Series Canceled by Marilyn Levinson

 That was the message I received a few days ago regarding the fate of my new cozy mystery series. Certainly not what any writer wants to hear, no matter how kindly the words are strung together.

Death on Dickens Island, the first book in my Books on the Beach series, had been released in October, 2025 in four formats: e-book, hardcover, paperback and audio. The Large Print edition came out this past week. I had high hopes for my new series set on an island I'd created in the middle of the Long Island Sound. I enjoyed writing about my new characters--their adventures, their relationships--and murder and mayhem.

Readers liked the book, judging by the many five-star reviews it received on BookBub. Though I could see by the book's Amazon ratings that sales weren't great, I remained optimistic and started writing the second book in the series.

Learning that my publisher will not be continuing my new series has left me very sad. My first reaction was maybe it was time I stopped writing books and enjoyed a life of leisure. That didn't last long. I began to wonder: should I finish the book I'm writing and find a home for it? Should I start a new series? Too many possibilities, which led me to believe I needed to take a break from writing and writing decisions. For a week or more.

To my relief, this latest development hasn't made me doubt my writing abilities. I've written too many books for that. When I posted about my series' cancelation on Facebook, I was touched by the many who had written to tell me they loved reading Death on Dickens Island. And by the wonderful support I received from many of my fellow authors. So many suggested that I self-publish the series, but I don't have the time or the energy to do that. Eventually, I'll come up with the right decision regarding what's next in my writing career.

Rejections and cancelations are a part of the publishing industry. It can happen to any author. After all, it's not as though we're ever given tenure to keep on writing books until we retire. We write books because that's what we love to do, and we want to get our books out to as many readers as we can. 

What I Do When I Get Stuck by Marilyn Levinson

These days I'm writing more and more as a pantser. It's not something I decided to do, but how my writing method has evolved. I hold to the premise that, as writers, we train our brains to help us come up with creative solutions. Despite this, my brain often needs a bit of help. Here are a few of the "tricks" that work for me.

To begin with, it's always good to sit down to write when you know where you're heading. Even if it's only the next step your character's about to take, if it furthers the plot, it may also lead to the next plot point in your WIP, perhaps one you never considered before. With this in mind, it might be a good idea to stop writing for the day when you know what your characters will be doing next.

When I don't know where I'm going next plot-wise, I often reread the last few pages of my manuscript. This not only brings me directly into the story stream and can act as an impetus for me to continue writing--kinda like when a little kid gets a push on a swing, and then she can start swinging on her own. Rereading the last few pages I've written can help me see if I've headed off on a tangent that's taken me away from the heart of my story. If I can't find where I began to wander off the path of my main plot, now is a good time to look at my outline. My outline will remind me what needs to be covered in my WIP or changed.

What if I'm really stymied and I don't know how to move on? Then it's time to step back and stop focusing on my plot problem. Ideas often come to me in the shower, while walking, and just before I'm going to sleep.

And there's nothing shameful about asking for help. I'm part of a group of mystery writers who help each other out--with title suggestions, plot problems, and tips about pet care. Sometimes, a friend's suggestion will fit right in with my plotline. Other times the group's suggestions will trigger one of my own. Once in a while, I've no sooner written out my problem in an email and the answer comes to me before I can hit "send." Simply asking for help nudges my mind and provides me with the solution.

What do you do when you get stuck?

Starting a New Series by Marilyn Levinson

Recently, Booked on Murder, the eighth book in my Haunted Library series was released. I knew this would be the final book in the series because now my sleuth's story arc was complete. Carrie Singleton had evolved from a lost, unsettled young woman to become a responsible, involved and established member of her community surrounded by people who loved her. Many readers were sad that I'd ended the series, and I felt a few pangs myself. I would miss writing about Carrie and Dylan and their friends in Clover Ridge, but it was time to move on. I looked forward to embarking on my new adventure.

Ever since I visited San Juan Island in Washington State a few years ago, I've been planning to set my next mystery series on an island. But my island would be smaller and closer to home, peopled with dissenting family members who loved one another but had different plans for the future of the island. And so I created Dickens Island and plonked it down in the middle of the  Long Island Sound between Long Island and Connecticut. Dickens Island is its own small world, yet a ferry connects it to Long Island, and Manhattan is but an hour's drive away.

