Lynne's Blog
As a science center director in a former life, my job was to show our audiences how science works, not simply to tell them. The Aha! moments made the experience real for the thousands of kids, adults, and young adults that visited. When they left, there was a good chance they would remember the scientific concept behind the hands-on exhibit.
Writing is much the same. Writers need that Aha! encounter to grow and nourish their ideas into a final piece of work. That’s what this blog is all about. It’s about MY “minds-on” adventure with words — one I enjoy sharing with readers. Whether it’s about the research aspect, the craft of writing itself, or the emotional roller coaster of putting myself out there in the public eye . . . my blog is me. Pure and simple.
I welcome your thoughts and hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.
Review from Across the Pond
Occasionally, it’s nice to toot your own horn. Here is a review I received for Pure Lies, from the Mystery People of the UK, a group that thrives on, well, mysteries. Thanks very much to Marsali Taylor, for the review. I particularly love the comparison with The...
A Light Shines Through
A dear friend and colleague passed away this past week. To honor her memory, I wrote this short free-verse poem. I know very little of poetry, so please forgive the amateur effort. Most of my writing is from the mind. This piece is from the heart. ...
Imagining Alternative History
Writing historical mysteries is a juggling act. Writers must create a fictional plot with fictional characters around a historical time period with real people. . . and somehow suspend the readers’ disbelief. Many writers of historical fiction choose a particular...
The Road to Deadly Provenance
I had a question recently from a reader who asked how I came to write Deadly Provenance. Here’s my story. Since I write historical mysteries but solve them with modern technology, I first needed a time period for a backdrop. I was always fascinated by the Holocaust...
Visualize Your Scenes
Years ago I saw a terrific IMAX film called To the Limit. In it was a scene I never forgot. A champion downhill skier was sitting on top of a mountain, skis and poles by her side. Her eyes were closed and she was moving her arms and upper body as if she were skiing...
Should Your Blog Promote Your Book?
Whether you’re a self-published or traditionally-published author, you are no doubt engaging in marketing your books. One effective way to accomplish this is by blogging regularly on social media sites. However, recently, a number of writer “groups” within those...
That First Outline
Outlining is extremely important in my writing. A large part of the action in my mysteries take place in the past and have so darn many details, I can’t rely on my pea-brain to remember it all. I begin with my “jump-start” outline. I made up the term, so I can’t...
Finding New Ways to Kill
Mystery writers have a tough decision: how to kill their fictional victims. There are far too many ways to murder to mention here. (If you want unusual methods, watch Criminal Minds.) I’ll mention one way that was based on a sad but true story. One of the more...
Borrowing Facts to Create Fiction
Forgive me for taking the liberty to re-post this from a few years ago. The points I make are relevant today, however, and demonstrate how current events stories can become the elements for your next novel. A brief story appeared on a local news station. It went...
Quick Promo Tips
Writing is not what it used to be. You’ve heard this many times from many different sources. Writing must include marketing, in one form or another, even if you’re a traditionally published author. A good deal of “free” marketing is done on social media and it works...
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