Kassandra Lamb's Blog, page 10
November 15, 2022
Where Crime Fiction Sub-Genres Overlap: Traditional, Historical and PI
by Kassandra Lamb (with some editorial assistance from Kathy Owen) ~ This is installment #2 in our series on sub-genres, specifically addressing where some crime fiction sub-genres overlap.
In last week’s post, I differentiated between traditional and cozy mysteries, but today I’d like to delve further into what constitutes a “traditional mystery.”
This is a tough sub-genre to pin downProbably the best way to describe traditional mysteries is that they are classic whodunnits inspire...
November 11, 2022
Thanking All Veterans!!
Just a quick note of gratitude from all of us at misterio press to all veterans (including the four-legged ones) out there. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your service and your sacrifices!!
The post Thanking All Veterans!! appeared first on Misterio Press.
November 7, 2022
Crime Fiction Sub-Genre Distinctions (an encore)~Plus a New Contest!
by Kassandra Lamb ~ In April of last year, I wrote this post about the distinctions between some of the mystery sub-genres. I’m re-running this post (with a few tweaks) as the introduction to some other posts coming up, that will hopefully further clarify certain crime fiction sub-genre distinctions.
Crime Fiction Sub-Genre Distinctions That Are Clear As MudGenre definitions and crime fiction sub-genres can be quite murky and confusing for both writers and readers.
First there is the ...
October 31, 2022
A [Fictional] School Principal’s Day
by Liz Boeger ~ When Kass asked me to write a post about a day in the life of a school principal, (DLSP, because educators love acronyms.) I had to admit to myself there was no way I could accurately depict the reality of an actual school principal’s day in a few hundred words. So instead, I’ll present a snapshot through the lens of the school principal who is the main character in my cozy mystery series.
photo by Abraham Garcia on Unsplash.comBut first some background.I was an elemen...
October 24, 2022
The Fun and Challenges of Writing Holiday Books (an encore ~ Plus a New Release)
by Kassandra Lamb ~ Not quite a year ago, I wrote this post as a guest post for someone else’s blog. But since the fall/winter holiday season is upon us once more, it seemed like a good time to re-run this post, about writing holiday books (with a few updates at the end).
I’ve always loved reading holiday stories, especially Christmas ones. They put me in the mood for that holiday. And I’ve discovered in recent years that I love writing holiday books as well. They’re a lot of fun.
There ar...
October 17, 2022
The Thrill of Something New (plus New Releases)
by Kassandra Lamb ~ I love new things! Don’t get me wrong; I am not a particularly materialistic person. I don’t want or need expensive things, but I just love the thrill of something new.
Which makes sense.
Our brains are wired to pay attention to the novel things in our environment.Our senses slide right over the familiar, and zero in on what is different.
Indeed, research has found that novelty stimulates the release of dopamine. This neurotransmitter tends to focus our attenti...
October 10, 2022
Off-Week Goodies: Book Reviews
by Kassandra Lamb ~ To see my full reviews of these books, go to my website HERE.
Ghost Walking, A Maggie York Paranormal Mystery, Book One, by Ally Shields ~ $5.99Not believing won’t make the ghosts go away.
This book is a combo of two of my favorite things, a well-written police procedural (with a female cop) and a ghost story.
Unfortunately, it is not discounted, but if you like character-driven police procedurals and ghosts, it’s worth the price. (Or watch for it to go on sal...
October 3, 2022
Where my research takes me: the Great Blizzard of 1888
by K.B. Owen ~ As a historical mystery author, it’s an absolute thrill to be able to use an interesting tidbit discovered during my research. When I read about the Great Blizzard of 1888, I knew it had potential to add a fun snowbound-thriller element to the mystery I was writing, THE CASE OF THE RELUCTANT WITNESS. (More on my new release at the end).
“Wreck at Coleman’s Station, NY & Harlem RR,” March 13, 1888, nyamcenterforhistory.org
They had no warning.
The late ...
September 26, 2022
An Interview with a Dog (Plus New Releases)
by Kassandra Lamb ~ Have you ever seen or heard an interview with a dog? One of the main characters in my Marcia Banks and Buddy cozies is Buddy, a Black Labrador/Rottweiler mix service dog. Recently, another author interviewed Buddy on her blog. I, of course, had to help by typing out Buddy’s thoughts and feelings. It was really interesting and fun to be part of an interview with a dog!
Below is the first part of this interview with Buddy. Or you can go HERE to see the whole thing.
And...
September 19, 2022
Don’t Get Invested in the Outcome (Plus a New Release)
by Kassandra Lamb ~ This autumn, I’m dwelling on the fact that I am old. Don’t worry, I’ll get over myself eventually. Last week, I posted about 17 Things To Do in Your Seventies, and one of those things was to value the wisdom gained with those years. I mentioned, in particular, one thing I have learned — don’t get invested in the outcome.
(photo by Jerry Woody CC-BY-SA 2.0 Wikimedia Commons)The concept is related to the Serenity Prayer—knowing what we can and can’t control and accepting ...