Starting a new series requires a good deal of preparation. Details must be carefully thought out because setting and characters play important roles throughout the series. I spent a good deal of time creating the island itself--its topography, the layout of streets and important sites, houses and the village. Of most importance is my cast of characters, especially my sleuth and those closest to her. I am lucky that my characters appear to me fully formed. I love exploring their relationships, their secrets and their growth throughout the series.

My sleuth, Delia Dickens, is a divorced woman approaching forty. For the past twelve years she was living and working in Manhattan while her parents raised Connor, her fifteen-year-old son, on the island. Now Delia is back on the island again, living with Connor in the Victorian home her grandmother has left her. Her father has asked Delia to revitalize the Dickens General Store the family owns as he tries to stall every update she proposes. 

Delia's Uncle Brad, her father's brother, also has difficulty making changes to the island. As president of the town council, he has balked at establishing a ferry line to Connecticut and creating new housing. This infuriates his wife Reenie, the island's manager. She is tired of Brad shooting down all her suggestions to bring in more residents and attractions to the island. What's more, Reenie is convinced that Brad's having an affair with Missy, a new addition to the council. And when Missy's found murdered, Delia finds herself obliged to prove that neither her aunt nor her uncle is the killer.

Aside from the murders, there are many elements that go into creating a cozy series. When Delia comes home from the general store, the pile of rags she sees on the porch turns out to be a snoozing bearded collie that followed her son home. Where did the dog come from? The mystery is easily solved, and the dog, renamed Riley, remains with Delia and Connor.

 A secret room, the ghost of Delia's grandmother, a hidden journal, a pirate's treasure, a date with the man who broke Delia's heart twenty years earlier are a few more components of Death on Dickens Island, the first book in the series. Many more will appear in future books as the series continues.

How do you go about planning a new mystery series? What is the first element you create?

Republishing a Novel by Marilyn Levinson

Publishing a novel is always a joy. Republishing one might even be better. Months ago, when one of my publishers underwent a serious upheaval, I decided it was time to take back all my books. They had been with that publisher for a number of years and sales were dismal. This was partly my fault because my focus was on writing more books and promoting them. However, I knew it was time for a change. 

Much to my surprise, two publishers I knew approached me, wanting to republish my books. Every one of them! I was delighted. Many of my older books had never received the right kind of marketing and exposure over the years. Now my books would be edited again, receive new covers, and be presented to new readers.

A publisher's offer to republish an author's book is an act of validation. It's saying the book has  great characters and a wonderful story, and they're willing to take a chance that readers will agree. With today's many publishing options available, an author herself can decide to republish a book that's gone out of print because she believes it deserves a new lease on life.

In a way, the books we've written are our children. Like children, they go out into the world and take on  lives of their own. A good book is timeless; it has staying power and doesn't have to have been written in 2024 for it to be popular. Classics like Goodnight, Moon and the mysteries of Dame Agatha Christie continue to read by thousands. Hopefully, many republished books will find a large reading audience too. 

The Dreaded First Blog of 2024

 The Dreaded First Blog of 2024 by Debra H. Goldstein

I hate writing the first blog of a year. There are so many possibilities – all of which feel trite and boring. 

For example, I could address whether I made any New Year’s resolutions and, if I did, which ones I’ve already broken or disregarded. Other options might include my writing plans for the year (unknown), projected travels (does going to a show out-of-town or babysitting count?), speaking engagements (there are a few of those coming up but they aren’t until March or April so why talk about them now?), or conferences I plan to attend (up in the air). If I get desperate, there’s always my health or the weather, but both might change before the blog appears.

Nope, none of these will do. 

In an ironic way, this state of malaise is akin to what many writers feel when staring at a blank page. What words can fill it? Will they have value to a reader? Will they satisfy the writer? Who knows? Who cares? Each writer must try … as must I.

Have you ever felt at a loss of words or thoughts?

What Do You Write? by Marilyn Levinson

Yesterday I started writing a short story. Not a momentous event for many novelists, but it was for me. The last short story I wrote, "I'm Getting Married," was published eleven years ago and wasn't a mystery. And yet, writing short stories was my first venture into fiction writing. I moved on to writing novels for kids and eventually to writing mysteries for adults.

