Today I have the absolute pleasure of hosting New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham on the show!

A theater arts major at the University of South Florida, Heather began her career with several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals and bartending. After the birth of her third child, she decided to stay home and that’s when she began to write.

Since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, sci-fi, young adult, and Christmas family fare.

She has been published in twenty-five languages with about 60 million books in print and has been honored with just about every major writing award under the sun, including the  prestigious Thriller Master Award, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romance Writers of America.

Heather has also been featured in several media outlets including People and USA Today, as well as on newscasts such as Today and Entertainment Tonight.

Her newest book, A Lethal Legacy, is a chilling thriller which I read cover-to-cover because I could not put it down!

So listen in as Heather and I chat about this amazing book, and how to craft a fictitious setting that feels real.

In this episode Heather and I discuss:

• Building your world’s lore and mythology.
• How to use your setting to create impending peril and suspense in your plot.
• Why you need to make your readers care about the supporting cast.
• Crafting your villain’s motivations so they ring true for readers.
• Using alternating point of view characters to give a broader view of your story.

Plus, Heather’s #1 tip for writers.

About Heather Graham

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham, majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write.

Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, sci-fi, young adult, and Christmas family fare. She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty-five languages. She has written over 200 novels and has 60 million books in print.

Heather has been honored with awards from booksellers and writers’ organizations for excellence in her work. She is proud to be a recipient of the Silver Bullet from Thriller Writers and was awarded the prestigious Thriller Master Award in 2016. She is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Romance Writers of America.

Heather has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, Mystery Book Club, People and USA Today. She has also appeared on many newscasts including Today, Entertainment Tonight and local television.

To connect with Heather check out her website at www.theoriginalheathergraham.com.

A Lethal Legacy

Treasure or treachery?

Douglas Island sits off the coast of New York State, its imposing cliffs warning away visitors. Still, Finn Douglas has big plans for his inheritance and the rambling manor house that dominates the landscape. He has a vision to turn the island into a resort getaway for overworked city dwellers. But when the broken body of his business partner is found at the base of the rocky escarpment, he fears it wasn’t an accident.

Special Agent Craig Frasier agrees to help his cousin Finn by investigating and, with psychologist Kieran Finnegan at his side, heads to the island. As Craig and Kieran delve into the history of the Douglas estate, they discover that the property comes complete with strange lore and a blood-soaked past. Something evil seems to be lurking in the caverns that run beneath the stony ground. Is there something on the island that someone is willing to kill to protect?

Kieran and Craig take on a dangerous search for the truth, where one false step could send them plummeting to their deaths, and one wrong turn could bring them face-to-face with a killer.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 243

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 243: Crafting Rich Settings — Interview with Heather Graham appeared first on DIY MFA.