Now that Fall is here, it's the perfect time for a fire in the fireplace and a good book in your hands. For many people, nothing is better than curling up with an engrossing whodunnit. While there is no shortage of mystery and thriller titles on bookstore shelves, there is always room for the next great police procedural or crime-solving grandmother. When you're done with the latest bestseller and ready to tackle writing your own, the following resources (compiled by our wonderful intern Deb Signorli) will help you bring the right amount of mystery or grit to your story.

Have you done your homework?

One thing to remember is that mystery readers tend to be well informed on general police procedures (at least by Hollywood's standards), so the best thing you can do is be an informed author. Keep your reader riveted with authentic details and a thrilling story and you'll have a fan for life. Your first step is to learn all you can about writing craft, and the elements that make for the best mystery tales. While writing and critique groups are good, a genre-based group will give you the best networking opportunities and the most useful feedback. Here are a few good places to start your noveling journey.

One of the largest groups is the Mystery Writers of America. They have a directory of regional branches at their web site: http://www.mysterywriters.org/

Mystery Writers Ink. This is a blog based out of Calgary, Alberta, but all are welcome. http://mysterywritersink.blogspot.com/

Sisters in Crime Inc. is a group founded to assist women crime writers break into the genre and level the playing field in this generally male-dominated genre. http://www.sistersincrime.org/

Mystery Net.com, a site aimed at mystery readers, but they have a room for writers in their community section: http://www.mysterynet.com/

The devil's in the details

Since few of us are detectives, coroners, or blood spatter experts in our daily lives, we need to do research to write a convincing and compelling story. This reading list includes memoirs of lives in forensics and law, and technical, procedural manuals that break down the details of law enforcement and prosecution.

• Sue Grafton, Writing Mysteries
• William G. Tapply, The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing the Modern Whodunit
• Mary H. Manheim, The Bone Lady: Life as a Forensic Anthropologist
• Lee Lofland, Howdunit Book of Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers
• Ken Wallentine, Street Legal: A Guide to Pre-trial Criminal Procedure for Police,
• Prosecutors, and Defenders
• Ron Hankin, Navigating The Legal Minefield of Private Investigations
• Martin Roth, The Crime Writer's Reference Guide: 1001 Tips for Writing the Perfect
• Murder
• FBI Handbook of Crime Scene Forensics
• Ngaire E. Genge, The Forensic Casebook: The Science of Crime Scene Investigation
• Mark Dale, The Crime Scene: How Forensic Science Works
• Jessica Snyder Sachs, Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of
• Death
• William Bass, Death’s Acre

Also, never be afraid to contact your local police or sheriff's department and ask for a tour or a brief informational interview with a police officer or detective. Many divisions allow for citizen ride-alongs, too. You can learn more from first-hand research and experience than most books could ever teach.

Finally, a few more web sites to jumpstart your creativity and make sure your story is on the right track.

Mystery Writers’ Resources: http://www.zott.com/MysForum/links.htm

Cops ‘n Writers: http://www.copsnwriters.com/

The Little Blog of Murder: http://www.thelittleblogofmurder.com/

The LadyKillers: http://www.theladykillers.typepad.com/

Think you're ready to publish?

I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you to consider an Introductory Critique before sending your work out into the world. No matter how good a writer you are, or how many beta readers have provided feedback, nothing can compare to a professional review. The Editorial Department counts many successful mystery and thriller writers among our clients, most recently Chevy Stevens with her New York Times bestseller, STILL MISSING, and Scott Pratt with his bestselling Joe Dillard mysteries, starting with AN INNOCENT CLIENT. When you think your story is ready for the bigtime, these sites are good starting points. Good luck!

The Mystery Place: http://www.themysteryplace.com/
Home of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, “the world's longest-running short-story mystery magazines.”
Discovering New Mysteries: International Mystery Writers’ Festival: http://www.newmysteries.org/
Competition for short stories, plays, screenplays, and teleplays.

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