Genre Specific

Expert Advice for Writing with Authenticity in Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Other Genres

Science and technology have starring roles in a wide range of genres--science fiction, fantasy, thriller, mystery, and more. Unfortunately, many depictions of technical subjects in literature, film, and television are pure fiction. A basic understanding of biology, physics, engineering, and medicine will help you create more realistic stories that satisfy discerning readers.

This book brings together scientists, physicians, engineers, and other experts to help you.

Want to create believable crime scenes and establish the facts that crack your case? Too many authors cut corners or ignore procedure when finding the evidence in their stories. This guide offers an accurate and accessible overview of crime scenes and the investigative process.

Want to add an autopsy that won't kill your story? Death swings its scythe in every genre, from family funerals to crime scenes to creatures that won't stay buried. This user-friendly, illustrated reference digs into all things posthumous and postmortem.

Want to add blood to your scenes without making a mess? Too many authors get squeamish or sloppy about including the red stuff in their stories. As a research guide, Blood Spatter presents an accurate and accessible gateway into the world of blood spatter and its analysis.

Not all writers are able to be Navy SEALs, but many writers do write about them or have similar characters. So, it helps to have resources on hand that help to bring the skills of these characters to life.

The 100 Deadly Skills series is a pictorial resource that helps with the visualization side of the action that these special characters might do.

In 100 Deadly Skills, get some insight into some the skills that these characters develop to evade detection, escape capture, and to hide the bodies of those they are forced to kill.

Not all writers are able to be Navy SEALs, but many writers do write about them or have similar characters. So, it helps to have resources on hand that help to bring the skills of these characters to life.

The 100 Deadly Skills series is a pictorial resource that helps with the visualization side of the action that these special characters might do.

In 100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition, get some insight into some of the various skills that these characters develop to survive in the wild.

Not everything you see on your favorite crime show is accurate. In fact, a lot of it is flat out wrong. Police Procedure & Investigation helps you get your facts straight about the inner workings of law enforcement. With a career in law enforcement that spanned nearly two decades, author Lee Lofland...

Just because you don't have all the tools and training of a full-time medical examiner doesn't mean you can't learn your way around a crime scene.In Forensics, award-winning author and TV show consultant D.P. Lyle, M.D., takes each area of forensics—from fingerprint analysis to crime scene reconst...

Publisher's note: Naughty Words for Nice Writers was originally published in 2015. It has since been updated with 800 more synonyms and a dozen new categories and writing guides. This is the updated version.If finding the right words for your romantic sex scene is challenging, Naughty Words for Nice...

Discover Deadly Doses to Kill Off Characters

The readers of your crime and mystery stories should be trying to figure out "whodunit"—not wondering why your facts don't make sense. If you want to kill off characters with something poisonous, you need to know how a villain would gain access to such a...

When it comes to writing weapons, most authors shoot from the hip—and miss. The Writer's Guide to Weapons will help you hit your target every time. Firearms and knives have starring roles in a wide range of genres—crime, thriller, war, mystery, Western, and more.

Body Trauma explains what happens to body organs and bones maimed by accident or intent and the small window of opportunity for emergency treatment. Research what happens in a hospital operating room and the personnel who initiate treatment. Use these facts to bring added realism to your stories and novels.

What makes a romance novel a romance? How do you write a kissing book?Writing a well-structured romance isn’t the same as writing any other genre—something the popular novel and screenwriting guides don’t address. The romance arc is made up of its own story beats, and the external plot and theme need to be braided to the romance arc—not the other way around.Told in conversational (and often irreverent) prose, Romancing the Beat can be read like you are sitting down to coffee with romance editor and author Gwen Hayes while she explains story structure. The way she does with her clients. Some of whom are regular inhabitants of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.Romancing the Beat is a recipe, not a rigid system. The beats don’t care if you plot or outline before you write, or if you pants your way through the drafts and do a “beat check” when you’re revising. Pantsers and plotters are both welcome. So sit down, grab a cuppa, and let’s talk about kissing books.

Get an insider's look at who a forensics investigator actually processes the evidence that they collect. This book delves into the techniques used for finding finger prints, ballistics with firearms, DNA criminal analysis, toxicology, and much more. This book is designed for crime writers who want to get the little details right.

While the book is focused on the techniques and procedures used in the UK, many of the techniques presented do spread across the Atlantic to the US.

How do we create fresh stories using this popular romance trope? Are you stuck trying to come up with new and interesting scenarios for your characters?

For 30 years, Karr has also taught the form, winning teaching prizes at Syracuse. (The writing program there produced such acclaimed authors as Cheryl Strayed, Keith Gessen, and Koren Zailckas.) In The Art of Memoir, she synthesizes her expertise as professor and therapy patient, writer and spiritual seeker, recovered alcoholic and "black belt sinner", providing a unique window into the mechanics and art of the form that is as irreverent, insightful, and entertaining as her own work in the genre.

Not all writers are able to be Navy SEALs, but many writers do write about them or have similar characters. So, it helps to have resources on hand that help to bring the skills of these characters to life.

The 100 Deadly Skills series is a pictorial resource that helps with the visualization side of the action that these special characters might do.

In 100 Deadly Skills: Combat Edition, get some insight into how these characters fight.

Secret Baby / Baby on the Doorstep / Accidental Pregnancy

A reference tool for plotting romance stories that are based around a baby trope - covering all romance genres.

How do we create fresh stories using these popular romance tropes?
Are you stuck trying to come up with new and interesting scenarios for your characters?

Twenty years ago Natalie Goldberg’s classic, Writing Down the Bones, broke new ground in its approach to writing as a practice. Now, Old Friend from Far Away—her first book since Writing Down the Bones to focus solely on writing—reaffirms Goldberg’s status as a foremost teacher of writing, and completely transforms the practice of writing memoir.

With articles written by a wide range of authors who write mysteries and thrillers, this book provides an overview of what it takes to write in this genre. Topics range from working with characters and plot through to publishing and legal concerns of the industry.

This book was reviewed by the BW Book Club in June 2023. The book club decided that the book was worth recommending to others, but with the understanding that this book is structured as an overview of a lot of topics. New writers might find this book overwhelming.