For months, my team and I have been secretly working behind-the-scenes on a new project that is truly epic. It’s called the Writer Igniter Thriller Summit and it happens one week from today.

This Thriller Summit is essentially like a free online conference. I’ve hand-picked nine amazing thriller authors who I interview about different aspects of the writing craft and publishing process. As you can see from the picture, this line-up is a veritable who’s who of thriller awesomesauce.

This event is happening between June 7 – 15 and the interviews will be available for a limited time. Make sure you sign up so you can get updates when each new interview airs.

Want in? It’s free to join. Sign up here.

Thriller Summit FAQs

What’s a telesummit and how does it work?

The Thriller Summit is like an online conference, and like its live counterparts, the sessions are only available for a limited window of time. Each day during the summit, we’ll release a new interview, which will be live for 72 hours. During that window you can access it and listen as many times as you want. And get this, it’s FREE!

After the 72 hours are up, the interview will go into the DIY MFA interview vault and will no longer be available to the public. If you miss an interview, don’t panic. I’ll be including these interviews in (spoiler alert!) our new DIY MFA membership community, which I’m unveiling later this summer.

Cool beans, but how do I access the interviews?

Sign up with your email here and you’ll get email reminders each day of the summit with a link to each interview as it goes live. You’ll also get some awesome bonus materials.

When you sign up you’ll get a sneak peek at our schedule so you’ll know exactly which day your favorite author’s interview goes live. Plus you’ll get a bonus worksheet to go with the interviews, so you can take notes as you listen, and put those ideas into action.

Why a time limit? Why can’t we have these for-EVAH?

I know, limits suck, right? Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. Aside from pragmatic reasons (i.e. DIY MFA needs to be a sustainable business and keep the lights on, etc.) there’s another very important reason why we’re limiting the access to these interviews.

While word nerds (myself included) are amazing, brilliant human beings, most of us are also champion procrastinators. I’ve been doing this DIY MFA thing for a long time, and I’ve learned that for most people in this community, an open-ended window can be the kiss of death. The minute we say “I’ll do it tomorrow” we might as well be saying “I’ll do it never.”

We word nerds are busy people, but when we set our minds to something and carve out the time, we get things done. So think of the limited access window as my way of giving you a loving nudge (or shove) away from procrastination. These interviews are among the best I’ve ever recorded, so I really want you to take advantage of this opportunity.

OMG I want the box set! Can I get one?

At the moment, the only way to access these interviews is to listen to them live, or down the road when we open up our members area. As it stands, I don’t have plans to package these as a box set.

That said, I have been known to listen to my word nerds and change things up if you really want me to do something different. I may not listen to authority, but I definitely listen to you guys. So if you feel strongly about this, drop me and my team an email at support[at]DIYMFA[dot]com.

The Thriller Summit starts next week!

Click here to join.

The post Writer Igniter Thriller Summit appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I have the pleasure of chatting with author Danya Kukafka on the show!

Danya’s stunning debut novel, Girl in Snow, received rave reviews right out of the gate from masters of the thriller genre like Paula Hawkins and Lee Child. This achievement is made even more remarkable when you consider that Danya is only 25 years old!

After reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Virgin Suicides, Danya became fascinated by unstable teens in voyeuristic communities. She set out to explore the idea of what would happen if you had a teenage boy who truly doesn’t know if he’s killed someone. How could the reader find empathy for him?

Listen in as we tackle this question and the even bigger question of deciding where the line between YA and adult lies as we discuss Girl in Snow.

 In this episode Danya and I discuss:

• Adult or YA? Deciding which way is right for your story.
• Writing teenage characters that feel real.
• Knowing when to choose a multiple point of view and how to do it right.
• Dealing with the publishing world as an editor and an author.
• How to win the comparison game by sticking to your own writing path.

Plus, Danya’s #1 tip for writers.

About Danya Kukafka

Danya Kukafka is a graduate of New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She currently works as an assistant editor at Riverhead books. Girl in Snow is her first novel, and has received rave reviews from masters of the thriller genre like Paula Hawkins and Lee Child, as well as media outlines like Marie Claire, PureWow, Refinery 29 and Elle .com. Girl in Snow is available now.

To connect with Danya check out her website at www.danyakukafka.com.

Girl in Snow

When a beloved high schooler named Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched—not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters—Cameron, Jade, and Russ—must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both. In crystalline prose, Danya Kukafka offers a brilliant exploration of identity and of the razor-sharp line between love and obsession, between watching and seeing, between truth and memory.

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 DIY MFA makes a small commission at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 176

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio or Google Play and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 176: YA or Adult, Choosing Your Audience — Interview with Danya Kukafka appeared first on DIY MFA.