If I jumbled anyone's title or misspelled a name, I apologize. Those of you who use a middle initial may find that it comes and goes (as they seem to do on the blog). I'd also like to thank Dale for his leadership on this project. He's a good man to follow on a desperate enterprise. He doesn't daunt easily.
September 2012 - Part Two
Notes from the Penitentiary – September 2012 -- Eve Fisher's offbeat and insightful notes.
Five Red Herrings III -- Robert Lopresti on truth stranger than fiction.
A Bouchercon Mystery -- Dale C. Andrews draws us in.
Adventures in South Africa -- Leigh Lundin reports from South Africa.
Playing Detective -- Deborah Elliott-Upton offers a paean to hardboiled men and women.
October
A Non-iconic Writer -- Louis Willis remembers Shell Scott and Richard S. Prather fondly.
The Gifted Child -- John M. Floyd writes a great fan letter.
Things That Go Bump in the Night -- Dale Andrews stories for ghost story season.
The Shrink is in . . . Cyberspace -- Elizabeth Zelvin's fascinating day job.
The Dadaist Enigma of Claire DeWitt -- Dixon Hill offers a unique take on an author's "mistakes."
Mariel -- David Dean introduces one fascinating muse.
Developing the Series -- R.T. Lawton's great advice on keeping your friends close and your editors closer.
You Say Sensation, I Say Mystery -- Eve Fisher discusses the prehistory of the genre.
Great Sentences -- Jan Grape's good writing on good writing.
November
Ghost and the Machine -- Dixon Hill contrasts ghost stories and mysteries.
"The Unicorn in the Garden," or God Bless You, Mr. Thurber -- Eve Fisher remembers two comic geniuses: Thurber and Benchley.
Sometimes It's Magic -- Robert Lopresti reveals the true thing that keeps a writer going.
Distractions -- Deborah Elliott-Upton battles our common enemy.
Alan Furst: The World at Night -- David Edgerley Gates makes the case for Alan Furst.
The Great and Billowing Sea -- David Dean on great sea stories and a jaw bone.
Known Only to God -- Fran Rizer offers thoughts on Veterans Day for every day.
Not Being Preachy -- Elizabeth Zelvin on characters who carry the burden of an author's themes.
December
Literary Mystery -- Leigh Lundin examines a Hemmingway mystery.
We're No Angles -- Eve Fisher on a minor Christmas classic.
Maze of Bones -- Dixon Hill spreads contagious enthusiasm about a series for young readers.
I Never Saw a Strange Red Cow -- Robert Lopresti's fascinating fragments of lost stories.
Cold War Berlin: A Whiter Shade of Pale -- David Edgerley Gates evokes lost times and places.
The Dark Valley of Unpublished Stories -- David Dean describes a trip to a place where all writers have strayed.
Old Dogs and New Tricks -- John M. Floyd on old pros changing things up.
Tradecraft: Surveillance 101 -- R.T. Lawton provides information every crime writer should know.
January 2013
The Art of Detection -- Dale C. Andrews' review of a new book on Ellery Queen sparks thoughts on a writer's immortality.
Chekhov Wrote Crime Stories? -- Louis Willis offers a new way of looking at a master of the short story.
Rosemary &Thyme -- David Edgerley Gates celebrates a guilty pleasure.
Location, Location, Location -- David Dean's thoughts on location and the trap of writing from experience.
Doubt -- Janice Law explores the value of doubt in the mystery.
The Last Five Minutes -- Eve Fisher's last words on last words.
Professional Tips - John Lutz -- Leigh Lundin meets a favorite writer and discusses his writing tips.
The Silence of the Animals -- Dixon Hill tells a great story.
A New Project for the New Year -- Fran Rizer announces a very early Christmas present.
February
Bruce Lockhart: Memoirs of British Agent -- David Edgerley Gates delivers another great history lecture.
Ripped from the Headlines -- Jan Grape shares more stranger-than-fiction truth.
I Was Just Wondering -- Louis A. Willis on the toughest job a "fictioneer" faces.
An Anniversary -- Elizabeth Zelvin provides great pictures, word pictures and real ones, on her parents' wedding anniversary.
I Owe It All to Rilke -- Brian Thornton devotes his SleuthSayers debut to the networking challenge.
Readers Choice -- David Dean places his literary future in the hands of his readers.
And the Beat Goes On -- John M. Floyd on Robert B. Parker's second coming.
Gone South (with Travis McGee) -- Dale C. Andrews on John D. MacDonald's return to print.
