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#5onFri: Five Tips for Writing a Successful Series

DIY MFA Team — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 12:30:00 +0000

All authors dream of their own version of success: perhaps it’s making a living from their writing; or resonating with their readers; or receiving rave reviews… I have done all of these things and more by writing in a series, and today, I want to share my top five tips for doing just that.

What exactly is a series?

Put simply, a series is a set of connected novels or a multi-novel story that usually shares a common story arc, common characters and/or common settings.

A series can be dynamic: where the story arc spans the course of multiple books. Each book builds upon the last, following the development of one or more characters and a timeline of events.

A series can also be static/episodic: we can follow the same character, but over the course of multiple books, that character remains much the same. They don’t have a big metamorphosis as the series evolves. Instead, a static series is more like episodes or installments, where each book contains a new obstacle or adventure that the protagonist must overcome before the end of the book.

Of course there will always be outliers and exceptions to the rules, or a blend of both, but for the sake of simplicity, let’s stick to the above for now.

So now that we’ve got that covered, let’s explore my top five tips for writing one…

1. Do your research

One mistake I see authors make time and time again is skipping this step and jumping straight to the writing. However, doing the prep work and research prior to writing is incredibly important in order to set it up for success from the get-go.

What do I mean by research? I mean…

Studying comparative titles (the titles that would sit alongside yours on the shelf)
Studying the common structure of a series in your chosen genre: are dynamic or static series more common?
Pulling out popular tropes and themes to apply to your own work
Understanding the genre expectations (eg. a happily ever after in romance, solving the murder in a crime thriller)

Understanding and utilizing this research will place you in a much stronger position for success.

2. Understand the importance of Book #1

Your opener will set the stage for the rest of your series, not only in terms of your story arc and character development, but for your sales and financial success. The sales figures of your series starter determine the sales of the rest of the series. Only a certain percentage of people who read book one will go on to read book two; only a certain percentage of those readers will go on to read book three; and so forth. This is the nature of all series publishing.

Which means that the pressure is on when it comes to perfecting that first book. It needs to set up and meet reader expectations not only for that installment, but also hook those readers for the rest of the series.

3. Keep a series bible

This is a document where you record various details about your series as a reference point. It can be digital or in a notebook, and the level of detail is completely up to the individual author.

For example, my fantasy series bible contains:

Rules about the magic system
Descriptions of settings
A list of the cast of characters and which book they’re introduced in
Descriptions of the government/monarch

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. However, this can be as brief or as extensive as you like. The point of it is to make your life easier when you’re several books in and need a quick refresher rather than re-reading your own work.

This is something I wish I had done when I wrote my first series—it would have saved me a lot of headaches further down the line.

4. Each book should be a complete experience

Ever heard of middle book syndrome? Or someone complaining, “the sequel wasn’t as good as the original?” These are usually a sign of an incomplete arc in a mid-series book.

Although a series is an ongoing story arc, it’s important that each book contains its own complete narrative that leaves the reader satisfied.

For example, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the book arc is “Will Harry win the TriWizard Tournament?”, which is an arc that gets resolved by the end of the book. However, the series arc, “Will Harry defeat Voldemort?” is built upon, but not resolved.

5. End each book before the finale with a hook

What draws readers from one chapter to the next? And from one book in a series to the sequel? And the next book? And the next?

After you’ve offered a resolution to the story arc of the individual book, you still need to keep your readers intrigued enough to buy the next book. How do you do this? At the core of every reader’s motivation for reading is that there’s something they want to know, and it’s the author’s job to fuel this drive with unanswered questions, clues, and hints at a future to come.

In other words, a hook. Introduce a hook at the end of each book (except the finale) in order to guide readers from one book to the next.

Of course, this advice is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to writing a successful series; a task that can sometimes feel a tad overwhelming. However, I’ll leave you with these final words: a successful series doesn’t come together overnight. It comes together piece by piece, layer by layer… and with solid research and a thorough understanding of the types of series in your genre.

Helen Scheuerer is the fantasy author of the bestselling trilogy, The Oremere Chronicles and the Curse of the Cyren Queen quartet. Her work has been highly praised for its strong, flawed female characters and its action-packed plots. Recently, she has also delved into publishing advice for authors with her debut nonfiction book, How To Write A Successful Series.

Helen’s love of writing and books led her to pursue a Bachelor of Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong and a Masters of Publishing at the University of Sydney. Now a full-time author, Helen lives amidst the mountains in Central Otago, New Zealand and is constantly dreaming up new stories.

