Peter Spiegelman's guest appearances

Peter Spiegelman

Reading And Writing Podcast

Poisoned Pen Podcast

You've Got Five Pages...To Tell Me It's Good

Deanna Raybourn

Victoria Gosling

Todd Scott

Meg Gardiner

Marc Smith

Beatriz Williams

Weston Ochse

Brendan Slocumb

Abigail Dean

Lauren Willig

Joseph Finder

Smith Henderson

Steve Hamilton

Paul Doiron

Taylor Moore

OwlTail

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it! We return to cozy mysteries this week with A Secret About a Secret by Peter Spiegelman. The first chapter is only three pages long, and don't you worry: Spiegelman uses those three pages to his advantage. By using the first-person narrative, we meander through the protagonist's mind as his car travels through an isolated, bleak landscape. While some of these internal musings felt a bit long-winded, I did appreciate the little tastes of what we as readers are getting into: that this protagonist is some sort of investigator who is also occasionally sent to "punish," that he has "Masters" he must answer to, and that he is not so curious about his duties that he cares to learn more about where he's going for his latest assignment and why. The setting is beautifully described and is currently timeless in its way, but the back cover blurbs promise some futuristic details to come our way. By the end of three pages, we learn our protagonist's name--Myles--and that he's going to visit an isolated manor house where someone has died. Why or how? We don't know, but we as readers are eager to find out. What will you, fellow creative, learn in the first five pages? Let's find out!

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages in order to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it! We return to cozy mysteries this week with <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Secret-About-novel-ebook/dp/B09FP3YSLV/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Secret About a Secret by Peter Spiegelman</a>. The first chapter is only three pages long, and don't you worry: Spiegelman uses those three pages to his advantage. By using the first-person narrative, we meander through the protagonist's mind as his car travels through an isolated, bleak landscape. While some of these internal musings felt a bit long-winded, I did appreciate the little tastes of what we as readers are getting into: that this protagonist is some sort of investigator who is also occasionally sent to "punish," that he has "Masters" he must answer to, and that he is not so curious about his duties that he cares to learn more about where he's going for his latest assignment and why. The setting is beautifully described and is currently timeless in its way, but the back cover blurbs promise some futuristic details to come our way. By the end of three pages, we learn our protagonist's name--Myles--and that he's going to visit an isolated manor house where someone has died. Why or how? We don't know, but we as readers are eager to find out. What will you, fellow creative, learn in the first five pages? Let's find out!

You've Got Five Pages, A Secret About a Secret by Peter Spiegelman, To Tell Me You're Good.

Barbara Peters in conversation with Peter Spiegelman

Barbara Peters in conversation with Peter Spiegelman

Peter Spiegelman discusses A Secret about a Secreet

Click here to play on the iPad or iPhone The 57th episode of the Reading and Writing podcast features an interview with Peter Spiegelman, author of Thick as Thieves, Red Cat, Death’s Little Helper’s, and editor of Wall Street Noir. Have you subscribed to the To Be Read e-newsletter yet? Bringing the joy of […]Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/reading-and-writing-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy &amp; Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Click here to play on the iPad or iPhone The 57th episode of the Reading and Writing podcast features an interview with Peter Spiegelman, author of Thick as Thieves, Red Cat, Death’s Little Helper’s, and editor of Wall Street Noir. Have you subscribed to the To Be Read e-newsletter yet? Bringing the joy of […]Support this podcast at — <a href="https://redcircle.com/reading-and-writing-podcast/donations" rel="payment nofollow" target="_blank">https://redcircle.com/reading-and-writing-podcast/donations</a> Advertising Inquiries: <a href="https://redcircle.com/brands" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://redcircle.com/brands</a> Privacy &amp; Opt-Out: <a href="https://redcircle.com/privacy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>

Peter Spiegelman interview - Episode 57