Writing fiction

Horror fiction is having a moment, according to data showing 2023 was a record-breaking year for book sales in the genre.

The rise of the unreliable narrator in fiction has made huge success of bestsellers like The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, and Fight Club. The narrators of these stories have compelling tales to share, but what makes them even more exciting and keeps us turning those pages is not what they're telling us... but rather, what they aren't.

A murder mystery needs a detective, of course, and for Guinevere 'Gwinny' Tuffel I drew inspiration from the many amazing women, particularly older women, I've known in my life. I also drew on my own knowledge and experience of acting and showbiz, to give Gwinny an interesting and unusual 'day job' as a semi-retired actress.  Read more

Maria Frances has drawn on a true story for her novel Daughters of Warsaw

After two decades of making our living as mystery authors, we thought, hey, we must have done something right. If you think so, too (or you're simply curious), read on. Just to be clear. This is not a list of mechanical techniques. Much has been written on genre tropes and tricks. This is a list of how we survived them.