Click here to pre-order her book, How To Write A Successful Series: Writing Strategies For Authors.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The post #5onFri: Five Tips for Writing a Successful Series appeared first on DIY MFA.

Cozy to Cold-Blooded: My Auto-Buy Series, Part 2

angela@diymfa.com — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 13:30:00 +0000

Last time, I shared part 1 of this list of auto-buy series, so today you get part 2 of my auto-buy series. You will get the authors next time and will probably be surprised at the different types of books.

I recently realized that in the course of writing this column, I haven’t shared my personal favorite mysteries yet. So I recently decided to share the books I don’t even read a description of before clicking buy, the ones I binge in between reading for my column or researching for my book—the books I auto-buy. It turned out I had a much longer list of auto-buys than I thought. I ended up dividing it into series and authors.

Here are the rest of my auto-buy series:

Lady Darby series by Anna Lee Huber

Premise: This series has a very interesting premise, inspired by the 19th-century hysteria surrounding the stealing of corpses from cemeteries in order to provide cadavers to medical schools (and profit from it, of course). Inevitably, the notorious Burke and Hare came up with the idea of producing the cadavers themselves (i.e. murdering people), which greatly increased the already strong stigma and suspicion surrounding “anatomists.”

Lady Darby’s husband, Sir Anthony, just happens to be part of this profession. He forces Kiera (Lady Darby) to not only witness the dissections but assist him by drawing pictures for medical textbooks.

Sir Anthony has, thankfully, died and Kiera is staying with her sister and her family at their estate. Kiera hides away and attempts to heal through her passion for painting. But a house party shows her that no one has forgotten her past and she falls under suspicion when a guest turns up dead in the garden. While some suspect her, her brother-in-law asks her to use her knowledge of anatomy to assist the handsome but irritating Sebastian Gage in his investigation.

No. in the series: 9 plus two novellas, one of which is in the anthology The Deadly Hours (The next is due 4/19/22.)

Why It’s an Auto-Buy: The original premise drew me in. I hadn’t heard of the controversy and scandal surrounding anatomists before I read this series. The plot, the writing, Keira, and the chemistry between Keira and Sebastian kept me reading. I love Keira’s thoughtful, quiet nature and her passion for painting. I blitzed through what was available when I first started and have been excited for every new installment.

Detective Lavender series by Karen Charlton

Premise: This charming series is set during the Regency period in London, a time I haven’t naturally gravitated toward in books before. The series begins in 1809. This series also introduced me to the Bow Street Runners, London’s first professional police, who covered the Bow Street Parish.

Detective Stephen Lavender is a bachelor devoted to his job of protecting London from criminals. He is intelligent and sophisticated. Constable Ned Woods wouldn’t ordinarily be working cases with a detective. But he and Lavender work well together and the detective requests his help when needed on a case. Woods is a family man and rough around the edges. He is smart, but his talent lies more in persistence and understanding people.

No. in the series: 6, plus 4 short stories

Why It’s an Auto-Buy: Lavender and Woods are a great team and I love to read about them bashing about London and the countryside solving cases together. They are funny on their own (particularly Woods), but the contrast between their personalities and stations in life brings humor and heart. Author Charlton has obviously done her homework and brings the Regency era to life on the page.

This series definitely has elements of romance, but I would put them firmly in the category of historical mystery. If you enjoy a light-hearted and quick, but immersive historical read, this series is for you.

Susan Ryeland series by Anthony Horowitz

Premise: The first two installments in this series (how I hope there will be more) detail the adventures of Susan Ryeland, the editor for crime writing superstar Alan Conway, whose books about detective Atticus Pund are wildly popular. Conway has died and it is Ryeland’s job to edit his last novel. As she reads it, though, she senses something different about this final effort. And the reader gets to ride along, as the final Pund book is contained within the narrative of Magpie Murders.

The second installment, The Moonflower Murders, is similarly twisty and also contains a book within a book, which makes both books quite long, but the pages fly by. Susan Ryeland is visited at her new home at a hotel on a Greek island by a couple looking for their daughter, Cecily. The Trehearnes own an upscale hotel called the Farlingaye, once visited by the late Alan Conway, creator of detective Atticus Pund. As Alan’s former editor and solver of the mystery in Magpie Murders, the Trehearnes want Susan’s help.

