Hi, Kari here!

Earlier this week I posted my first 4 tips to getting your murder mystery published from my recently distributed article.  As promised, I am now going to share the final four tips.

Remember, if we 3 sisters can do it, so can you!  Our debut mystery book, LIAR LIAR, is scheduled for release September 2010. My sisters and I signed a two book contract with Poisoned Pen Press and are completing the second mystery novel in the Cat DeLuca series now.

Without further ado here are tips 5 through 8 for having your mystery fiction writing published:

5 –      Write authentically.  Write from that place within you that loves the mystery. Know your readers want to be entertained. They want to experience suspense, laughter, sadness, anticipation, tension, fear, relief, and (finally) satisfaction when they read your book. It's your job to take them there.

6 –      Write a sharp, eye catching query. Send out a bunch of them. Keep writing fiction while you wait for responses. Work on your next book. It'll keep you from getting too crazy. Don't isolate yourself. You are part of a community of writers. Attend writer's workshops, book clubs and classes. Use every resource you can think of to improve your skills and publishing odds. 

7 -    Go after every rejection slip. Find out why you were turned down and if your manuscript needs fixing, fix it.

8 -    Manuscript preparation tips. Publishers may discard your manuscript just because the punctuation and poor spelling irritates them. Editors have a bunch of anal-retentive rules. Take them seriously. If you need help, hire a starving college student or copywriter.

Well there you have it. The bottom line is to find your passion and stick with it. Sounds cliché, but we all know it is true.  We'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Drop us a line or send us an email.

Now good luck and get writing!