Caravaggio’s works in my historical thriller
Here are some of Caravaggio’s works featured in my novel A Name in Blood Young Caravaggio’s self-portrait is second from the right. 1595, age 23 …
Behind the Book: Mozart’s Last Aria
My historical thriller ‘Mozart’s Last Aria’ grew from an idea I had in the place where the great composer’s sister lived …
7 novels to improve your thriller writing
Read these books for specific ways to improve your thriller writing technique Writers will give you lots of rules for thriller writing. The main ones …
6 tips for writing dialogue that you haven’t heard before
What do you do when you want to be writing dialogue that’s fresh? Writing dialogue cheatsheet to find fresh angles on your characters Posts with …
Crime fiction’s best first paragraphs
Best first paragraphs set up the masters’ novels Hammett, Chandler, and Simenon with 3 great ways to start a book If you have a lot of time to …
Write about trauma to relieve the emotion
Memories turn into nightmares, until writing makes them something to be proud of While working on my second Palestinian crime novel, A Grave in Gaza, …
Fiction is closer to the ‘truth’ than journalism
Writing the truth by turning to fiction, instead of journalism Journalism is fiction. Don’t believe me? Open a newsmagazine and you’ll be …
Hammett’s writing evokes emotion through reality
How Hammett’s classic ‘The Maltese Falcon’ showed me what kind of writer to be As an undergraduate I studied English literature at …
Guns in thrillers: Crime writers and gun control
Guns in thrillers shouldn’t glamorize violence–even when the hero is the best shot I’ve only fired a gun on a single occasion, though guns …
Thriller structure: Midpoint gives plot impetus
The Midpoint is key to the pace of a thriller structure — and many other genres When you structure a thriller, pay special attention to the plot …
Write a thriller: Bad experiences make you a better writer
Remember how it feels to feel bad, endure it positively, and write it down When something bad happens to a writer, the experience is great material …
If you read only one Robert Harris thriller, read Archangel
The story of a Stalin bloodline is truly chilling What? Not Enigma? Not The Ghost? Right, not Enigma. Definitely not The Ghost. In Archangel, Robert …