It’s the final weekend of the Public Access Kickstarter campaign! We’re currently trying to unlock our $450K stretch goal, Gathering Dust, a mystery inspired by Needful Things. Please re-post! www.kickstarter.com/projects/gau...

#ScribesAndMakers 4/9: Our next featured creator is a professor. Does any of your work involve professors and/or universities? A WIP -- sequel next month's release -- features a university professor in the field of paranormal folklore and investigation.

#ScribesAndMakers 4/7 Would your current creative project make a good game? As a fan of BRINDLEWOOD BAY and PUBLIC ACCESS, I’d like try @jasoncordova.bsky.social’s innovative TTRPG mystery system in a setting *without* an over-arching supernatural conspiracy as found in those games. 1/2

Bloch’s book STRANGE EONS is probably my favorite Lovecraft-related work.

Sometimes you just need to stare into the void, and say it looks good in that outfit.

For the IMMP #podcast I need to select several episodes of The Love Boat. Is the proper pluralization "Love Boats" or "Loves Boat"?

Went to an actual local shoe store staffed by people who actually know a lot about shoes. Got properly sized shoes for the first time in decades and the whole world is new again.

It feels profoundly unfair that I can't buy a big ebook omnibus with all of Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret stories. I'd happily drop a bunch of money on that, then blow through them like a family size box of Bugles. #mystery #reading

“I’ve never encountered anything like this in a roleplaying game." – Quintin Smith, Quinns Quest, Shut Up & Sit Down. bit.ly/sevenpartpactks #possumcreek #sevenpartpact #playsjgames

And on top of that are all the things I'm jazzed about in other peoples' writing, like: • @delilahsdawson.bsky.social writing a SLEEPY HOLLOW comic! • The @jasoncordova.bsky.social / @gauntletrpg.bsky.social kickstarter for the PUBLIC ACCESS ttrgp!

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/31: What are we celebrating regarding your writing this month? Lots! •For my upcoming book, I got very kind endorsements from peers, and a positive review from Kirkus. •I reread my draft for the next in this series and liked it. (Not always true!) Eager to get back to work.

Somehow the kickstarter for this very cool game finds ways to get even cooler. Fewer than 400 more backers and we get a mystery written by @kierongillen.bsky.social !

What's a good thing to wake up to on a Monday morning? An excellent review from Kirkus for an upcoming book. That's a really good thing to wake up to. #reading #writing #mystery #paranormal #crimefiction www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

Monday morning, waiting for the Weed Man. (Settle down. It’s not that weed man. It’s the lawn service guy who’s supposed to put down fertilizer today.)

#ScribesAndMakers 3/30 Do birds ever feature in your work? Give an example. A tiny bit? In one scene in QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD, Mark -- a psychic who can talk with animals -- appears to have a brief exchange with some rude, snarky sparrows.

Advance copies have arrived! Quite a rush. #writing #reading #mystery #paranormal #psychic youtube.com/shorts/UpokO...

Going to have to start a new notebook for my #bulletjournal at the start of the month. Time to go down to my notebook cellar.

#ScribesAndMakers 3/25: Do you use #music as a storytelling tool? Don't know if this counts as a "storytelling tool," but I wrote a mystery set in 1959 London Soho that takes place in the jazz scene there. Lots of songs mentioned, with specific versions/recordings in mind.

“Every day, once a day, give yourself a present.” - Special Agent Dale Cooper Today’s present: a stop at Corvus Coffee for a cappuccino and a restock of fresh beans.

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/24 Do you have a writerly "third place"? No one specific place, but I like writing away from the distractions of my home or office. For first drafts especially, I'll get away to a library or coffee shop or somewhere else if I can.

#ScribesAndMakers 3/23: Do you consider yourself a frood who knows where their towel is? I keep my towel handy, and I was known as a pretty hoopy frood in my day.

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/23 How do you organise your notes? I used Scrivener for quite a while -- wrote most of my upcoming book there -- but decided I was spending too much time fiddling around. Now I use a paper project notebook, Apple Notes and text files with snippets as needed, and my noggin.

I visited some wonderful coffee shops in Barcelona, but had no idea about the “Corgi Cafes.”

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/21: Do you celebrate any writerly anniversaries or special occasions? I do give a nod to Bloomsday every June 16th. I’d say I read some of Joyce’s ULYSSES in observance of the day, but I’m pretty much never not reading ULYSSES.

#writerscoffeeclub 3/19 Do you need to finish a project before starting another? When it comes to first draft, yes. But when things are going well, I'm likely to have a draft underway and other projects at other stages of development and production.

