Don't Murder Your Mystery
24 Fiction-Writing Techniques To Save Your Manuscript From Turning Up D.O.A.

Author: Chris Roerden
Bella Rosa Books, a small royalty press approved by Mystery Writers of America
May 2006
304 pp, indexed, annotated
ISBN 1-933523-13-1

Margaret Maron says: "Every thoughtful writer will find at least a half-dozen tips that will directly apply to his or her own work. I certainly did!"

P.J. Parrish, NY Times best-selling author, writes: "Chris offers writers a chance to learn how to avoid being placed immediately in the dreaded "NO" pile before an agent or editor gets past the first paragraph. The actual published examples she uses are wonderful ... experienced writers may also find the tips helpful and inspiring if they have hit a roadblock in their current work. I went back and rewrote an entire first page after reading [this book]."

Sara Paretsky writes: "A valuable reference work."

Kate Flora, past international president of Sisters in Crime, writes: "Don't Murder Your Mystery is smarter, more comprehensive, more effectively targeted, and more accessible than most books on writing."

The author has been an editor for more than 40 years. Her clients are published by St. Martin's, Berkley Prime Crime, Viking, Rodale, Walker, Viking, and Midnight Ink. She also wrote 9 books and a game, all but one commissioned. She holds an MA in English and a BA summa cum laude from the University of Maine, where she taught writing 1969-71. She also taught for SUNY, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and UNESCO in South Korea, and continues to lead wor.

For complete reviews, a download of Part I, table of contents, and more, please visit www.bellarosabooks.com.