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Neil Low

Goodreads Author

Born

Seattle, The United States

Website

http://neillow.com

Twitter

TheMasterThief

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers

Influences

Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett ...more

Member Since

June 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/neillow

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Neil Low spins tales of mystery & suspense set in 1940's Seattle. The Alan Stewart Mystery Series from Tigress Publishing includes: Thick as Thieves, Sign of the Dragon, & his latest thriller, Unreasonable Persuasion --which ended 2010 as the #3 trade paperback sold in Seattle (Independent Mystery Booksellers Association).

From shady hotels to catacombs under Chinatown and real-life local murder mysteries, Low expertly weaves elements of Seattles colorful past into the exploits of 1940s Seattle Private Investigator Alan Stewart. Since his debut novel Thick as Thieves (Tigress Publishing, 2008), Low has been receiving solid praise and attention. Noted true crime author Ann Rule strongly endorsed Lows debut, No one c ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Neil Low Given the length and depth of my career in police work, I have lots of material to draw from for my crime stories. And since I prefer to write crime f…moreGiven the length and depth of my career in police work, I have lots of material to draw from for my crime stories. And since I prefer to write crime fiction, I'm in my element almost all of the time. Occasionally, though, I do get stuck with how I want to frame a scene, moving characters in and out and such. In those instances, I usually let the scene percolate for a little bit, maybe a day or two, but I try not to let it go to long. For instance, my W.I.P. involves a complicated mass murder. I led my detectives to the door where the crime occurred and then stopped, trying to imagine how I would have investigated it during my earlier years. I even took the ferry over to where the actual murders happened and tried to absorb as much from the neighborhood as I possibly could. So, by then I had a pretty good feel for the scene, but then I also called one of my friends who worked for me as a Homicide detective. He's one of the best and is still there. He's also very proud of his skill level and doesn't mind sharing a bit. So I posed these questions to him: "How would you break this scene up into manageable pieces? Where would you start first? Your next step? Then what?" Once I was sure we were on the same page I opened the door and let my detectives into the grizzly scene. I treated it just like I would a work assignment, and I didn't stop writing until my detectives got to a natural resting point. The key to this answer is that I treated my sticking point just like I would my work. I found a sounding board to make sure I was making the right moves, and then I plowed ahead. That works very well for me.

Another trick I have is that I write organically; meaning that I don't like to have a detailed plot. Instead, I like my characters to tell me what they're working on and what they need to do next. I do, however, write chapter summaries at the end of my document so that I can quickly review at a glance what I've already written, what the key points were and what might need to be done yet. Every few chapters I go back and read through these bullet points to see where I've come from and in what direction I'm headed. This also provides the benefit of allowing me to see if I missed a logical plot point that the detectives need to pursue to make the case real.

Another favorite technique I use when I'm really stymied is mediation, which I've had formal training in using. I often write in what might be considered a near alpha state, but if inspiration is not coming on its own, I can check my breathing, close my eyes, and walk myself through the meditation. When my blood pressure lowers and I get near where I want to be, then I allow myself to focus on the characters and plot--just like I'm watching a movie on the big screen. I give the characters permission to come out and play, and then when my twenty minutes are up, I jot some quick notes.

A word of caution about the alpha state: It also comes when you're sleeping or near sleeping. Your characters might come out on their own and start to play. Don't squander this opportunity. I keep a notepad by the bed, because it's almost impossible to remember all of the "good stuff" the following morning. I've also woken up at three in the morning with three or four of the next chapters clearly laid out for me. Thank goodness I was smart enough to jump out of bed, boot up the computer, and write it all out while it was fresh. Turned out to be some of my best prose.(less)

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Neil Low The idea for THEATER OF THE CRIME came to me while walking through the Pike Place Market (Seattle) with my publisher, Kristen Morris, when we walked p…moreThe idea for THEATER OF THE CRIME came to me while walking through the Pike Place Market (Seattle) with my publisher, Kristen Morris, when we walked past the Magic Shop. We both turned at the same time, our eyes drawn to a poster of "Alexander: The Man Who Knows" dressed like Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificent. We looked at each other and said, "That's the next story line!"

