Thriller 101

Send me a Text Message!5 Minute WriterArticleLast week's interview with Lori GalvinConnect with Thomas on TwitterLink to Thomas Mullen's websiteConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSWriting opening scenesIncorporating big ideas into your writingUsing existing literature to fuel your writingEPISODE INFO:How many times do you revise your opening scene? If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly concerned with giving away too much information and boring readers in your opening. Or maybe you're worried about going to far the other way and confusing readers by not providing enough context. Thomas Mullen is going to talk through how he nailed the opening of his new novel, BLIND SPOTS, which is out today! I highly recommend you pick it up!BIO: (From ThomasMullen.net)Thomas Mullen is the author of seven novels, including his internationally acclaimed series set in midcentury Atlanta: Darktown, an NPR Best Book of the Year, which was shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Southern Book Prize, the Indies Choice Book Award, and was nominated for two CWA Dagger Awards; Lightning Men, which was named one of the Top 10 Crime Novels of the Year by the New York Times Book Review and was shortlisted for a CWA Dagger; and Midnight Atlanta, which was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. His first novel, The Last Town on Earth, was named Best Debut Novel of 2006 by USA Today and was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction.His works have also been named to Year’s Best lists by The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Irish Times, Kirkus Reviews, The Onion’s A/V Club, The San Diego Union-Times, Paste Magazine, and The Cleveland Plain-Dealer, and have been nominated for or won awards in France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. His stories and essays have been published in Grantland, Paste, The Huffington Post, Atlanta Magazine, Crime Reads, LitHub, and The Bitter Southerner. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and sons.His new novel, Blind Spots, will be published April 4, 2023. Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Send me a Text Message!5 Minute WriterArticleLast week's interview with Author Aaron Philip ClarkConnect with Lori on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSWhat agents are looking for in a clientYour first 5-10 pagesWhat it's like working with an agentEPISODE INFO:Are you looking to land an agent in 2024? In this episode, Aevitas Creative literary agent Lori Galvin is going to share the things you need to know if you want to grab an agent’s attention, both in your query letter and bio, but also when talking to an agent, and even those all-important first few pages. She even shares something I hadn’t heard before from agents about what they’re really looking for in a client. BIO:Lori Galvin is a senior literary agent with Aevitas Creative Management. Previously she worked as an editor at Houghton Mifflin and America’s Test Kitchen. And, she also survived running a b&b in coastal Maine. She represents fiction (crime and book club) and select nonfiction (true crime, memoir, and food writing). A few of her clients include Kwame Onwuachi, Wanda M. Morris, and Sara Goudarzi. Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Send me a Text Message!5 Minute WriterArticleLast week's interview with Ausma Zehanat KhanAaron's WebsiteConnect with Aaron on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSHow to write action scenesUsing our unique experiences to drive our storiesDeveloping your craftEPISODE INFO:No matter what kind of writing you’re doing, you’re going to use have to write movement into your manuscript. So how do you pull off those all-important action moments in a way that helps to reveal character and inform theme? Aaron Philip Clark is here to help us!BIO:Aaron Philip Clark is a native of Los Angeles, CA. He is a novelist, poet, and former Los Angeles Police Department recruit. His first novel, THE SCIENCE OF PAUL: A Novel of Crime (New Pulp Press), was published in 2011. The debut was met with interest and acclaim. Clark followed THE SCIENCE OF PAUL with A HEALTHY FEAR OF MAN (Snubnose Press) published the following year. Both novels featured the morally plagued and emotionally damaged protagonist, Paul Little, as he fought to escape the perils of Philadelphia street culture and return to his deceased grandfather’s farm in North Carolina. Inspired by the works of French existentialists, Clark’s prose reverberated with ideas and philosophies put forth by Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean-Patrick Manchette, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.After leaving his career in law enforcement, Clark returned to higher education and continued his work as an educator teaching college-level English, Creative Writing, and Humanities. During this time, Clark completed THE FURIOUS WAY, a stand-alone thriller, and UNDR COLOR OF LAW, inspired by his experiences with the LAPD. The novel centered on Det. Trevor “Finn” Finnegan, a Black LAPD detective, who is tasked with investigating the murder of a young Black academy recruit amid protests against police brutality and calls for reform. The novel was nominated for an International Thriller Writers Award in 2022, and Clark has more books planned for the series. BLUE LIKE ME, the second Trevor Finnegan novel, will be published on November 8, 2022, by Thomas & Mercer.Clark is completing ALL THE SMOKE, a modern psychological thriller that explores racial identity, Black male trauma, and psychopathy. The story is set in the music industry and takes inspiration from THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and other works by Patricia Highsmith. Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Send me a Text Message!Your Free Editing Outline5 Minute WriterArticleLast week's interview with Johnny Compton Ausma's WebsiteConnect with Ausma on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSWriting tension into your storyThe author-agent relationship Sharing stories that matterEPISODE INFO:There are so many ways to write a novel. But the bottom line is this: you just have to find a way to keep readers reading. And that is what my guest today is going to help us with.Ausma’s novel, BLACKWATER FALLS was able to propel readers through the investigation while always keeping us waiting and hunting for that next clue. We talk about outlines, changes in later drafts, and more! BIO:Ausma Zehanat Khan holds a Ph.D. in international human rights law with a specialization in military intervention and war crimes in the Balkans. Blackwater Falls, her new crime novel on racial justice and policing, was published in November 2022 to rave reviews from the New York Times and the Washington Post. Blackwater Falls is also an Apple Books and Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2022 pick. Khan is the author of the award-winning Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty crime fiction series, which begins with The Unquiet Dead, and the author of the critically acclaimed Khorasan Archives fantasy quartet, which begins with The Bloodprint. She is also a contributor to the anthologies Private Investigations, Sword Stone Table, and The Perfect Crime. A British-born Canadian and former adjunct law professor, Khan now lives in Colorado with her husband.  Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Send me a Text Message!Your Free Editing Outline 5 Minute WriterArticleLast week's interview with Liz AltermanJohnny's WebsiteConnect with Johnny on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSPerfecting your dialogueDeveloping an editing outlineFinding your unique ideaEPISODE INFO:It’s sometimes hard to notice when you’re reading great dialogue because you end up so sucked into the story that pages and pages go by and you’re just barreling through the story. All of a sudden you look up and think to yourself, “Wait, how did that author just do that?” Today’s guest is going to spill all his dialogue secrets. BIO:Johnny Compton’s (he/him) short stories have appeared in Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, The No Sleep Podcast and many other markets. He is an HWA member and creator and host of the podcast Healthy Fears. His debut novel, THE SPITE HOUSE is out now! Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Send me a Text Message!5 Minute WriterArticleLiz's WebsiteConnect with Liz on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSCharacter backstoryHow to find the right communityFinding an agentEPISODE INFO:The dreaded backstory. How much to use? How much to cut out? Are you building character or are you boring readers? My guest today is going to help us!Liz Alterman is an absolute master at developing characters. She is the author of a domestic suspense novel, The Perfect Neighborhood, a young adult thriller, He’ll Be Waiting, and a memoir, Sad Sacked. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, and other outlets.I learned so much about writing by reading her novel The Perfect Neighborhood and by picking her brain about building characters. Liz shares how she started writing, why she writes thrillers, and-most importantly-how she writes them. We talk about strategic backstory and using it enough to build a character, but not so much as to bore a reader. There’s a sweet spot you have to hit. Let’s find out what that sweet spot is!BIO:Liz Alterman is the author of a domestic suspense novel, The Perfect Neighborhood, a young adult thriller, He’ll Be Waiting, and a memoir, Sad Sacked. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, and other outlets. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, three sons, and two cats, and spends most days microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading. Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Send me a Text Message!5 Minute WriterElle Grawl InterviewInterviews referenced in this episode:Editor: Chantelle Aimeé OsmanLiterary Agent: Amy Elizabeth BishopLiterary Agent: Emmy Norstrom HigdonAuthor: Rob HartAuthor: Josh StallingsSubscribe for Aaron Philip Clark & Ausma Zehanat Khan (Coming in Feburary!)Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Send me a Text Message!5 Minute WriterArticleElle's WebsiteConnect with Elle on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSAgent author relationshipEditing your manuscriptUsing your life experiences to influence your fictionEPISODE INFO:Are you wondering what happens after you sign with an agent? Will you go through edits? What will that relationship be like? Today’s guest is going to tell us what to expect when we enter into that important relationship.Today’s guest is debut author Elle Grawl. She is a lawyer, professor, and author of psychological thrillers One of Those Faces (out now) and What Still Burns (coming Aug. 2023).In this episode, I asked Elle all about her querying process, as well as what happened after she signed with her agent. It’s a really interesting part of the process that we don’t hear about too much and I thought it was so interesting. BIO:Elle Grawl is a lawyer by day and writer by night. After obtaining her B.A. in English Literature, she took a detour into law before returning to her love of writing. Her lifelong interest in true crime and experiences as an attorney have provided her with plenty of writing material. Elle enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and their two dogs.  Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Send me a Text Message!5 Minute WriterArticleThe Jordy Albert Literary AgencyConnect with Helen on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSWhat are agents looking for in an author?How to approach the querying processThe state of the publishing industryEPISODE INFO:If you want to land an agent in 2023, you’re going to love this conversation with my guest today.Today’s guest, Helen Lane, is relatively new to this whole agenting thing. She has amazing insights on what it takes to get signed by an agent in 2023!How many queries do agents get? What are they looking for? How are they organizing the workload? All this and more.And as a bonus, she even shares what she’ll be looking for when she reopens this year! So let’s get into the interview!bBIO:Helen Lane started at The Booker Albert Literary Agency as an intern/ assistant having previously interned for other leading agencies. She is a writer of YA and Adult Fantasy. She has a BSc in Environmental Science from the University of East Anglia and a postgrad qualification in Acoustics. She is passionate about books and has spent the last decade working with manuscripts. She lives in London with her family and the world’s naughtiest cocker spaniel.  Helen is actively building her list and represents YA, NA, and Adult. Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now

Send me a Text Message!5 Minute WriterCatherine McKenzie InterviewKatherine Ramsland InterviewGet the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now