Jeffrey Eaton's Blog, page 3
August 28, 2016
Finding time to write
It’s a question I’m often asked: when do you write/how do you find time to write?
Here is the answer: when I can. And I don’t beat myself up for not writing more, sooner.
As writers, we need to be kind to ourselves. In addition to creating a book, we also have to put gas in the car, compare nutritional statistics on different juice bottles, tend to a frustrated relative and/or take out the trash.
It can be overwhelming/frustrating. Especially when we have a vocation on top of our avocation.
S...
When do you write?
It’s a question I’m often asked: when do you write/how do you find time to write?
Here is the answer: when I can. And I don’t beat myself up for not writing more, sooner.
As writers, we need to be kind to ourselves. In addition to creating a book, we also have to put gas in the car, compare nutritional statistics on different juice bottles, tend to a frustrated relative and/or take out the trash.
It can be overwhelming/frustrating. Especially when we have a vocation on top of our avocation.
S...
August 18, 2016
Killer Nashville – Day One
Most writers go to conferences hoping to pique the interest of an agent or publisher.
But Day One of Killer Nashville proved to me that the true benefit of such conferences is interacting with, and learning from, other writers.
Inspiration comes in many forms. From William Kent Krueger, I learned that his idea of a series about murder mysteries occurring in grand resort hotels throughout North America is still waiting to be done. From Hartley Stevens, I learned that a creative book launch par...
August 17, 2016
Killer Nashville
Most writers go to conferences hoping to pique the interest of an agent or publisher.
But Day One of Killer Nashville proved to me that the true benefit of such conferences is interacting with, and learning from, other writers.
Inspiration comes in many forms. From William Kent Krueger, I learned that his idea of a series about murder mysteries occurring in grand resort hotels throughout North America is still waiting to be done. From Hartley Stevens, I learned that a creative book launch par...
May 31, 2016
A Murderer in Hiding…Or Not?
As I begin preliminary work this week on the third book in the “Murder Becomes” series, I am reminded of one of the biggest challenges I face – where in the book to introduce the murderer.
Should it be very near the beginning, when the reader least expects it and has lots of time throughout the book to forget them? Or should it be deeper within the book, right as the intrigue is kicking into high gear?
I also have to consider how central to the main story the murderer should be. If the murder...
May 30, 2016
When to introduce the murderer…
As I begin preliminary work this week on the third book in the “Murder Becomes” series, I am reminded of one of the biggest challenges I face – where in the book to introduce the murderer.
Should it be very near the beginning, when the reader least expects it and has lots of time throughout the book to forget them? Or should it be deeper within the book, right as the intrigue is kicking into high gear?
I also have to consider how central to the main story the murderer should be. If the murder...
October 22, 2015
Murder Becomes Number 3 — Where would YOU locate it?
On November 13, “Murder Becomes Miami” will go on sale. The terror amps up in the second installment in the Murder Becomes series, as The Lee Group tries to deduce who murdered a reviled college football coach (and why). Find out more at murdermiami.com.
We are already starting to turn our attention to Book 3. To that end, we’re having fun recently asking YOU, the reader, to help us decide where that book should take place.
The two criteria for a Murder Become location are 1) The location mus...
September 17, 2015
Writing a murder mystery…
This fall, I have at least three book clubs reading “Murder Becomes Manhattan.” When I appear at a book club, one question I am always asked is, “How do you go about writing one of your novels? Do you pretty much have the plot laid out when you start? Or do you change it along the way?”
The answer is ‘yes.’ And, ‘no.’
I am a linear thinker, so my tendency is to produce a book in a linear way. But it is almost impossible to write a good mystery thriller that way. That’s because you want the st...
May 24, 2015
Murder Becomes Manhattan trade paperback also now available
It seems summer, more than any other season, ushers mystery and intrigue into our lives. Released from the hubbub of our day-to-day responsibilities the rest of the year, we seem to seek out mystery (or invite it to find us,) during the summer months more than any other.
Who is that new person sitting across from us at the pool and why are they behaving so mysteriously? What do the unusual markings we have stumbled on in the woods during our hike represent? What are those lights we see across...
February 7, 2015
A riveting first chapter…
I am gratified that so many people say the first chapter of “Murder Becomes Manhattan” yanks them in by the collar and compels them to read more, and read more, and read more . . . until they are suddenly confronted with the identity of the murderer, which they didn’t suspect.
But you may be surprised to know the first chapter doesNOT begin with the murder itself . . . but a prelude to it. I believe today’s readers need something fascinating, compelling and/or titillating as soon as possible,...
