Photo: Andrea Kalteis What comes first, the book or the pitch? Put another way, do you develop the larger idea of a book to test out with yo...

Do you think about craft while you are writing? (how to construct good characters, settings, plot) Or do you just let her rip and worry abou...

Who, or what, is keeping you relatively sane these days? Are you able to stay motivated? How? by Dietrich I live in uninformed bliss, in...

Writing is a lonely pursuit but the community is strong and supportive. There are many unsung acts of kindness and generosity going on behin...

How do you decide what to read? Word of mouth? Reviews? Browsing in bookstores? Etc. And what’s the most important factor in your decision?...

With thousands of new titles being published every day, what do you do to try to raise your new book above the fray and catch the eye of re...

"We're in the strangest time many of us have ever known right now. How do you decide how much of the outside world to include in y...

The world, and the way we live in it, has changed. These are extraordinary times. How has the business of being an author changed, for you,...

What element of the craft is the one you most need to improve? by Dietrich My aim is to constantly improve every element of the pro...

This time around on Criminal Minds, I asked my friend and CM alumnus, author and founder of Bronzeville Books, Danny Gardner to tackle this...

by Dietrich What an appropriate and timely question by Jim as Bouchercon happened this past week in Dallas. Just coming off a book to...

What draws you in as a reader? by Dietrich Well, I’ve got to say style before story, but style won’t go very far on its own. I want...