Writing workshop takes place today in Charlottetown

What makes for a good mystery novel?

The P.E.I. Writers’ Guild will answer that question with its second crime and mystery-writing workshop on Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Haviland Club from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Three Island authors will talk about things they like to employ in their own crime/mystery novels. They will also engage participants in writing exercises that will explore important elements of crime fiction for their own writing projects.

Bruce McCallum is the author of the 2015 novel, “Death in the Doach Woods”. It’s a story about a couple from P.E.I. who, while hiking in a forest in the south of Scotland, stumble upon a man who has been murdered. They then become entangled in this mysterious case.

Finley Martin is a longtime Island resident who has written two crime novels set in Charlottetown, “The Reluctant Detective” and “The Dead Letter”, which feature detective Anne Brown. He is currently working on the third book in this series.

Patti Larsen, a well-known writer of young adult, paranormal fantasy novels, has recently crossed over to the dark side with her new “Night Shade” series which features a police detective, an anthropologist and a coroner, all women. This series is based on a TV pilot that Patti wrote several years ago.

The cost of this all-day workshop is $40 to members of the P.E.I. Writers’ Guild and $50 to non-members. To register, please contact Bruce McCallum by email at ensight@bellaliant. net or by phone at 902 964-2297. Snacks and beverages will be provided.