Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Vintage 50s Popular Hair Design Research for New Mystery Release by Janet Elizabeth Lynn

Introducing the Creators of the Skylar Drake Mystery Series
Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Elizabeth Lynn wrote individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in the old Hollywood of 1956-57.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus a couple of short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.


About Their New Release As Told by Janet
The next Skylar Drake Mystery, GAME TOWN,  the fifth and final book in the series, was just released  and yes...we are still married!
My husband, Will Zeilinger and I co-write the Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries, a hardboiled Detective series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. Our new book, GAME TOWN, is set in Hollywood and exposes a scandal that rocks the toy companies in Los Angeles.

While doing in-depth research into 1950s Hollywood, we came across popular hair styles and hats. And since we have to dress our characters, I paid attention!
Janet shares fun research about the 50s, some of which I confess to remember, because I'm that old!  Morgan Mandel 
Hats --   Hats were essential for all but the most casual occasions in the early 1950s. By the mid-’50s, however, hats became worn less often – the formality of having a hat, gloves and bag was tailing off. Plus, hairstyles were starting to get bigger.  So hats became smaller, fairly simply in design and compact. Decorations were used, like feathers or a veil. Some were even worn on the side of the head, i.e., small berets
 Popular hats include the lampshade or flowerpot hat, small-brimmed cartwheels, French berets (especially liked by Beatnik college students), and the pillbox.

Head bands  -- Headbands were made of plastic, metal and material. They could be plain or decorated with like flowers, or jewels and sometimes fur.
        Headbands helped when growing out shorter hairstyles like the Italian cut. A headband was placed over the front hair, pulling it smooth, and the back hair would be fluffed out.
  Hair Accessories --  Combs and barrettes became extremely popular and necessary to control the hair and keep it in place. Some were decorated and came in many colors.
False Hair  --  Hair pieces were used to add detail like a chignon( bun) or plait (braid). They were also used to add length or volume as fashions changed quicker than hair could grow.  Some were used to turn short hair into an Updo for the evening.
They were made from real hair, the pieces came in all colors so they could be matched to the wearer’s hair color. Some pieces came ready curled and styled – they simply needed pinning onto the head and blending in with natural hair.
Wigs were reportedly all made by hand from human hair in the early 1950s. Synthetic hair wigs and pieces were available in the late 50's and 60's. Hair pieces could be used to embellish shorter hair
 GAME TOWN is the 5th & final book in the series and yes, we are still married!
Website:  Janet  Elizabeth Lynn     www.janetlynnauthor.com
Website:  Will Zeilinger                  www.willzeilingerauthor.com

About GAME TOWN
Skylar Drake and his partner are hired as bodyguards for two young starlets. They deliver the actresses home after the Oscar Awards ceremony, but stumble onto the murder of Silver Brovor-Smith, the mother of one of their charges, actress Holly Becker.  Drake wonders why the FBI is on the scene when it looks like a simple case of murder.

Drake is now embroiled in the murder investigation of Silver Brovor-Smith. Suspicion shifts between her husband Peter Smith, and Silver’s three older brothers.

At every turn Drake and Dolan are lied to or misled. Kidnapping and mysterious deaths follow them as they weave their way through the maze of Hollywood’s movie and TV backroom deals. The FBI shows up to make sure Drake and Dolan keep the high-profile people involved from becoming front page news.

Drake meets and falls in love with Miss Anne the perfect woman to help him move on with his life. But is she a suspect? Then there is Holly’s friend, the sexy, young starlet Theresa Lee who has her own plans for him.
The letters P-E-G-O seem to appear everywhere, and Drake wonders if they have anything to do with Silver’s murder or her husband’s kidnapping
Follow the detective to Hollywood parties where the forbidden is accepted and the games played are for keeps. 

Check out GAME TOWN in Paper Back or Kindle on Amazon, by Clicking Here.