A murder occurred the weekend of Cecily’s wedding years ago. Conway happened to be at the hotel that weekend. He promised never to write about it but reneged (probably never intended to keep the promise in the first place) in a later Atticus Pund book. Cecily recently began to read the book, told her parents (who were out of town) that the book revealed that the real murderer was not the one in prison for the crime, then promptly disappeared while walking her dog. The Trehearnes want Susan to reread the book she originally edited and help them find Cecily and the real killer.

No. in the series: 2

Why It’s an Auto-Buy: These books are set in the literary world and fiendishly clever. If you love puzzles and twisty, book and detail-oriented mysteries where everything comes together with a click leaving you marveling, then these are the books for you.

Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman

Premise: Joyce, Ron, Ibrahim, and Elizabeth are residents of Cooper’s Chase retirement home and members of the Thursday Murder Club. Every week they meet in the Jigsaw Room and examine cold cases in hopes of a breakthrough. When a local is murdered, the quartet decides to investigate and in the process, secrets in their past are revealed. But they end up bonded tighter than ever.

In the second installment, murder comes to Cooper’s Chase itself. A mysterious stranger from Elizabeth’s past shows up needing shelter from bad guys on his tail. But then the first body pops up, soon followed by more.

No. in the series: 2 (The next is due 9/13/22.)

Why It’s an Auto-Buy: These characters are funny, smart, and a delight to spend time with. Their wry acceptance of the tribulations of aging, their determination to still get out there and solve crimes, and their devotion to each other are heartwarming. I hope I’m like these people when I get older.

The crimes and plotting are absorbing and the writing excellent, but the characters and the setting are what set this series apart. These books are just wonderful and practically read themselves.

Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffiths

Premise: Griffiths is more well known for her Ruth Galloway series (which I haven’t read yet, but already have the first one loaded on my Kindle), but my favorite right now is this series about the police detective daughter of Indian immigrants. She still lives with them and has not told them she is gay. This awkward situation is made easier by the fact that Harbinder doesn’t have much time for a personal life due to her job.

Much as I like Harbinder, this series isn’t really about her. It’s about the stories. In fact, I didn’t even know this was a series until the second was published last year. The two books are very different from each other, but they share Harbinder as the detective, England as their setting (although the second one is partially set in Scotland), and writers as characters.

The first book, The Stranger Diaries, is one of my favorite books ever. It is exactly the type of book I want to write. It’s set in a high school that is the former home of writer R.M. Holland, famous for writing a horror story called “The Stranger” and for possibly murdering his wife. One of the main characters is English teacher Clare Cassidy, who specializes in researching Holland and teaches his story in her classes.

The story begins with the news that Clare’s friend and fellow English teacher Ella Elphick was stabbed to death in her home. A note left next to her body reads “Hell is empty.” Not long after, the words “Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me” appear in Clare’s diary in unfamiliar handwriting.

The Postscript Murders has an amazing plot setup. An elderly woman named Peggy is found dead in a chair in her apartment. She is discovered by her caretaker, Natalka. Nothing strange about an old woman dying, right?

Until Natalka packs up Peggy’s apartment and discovers scores of crime novels dedicated to Peggy, thanking her for “the murders.” It turns out that Peggy was a murder consultant, concocting outlandish murders for mystery authors. When a gunman shows up and steals one of the books from Natalka, she knows she needs to involve the police. They officially don’t believe her, but Harbinder can’t quite let it go. Then the author of the book stolen from Peggy’s apartment turns up dead and Harbinder goes full speed ahead with the investigation.

No. in the series: 2

Why It’s an Auto-Buy: Griffiths’s plot setups are simply ingenious and she manages to deliver on their promise in her narratives. Harbinder is smart, snarky, and excellent company during her narration. I love how she relaxes playing Panda Pop. The other characters are worthy narrators as well, with Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin being especially funny and endearing in the second book.

Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny

Premise: Armand Gamache is the head of homicide for the Surete du Quebec, the province of Quebec’s police force. A case takes him to the small village of Three Pines in the Quebec countryside, not far from the border with Vermont. Little does he know that this village and its residents will change his life in extraordinary ways.

No. in the series: 17, plus one short story (Some have different titles in Canada and the UK.)

Why It’s an Auto-Buy: Gamache is a complex hero. He has a deep commitment to Justice and an unshakeable belief in morals. But he understands the nature of evil, how murders are often sparked by something that happened long before that life was taken. His methods of investigation and training younger detectives are a bit unorthodox, but they produce fine detectives who are also fine people and firmly devoted to him. He returns that devotion.

