get me started on the subgenres of the mystery category. I feel a little like Bubba in Forrest Gump: You’ve got your cozy mysteries, your
amateur detective mysteries, your police procedural mysteries, your historical mysteries, your noir mysteries…

 

Keeping that in mind, I attempted to go back through my own reading history and figure out what books influenced my love of reading in my favorite genres, along with a more current book that keeps me reading said genres. Disclaimer: my memory ain’t what it used to be, so very few books prior to the 80s made the cut!

 

Traditional mystery:

A is for Alibi, by Sue Grafton, 1982

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect, by Benjamin Stevenson, 2023

 

Suspense:

Gone Girl, by Gillian
Flynn, 2012

First Lie Wins, by Ashley Elston, 2024

 

Science Fiction:

Congo, by Michael Crichton, 1980

Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel, 2014

The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig, 2020

The Measure, by Nikki Erlick, 2022

 

Young Adult:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by JK Rowling, 1997

Truly Devious series, by Maureen Johnson, 2018

 

Thriller:

The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy, 1984

The Drowning Game, by Barbara Nickless, 2024

 

Psychological Thriller: 

When the Bough Breaks, by Jonathan Kellerman, 1985

The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris, 1988

Anyone But Her, by Cynthia Swanson, 2024

 

Detective Fiction:

Where are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark, 1975

The Black Echo, by Michael Connelly, 1992

Lethal Prey, by John Sandford, 2025

 

Horror:

The Shining, by Stephen King, 1977

Never Flinch, by Stephen King, 2025

 

Cozy Mystery:

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, by Lilian Jackson Braun, 1966

The Thursday Murder Club series, by Richard Osman, 2020

 

What do you think of my genre choices? What books inspired you in each genre, and what keeps you reading now? 

 

The Callie Cassidy Mystery series is available on Amazon Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and paperback.

 

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Lori Roberts Herbst writes the Callie Cassidy Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in Rock Creek Village, Colorado, and the soon-to-be-released Seahorse Bay Mysteries, set in a Texas cruise port town. To find out more and to sign up for her newsletter, go to www.lorirobertsherbst.com