Read On for a First Chapter Excerpt from GAME TOWN

     Two o'clock in the morning. I'd just left the Emmy Awards ceremony at the NBC Television Studio in Burbank. All of Hollywood and its finest had shown up tonight to honor the best of television for 1956. The winners and losers were either at a party celebrating or hiding somewhere licking their wounds. I'd just left the event driving south on Cahuenga toward Hancock Park. My partner, Casey Dolan was in the passenger seat. It was pouring rain when we left Burbank. It seemed to be lessening as we headed away from the valley.
     We'd been hired by Epic Studios to escort a couple of their up and coming starlets to and from the event. In truth, we were their bodyguards. The motion picture and TV studios weren't taking chances with their human investments.
     The two young ladies in the back seat were passed out cold. I suspected they'd had a little too much Champagne before and during the ceremony.
     I drove through the Wilshire Boulevard entry gate and onto Fremont Place, one of the most exclusive and expensive neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Ahead we spotted a lot of activity on the street. Dolan sat up and stared at the mess ahead, “What the Hell?”
     Several police cruisers and what looked like government cars were lined up in front of a house with their spotlights trained on it. As we got closer, I saw the address. 859 in brass letter, wattached to the beam above the front door – the address where I was to deliver the girls.
     Dolan rolled down his window to get a better look. He pulled his head back inside and said, “You sure this is the right house?”
     I parked at the opposite corner. Dolan said, “I'll stay here and keep watch on the girls.”
     I sprinted up the wet sidewalk and ducked under the yellow police tape. A uniformed cop approached me and held up his hand like a traffic cop. “Sorry, sir. This is a police investigation. You’ll have to step back.”
     I showed him my PI license and explained that I was a bodyguard for the two young ladies in my car and that I was to deliver them to this address.
     He took a look at my credentials and shook his head, “Sorry sir...”
I heard a familiar voice.
      “Drake, over here!” I almost didn't recognize FBI special agent Olivia Jahns. She looked like she'd just stepped off the red carpet, poured into a slinky black evening gown. She held up one side of her long gown and made her way over to me.
     “That's all right officer.” She said, “I'll take it from here.” He turned away while I followed Jahns into the mansion.
     “Olivia...er, Agent Jahns. What's this all about?”
     She glanced back at me and said, “You'll see. Just follow me.”
     I stopped. “I meant the dress, the hair and...”
     She too stopped and took a breath. “Come on Drake. You're wearing a tuxedo. I can have fun too.” She continued to the front door. “Right now, we have a problem.”
     Inside, the body of a woman in a pure white coat with a white fur collar was sprawled on the hardwood floor at the foot of a marble staircase. Her light blonde hair and fur coat were soaked with blood. The handle of a knife protruded from her waist. I bent down for a closer look. The blood in her hair was plastered to her face. Her mouth and hands were clenched. I detected a strong odor by the body. It wasn't cherry, but it was sweet.
     “Who is...?”
     “The victim's name is Silver Brovor-Smith.” Jahns interrupted me as most FBI agents do. “She's the mother of Holly Becker, one of the young ladies in your charge.”
     Brovor?...Brovor. Why did that name sound familiar? It dawned on me, "The Toy company Brovor?" I could visualize the logo – a big red circle with black and white letters.
     “Yep.” Jahns nodded. “You got it.”
     My mind raced. I remembered a lawsuit from years ago between family members after their father passed away. The papers had a field day with the scandal. I stood and asked Jahns, “You sure about Holly's lineage?”
     “Yup, no doubt, Brovor. Since you're in charge of her, I'll leave it up to you to break the news to the soon-to-be grieving daughter.”
     We looked out the front door. The press had already gathered on the front lawn. Radio and Television remote trucks had set up their lights and equipment while the newspaper photographer's flashbulbs blinded us. The reporters didn't help the chaos as the street in front of the house was already jammed with the Coroner's truck, loads of police cars and an ambulance. It seemed dark on the street. I looked up and saw that the street light was out. Strange that would happen on Fremont Place.
     Jahns looked at me. “Why are you still here Drake?”
     I headed for the door. It was late, and my brain had stopped working hours ago.
The two starlets came running past me, “No!” Holly yelled when she saw her mother's body on the floor.
     Theresa, the other young lady, shouted, “Oh my God. Oh my God!” She struggled to join her friend Holly, but Dolan had his hands full, holding her back from the scene.
     “What are you doing here?” I yelled over the two young women's screams. “You were supposed to keep them in the car.”
     “Hey!” Dolan said, “There are two of them and only one of me.”
     I took Holly by the shoulders and turned her away from the bloody scene. I hoped to say something comforting to her when she looked toward the stairway.
     “What did you do to her?” Holly shouted at an older man wearing a white tuxedo coming down the stairs. Holly broke away from me and ran toward him. She began kicking and punching him, screaming, “What did you do to her!”
     Several officers pulled her away, but she continued kicking and flailing, “You killed her!” 

