RomanceEverAfter
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People You Should Know A Conversation with Ross Howard, A Cure for Kirby, Meet Monica Davis and Geir Ness. The Beauty of Change Series Historical Romance Column and Book Reviewer: Kaye Hatfield NEW! Sam DeMarco Have you dreamed of starting your own business? Sam DeMarco, owner of Compliance Team, did and he tells us how he made his dream a reality! Photo Gallery Romance & You (Articles) Romantic Memoir
Quotes & Poetry Expand your quotes and poetic horizons by visiting our various Quotes & Poetry categories: Thought of the Week: Time for New Beginnings A series of 8 articles by Melissa Hamilton comprising a collection of principles that will allow you to make your vision for the future a reality. Read about the Amish, India, Philippines, Greece, & Rome.
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Denise Swanson
Topics Discussed by Denise Swanson Weaving clues in a
mystery story How do you go about weaving clues in a mystery story without giving the story away? In my first draft I pretty much let the clues fall where they may--sort of the subconscious method. When I do my first rewrite, I make sure I haven't foreshadowed too much and add clues if I haven't given the reader a fair enough chance. In my final draft, before the manuscript goes to my editor, I put in any clues that have come to me as I thought about the book. What characteristics make a great villain in a mystery/murder? I think there are two good villains--the ones that are so evil the reader is convinced that he/she would be too obvious as the murderer and the ones that are so everyday/mundane much of what they do gets overlooked. What research is required by a writer to create believable mystery/murder? Since I don't write police procedurals and my sleuth is an amateur, I don't get too far into the forensics of the murder. Instead, I concentrate on the psychology of motivation. After 20 years as a school psychologist dealing with the bureaucracy of the public education systems there are a lot of people who I'm happy to kill--on paper.
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Denise
Swanson received the Agatha Best First Nomination for her first book
"Murder of a Small-Town Honey" (July 2000). Her next book,
"Murder of a Sweet Old Lady" (April 2001) received the Mary Higgins
Clark Award Nomination. You can visit Denise at