Mystery Writing, by the numbers
The 2019 “Six-Word Mystery” contest sponsored by the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Mystery Writers of America drew more than 200 entries from ten states and three countries. The results of this year’s competition were decided in December, and the winner is… me! By the slimmest of margins, my numerical noir finished on top. Sex, violence and justice combined to pique the imagination of the judges and voters: 36D, .44 magnum, 20 to life. I thought that toxic tales might be f
Six-Word Challenge
People have been enjoying the notion of the micro-mystery that I introduced in my last blog posting, so I’m announcing a contest for anyone to email their six-word mysteries to me (lockwood@uwyo.edu). A panel of distinguished writers will select the winners who will receive copies of full-length mysteries (and of course, one of the prizes will be a signed copy of POISONED JUSTICE). Entries will be accepted for six weeks and the winners will be featured on this website. You
Reading, Writing and (some) Arithmetic
I was once asked how many hours a week I spend writing. I answered that in a good week, maybe 40—really. But this count depends on my notion that writing involves putting words on a page, as well as attending to the world with the focus of a writer and reading the works of others with the attitude of a writer. I read 35 or 40 books a year eclectically distributed across nonfiction (mostly), fiction (increasingly), and poetry (sparingly). I’ve kept a list of the books I’ve