Check out GAME TOWN in Paper Back or Kindle on Amazon, by Clicking Here.

Website:  Janet  Elizabeth Lynn     www.janetlynnauthor.com
Website:  Will Zeilinger                  www.willzeilingerauthor.com

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Woo Hoo, Going on Vacation!



Recently, I had someone ask if I ever just did nothing. The answer was and is no. I always have something to do--but I do take time out and watch some TV--that's my resting time. And of course, I do plenty of reading.

I consider the away from home book events as vacation. Recently spoke at the Central Coast Sisters in Crime writing conference, and had a great time, at the conference where I learned too and best of all got to see good friends of mine who live on the coast.

However, along with my husband, and middle daughter who serves as our driver, I'm headed to very Southern California to visit our eldest daughter and husband, and our youngest daughter is going to be there for a day too.

All the sisters and me, along with two granddaughters and two great granddaughters are going to do venture into another Escape Room. We've all had experience with other escape rooms--always fun even if we don't solve all the clues.

While there we'll do lots and lots of visiting, play games, eat some great meals at home and in restaurants, and however the spirit leads us.

And speaking of spirits, my latest Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery, Spirit Wind, is now available on Amazon in paper and for Kindle.

https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Wind-Tempe-Crabtree-Mysteries/dp/1092112081/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=spirit+wind+by+marilyn+meredith&qid=1555085319&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmrnull

The official blurb is: A call from a ghost hunter changes Deputy Tempe Crabtree;s vacation plans. Instead of going to the coase, she and her husband are headed to Tehachapi to investigate a haunted house and are confronted by voices on the wind, a murder, and someone out to get them.

When this post appears, I'll be enjoying my second day of my vacation.

For my next post, I'll report how we did in the Escape room.

Marilyn


Monday, April 22, 2019

Vintage 50s Popular Ladies Hair Design -- Janet Elizabeth Lynn


Introducing the Creators of the Skylark Drake Mystery Series
Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger
Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Elizabeth Lynn wrote individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in the old Hollywood of 1956-57.  Janet has published seven mystery novels and Will has three plus a couple of short stories. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.


About Their New Release As Told by Janet
The next Skylar Drake Mystery, GAME TOWN,  the fifth and final book in the series, was just released  and yes...we are still married!
My husband, Will Zeilinger and I co-write the Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries, a hardboiled  Detective series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. Our new book, GAME TOWN, is set in Hollywood and exposes a scandal that rocks the toy companies in Los Angeles.

While doing in-depth research into 1950s Hollywood, we came across popular hair styles and hats. And since we have to dress our characters, I paid attention!
Janet shares fun research about the 50s, some of which I confess to remember, because I'm that old!  Morgan Mandel 
Hats --   Hats were essential for all but the most casual occasions in the early 1950s. By the mid-’50s, however, hats became worn less often – the formality of having a hat, gloves and bag was tailing off. Plus, hairstyles were starting to get bigger.  So hats became smaller, fairly simply in design and compact. Decorations were used, like feathers or a veil. Some were even worn on the side of the head, i.e., small berets
 Popular hats include the lampshade or flowerpot hat, small-brimmed cartwheels, French berets (especially liked by Beatnik college students), and the pillbox.




Head bands  -- Headbands were made of plastic, metal and material. They could be plain or decorated with like flowers, or jewels and sometimes fur.
        Headbands helped when growing out shorter hairstyles like the Italian cut. A headband was placed over the front hair, pulling it smooth, and the back hair would be fluffed out.
  Hair Accessories --  Combs and barrettes became extremely popular and necessary to control the hair and keep it in place. Some were decorated and came in many colors.
False Hair  --  Hair pieces were used to add detail like a chignon( bun) or plait (braid). They were also used to add length or volume as fashions changed quicker than hair could grow.  Some were used to turn short hair into an Updo for the evening.
They were made from real hair, the pieces came in all colors so they could be matched to the wearer’s hair color. Some pieces came ready curled and styled – they simply needed pinning onto the head and blending in with natural hair.
Wigs were reportedly all made by hand from human hair in the early 1950s. Synthetic hair wigs and pieces were available in the late 50's and 60's. Hair pieces could be used to embellish shorter hair
 GAME TOWN is the 5th & final book in the series and yes, we are still married!
Website:  Janet  Elizabeth Lynn     www.janetlynnauthor.com
Website:  Will Zeilinger                  www.willzeilingerauthor.com

