Like most authors, I love books. I have an extensive collection of children’s books that I read to my grandchildren. I have assorted seasonal books that I bring out of hiding each holiday. I have leather-bound classics, tabletop art books, nonfiction treatises, etc. I also have professional tomes from my legal career such as Black’s Law Dictionary. My personal library has shrunk over the years as the information accessible on the internet has grown. The data available online is up-to-date and doesn’t require additional storage space. Win-win.
I download lots of books onto my Kindle. The large font and backlighting make it easy for my tired old eyes to read the text. However, sometimes I prefer to go old school and get a paper copy of a book, especially a reference book. I have steadily amassed a small library of “how to” books about the craft of writing. Some I have read cover to cover, highlighting passages and typing copious notes. I’ve only skimmed the chapters that pertained to specific topics in others. And I have a large “to be read” pile of recommended books that I have yet to tackle. There are way too many books to list them all, so I thought I’d just mention “a few of my favorite things.” Writing Mysteries, edited by Sue Grafton, is A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America and contains words of wisdom by a variety of published authors. How to Write a Mystery, edited by Lee Child, is another insightful compilation by MWA. Don’t Murder Your Mystery, by Chris Roerden, and The Everything Guide to Writing Your First Novel, by Hallie Ephron, contain an abundance of helpful tips and suggestions. Mastering Plot Twists, by Jane Cleland, and Writing the Cozy Mystery, by Nancy Cohen, are next up on my TBR pile. I look forward to perusing their pages and gleaning more valuable nuggets of information.
