Sophie Mattis Mystery Blog
How to Make Every Suspect Look Guilty
A mystery shouldn't cheat the reader. The suspect’s actions need to make sense once the truth is revealed. If they lied, there should be a reason. If they panicked, there...
How to Make Every Suspect Look Guilty
A mystery shouldn't cheat the reader. The suspect’s actions need to make sense once the truth is revealed. If they lied, there should be a reason. If they panicked, there...
Where Writers Really Get Ideas
One minute, you’ve got the perfect twist, the missing motive, the exact line of dialogue, the secret your suspect has been hiding, or the reason your detective suddenly understands the...
Where Writers Really Get Ideas
One minute, you’ve got the perfect twist, the missing motive, the exact line of dialogue, the secret your suspect has been hiding, or the reason your detective suddenly understands the...
What Reading Crime Fiction Is Teaching Me About...
I believe that most mystery readers want to be surprised. But they also want the story to make sense. The ending needs to be both unexpected and inevitable. Getting that...
What Reading Crime Fiction Is Teaching Me About...
I believe that most mystery readers want to be surprised. But they also want the story to make sense. The ending needs to be both unexpected and inevitable. Getting that...
Series vs. Standalone: Why I Decided to Write a...
One of the greatest rewards of writing a series is being able to return to the same world. Every additional book adds depth to the setting. Every additional book continues...
Series vs. Standalone: Why I Decided to Write a...
One of the greatest rewards of writing a series is being able to return to the same world. Every additional book adds depth to the setting. Every additional book continues...
Why I’m Drawn to Emotion Over Shock in Crime Fi...
Crime develops character. Crime reveals what People are capable of doing when they are fearful, trapped, embarrassed, desperate, or committed to protecting someone they love. The act of investigating a...
Why I’m Drawn to Emotion Over Shock in Crime Fi...
Crime develops character. Crime reveals what People are capable of doing when they are fearful, trapped, embarrassed, desperate, or committed to protecting someone they love. The act of investigating a...
How Crime Fiction Explores Human Nature Without...
Good mysteries don't shout down the reader telling them what is right or wrong. Rather, they put normal People through extreme pressures and pose the rather straightforward but powerful question:...
How Crime Fiction Explores Human Nature Without...
Good mysteries don't shout down the reader telling them what is right or wrong. Rather, they put normal People through extreme pressures and pose the rather straightforward but powerful question:...