I'm thrilled that DYING CRY was listed as a Foreword Reviews INDIES Finalist in Mystery for 2025. Congratulations to all the finalists! Go here to see the list: www.forewordreviews.com/awards/final... #amreading #amwriting #K9 #mystery #dogs @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social @akalit.bsky.social

#writerscoffeeclub Mar 18 - What's a writerly gift you've received? My boy @itemcrafting.bsky.social once hand made for me a little sculpture of a book, with an embedded flash drive. That was great, and it still contains backups of several early drafts.

Backed! So many good games on deck for publication this year. At this rate I may have to do something drastic, like make friends so I have people to play with.

Followed on Kickstarter. Been looking forward to this game for quite a while.

Sean Penn played a caricature, a one-note clown. Lindo played a whole, real human with exquisite nuance - someone with a history that he made painfully palpable who still had a capacity for joy and humor. And his physically, forget it. You can’t teach things like that. I’ll never get over this one.

Adventures in Writing: Low Power Edition I’m 30,000 words into a draft of a novel I really want to finish in the next two months. The best copy of that draft is a Scrivener file on an Intel MacBook Pro I haven’t used in more than a year. #writing bymatthewporter.com/adventures-i...

That’s a YES! I’ll be going to Bouchercon — the World Mystery Convention — this October. Looking forward to seeing Calgary again! #writing #mystery

Diane, I’m going to need you to send me a fresh supply of blank micro cassette tapes.

We’re sooo close to hitting our goal of 5000 followers on the Public Access campaign before launch. Help us out and please repost! A quote post with some positive thoughts on the game is a particularly big help! www.kickstarter.com/projects/gau...

Pre-orders for QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD still open! Order now to get your copy when it releases on May 19th. bymatthewporter.com/questions/

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/10: How informal is your prose? Hmm. "Informal but precise." I write mainly in first person or very close 3rd person, so I tend toward conversational language that reflects the character. But my characters are smart people. Their language is mostly grammatical and clear.

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/9 Do you prefer to write complex, intricate plots, or more straightforward ones? I usually start with a straightforward procedural plot, and during the writing process I discover lots of side paths and twists to complexify it. The end result is part planning, part surprise.

Left Coast Crime 2026 - Fun People and Lock Picks Left Coast Crime is always a good event,* and 2026 in San Francisco may have been the best yet. The location was just about a block from the Ferry...

Felt a huge wave of nostalgia when Leslie Karst gave a shout out to SPACE CAT during an interview at #LeftCoastCrime last weekend. inorderbookseries.com/series/space...

Seems like a good time to mention that my book QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD is available to pre-order at *lots of different* online retailers. And your local bookstore. Preorders are fun! They're like sending a present to future-you! #reading #writing #books #mystery bymatthewporter.com/questions/

Seriously considering attending #Bouchercon in Calgary this October. Haven’t been to a Bouchercon since 2019 in Dallas, and I had a great time then.

In keeping with tradition — and early bird pricing — we’re already registered for next year’s #LeftCoastCrime in Santa Fe NM.

Farewell panel for #LeftCoastCrime 2026 in San Francisco. Hard to believe it’s time to say goodbye!

Having a terrific weekend at the #LeftCoastCrime convention in San Francisco. Special thanks to everyone who came to my talk on Thursday about the basics of lock picking for mystery fans! #writing

Enjoying some excellent empanadas and foggy atmosphere at the Ferry Building before the start of Left Coast Crime in San Francisco. #LeftCoastCrime

Are you excited about Left Coast Crime? First day is Thursday, and day passes are available! leftcoastcrime.org/2026/

Looking forward to seeing everyone at Left Coast Crime in San Francisco this week. Mrs Darling Wife and I made a fun giveaway to let people know about my book QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD (coming in May!) If you’re at #LCC check the swag table, or even better come find me and say hello #LeftCoastCrime

#WritersCoffeeClub 2/19: biggest challenge when crafting a satisfying ending? Keeping the main character at the center of the action. 1/2

The Great American Novel is not only a joke but a construct of a world that no longer exists. We don't have the structures to build up a new Bradbury or Hemingway or Morrison. Those institutions that allowed those careers are long gone.

#ScribesAndMakers 2/18. Have you ever or would you ever do your own cover? The cover for Questions for the Dead took a fun path. I looked at covers for books that appeal to the kinds of readers I think would like my book -- private eye stories, unusual characters and off-center humor. 1/4