Ask the Author: Mark S. Bacon
Answered Questions (7)
Mark S. Bacon
I almost wrote a book about this. Long story. While I was in the middle of writing my second Nostalgia City mystery I got a call from authorities in Los Angeles. I was asked to testify at a murder trial based on a news story I'd written as a reporter decades ago.
I did testify at the trial of a person who was already serving a life sentence for his participation in a kidnap and murder. But the DA took him out of jail to prosecute him for a murder that happened prior to his other conviction.
Literally I could have written a book about the case, the suspect and his family. Too much to tell here. At the time I had a contract for the book I was writing and I was only halfway through it. I made lots of contacts and wrote many pages of notes, but I decided to stick with fiction rather than true crime.
I did testify at the trial of a person who was already serving a life sentence for his participation in a kidnap and murder. But the DA took him out of jail to prosecute him for a murder that happened prior to his other conviction.
Literally I could have written a book about the case, the suspect and his family. Too much to tell here. At the time I had a contract for the book I was writing and I was only halfway through it. I made lots of contacts and wrote many pages of notes, but I decided to stick with fiction rather than true crime.
Mark S. Bacon
I read mystery novels for entertainment and escape. Writing a mystery is much the same only I get to decide what the characters do.
Mark S. Bacon
I see to it that I'm inspired enough to sit at the computer every morning and start writing. Some days are better than others, but I don't really wait for a flash of lightning. I just write. Then comes the hard work: editing and revising.
Mark S. Bacon
I'm now writing the fourth book in the Nostalgia City Mystery series. Working title: "The Finger."
Mark S. Bacon
Keep at it. If you love writing, consider that while you’re working on the Great American Novel, you can still be a professional writer by creating other things such as advertising, commercial websites, public relations, speeches, technical manuals/instructions, direct mail, annual reports, ghost writing projects and lots more.
A writer is someone who starts with a blank screen or sheet of paper and produces something that communicates clearly.
A writer is someone who starts with a blank screen or sheet of paper and produces something that communicates clearly.
Mark S. Bacon
The subject of legalizing marijuana has been in the news for a long time. Over the past few years a number of states have approved ballot measures to legalize recreational pot.
The case was slightly different in Arizona as competing factions sought to codify how marijuana would be produced and marketed. Campaign videos and news stories about the different approaches to marijuana marketing flooded the Arizona media.
I thought the idea of dueling marijuana campaigns would make a good starting point for a murder mystery.
The case was slightly different in Arizona as competing factions sought to codify how marijuana would be produced and marketed. Campaign videos and news stories about the different approaches to marijuana marketing flooded the Arizona media.
I thought the idea of dueling marijuana campaigns would make a good starting point for a murder mystery.
Mark S. Bacon
Short answer: I don't believe in writer's block.
Longer answer: I was educated as a journalist and I first went to work as a newspaper reporter. When you're a reporter on deadline, waiting for a flash of inspiration or telling your editor you have writer's block would mean you'd soon be unemployed. I can always compose; sometimes--maybe often--the results are not sterling. But I edit, revise and rewrite.
Longer answer: I was educated as a journalist and I first went to work as a newspaper reporter. When you're a reporter on deadline, waiting for a flash of inspiration or telling your editor you have writer's block would mean you'd soon be unemployed. I can always compose; sometimes--maybe often--the results are not sterling. But I edit, revise and rewrite.
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