This series has a ton of characters and every single one is remarkable. Penny gives each one individuality and nuance and allows them to grow over the span of the series.

Penny is also a plotter par excellence. Every book contains its own mystery and there is an overarching problem of corruption in the Surete and provincial government that continues for much of the series. Penny somehow keeps track of all of these characters and plot strands, delivering excitement, humor, and warmth, as well as moments of deep sorrow and tragedy. This woman knows how to tear your heart out. But you let her because these characters and Three Pines and these stories are just that damn good.

Vera Stanhope series by Ann Cleeves

Premise: Northumberland detective Vera Stanhope may lead a police force in the city, but she still lives in her childhood home in the country. The country is in her blood and she has an understanding of its residents that other police officers lack. She is bossy—I mean that as a compliment—and brilliant with a caustic wit, but a good heart. She cares for her team as well as crime victims and their families and endeavors to show it, as well as to make up for it when she blunders and hurts them.

Vera is noticeable at a crime scene, thanks to her age, sex, and lack of fashion sense. People often don’t realize at first that she’s with the police or a high-ranking detective and underestimate her due to her appearance. But once they’ve seen what she can do, they greet the figure in the trademark bucket hat and trench coat with respect, even awe.

No. in the series: 9, plus one short story

Why It’s an Auto-Buy: One word: Vera. She is the heart of these books. They are brilliantly written and plotted, but Vera sets this series apart. She knows who she is and is true to that, even when she painfully considers that her mother’s death and her father’s poor parenting might have cost her some things. She works hard, loves hard, and eats hard and she doesn’t give much of a damn what people think about that. A woman after my own heart.

The books are gripping and enjoyable, but Vera and Ann Cleeves’s writing give them something extra. Cleeves has that magic touch, which is hard to define, but you know it when you’re reading it. It’s what I mean when I say the books practically read themselves.

Tell us in the comments: do you have any auto-buy series?

Sara Farmer lives in Austin, TX, with her husband, three kids, and two cats. When she’s not chasing kids and cats, she reads and writes mysteries. You can find her at www.kittymomma.com and on Twitter @avonlea79.

The post Cozy to Cold-Blooded: My Auto-Buy Series, Part 2 appeared first on DIY MFA.

Cozy to Cold-Blooded: My Auto-Buy Series, Part 1

Lori Walker — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 13:30:00 +0000

In the course of writing this column, I haven’t shared my personal favorite mysteries yet. But today, for the debut of my Sunday columns, I made it all about my favorites. I’m sharing the books I don’t even read a description of before clicking buy, the ones I binge in between reading for my column or researching for my book—the books I auto-buy.

It turned out I had a much longer list of auto-buys than I thought. I ended up dividing it into series and authors. You get part 1 of my auto-buy series today. You will get part 2 in a couple of weeks and the authors another time and will probably be surprised at the different types of books.

Here are some of my auto-buy series:

The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series by Vicki Delany

Premise: Transplanted Londoner Gemma Doyle (no relation to Sir Arthur) partially owns and runs the Sherlock Bookshop and Emporium at 222 Baker St. in West London, Massachusetts. Her globe-trotting Uncle Arthur is her co-owner in that business as well as the one next door Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, run by Gemma’s best friend Jayne, who has a stake in the Tea Room along with Gemma and Arthur. But like Cabot Cove, West London has more than its fair share of murders and Gemma is there to help the police, sometimes under protest.

No. in Series: 7

Why It’s an Auto-Buy Series: Sherlock Easter eggs and references abound. The store cat named Moriarty is probably my favorite one. The main character, Gemma, is intelligent, fun, and struggles with relationships somewhat due to neurodiversity. I sympathize with that and always appreciate seeing neurodiversity in books. Plus, this falls firmly in the cozy category, despite having a bit of bite to it, and returning to the world of a well-loved cozy is comforting.

Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas

Premise: In this intriguing and complex series, Charlotte Holmes takes unusual steps to avoid being married off. She doesn’t quite reckon with the consequences, but luckily finds her Watson, a Mrs. Watson in her case. Together, they set up Charlotte’s “brother,” Sherlock Holmes, as a detective. But he is ill and unable to receive visitors, so Charlotte acts as “intermediary.”

