Mystery Writing-The John Keegan Mystery Series

I am currently finishing Third and Long  the tenth John Keegan mystery and the third in the retro series that goes back to 1999. These books are about murder and investigation, but they rely on characters and the places where they live and visit. My mystery series relies a lot on location. Usually, New York City takes center stage but I try to incorporate the surrounding areas as well. As a native Long Islander, I’ve always been drawn to the unique charm and character of various places in and around New York. While I'm somewhat familiar with these locations, I also undertook a considerable amount of research to ensure authenticity and vividness in the settings. Here’s a look into some of the key locations that breathe life into the story. Long Island: The Heart and Soul Long Island isn’t just a backdrop in "Third and Long"; it’s a character in its own right. Growing up here, I’ve experienced the contrasts between the serene suburban neighborhoods and the bustling, sometim...

We all like a trip to the past. That's what started me on the path to my retro series. My character reminisced about his first case and I decided to explore it. Now I have my main series chugging along and the retro series as well. As a retro computer and game enthusiast, this comes naturally to me, the framing the past as a definer of the present. How we see our younger selves dictates our present state of mind. And, as I am sure you know, our opinion of ourselves at, say, twenty, changes as we get older. For the longest time, I pegged the years of 19-22 as the best years of one's life. Not anymore. Now it's more like 32-38. When I first decided to write a retro mystery series, set against the backdrop of a pre-digital New York City, I had no idea how it would consume my life in the best possible way. It enabled me to also crank up my productivity because the present books have a past as a foundation, so writing the retro books feeds the present ones and vice versa. I'...