~ NONFICTION ~

by
Kathy Lynn Emerson

WINNER OF THE AGATHA AWARD
Best Nonfiction of 2008

HOW TO WRITE KILLER HISTORICAL MYSTERIES
The Art and Adventure of Sleuthing Through the Past
Perseverance Press
trade paperback orignal
ISBN 978-1-880284-92-6
$14.95

From the Publisher:
HOW TO WRITE KILLER HISTORICAL MYSTERIES
by Kathy Lynn Emerson
Subtitled The Art and Adventure of Sleuthing Through the Past, this useful guide will inspire and delight writers and readers of historical mystery fiction. The popular genre features the amateur sleuth or early PI/police-equivalent confronted with crime at any period during the last few thousand years, and is an enjoyable and memorable way to experience history up close and personal, combined with an intellectual puzzle. Ranging from Samurai Japan to turn-of-the-twentieth-century New York, from Medieval and Renaissance Europe to the American frontier, these books open a vast historical panorama to the curious reader who enjoys murder and mayhem along with past mores and morals.
Veteran historical novelist-nonfiction author Kathy Lynn Emerson published her first mystery back in 1985. How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries is her thirty-sixth published book, and it draws on her experience in researching, writing, selling, and sustaining both her Lady Appleton series, set in Elizabethan England, and her Diana Spaulding series, taking place in the U.S. in the 1880s. This unique reference book also includes the contributions of more than forty other historical mystery writers. Their books’ backgrounds and settings are as diverse as Ancient Egypt and Rome, antebellum New Orleans, early Constantinople, Jazz Age England and Australia, Depression-era California, Victorian London, and 18th-century Venice. Emerson’s book includes the authors’ anecdotes, practical advice, and suggestions for research—as well as additional input from assorted editors, booksellers, reviewers, and fans.
How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries is a useful, complete, and fascinating guide that no mystery or history buff should be without. For the published or the aspiring historical fiction writer who wants to bring the past alive, it’s a must-read.
Advance Praise:
from Carolyn Wheat, author of How to Write Killer Fiction:
"I can't imagine a question about historical mysteries that isn't answered here. The past is a foreign country, and Kathy Lynn Emerson is a wonderfully informative tourguide. Do not start writing your historical mystery without this book!"
from Hallie Ephron, author of Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel
"Kathy Lynn Emerson takes the mystery out of writing a historical mystery. The book is a comprehensive guide, full of seasoned advice and rich examples."
From the Reviewers:
review by Marv Lachman in Deadly Pleasures:
"Kathy Lynn Emerson’s HOW TO WRITE KILLER HISTORICAL MYSTERIES from Perseverance Press is the best book about writing mysteries that I have ever read. Even if not read as a “how-to” book, it is a splendid introduction to this sub-genre of the mystery, at all times informative and lively reading."
review by Jon L. Breen in Mystery Scene:
"One of the best specialized technical manuals in the crime fiction genre."
review by Susan Cook in Historical Novels Review:
"I actually had to remind myself to write a review of this book, as I was so busy putting it to use. It is an excellent introduction for writers starting out in the genre as well as a handy reference guide and encouragement for the more experienced."
review by Christine Zibas in Reviewing the Evidence:
"This wealth of information is a gold mine for anyone interested in the world of historical mysteries, whether he or she is a would-be author or not."

Available from both online and brick and mortar bookstores or order direct from the publisher, Perseverance Press

Interested in arranging for Kathy Lynn Emerson to present a historical mystery writing workshop?
Click here for information:
Click here for a schedule of upcoming workshops and other appearances

OTHER NONFICTION BY KATHY LYNN EMERSON

A WHO'S WHO OF TUDOR WOMEN

A Who's Who of Tudor Women contains 622 mini-biographies of women who lived during the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. It grew out of the author's earlier published work, Wives and Daughters: The Women of Sixteenth Century England (1984), which remained in print until 2009. This is an updated version of that book, completely revised and with many new entries. It is also the text-only e-book edition of an online version found at KateEmersonHistoricals.com. The text of this e-book matches what was at that URL as of late February 2010. Additional material will continue to be added to the online version as it becomes available.
Why buy an e-book when you can read it for free on line? Convenience. Here everything is gathered together in one place and easy to search. Click on the cover for more information.

The Writer's Guide to Everyday life in Renaissance England

Writer's Digest Books (1996)
out of print but available as an e-book

THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO EVERYDAY LIFE IN RENAISSANCE ENGLAND
(revised and expanded edition)
click on the cover to order
"Even if you're not writing historical fiction, this volume is full of fascinating period information."
(Booklist)

Making Headlines: A Biography of Nellie Bly

Dillon Press (1989)

Biography of the nineteenth-century newspaper reporter.
Written for ages 8-12.

Wives and Daughters: The Women of Sixteenth Century England

Whitston Publishing Co. (1984)
"An invaluable reference book for scholars of the Renaissance
as well as for librarians, genealogists, and Women's Studies specialists."
(Virginian Pilot and Ledger-Star)
PLEASE NOTE: This book was written in 1980 and published in 1984. With the advent of the Internet and search tools like Google Books, many more resources became readily available. Wives and Daughters is hopelessly outdated. Please see A Who's Who of Tudor Women (above) instead.

© 2008-10 Kathy Lynn Emerson. All rights reserved.
Last updated 3/12/2010