No. in the series: 6

Why It’s an Auto-Buy Series: Thomas is an award-winning romance writer and you can see why when a romance develops for Charlotte. Also, the series is an ingenious reimagining of the Sherlock stories, but very much its own creation. The world is rich with beautiful descriptions and imagery, the dialogue witty, and the mysteries twisty. Each book has its own mystery while continuing the overarching saga of the truly chilling Moriarty, whose fiendish plot gradually infiltrates Charlotte’s life and threatens those she loves.

Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal

Premise: British-born, American-raised Maggie finds herself in London at the beginning of World War II. Her grandmother has died and she moves into her old Victorian house while settling the estate. She discovers that she likes life in London and finds roommates to live with her in the house. She also finds a job at No. 10 as a typist through her friend David. Maggie, however, studied mathematics at MIT and soon discovers a coded message in a newspaper. After that, her life is never the same.

No. in the series: 10

Why It’s an Auto-Buy Series: Where do I begin? The meticulous without being overpowering historical detail? The intelligent, kick-ass main character? The well-plotted mysteries with WWII as the backdrop? Exciting, tension-filled denouements? You also get to learn about the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a team of undercover saboteurs Churchill sent to “set Europe ablaze!”

Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear

Premise: After serving as a nurse in WWI, Maisie Dobbs turns to private investigation to support herself. Maisie has had both great luck and great pain in her life. She lost her mother and had to go out to service when she was a young teen. But her employer Lady Rowan Compton discovered her secretly reading books in the library at night and saw her potential, becoming her patron and friend. She hired Maisie’s tutor, Maurice Blanche, and paid for her college education.

No. in the series: 17, plus one companion book

Why It’s an Auto-Buy Series: Maisie is brilliant, kind, and empathetic, but unflinching about duty and responsibility. She has suffered and moves forward so bravely and determinedly. These books also really bring home the reality of the inter-war years in Britain. For instance, the treatment of the soldiers who came back with PTSD (known then as shell shock) and visible injuries was atrocious, with people anxious to hide away these living reminders of the war’s devastation. The two wars tend to overshadow this time and I never paid much attention to it before, but it is fascinating, heartrending, inspiring, and important. That, combined with Maisie’s epic journey, leaves me riveted every time.

Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn

Premise: Veronica Speedwell is anything but the stereotypical Victorian lady. A spinster by choice and happy that way, she regularly takes lovers to satisfy what she considers to be natural needs. She is a scientist, a lepidopterist who travels the world studying butterflies. But her world is rocked when her aunt (who raised her) dies and a stranger attempts to kidnap her after the funeral.

While on the run, Veronica takes refuge in a warehouse, the home of Stoker, a taxidermy artist and erstwhile gentleman. Sparks fly, but the forces pursuing Veronica haven’t given up. If they have any say in it, Veronica won’t live to see if she and Stoker will ever be anything but contentious allies.

No. in the series: 6 (The next is due 2/15/22.)

Why It’s an Auto-Buy Series: Veronica is a fascinating character with verve and courage to spare. The chemistry between her and Stoker sizzles, but doesn’t dominate the narrative. It adds to it in my opinion. As the series progresses, each book has its individual mystery with an overarching storyline about Veronica’s past and her identity. Reading these books is fun and absorbing. The pages fly by.

Lady Hardcastle series by T.E. Kinsey

Premise: Lady Emily Hardcastle and her companion and housekeeper Florence “Flo” Armstrong have decamped from London for a quiet life in the country. In fact, that’s the title of the first book. They retired from a mysterious career, the details of which come out over the run of the series. But Flo knows martial arts and Lady Hardcastle readily begins to investigate when a body is discovered in the woods near their new home. There is definitely more to these two ladies than meets the eye.

No. in the series: 7, plus one novella (The next is due 6/7/22.)

Why It’s an Auto-Buy Series: The relationship between Lady Hardcastle and Flo is an absolute joy. They tease and joke and seem much more like friends or even sisters than employer and employee. Their back and forth banter and seamless teamwork in dangerous situations is balanced by an obvious affection and deep bond between the two.

The setting also has that charm peculiar to fictional English villages at the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries. Like any good mystery series, that charm overlays a network of relationships and resentments sometimes going back generations.