About GAME TOWN
Skylar Drake and his partner are hired as bodyguards for two young starlets. They deliver the actresses home after the Oscar Awards ceremony, but stumble onto the murder of Silver Brovor-Smith, the mother of one of their charges, actress Holly Becker.  Drake wonders why the FBI is on the scene when it looks like a simple case of murder.

Drake is now embroiled in the murder investigation of Silver Brovor-Smith. Suspicion shifts between her husband Peter Smith, and Silver’s three older brothers.

At every turn Drake and Dolan are lied to or misled. Kidnapping and mysterious deaths follow them as they weave their way through the maze of Hollywood’s movie and TV backroom deals. The FBI shows up to make sure Drake and Dolan keep the high-profile people involved from becoming front page news.

Drake meets and falls in love with Miss Anne the perfect woman to help him move on with his life. But is she a suspect? Then there is Holly’s friend, the sexy, young starlet Theresa Lee who has her own plans for him.
The letters P-E-G-O seem to appear everywhere, and Drake wonders if they have anything to do with Silver’s murder or her husband’s kidnapping
Follow the detective to Hollywood parties where the forbidden is accepted and the games played are for keeps. 

Check out GAME TOWN in Paper Back or Kindle on Amazon, by Clicking Here.

Read On for a First Chapter Excerpt from GAME TOWN

     Two o'clock in the morning. I'd just left the Emmy Awards ceremony at the NBC Television Studio in Burbank. All of Hollywood and its finest had shown up tonight to honor the best of television for 1956. The winners and losers were either at a party celebrating or hiding somewhere licking their wounds. I'd just left the event driving south on Cahuenga toward Hancock Park. My partner, Casey Dolan was in the passenger seat. It was pouring rain when we left Burbank. It seemed to be lessening as we headed away from the valley.
     We'd been hired by Epic Studios to escort a couple of their up and coming starlets to and from the event. In truth, we were their bodyguards. The motion picture and TV studios weren't taking chances with their human investments.
     The two young ladies in the back seat were passed out cold. I suspected they'd had a little too much Champagne before and during the ceremony.
     I drove through the Wilshire Boulevard entry gate and onto Fremont Place, one of the most exclusive and expensive neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Ahead we spotted a lot of activity on the street. Dolan sat up and stared at the mess ahead, “What the Hell?”
     Several police cruisers and what looked like government cars were lined up in front of a house with their spotlights trained on it. As we got closer, I saw the address. 859 in brass letter, wattached to the beam above the front door – the address where I was to deliver the girls.
     Dolan rolled down his window to get a better look. He pulled his head back inside and said, “You sure this is the right house?”
     I parked at the opposite corner. Dolan said, “I'll stay here and keep watch on the girls.”
     I sprinted up the wet sidewalk and ducked under the yellow police tape. A uniformed cop approached me and held up his hand like a traffic cop. “Sorry, sir. This is a police investigation. You’ll have to step back.”
     I showed him my PI license and explained that I was a bodyguard for the two young ladies in my car and that I was to deliver them to this address.
     He took a look at my credentials and shook his head, “Sorry sir...”
I heard a familiar voice.
      “Drake, over here!” I almost didn't recognize FBI special agent Olivia Jahns. She looked like she'd just stepped off the red carpet, poured into a slinky black evening gown. She held up one side of her long gown and made her way over to me.
     “That's all right officer.” She said, “I'll take it from here.” He turned away while I followed Jahns into the mansion.
     “Olivia...er, Agent Jahns. What's this all about?”
     She glanced back at me and said, “You'll see. Just follow me.”
     I stopped. “I meant the dress, the hair and...”
     She too stopped and took a breath. “Come on Drake. You're wearing a tuxedo. I can have fun too.” She continued to the front door. “Right now, we have a problem.”
     Inside, the body of a woman in a pure white coat with a white fur collar was sprawled on the hardwood floor at the foot of a marble staircase. Her light blonde hair and fur coat were soaked with blood. The handle of a knife protruded from her waist. I bent down for a closer look. The blood in her hair was plastered to her face. Her mouth and hands were clenched. I detected a strong odor by the body. It wasn't cherry, but it was sweet.
     “Who is...?”
     “The victim's name is Silver Brovor-Smith.” Jahns interrupted me as most FBI agents do. “She's the mother of Holly Becker, one of the young ladies in your charge.”
     Brovor?...Brovor. Why did that name sound familiar? It dawned on me, "The Toy company Brovor?" I could visualize the logo – a big red circle with black and white letters.
     “Yep.” Jahns nodded. “You got it.”
     My mind raced. I remembered a lawsuit from years ago between family members after their father passed away. The papers had a field day with the scandal. I stood and asked Jahns, “You sure about Holly's lineage?”
     “Yup, no doubt, Brovor. Since you're in charge of her, I'll leave it up to you to break the news to the soon-to-be grieving daughter.”
     We looked out the front door. The press had already gathered on the front lawn. Radio and Television remote trucks had set up their lights and equipment while the newspaper photographer's flashbulbs blinded us. The reporters didn't help the chaos as the street in front of the house was already jammed with the Coroner's truck, loads of police cars and an ambulance. It seemed dark on the street. I looked up and saw that the street light was out. Strange that would happen on Fremont Place.
     Jahns looked at me. “Why are you still here Drake?”
     I headed for the door. It was late, and my brain had stopped working hours ago.
The two starlets came running past me, “No!” Holly yelled when she saw her mother's body on the floor.
     Theresa, the other young lady, shouted, “Oh my God. Oh my God!” She struggled to join her friend Holly, but Dolan had his hands full, holding her back from the scene.
     “What are you doing here?” I yelled over the two young women's screams. “You were supposed to keep them in the car.”
     “Hey!” Dolan said, “There are two of them and only one of me.”
     I took Holly by the shoulders and turned her away from the bloody scene. I hoped to say something comforting to her when she looked toward the stairway.
     “What did you do to her?” Holly shouted at an older man wearing a white tuxedo coming down the stairs. Holly broke away from me and ran toward him. She began kicking and punching him, screaming, “What did you do to her!”
     Several officers pulled her away, but she continued kicking and flailing, “You killed her!” 

