J.A. Jance, and using the Setting to show Character POV

In this first post talking about writing techniques, we’ll look at Seattle author J.A. Jance, and examples from one of her J.P. Beaumont novels, Betrayal of Trust.   

As a native Seattlite, I love to read -- and write -- novels based in the Emerald City and its surroundings.  But creating a setting for a book is not just about giving shout-outs to local places and describing the weather (rain, mist, drizzle, rinse and repeat…)  It’s about creating character opinion.  While it’s true that the setting can be a character, it’s more accurate to say that the setting helps to show character.  We can only see the place through the person. 

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Welcome to Larceny is Grand!

The best thing a writer can do, aside from getting words onto paper, is to read.  Sometimes we ride an author's particular roller coaster, and get lost in the story.  But sometimes we have one eye open for sharp turns of phrase, or character development, of deft handling of surprises, or any one of a thousand good things.  These are gifts.

Gifts which I'm not opening as often as I should -- life is busy, delightfully so, and I work best on deadline.  This blog will give me a push to try new works and new authors, and share them.  Not book reviews, but examples of terrific writing techniques across various stripes of mysteries and crime fiction.

The title of the blog is meant to be tongue-in-cheek.  Or maybe just cheeky.  I write crime thrillers with a fair dollop of whodunit and adventure folded in, and Larceny is part of the recipe.  The Grand ingredient comes from visiting conventions and talking online, meeting other writers and readers who love the work as much as I do.

So I hope you'll come back frequently to see what's new at Larceny is Grand, and share your own thoughts on what you're reading, conventions or gatherings you've attended, and the state of the art.  Welcome!