Perveen Mistry series by Sujata Massey

Premise: Perveen is based on the first woman lawyer in India. She works for her father’s law firm in Bombay and at first seems to be a spinster. But as her story unfolds through flashbacks, we discover her painful past and the risks it still poses to her happiness and independence. We also see her frustration at society’s reluctance to accept a female lawyer and her delight when she finds a niche helping women in purdah, who don’t leave their home or see strange men. The excitement and the mysteries start rolling from there.

No. in the series: 3

Why It’s an Auto-Buy Series: I haven’t gotten to the third book yet, but it is next on my TBR. If it’s anything like the first two installments, it will be exciting and packed with fascinating details of 1920s India. The setting and characters in these books are so richly drawn and they navigate well-plotted narratives. I also loved exploring the social, political, and religious environment of the period. It was a whole aspect of the 1920s and the world that I never knew about before and I can’t get enough.

Myrtle Hardcastle series by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Premise: Myrtle Hardcastle is a young girl living with her father and her governess, Miss Judson, in Victorian England. She loves science and is fascinated by crime. Starting with the first book, she gets plenty of opportunities to investigate the world around her.

No. in the series: 3

Why It’s an Auto-Buy Series: Myrtle is one of my very favorite characters. She despises the rules for Young Ladies of Quality (her capitals!) and is desperate to dig into every crime that occurs around her. These books are witty, funny, and have elements of a cozy feel with the comfort evoked by Myrtle’s lovely home and relationships with her father and governess.

Miss Judson is an intriguing character, being a woman of color from French Guiana, living in England with an upper crust white family during the Victorian era. She is well educated and proper, but holds her own with Myrtle’s father and relishes investigating with Myrtle, despite her initial protestations. She is wistful for her home at times, but loves Myrtle (and perhaps Myrtle’s father) fiercely.

These mysteries are adult caliber, despite being written to be appropriate for children. They strongly remind me of Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce (another favorite series that is sadly now defunct). The plots, Myrtle’s arch narration, the dialogue, and the characters are all top notch.

Tell us in the comments: Do you have any auto-buy series?

The post Cozy to Cold-Blooded: My Auto-Buy Series, Part 1 appeared first on DIY MFA.

Episode 380: World Building and the Fantasy YA Serial – Interview with Stephanie BwaBwa

Lori Walker — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 12:30:00 +0000

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie BwaBwa.

Stephanie is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive powers that mirror the human condition.

She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way.

Stephanie is a Canadian-born, Haitian-raised, Congolese descended, North American dweller who lived a colorful life in south Florida that cultivated a perspective on the world as unique as her background.

As the author of The Seraphim Resistance Prequels and The Transcendents serial, Stephanie has built her own self-publishing empire. She is also an avid reader of fantasy and fiction, and columnist for DIY MFA.

In this episode Stephanie BwaBwa and I discuss:

How comic books helped her develop the world in her YA fantasy universe.
Her method for crafting a serial series and dealing with the unknowns.
Why she loves world building and how she avoided sharing too many details at once.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Stephanie BwaBwa

Stephanie BwaBwa is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive power that mirror the human condition.

She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way.

Stephanie has authored the The Seraphim Resistance Prequels, and The Transcendents serial, and is an avid reader of fantasy and fiction.

Jesus is her Lord, Disney+ is her safe place, she dreams of being a monkey mama and she’s always penning a new story in Elledelle.

You can usually catch her going for a walk through a park, or simply binging Disney+ with too many snacks.

You can find Stephanie on her website or follow her on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub, and Reedsy.

The Crescent and the Ash Queen

A deadly assassin seeking freedom. A manipulative queen seeking power. A depraved court hanging in the balance.

Zavala Nightingale is a deadly assassin with a slick mouth, and devastating magic. Even though she’s the most feared Crescent in the Bones Court, she still wants out.

Zavala has one more job to finish, then she’ll collect her coin and leave…

But the Ash Queen has other plans for her.

When the Ash Queen declares Zavala as her heir and the next Crescent Queen, Zavala will be faced with one of two choices:

Accept and be a Crescent for life, or deny the Ash Queen, drawing the wrath of every assassin alive.

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 380

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google 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 380: World Building and the Fantasy YA Serial – Interview with Stephanie BwaBwa appeared first on DIY MFA.

Cozy to Cold-Blooded: Classic Girl Detectives

Lori Walker — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 12:30:00 +0000

Ever since researching classic girl detectives for a paper in 2008, I wanted to read the adventures I had only read about. For this column, I originally chose the topic of children’s mysteries. I realized that needed to be narrowed a bit. Then I remembered the girl detectives. Now was my chance to read more!