While many of my fellow mystery authors manage to write both novels and short stories, I seemed to have forgotten how to write short stories. My interest got piqued while chatting with Barb Goffman and a few other authors at Malice some years ago. Recently, I nudged my friend Kaye George for some advice and listened carefully to a few of Art Taylor's webinars, hoping to catch that magical je ne sais quoi that would let me once again write a complete story in twenty or fewer pages.

I'd been invited to write stories for mystery anthologies before and always said no. But when a friend asked me to do this, I immediately said yes. I loved the topic, and I was determined to create a story that was appropriate and satisfying. Various ideas ran through my mind. I settled on the one I thought the most fun and began.

It occurs to me that we writers often write in various genres. My first published books were for children, and I still consider myself a children's book author, though most of my energies go into writing adult mysteries. Many though not all of my books include a paranormal element. So many of my mystery-writing friends are trying their hand at writing suspense novels. We are creative people and constantly come up with new ideas and situations. That might also include writing in another format or genre, just as so many actors move on to directing movies and becoming producers of their television shows. We are inspired by the never-ending need to come up with the new, the different, the exciting.

What genres do you write in and why?

Some Thoughts on Writing Fiction by Marilyn Levinson

My non-writing friends think I'm lucky to be a writer because writing gives me a purpose that occupies my days. They know I'm part of a world filled with fellow authors, readers and publishers.

Being a writer means I always have projects that require my attention, often with a deadline. First and foremost is writing my current WIP—work in progress. I'm often working on edits for the book scheduled to be published in a few months. That requires a great deal of marketing: guest blogs, and interviews, posting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as writing my monthly newsletter, and seeing to other tasks that arise and need my attention.

As a fiction writer, I am constantly learning. There are the electronic ABCs of being a writer: knowing how to post photos and stories all over the web. These "devices" like stories and reels keep on changing and we writers better keep up with these changes if we want readers to find out about our books. I'm still learning how to make changes on my website, and one day I'll learn how to make a YouTube webinar. For now, I'm content to be interviewed or part of a panel and having my host or hostess take care of putting them up for others to see.

The great thing about writing fiction is you're always creating something new. Honestly, it's kinda scary as well. I write mysteries, which means each book needs a new set of issues or problems, suspects and victims that are presented in a fresh, appealing way. This involves doing research on whatever subject that book is about. A few topics I've read up on are: bank robberies, how to tell a diamond from a fake, the correct order in a wedding procession, witch hangings in Connecticut, and art forgery. The array of topics that lend themselves to murder and mayhem is endless.

Like many fiction writers, my first attempts at writing were short stories. From there I went on to write novels for kids and then on to writing mysteries for adults. Since one of my children's books will come out in a new edition next month and I'll be following it up with three more books in the series, I've been thinking that many fiction writers write in more than one genre or form. While I write mysteries and books for kids, many of my fellow mystery authors write mystery short stories as well as novel. I suppose I started writing books for kids because I was home with my two sons; I began to write mysteries because I love to read them.

What's the difference between writing a book for kids and a book for adults? The only answer I can offer is that regardless of the type of book I'm writing, I'm in the protagonist's head and seeing things from his or her perspective. So if I'm in ten-year-old Rufus's head, I'm thinking like a ten-year-old who suddenly discovers his magical powers. If I'm inside thirty-year-old Carrie Singleton's head, I'm aware of her responsibilities as head of programs and events at the Clover Ridge Library and her aptitude for solving murders. I suppose my language level varies depending on what kind of book I write, but that happens naturally. I've never over-simplified my language in a kids' book. Just thinking as a person of a certain age takes care of that.

I've no idea why so many of my books include a paranormal element. This has always come about in a most natural way, going back more than twenty years when I first wrote my mystery, Giving Up the Ghost. A ghost plays a role in my Haunted Library series as well as in my kids' novel Getting Back to Normal. Rufus is a witch like his mother, grandmother, aunt and evil uncle. Perhaps there's no need to come up with a reason why I often include a paranormal element in my books since "other creatures" appear in our fairy tales and literature. Think of Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Topper, and Aladdin, to name a few. All part of our heritage and as real to us as Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood.

Writing fiction is a delight. It's hard work. It's a privilege to create characters in stories that people will read and remember and talk about.