Book Review: Mastering Your Mystery: Write, Publish, and Profit with Your Mysteries & Thrillers
Mastering Your Mystery: Write, Publish, and Profit with Your Mysteries & Thrillers by Cheryl Bradshaw
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of my goals as an author is to write a murder mystery someday. Knowing me, it’ll probably be a foodie-cozy-comedy caper, but even with that lighthearted notion, I’d like to do it right. But the honest truth is that I knew next to nothing about crafting a mystery. When I saw the title of this book, I knew I had to read it. Little did I know that I was actually purchasing *TWO* books in one, both of them valuable resources, but more about that in a bit.
“Part One: Write It”
In the first half of the book, I received practical advise delivered in clear, easy to understand language in chapters with titles like, “Season Your Steak: The Power of Subplots” and “Go Ahead, Push Me: Writing Great Cliffhangers”. And of course my favorite chapter, “Door No. 1, 2, or 3: Suspects and Red Herrings”.
As I read, I started imagining scenes from a mystery not yet written. The characters and dialog were uniquely my own style, but the plot and crafting of the story was inspired by what I was learning. I could feel new bones growing under the flesh and muscle, as it were.
And then, at the halfway mark of the book, the first part ended and I found myself reading “Part Two: Sell It”. To my surprise, the first chapter was titled “To Agent or Not to Agent: That Is the Question”. Even though I’ve already made the personal decision to stay Indie forever, I found the chapter engaging and enlightening.
As I read the next chapter, “Ties That Bind: Series vs. Stand-alone”, I finally realized that the mysteries and thrillers writing lessons were done, and we’d moved ahead to learn what to do with that finished novel we’ve just written. And I do mean everything. The advice on leveraging the power of newsletters was *just* what I needed. I can’t wait to start putting all that excellent advice into action!
There’s lots of information on getting the most out of your advertising budget, starting a street team, and excellent publishing checklist, and something I’d never seen before – steps you can take to have a better chance of getting a “Best Seller” listing.
I’m going to sign up for Cheryl Bradshaw’s newsletter, right now—both to follow her as a writer and also to see her in action promoting herself. Every indie writer needs this book. If you don’t write mysteries, you *still* need this book for all the advice in Part Two.
This book is totally worth every penny. I purchased the Kindle version but I may also spring for the paperback in order to have it within easy reach on my writing reference shelf.
Lori Alden Holuta
Lori Alden Holuta lives between the cornfields of Mid-Michigan, where she grows vegetables and herbs when she’s not writing, editing, or playing games with a cat named Chives.