I tried to locate the first in each series to read. If that wasn’t possible, I took the earliest available. I also got an overview of each series through The Girl Sleuth by Bobbie Ann Mason and Jennifer’s Series Books website, series-books.com. (I highly recommend those resources and Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women who Created Her by Melanie Rehak.)

I chose my favorite classic girl detectives from the series I read and divided them into categories based on their popularity among readers and personality characteristics/career. Warning: these books all date from the early- to mid-20^th century and reflect the racial and gender attitudes of their time, some more obviously than others.

The Queen

Nancy Drew in her debut The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

(written by Mildred Wirt Benson, revised and abridged by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams)

It’s hard not to like Nancy. (Unless you instantly hate her.) She’s intelligent, helpful, beautiful, and good at everything she does. She drives a cool car, lives in a lovely house in River Heights, and has a supportive father, Carson Drew, who is a lawyer. Nancy’s mother died when she was small, but housekeeper Hannah Gruen is a good mother figure without the authority to curtail Nancy’s freedom. Plus, the books are often interesting and action-packed. Nancy usually ends up in some type of danger, but always finds a way out.

Plot synopsis: Nancy helps Josiah Crowley’s friends and family search for his missing will before rich, unkind relatives steal the whole estate.

The Girl Next Door

Judy Bolton in her debut The Vanishing Shadow by Margaret Sutton

Judy is more realistic both in character and plot than Nancy Drew. She has red hair and a temper and butts heads with her grandmother. She fights with her brother, Horace, and sometimes runs and hides when she is upset. Most notably, she grows up and solves mysteries into adulthood, even after marriage, unlike the perennially teenage Nancy.

Plot synopsis: Judy overhears a strange conversation between two men about the new dam at Roulsville (her hometown). She doesn’t understand what she hears, but the strange men threaten her anyway. Judy promises to keep quiet and actually tries to keep that promise, while still untangling the mystery and trying to save Roulsville from destruction.

The Kid

Trixie Belden in her debut The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell

This is the best written of all the books I read for this article. The sole child among this group, Trixie, has the bravery and smarts to go toe-to-toe with anyone else on this list. Trixie is a wonderful character, realistic and energetic, making mistakes and learning from them. She is loyal and kind and loving, but a regular kid and far from perfect. For instance, she gets annoyed with her little brother tagging along and becomes distracted while watching him, but mostly willingly does her chores, including extra ones to earn money for a horse. She also rides a spirited horse after the Wheelers’ stable hand tells her not to and finds herself in a tight spot. (One of several.)

Plot synopsis: Mr. Frayne, the elderly gentleman who lives in the crumbling mansion on the hill next door to Trixie, is found unconscious at the end of his driveway. While he is in the hospital, Trixie and best friend Honey Wheeler realize someone is living in the house. It’s Jim, Mr. Frayne’s nephew, who is on the run from his abusive stepfather. There is supposedly a hidden will and money in the house and the girls promise to help Jim find it. (A missing will and a long-lost heir. Very popular tropes in children’s mysteries. Not being able to write about murder or anything too scary narrows your options quite a bit.)

Nancy Drew’s Fun Kid Sister

Penny Parker in her debut Tale of the Witch Doll by Mildred A. Wirt

I liked this girl, despite her outer trappings being practically a clone of Nancy Drew’s. This series was written by Mildred Wirt Benson, the original Carolyn Keene. Penny lives with her father and a housekeeper in a town called Riverview. (Wirt couldn’t have changed it more from River Heights?) Penny is smart and fun. Her father publishes the local paper and sometimes lets her write for it.

But Penny isn’t perfect like Nancy. She drives a clunker that is frequently in the shop. She has to consider her allowance before buying things. She just isn’t as polished somehow. But that’s part of the reason I like her. She is impulsive, a bit reckless, and always dragging her best friend, Louise, on her adventures.

Plot synopsis: Penny and Louise find out that their friend Nellie’s doll shop has been vandalized and an old woman is pressuring her to sell it. They then find a stranded actress on the road and help her get to the theater on time. The actress starts receiving creepy witch dolls that seem to be from Nellie’s shop. Every time she tries to get rid of it, it reappears. Penny determines to find out why both Nellie and Miss Harmon (the actress) are under threat and prove that the witch doll isn’t actually reappearing by itself.

