Want to learn more about writing mysteries? Or learn about new mystery novels? You’ve come to the right place.
Conferences/Conventions:
- Left Coast Crime April 7-10, 2022 Albuquerque
- Malice Domestic April 22-24, 2022, Bethesda, MD
- Mystery in the Midlands– June or July (attended virtually 2020)
- Thrillerfest May 31- June4, 2022, Times Square, NYC
- Edinburgh Book Festival – August
- WriteNow Conference – September via Desert Sleuths – Virtual in 2021
- BoucherCon September 8-11, 2022 Minneapolis, MN*
- New England Crime Bake November 12-14, 2021 Boston/Dedham Hilton
- Murder and Mayhem in Chicago
- CrimeCon April 29-May 1, 2022 Las Vegas
- Writer’s Police Academy – Conference and classes
- Colorado Gold Writers Conference October 2021 Denver, CO (virtual option)
- Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival 2023 – Suffolk, Virginia (free)
Podcasts
Mystery/Crime:
- Crime Writers of Color
- Writer Types – mystery and thriller writer interviews
- The Murder Squad: Jensen and Holes– true crime
- Writers Detective Squad
- Alfred Hitchcock MM podcast
- Ellery Queen MM podcast
- Crime Corner with Matt Doyle
- Michael Connelly’s Murder Book podcast
- My Favorite Murder
- Up and Vanished
- Mysteryrat’s Maze
General Writing:
Writing Excuses (tag: Mystery)
Your Breakout Book (Dana Kaye)
Writing Challenges/Contests:
Three Day Novel Contest (over Labor Day Weekend)
How To Books:
(Amazon Affiliate Links)
How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook by Mystery Writers of America edited by Lee Child and Laurie R King
Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Revised and Expanded Edition: The Complete Guide to Mystery, Suspense, and Crime by Hallie Ephron (Amazon affiliate links)
Don’t Murder Your Mystery by Chris Roerden
Note: Although the advice is good, it tends to be more the “don’t do this” variety, than “do it this way”. It works if you already have an idea where to go and want to avoid pitfalls.
Magazines
Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
Blogs and Websites
Mystery
Writer’s Block Forum at Officer.com
Writer’s Knowledge Base (search term Mystery)
General Writing – Some of my favorites
Anne R. Allen -writing and marketing tips by a variety of authors (plus awesome resources page)
Jennie Nash Book Coach – often has free tips and resources in addition to her services
Helping Writers Become Authors with K.M. Weiland – extensive resources on all aspects of writing, especially for the beginner
Darcy Pattison has a ton of writing advice that work for all writers, not only for children’s books