My Writing Resources

When I started writing, I bought or read every book about writing and every reference book I could get my hands on. Then I realized that I was spending all of my time reading about writing instead of actually doing it. I went through my shelf and donated a lot of the books to the Friends of the Library, but there are some that are invaluable resources. Today’s post is about one of those.

I’d like to thank Jackie Layton and Christine Romeril for their recommendation of A is for Arsenic by Kathryn Harkup. (I know it was last spring at Malice, but my “to be read” pile is huge. And that’s a whole other blog post.)

If you love Agatha Christie or British mysteries, you need to check it out. This is a detailed reference on the poisons that Christie was familiar with. In the book, Harkup discusses the fourteen poisons that Christie, who served as a pharmacy technician during the war, used in her novels.

I love how the author provides the scientific explanation for each, real cases, and then Christie’s use in her mysteries. It is a fascinating read, and I learned so much about Christie and her meticulous research.

This is well written and entertaining for Christie fans, even if you’re not interested in the molecular makeup or the scientific details. I found it all fascinating, and this one is going in my collection of must-keeps.

What are some of the resources in your library that other writers should know about?