Check out GAME TOWN in Paper Back or Kindle on Amazon, by Clicking Here.

Website:  Janet  Elizabeth Lynn     www.janetlynnauthor.com
Website:  Will Zeilinger                  www.willzeilingerauthor.com


Friday, April 19, 2019

Writing in First Person Point of View

by Linda Thorne

My comfort level lies in writing in first person. The only time I ever used third person was when I wrote a short story that ended with the protagonist's death. It didn't work well with my character using I and and me pronouns to describe her own death.

I enjoy reading books written in both first and third. My preference though leans heavier on stories in first person. In first person point of view readers depend upon the lead character, the sole observer, to provide them all the information.

I love working around the limitations this creates. Below are a couple of examples of possible disadvantages and how I work around them.     

You cannot read the mind of other characters.

     Do you need to? My lead character makes judgments on what some characters might be thinking by knowing some of their history. She watches their actions and expressions too. Readers experience what she sees, hears, and feels. Isn’t that enough to guess or assume what the other characters might be thinking? I’d say not knowing their every thought adds a little mystery to the story. There may be times when readers do need to know the thoughts of another character. You don’t have to make your lead a mind reader to convey this information. Let your protagonist find this character’s diary or manifesto, or hear the character disclose his thoughts.


The lead character cannot be in more than one place at the same time.

     Correct; however, if she needs the information and gets it another way, what difference does it make? I create point-of-view characters who bring the information to my protagonist. In my book, Just Another Termination, I produced a tattle-tale character who worked inside the police station. This gossip leaked information about happenings inside the department to a trusted friend. The trusted friend in turn shared this information with my protagonist.



There are many tricks you can use to get needed information to your readers. If you look online, you’ll find a vast amount of information, opinions, and suggestions on these two points of view. There are positives mentioned for both, but when stacked against each other, third person seems to triumph. The freedom to move the camera around in third person appears to be what tips the scales in its favor. I like finding alternatives to use when I can’t move that camera all over the place. My comfort level remains with first person.