And Where is THAT? -- Fran Rizer discusses some fabulous real estate.
March
Stalker -- Dale C. Andrews on extreme fandom.
SleuthSayers, SleuthSayers -- Robert Lopresti shows off his poetry chops.
Setting as Character -- Brian Thornton discusses the importance of setting in the mystery.
Doyle When He Nodded -- Terence Faherty's debut explores Sir Arthur's fascinating lapses.
Framed -- John M. Floyd on a favorite story structure.
The IDES Are Coming -- R.T. Lawton lets the ides have it.
The Dean of SleuthSayers -- Leigh Lundin on David Dean and his new book.
No Goodbyes -- David Dean's last regularly scheduled post, for now.
April
I Found My Thrill -- Fran Rizer explores the thriller.
Creating Deception -- John Floyd gives tips on building a solid short story collection.
The After Story -- R.T. Lawton on continuing a story beyond the climax.
Gratuitous Violence -- Dale C. Andrews thoughts on violence that interrupts the story.
Reading to Learn -- Jan Grape shares writing lessons she learned by reading.
A True Story of Crooks and Spies -- Dixon Hill reviews a true tale of wartime intrigue.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Want Something -- Robert Lopresti reveals the secret to creating great characters.
The Current Crop of Clichés -- Elizabeth Zelvin considers the continuing devolution of the language.
May
Memorial Day 2013 -- Jan Grape on Memorial Days present and past.
He Wasn’t The Best But He Was Good Enough -- Louis A. Willis on an almost-master, Carroll John Daly.
The Bank Robbery -- R.T. Lawton describes a bank robbery that never was.
Random Observations -- Eve Fisher's thoughts on travelling away from oneself.
The Double Dippers -- Terence Faherty revels in big screen minutiae.
Losing the Edge -- John M. Floyd examines the burnout phenomenon.
The Beachcomber -- David Edgerley Gates recreates a memorable interview.
Some Thoughts on "Cosplay" Fiction -- Brian Thornton coins a term for anachronistic characters in historical fiction.
June
Dumbing Down: Self-fulfilling Prophecies about the Loss of Culture -- Elizabeth Zelvin's title describes it and her essay nails it.
Some Thoughts on the Importance of Plot, Character and Conflict in Fiction -- Brian Thornton minces no words in his discussion of the interaction of plot and character.
Stay Creative - Jan Grape passes on some good advice from Holiday Inn.
Adolescent Sexist Swill? -- Fran Rizer pulls a Tom Sawyer on her friends with the help of Richard S. Prather.
Jesse James and Meramec Caverns: Another Route 66 Story -- Dale C. Andrews considers the line between history and legend.
The Haunted Wood -- David Edgerley Gates sets another record straight.
The Death of Laura Foster -- John Edward Fletcher tracks a North Carolina legend.
Beginners -- Janice Law on the art of learning a craft.
July
Show Don't Tell -- Dale Andrews on the difference between paper and flesh and blood.
Voice? -- Fran Rizer talks about good writing's most elusive quality: voice.
The Detroit PI -- Louis Willis on Loren Estleman's Amos Walker.
Who's on First -- Terence Faherty addresses the challenges of the PI point of view: first person.
Hiaasen on the Cake -- John Floyd's tribute to Carl Hiaasen.
Two Writers, One Set-up -- Robert Lopresti on Jack Ritchie and the starting gun.
The Crazy Crawl -- Dixon Hill on yet another technological innovation that makes life less intelligible.
Pam, Prism, and Poindexter -- Leigh Lundin hits a nerve with the subject of domestic spying.
August
Marketing 101 -- John M. Floyd reveals his marketing secrets in this very popular post.
You Can't Make It Up -- Eve Fisher opens her file of newspaper clippings.
The Hardy Boys Mystery -- Dale C. Andrews rediscovers a lost first love.
Going to Great (or Short) Lengths -- Janice Law on the lengths to which authors will go.
Lessons Learned -- Jan Grape discusses putting your writing on automatic pilot.
Fatherlands -- David Edgerley Gates on alternate histories.
Wherefore Art -- Toe Hallock on the fascination of words.
Some General Thoughts on Character -- Brian Thornton tracks down an elusive (definition of) character.
Anybody Down Range? -- R.T. Lawton helps mystery writers handle firearms.
September
Regrets, I've Had a Few.... -- Brian Thornton on the secret character ingredient: regret.
Suddenly, I Got a Buzz -- Robert Lopresti on words that need watching.
Criminal Book Covers -- Leigh Lundin on book covers that should be covered.