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Really? What you are doing is reading about what a writer believes is the mind of a serial killer, something that nobody, probably not even the killer, can know. You are not learning about killers, you are learning about what goes on in the mind of a certain kind of writer.

The Larsson Millennium Series is stunningly good. Never read anything like it. Sadly, he died after writing the series. A bit more here, on my blog: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo « Richard Whittle______PlaypitsPark

Stephen King - On Writing If you are a re writer as well as a reader, you could do worse than read Stephen King's autobiography and treatise on writing. More here: Stephen King is right « Richard Whittle______PlaypitsPark

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The late Stieg Larsson's Millenium series. Three books, the like of which I have never read. Well worth buying or borrowing. Each one is about twice the length of most thrillers out there. Brilliantly written. Never before have I been so totally hooked by a book...

Thanks, John. Interesting site you've got. I liked the extract!

I find it hard to push my writing, I'm no self-publicist, which is probably why I'll never be published. But I have a blog and a website (my daughter-in-law suggested it). I update my blog every couple of days and I have just made big changes to my website. I'd had first chapters of my novels on...

I'm almost embarassed to admit that I didn't read this, I bought it on CD to listen to on a long car journey. Brilliant. An assortment of short stories. I recommend it.

Does anyone have any idea why I can't download e-books from Waterstones? I've detailed it in my blog.

That sounds great. I have had my son and his friends clamouring for the next chapters of my novels. Perhaps I was a little hasty saying 'Never'. But by letting someone close to you read it you really do take a risk. There is always the danger they will say it is good so as not to hurt your feelings.

If 'recently purchased' means I can included the books that came free with my Sony eReader, then I have the complete works of Dickens, Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde!

Are you writing yet? If not why not?

One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson Lustrum - Robert Harris A History of Scotland - Neil Oliver (I'm not a Scot, but I live there, and Scotland has such an amazing history) De Re Metallica - Georgius Agricola (Researching a book I am writing. I don't recommend you buy it unless you have a...

Whoops! Gypsum, not galena. Little grey cells are a bit slow today.

Hardness minerals: The girls can flirt and other quaint things can do talc, galena, calcite, fluorite, apatite, orthoclase, quartz, topaz, corundum, diamond Sorry, I just had to write it - too many years as a geologist to forget it!

Recent purchases: Our exploits at West Poley, by Thomas Hardy Coldharbour, by Adrian Smith One Good Turn, by Kate Atkinson

Speech Recognition Getting stuff on to paper (or into type) fast enough is a problem. I am a two-finger typist, so a few years ago I looked for another way. I tried the Dragon speech recognition program. I spent hours reading set pieces of text aloud from the manual so it could recognise my...

AquaBlue, perhaps you are trying too hard. Try writing more the way you speak, rather than being a writer (if that makes sense). There is too much in that extract. The used car salesman bit - give him a name now, not later. Furillo strolled to the back room, hands in pockets, a smug grin on his...

Between two and three hours a day, when I can - which is probably four days a week. It's not easy to say how many words, as I tend to read through what I wrote the last time and edit, before carrying on, rather like some journalists. At a guess I can write, rewrite and edit one 100,000 page book...

There is another thing - you must READ, the more books the better. Making lists can be an excuse for not getting on and writing, like making a mug of coffee or mowing the grass. When you write a technical or business report or a thesis you have to plan every step. When your write a novel it...

Walk into town. Watch people. Listen to what they say. Think about it. What could they REALLY mean by what they are saying? What does what you see REALLY mean? Who was there before you were? What did they do? What did they think? What happened there? IMAGINATION IS ALL!