Hi, everyone! I’ve basically transferred my blog to Substack, and I’d love it if you join me there. I publish my free newsletter every other week, usually on Wednesdays, and feature interviews with mystery/thriller writers, the occasional book review, and tidbits from my research.
Interviews:
Meet Author Samantha Cornwell “What draws me to mysteries is above all the mystery–the puzzle to be solved.”
Meet Author & Editor Judy L. Mohr “As a writer, you have to make a choice: go with TV and film and get it wrong, or get it right and highlight that TV and film have it wrong.”
Meet L.L. Kaplan, author, former FBI special agent & prosecutor “But my research touched on many areas both historical and present day. (…) even thawing times for a human body …”
Meet Thriller Author Laurie Buchanan “While I’m not one for vigilante justice, I firmly believe that those who commit crimes in our society must be caught, held accountable, and face the consequences of their actions.”
Other posts
Mystery Related Classes I’d Like to Take A discussion on another blog filled me with a wistful nostalgia for graduate school. Sometimes I miss those discussions…
My Life in Books The phases of life, as seen through favorite novels.
Guest post
How to Write Realistic Dialogue with non-native English Speakers These are things that I learned in writing my latest manuscript (The Death of an Angel) which featured several Spanish-speaking characters, both through my own experience as an EFL teacher and from my freelance editor, a fluent Spanish speaker.
Bonus for YA RomCom fans!
This past summer, I made a bargain with my teen daughter: if she did the weekly grocery shopping, I would write a YA rom-com. We brainstormed typical teen issues and events and characters, and I wrote a really horrible first draft of Pawfect Partners. As I have no plans to traditionally publish this book, I decided to serialize it on Substack for others to “enjoy” (or enjoy laughing at the attempt of a non-romance reading, non-funny, middle-aged woman who’s never owned a pet to tell a comedic romance with teens and dogs.)
Here’s the pitch: When ultra-competitive, high achieving Ava Barratt and Greyson Bertram meet, it’s not love at first sight. Sure, they’re both on the cross country team, excel in multiple honors classes, and love the rescued dogs at the local animal shelter where they both volunteer. But Greyson thinks Ava’s charm is fake; Ava thinks Greyson’s jokes are exasperating. Then the shelter falls into dire financial straits. Now they must work together to raise the funds to save the shelter before the crotchety landlord, Ava’s grandfather, forecloses on the property. Silliness, cliches, and first draft crappy writing abounds. To get started, here’s the Table of Contents.
I have several more interviews lined up for the new year, including another mystery writer, a debut thriller writer, and a true crime podcaster. If you happen to be a mystery writer, I’m open to interviewing authors of traditional mysteries, thrillers, and suspense, and true crime. Just contact me: meredithrankin4 (at) gmail (dot) com. (No more cozies unless I know you through Sisters in Crime.)
