Bestselling author Louise Penny does not mince words. In a recent article, she offered the following advice: “If you’re writing your first work of crime fiction, place the body near the beginning of your book—preferably on the first page, perhaps the first sentence. In later books this won’t be as necessary, but agents and editors like it established early, so readers know what they’re getting.”

Excellent advice, but not always possible, as I discovered during the writing of my first novel, A Season for Killing Blondes. After much deliberation and experimentation, I was able to introduce the dead body on Page 3, close enough to the beginning of the book.

As for the first two pages, I decided to highlight the Italian flavor of the cozy mystery.

Continue reading on B.K. Stevens’ blog.