Posts by Laurie King
Crime Writing: the quirky nugget at the core
Crime and Thriller Writing: one part autobiography (half mine, half that of Michelle Spring), one part nuts-and-bolts writing manual, and one part guest speakers imparting a whole lot of wisdom. The middle of the book is a series of essays, on topics of their own choosing, from twenty-six other world-rank crime & thriller writers. Like Val McDermid: do I…
Read MoreTBT: Devil in the Details
Sherman, let’s hop into our Wayback Machine for another Throwback Thursday, this one from 1972. The quilt, which I first pieced, then quilted (hence the frame) illustrates that the devil is in the details, whether for quilting, cooking, or plotting a story. Any of you out there have time to quilt?
Read MoreBCon 2014!
The yearly Crime Extravaganza known as Bouchercon is in Long Beach this year, and as always, it’s going to be a whole lot of fun, plus, if you’re interested in mystery or thrillers, true crime or romantic suspense, writing or reading, you’ll learn a ton. I’m going to be in three panels during the weekend,…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War (seven): My war work
Mary Russell’s journal of the Great War has come to light, beginning on August 4, 1914. This is week seven (For the other weeks, click here.) 15 September 1914 Last week, Levi circled an article in the news concerning a boy of fourteen years and eleven months who was serving in the German army, and left it…
Read MoreCrime Writers
Crime and Thriller Writing, co-authored by me and my friend Michelle Spring, has three sections to it. The first is our reflections on our writing life; the third is the nuts-and-bolts how-to section. But the middle section is a little of everything–and everyone. Part two is a series of essays by twenty-six other fantastic crime & thriller writers,…
Read MoreIn love with Station Eleven
I try not to take advantage of my middle-sized-fish-in-small-pond status and assert myself at events, but in June when I was one of the speakers at the American Library Association tea, and read up on the other speakers, there was one book I made a leap for, elbowing aside all the librarians who were there…
Read MoreTBT: Intro to LRK
This Throwback Thursday brought to you by Bantam Books. Bantam (now a division of Penguin Random House, aka the Randy Penguin) showed me the love from the very beginning, with the mass market paperback for A Grave Talent forming one third of a summer special in 1995, along with Mary Willis Walker and John Straley. They did T-shirts,…
Read MoreWrites of Passage
Sometimes, you’re looking for a how-to book. Other times, what you need is a how-I book. This is one of those. Writers face turning points every day, dozens of times. Even the most minor scene has repercussions: everything is a write of passage. It’s also, as jobs go, remarkably lonesome, since few of us have…
Read MoreMary Russell’s War (six): Tutors and trenches
Mary Russell’s Great War journal has come to light, beginning on August 4, 1914. This is week six. (For the other weeks, click here.) 8 September 1914 School is now fully under way. Not that Levi and I are directly concerned with classrooms, but our tutors follow the schedule of public school, so we are now…
Read MoreSo Thrilling, it’s Criminal
Crime and Thriller Writing is the how-to book I wrote with Michelle Spring. If you’d like to win a copy, joining the fanfic “Letters of Mary” will put your name in the hat–see below. It’s a collection of reflections followed by step-by-step recommendations on how, what, and why to write. Michelle, unlike me (I am definitely an Organic…
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