Thriller 101

Send me a Text Message!5 Minute WriterArticleCatherine's WebsiteConnect with Catherine on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSGetting and implementing feedback that keeps your storyImportance of surrounding yourself with people you trustPlanning for your debut nowEPISODE INFO:Have you wondered what project you should be taking on? Do you have multiple works in progress rolling around in your head (or on your computer)? You’re not alone. As writers it feels like we face so much rejection that we start to second guess ourselves. What’s going to sell? What’s going to land you an agent? In the end, you already know which project you need to be working on. But let’s have my guest today tell you why you already know!BIO:Catherine McKenzie was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. A graduate of McGill in History and Law, Catherine practiced law for twenty years before leaving the practice to write full time. An avid runner, skier and tennis player, she’s the author of numerous bestsellers including HIDDEN, FRACTURED, THE GOOD LIAR and I’LL NEVER TELL. Her works have been translated into multiple languages and PLEASE JOIN US and I’LL NEVER TELL have all been optioned for development into television series.Her next novel, HAVE YOU SEEN HER, is releasing on June 27, 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!Happy New Year! I know I've been sporadic about publishing during the last few months. So I wanted to explain WHY and then make a New Year's resolution that pertains to you. But first I want to just say thank you. You've all been amazing about supporting me. You've connected with me on Twitter. You've rated and reviewed the podcast and recommended it to writing friends. I can't thank you enough for all that.But what today is about is about 2023 and what that holds for Writerly Lifestyle. This one is going to be short and to the point!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!17 Things to Think About When Talking to an Agent/PublisherArticleJessica's WebsiteFirst Interview with JessicaInterview with Katherine RamslandInterview with Bryan YoungConnect with Jessica on TwitterConnect with David on Twitter3 BIG TAKEAWAYSGetting and implementing feedback that keeps your storyImportance of surrounding yourself with people you trustPlanning for your debut nowEPISODE INFO:What should you be doing NOW to have a successful debut launch? Jessica Payne helps us understand the ins-and-outs of preparing for a writing career.Are you wondering what you can be doing right now to launch a successful debut book? Whether you’re agented or not, even if you’re just querying or even still editing or drafting. I asked Jessica Payne this exact question. After successfully launching her career with her debut novel MAKE ME DISAPPEAR, then following it up with another great launch of yet another fantastic thriller THE LUCKY ONE. Jessica knows a thing or two about what you can do NOW so that your launch goes smoothly even if it’s months or years from now.Last time on the podcast I talked to Bryan Young who shares how he finds readers for his fiction through his other interests. It’s a great pairing for this episode with Jessica Payne. So if you liked this and want to learn more about what you can do to plan for your writing career, definitely check that episode out.BIO:Jessica grew up in Kansas City, later moving to the Pacific Northwest where the mountains and Puget Sound became home. Beyond writing, she loves to run, rock climb, and explore the great outdoors with her daughter and husband. She is also an RN. When holding still, which isn’t often, you’ll find a book in her hand and a cat or dog in her lap. Jessica writes suspense and thriller and is the host of #MomsWritersClub on Twitter and YouTube. 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 WriterArticleConnect with Bryan on TwitterLast week on the interview series I talked to author, Katherine Ramsland. She shared how to turn the true stories we hear into fiction. First Interview with Jessica Payne. (Be sure to subscribe for new Jessica Payne interview in the coming weeks!)3 BIG TAKEAWAYS Using nonfiction to build a communityHow to find writing opportunitiesWriting what you loveBIOBryan Young (he/they) works across many different media. His work as a writer and producer has been called "filmmaking gold" by The New York Times. He's also published comic books with Slave Labor Graphics and Image Comics. He's been a regular contributor for the Huffington Post, StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider magazine, SYFY, /Film, and was the founder and editor in chief of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot! IN 2014, he wrote the critically acclaimed history book, A Children’s Illustrated History of Presidential Assassination. He co-authored Robotech: The Macross Saga RPG has written two books in the BattleTech Universe: Honor's Gauntlet and A Question of Survival. He teaches writing for Writer’s Digest, Script Magazine, and at the University of Utah. Follow him on Twitter @swankmotron. 