Kill Zone
9,601 FOLLOWERS
The Kill Zone is the home of 11 top suspense writers and publishing professionals. We cover the publishing biz, marketing how-to's, and the craft of writing. Each day, we'll open the doorway into the world of the working writer.
Kill Zone
10h ago
Tropes to the Left of Me … Terry Odell Kris’s recent post about retiring the Defective Detective followed close on the heels by JSB’s got me thinking. My post is blatantly “borrowed” (and unedited) from tvtropes.org, which is a rabbit ..read more
Kill Zone
1d ago
by Debbie Burke @burke_writer Last weekend, I drove to Helena, MT to participate in the Montana Writers Rodeo, an intimate gathering of about 40 people. The event is only in its second year, but it ran as well as if ..read more
Kill Zone
3d ago
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” –Walt Disney * * * I love the book club I belong to. With a diverse group of women from different backgrounds and experiences, we ..read more
Kill Zone
4d ago
by James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell “La Barbe Bleue” (Bluebeard) is a French folk tale, first published in 1697. It tells the story of a rich man with an odd, bluish beard who marries women, slits their throats, and hangs their ..read more
Kill Zone
4d ago
In lieu of my usual Words of Wisdom post today I have a theory to share about mystery fiction. Namely, that mystery fiction can also be considered suspicion fiction. Mystery is often considered a highly intellectual genre, given that it ..read more
Kill Zone
1w ago
Have you ever received a text from a family member or close friend and knew something was wrong even though the words indicated the opposite? I’ll show you what I mean with a real-life example. The Kid planned to drive ..read more
Kill Zone
1w ago
by James Scott Bell @jamesscottbell On occasion a writer is tapped to make some remarks in a public setting. For some, this is as enticing as a root canal, or being forced to watch The Golden Bachelor. We’ve given out ..read more
Kill Zone
1w ago
I’m typing this slowly today, but a hard deadline looms and despite the vertigo threatening to wash me off this desk like a rogue wave/waive, I’ll try to make sense/cents through all the fuzziness in my frontal lobes. I feel ..read more
Kill Zone
1w ago
Today’s question, courtesy of Elaine Viets. Do you name your cars? My last car I named Dashiell (for Hammett). My current car is Romeo (for Mike). You? ..read more
Kill Zone
1w ago
By Elaine Viets We writers learn many specialized words. Words for our craft, including point of view, story arc, and pacing. Legal words such as subpoena, defendant, and waiver. We learn forensic words, sports language and many more. But we ..read more