Jacqueline Beard Writer

Lawrence Harpham Murder Mysteries & Constance Maxwell Dreamwalker Mysteries

A Guest Post by Alex Fairweather Common Tropes of Mystery Fiction The mystery Fiction genre involves strange or mysterious happenings driving the story forward. These events often occur while the protagonist attempts to solve a mystery, find a murderer or resolve a supernatural puzzle. The mystery genre has been thriving since the Golden Age of …

Continue reading

Fiction genres are malleable. Books move in and out of popularity and often straddle several genres. Genealogy fiction is a sub-genre, usually combining murder mystery and crime with genealogical research. But what defines genealogy fiction? Must the protagonist be a genealogist to qualify? My first foray into genealogy fiction was The Blood Detective by Dan …

Continue reading

It’s the first day of a week away from work. The weather is disgusting. My dog is sullenly pacing round the house eyeing me with disapproval. It’s so foul outside, that today we are going nowhere. I like a walk. It keeps the dog happy and my Fitbit from nagging. Today my Fitbit sits redundantly …

Continue reading

This new book, published by Poppyland Publishing with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Overstrand Parish Council, tells the story of all the soldiers, sailors and airmen of Overstrand and Suffield Park who died in the First World War. It also gives accounts of those who returned to the village after the conflict. …

Continue reading

Autumn has landed with a vengeance in my little corner of Gloucestershire.  In true Hygge fashion, I’m snuggled on the couch covered with a wool blanket, sipping a hot drink and letting the smell of cappuccino truffle waft around the room from a burning candle. The research for my next novel is almost finished; just the small …

Continue reading

I’m not a full time writer. Like many others, I have a day job; to be completely accurate, I have two. So holiday time is valuable and self, husband, son and aged border terrier were looking forward to a fortnight off in the splendid scenery of Northumberland. My husband has a thing about castles. Something …

Continue reading

I painted the kitchen this weekend – well seven eighths of it to be exact.  My task was rudely interrupted by the failure of my footstool to stay intact.  After twenty year’s loyal service, it split in two while I was cutting in around the carefully masked cooker hood.  I shattered my wrist while the …

Continue reading

So, you’ve carefully crafted your plot, nurtured your creation and developed a story.  But what do you call your characters?  Perhaps a name evolves along the way, but if not, where do you turn for inspiration? Sometimes luck strikes and a name appears out of the blue. In Beau Garnie & the Invisimin Mine, Beau’s …

Continue reading