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!Join the 5-Minute Writer Series!I'm sharing the 3 most important lessons I learned about storytelling while listening to a True Crime Podcast!My wife and I took our two kids to visit my sister over Thanksgiving. And like any parent knows on a long trip, the kiss of death when traveling with young kids is talking too much once they’ve fallen asleep. So we queued up a podcast, and as soon as we heard snoring from the backseat, we started listening to Up and Vanished, a true crime podcast about a 10 year old cold case of a missing woman.While I listened, it made me think a lot about how we write fiction (and specifically suspense, thriller, mystery, horror, and crime fiction). Interview with Katherine RamslandInterview with Rob HartInterview with Josh StallingsGet 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 WriterAuthor: Bianca Marais InterviewLiterary Agent: Kimberly Brower Interview 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 WriterArticleConnect with Katherine via FacebookLast week on the interview series I talked to author, Emmy Nordstrom Higdon. They shared how to write diversity into our stories. First Interview with Jessica Payne. (Be sure to subscribe for new Jessica Payne interview in the coming weeks!)3 BIG TAKEAWAYS Turning real life ideas into fictionTrusting your narrative voiceStudying great writingBIOKatherine Ramsland has played chess with serial killers, dug up the dead, worked with profilers, and camped out in haunted crime scenes. As a professor of forensic psychology and an investigative consultant (like her main character, Annie Hunter), she’s always vigilant for unique angles and intriguing characters. She spent five years working with “BTK” serial killer Dennis Rader to write his autobiography, Confession of a Serial Killer , and has been featured as an expert in over 200 true crime documentaries. The author of 69 books, she’s been a forensic consultant for CSI, Bones  and The Alienist , an executive producer on Murder House  Flip and A&E’s Confession of a Serial Killer , and a commentator on 48 Hours, 20/20, The Today Show, Dr. Oz, Nightline, Larry King Live, Nancy Grace  and other shows. She blogs regularly for Psychology Today  and once wrote extensively for CourtTV’s Crime Library. She’s become the go-to expert for the most extreme, deviant and bizarre forms of criminal behavior, which offers great background for her Nut Cracker Investigations series. I Scream Man  is the first novel in the series. 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 WriterArticleEmmy's Manuscript Wish ListConnect with Emmy on Twitter!Connect with David on TwitterLast week on the interview series I talked to author, Josh Stallings. He shared how to write unique and three-dimensional characters by avoiding cliche's.Interview with Christopher Golden.3 BIG TAKEAWAYS Writing real charactersFinding people you trust to work withHow our life experiences can drive our fictionBIOemmy (they/them) holds a PhD in justice-oriented social work with a focus on critical animal studies. They are a member of the planning team for the Festival of Literary Diversity, a faculty member at the Manuscript Academy, and a literary agent at Westwood Creative Artists. They are a queer, trans, and non-binary colonizer based in Tkaronto (Toronto, Ontario). emmy lives with their partner, a Deaf Dalmatian named Pavot, two formerly feral Maine coon cats, Whisper and Willow, and their collection of plants, informally nicknamed The Leafy Bois. They keep busy with vegan cooking, thread painting embroidery, crochet, wholesome video games, snail mail, their sticker collection, and… obviously, 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 WriterArticleJosh's WebsiteConnect with Josh on Twitter!Connect with David on TwitterLast week on the interview series I talked to Rob Hart, author of six novels. He shared how he develops suspense early in a novel to keep readers engaged. 3 BIG TAKEAWAYS Writing real charactersFinding people you trust to work withHow our life experiences can drive our fictionBIOJosh Stallings’ latest book TRICKY, was listed by Library Journal as one of the ten best crime books of 2021. YOUNG AMERICANS, a disco heist novel was nominated for the Lefty and Anthony awards. Born in Los Angeles, and raised by counter-culture activists in Northern California, he grew up an undiagnosed dyslexic and spent some time as a petty criminal and failed actor before becoming a movie trailer editor. He, his wife, and two wonderful mutts now live in Idyllwild. TRICKY, was written in honor of his son Dylan, who is intellectually disabled.  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 WriterRob Hart Full InterviewLee Childs ArticleGet 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