Carson did a spoof of Alexander, wearing the large turban and supposedly predicting in advance what someone in the audience had asked him on a note inside a sealed envelope. I remembered watching a black and white movie, probably from the 30s or 40s that featured a demonic wizard who could read people's minds. It scared me more than I care to admit. The real life Alexander traveled the West Coast and became quite wealthy with his stage show, but he was a con man who learned his trade as a grifter working the saloons in Alaska during the GoldRush. So for me he represented a research challenge, because I wanted to figure out how his magic act actually worked. It took over a year to learn his trick and other magic acts, appropriate to the era. This wasn't as easy as it seemed, because magicians take a secrecy oath and are not supposed to reveal theirs or other magicians' tricks. It looked for awhile like I was going to have to become a magician to learn how the trick work--but if I did take that step, then I would also have to obey the magician's oath and not tell my readers what I'd been taught! What was the point in that? The research paid off and THEATER OF THE CRIME was the number one bestseller in trade paperbacks at the Seattle Mystery Bookshop, following the launch, and it's continuing to do well there.(less)

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Neil Low’s books

Average rating: 4.2 · 129 ratings · 28 reviews · 21 distinct works • Similar authors

	Thick As Thieves by Neil Low (Goodreads Author), Don Roff (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.97 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2008 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sign of the Dragon by Neil Low (Goodreads Author), Amelia Boldaji (Editor) 4.29 avg rating — 21 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Unreasonable Persuasion by Neil Low (Goodreads Author), Amelia Boldaji (Editor) 4.24 avg rating — 21 ratings — published 2010 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Crazy Love 4.07 avg rating — 15 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Unholy Alliance by Neil Low (Goodreads Author), Peter Atkins (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 4.14 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Deadly Attraction (Alan Stewart & Vera Deward, #5) 4.58 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	INTO THE NIGHT: Sgt. Paul Barnett short story, #1 by Neil Low (Goodreads Author), Kristen Morris (Illustrator) 4.63 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wages of Sin 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2016	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Theater of the Crime 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Theater of the Crime (Alan Stewart and Vera Deward Murder Mysteries Book 6) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Neil Low's Blog

My ground rules

My four fiction novels (fifth one is on its way) have all been based on true events and/or true crimes, and that's the creative wave I'm riding at the moment, so my future works will most likely have a base in reality. I've found many loyal readers are curious about which murders and crimes inspired my writing. In the blog entries that follow I plan to talk about these real life events, what the p Read more of this blog post »

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Published on December 28, 2011 22:04 • Tags: historical, kidnapping, murder, mystery, noir, private-detective, romance, sex, suspense, thrilling, woman-detective

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Neil’s Quotes

“The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business.”
― John Steinbeck

22 likes

“Don’t write what you know—what you know may bore you, and thus bore your readers. Write about what interests you—and interests you deeply—and your readers will catch fire at your words.”
― Valerie Sherwood

tags: writing-craft, writing-from-the-heart

40 likes

“If you’re going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow.”
― Louis L’Amour

tags: writing

34 likes

“One hasn't become a writer until one has distilled writing into
a habit, and that habit has been forced into an obsession.
Writing has to be an obsession. It has to be something as organic,
physiological and psychological as speaking or sleeping or eating.”
― Niyi Osundare

tags: obsession, writing, writing-philosophy

21 likes

“Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.”
― Ovid, Heroides

1300 likes

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Neil’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-5) post a comment »

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message 5: by Neil

Nov 19, 2013 03:42PM

My work in progress, THEATER OF THE CRIME, has just gone to my publisher and is in editing, as we speak. The great news is that the publisher loves it and the editor has told her that he likes reading my work. (Hooraahh!!) We're hoping for a February, 2014 release date.

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message 4: by Neil

Jan 31, 2013 11:02AM

Thank you, Maria! Enjoy!

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message 3: by Ceri (last edited Jan 31, 2013 03:20AM)

Jan 31, 2013 03:20AM

Thanks for the add to friends! Your book is on my want to read list.

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message 2: by Beth

Jan 05, 2010 03:24PM

Hi Neil,
Thanks for befriending this mystery author on Goodreads! I hope you'll put my books, A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Handbasket, on your to-read list. If you'd like to enter a contest for a free copy of To Hell in a Handbasket, sign up for my email newsletter at: http://bethgroundwater.com/ . And a very happy new year to you!
- Beth

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message 1: by Don

Jun 09, 2008 06:32PM

That's a sweet photo!

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