There is also a second person point of view that is rarely used for good reason. Where first person is I and me, and third is he, she, it, and they; second is always a variation of you. I can’t imagine using this in any writing.

So, what about you? Do you prefer to write and/or read in first or third person POV? 






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Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Of Work, Word Counts and Conferences


by Janis Patterson

I love writing blogs.

I hate writing blogs.

It's great fun to be able to spout my thoughts, share tidbits of information, give some writing hints... just in general communicate with other word people.

Maybe it isn't blogs giving me the trouble, it's the schedule. I do not do well with schedules. I know the schedules are set months sometimes years in advance, but that's no excuse, at least not for me.

The only bad thing is that LIFE always seems to get in the way. I have some health problems. We travel. In truth, we just got back from a trip to Alexandria VA for the international conference of the American Research Center in Egypt - which was fascinating! Also spent a loooong day at Arlington National Cemetery, where
we saw the magnificent Confederate monument (and lots of others). What I don't understand is why the national cemetery of the United States reveres, maintains and protects a Confederate monument while in Dallas the anti-history vandals are salivating in their desire to destroy the local Confederate monuments. It's not logical. But then vandals are seldom logical.

The next day we went into DC and saw the Egyptian Queens exhibit at National Geographic. It was a good exhibit, though a little bit too much Egyptology 101 for my admittedly snobbish academic tastes. The last exhibit, though, made up for everything - including the rather nasty case of food poisoning I picked up a little later in the day. It was a black granite statue, about two feet tall, and is one of the few known representations of Cleopatra VII (THE  Cleopatra we all know). It's been around for a while, but no one ever realized who it was supposed to be - the statue was regarded just as 'an Egyptian queen' for many years, until some astute person realized that it had Cleopatra VII's unique triple uraeus - the rearing cobra that all pharaohs wore on their forehead. If the statue is accurate, Cleopatra was a very nice looking woman - not anywhere near the stunning beauty she was reputed to have been, but still very nice looking.

Then there was the conference. Three days of listening to multiple papers on just about every facet of Egyptology and current digs, to say nothing of seeing many dear friends whom we can only visit with once a year. And a couple of really neat parties. I really enjoy digging out the sequins and beads once a year, especially since my usual attire is either sweats or shorts. Small wonder that blogs and schedules drift out to the periphery of my consciousness. Even my daily word count on the current WIP - normally sacrosanct - went out of my mind and were totally ignored, even though the deadline is looming uncomfortably close.

Oh, I've got lots of time - I say. I can do that tomorrow - I say. No problem - I say. That's a week away - I say. Plenty of time - I say.

I lie.

Unfortunately, I'm the same way on deadlines, replying to party invitations, whatever... There's always something that needs to be done NOW and I can always put off doing something about whatever is coming up later... I'll get to it, I know.

And you know what's crazy? I always do.

Thursday, April 4, 2019


Make Mine Mystery



April 5, 2019

L Lee Kane

An old genre is making a comeback. Why am I telling you this? Primarily because I've been asked to write a short story with this type of theme that will be going into a book shortly.  It’s the old locked-door subgenre. Your protagonist enters a secret door, an abandoned cave, or boards a train, etc. These are some of the puzzle box genres of thrillers going back to Edgar Allan Poe’s classic “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”

The mystery books came during the reign of the Golden Age of Detection, anywhere from Agatha Christie to John Dickson Carr, writing the “impossible crime”-and began to fade away until now

 Debut authors and bestselling authors are writing thrillers that people in confined places where they could become victims of a psychopath with a ticking time bomb.

So why are these types of thrillers experiencing a resurgence? Is it because of fake news, Cultural anxiety or computer games?

A few possible reasons could be the emergence of cellphones, computers, which have taken the suspense out of most mysteries. We exist in a world of instantaneous gratification, and readers get their information in real time. So how do we get back to the thrillers and mystery stories to create suspense?

You can write your novel before the time of the internet, cell phones, or social media, or you can take away these technologies and place your protagonists in a location where the mystery can begin.

Think elevator, train, jungle, space station, use your imagination. Use this situation to create a backstory of how your characters got themselves in this closet type of situation and the relationships they develop in that environment.

The backstory is critical to a thriller’s success-with no ability to change the setting and having limited action, your characters are the main focus.