The Nurse

Cherry Ames in her debut Cherry Ames, Student Nurse by Helen Wells

I cheated a bit with this one. Cherry does solve mysteries, but not until later books in the series. I didn’t know this at first and kept wondering when the mystery was going to start! Apparently, it was not uncommon for series to become mystery series in order to sell better. But I liked Cherry and her story, so I’m including her on this list.

Cherry is a first-year student nurse. She is so excited to become a nurse and make a difference. This sounds saccharine, but Cherry’s earnestness works for her. She is entirely sincere, hard-working, and kind. She wants very much to “get her cap” and become a nurse, but does what is best for her patients, even if it means breaking a rule. You can’t help but root for her.

Plot synopsis: This book is basically an account of a girl’s first year in nursing school. Cherry makes friends, including winning over an unpleasant loner, and develops a crush on a young doctor. She studies hard and rotates through the wards learning about different kinds of nursing. She also deals with an unpleasant doctor who keeps insisting she remove her rouge, although she keeps telling him she isn’t wearing any. (I just found this so outrageous I had to mention it.)

The Flight Attendant

Vicki Barr in The Silver Ring Mystery by Helen Wells (who also wrote Cherry Ames)

Vicki is a flight attendant, who solves mysteries between flights. (She knows how to fly a plane, too!) This book was very enjoyable, but there isn’t much to differentiate Vicki from the other classic girl detectives apart from her career. The mystery was well plotted and interesting, and I enjoyed the info given about flying and the work of a flight attendant.

Plot Synopsis: Vicki helps a man having a heart episode on one of her flights. He and his wife are so grateful that they invite her to their home in New York City. Mrs. Bryant (the wife) confides to Vicki that they are searching for their estranged granddaughter, Lucy Rowe. When she learns that Vicki is often in San Francisco, she asks that Vicki make some inquiries about Lucy, because that is where she grew up and is currently living.

There you have it, my favorites of the classic girl detectives. (So far. There are a lot of them.) Who are your favorite classic girl detectives?

The post Cozy to Cold-Blooded: Classic Girl Detectives appeared first on DIY MFA.

Do Series Characters Change?

Lori Walker — Thu, 21 May 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Do series characters change? A better question might be: Should series characters change? Go through some upheaval that arcs their life into uncharted waters?

But, first, what is a character arc? Where does it come from? How do you create this in your fictional stories? More importantly, do you even need one?

What is a Character Arc?

The answer to the first three questions is fairly straightforward. A character arc simply means the change that the character goes through over the course of the story. Something happens in the character’s life that pushes it off balance. It might be a shark feeding off the shores of Amity Island or two robots showing up and babbling about some character named Obi-Wan Kenobi. It might be a group of armed criminals taking over a small hotel on Key Largo, along with an approaching hurricane just to make things worse. Regardless, something comes into the character’s life, pushes it off kilter, and the remainder of the story is that person trying to rebalance things. As this journey unfolds, the character changes, learns something about himself, reaches a different level of understanding or compassion or ability to act.

As a writer, your job is to create these characters, put them through their paces, and in the end move them to a different level. This is not always positive. There can be negative character arcs. An excellent example is Michael Corleone in the Godfather series. Michael transformed from an easy-going ex-soldier into a ruthless mafioso. A solid character arc will satisfy readers because they see change come about in a character they have grown to care for.

Character Arcs in a Series

But what about a series character? A character that must move through five, 10, 20 or more novels? Do the protagonists of such series undergo a character arc? Should they? And if they do, will the most loyal readers recognize them after the 20th installment? It’s something that’s argued about in writing conferences year after year.

Did James Bond ever really change? Did Jack Reacher? The answer, of course, is very little if any. Bond is always Bond; Reacher is always Reacher. If in each story, these iconic characters were confronted with situations that caused a massive change in who they were on a deeply personal level, and these changes piled up story after story, they would become unrecognizable very quickly. And readers would revolt. We read these stories because we like the main character and we don’t want him to be someone else.

So, if a series character doesn’t change, what’s the story about? It’s about this character, who we know and love, facing very difficult circumstances and successfully solving the riddle. The character doesn’t have to change dramatically to do this, nor does he need to have some earthshaking revelation about himself or the world or even someone else. What he needs to do is use whatever skills he possesses to correct the situation and put the story world back in order.

For James Bond, it’s often saving the world from Ernst Stavro Blofeld. For Jack Reacher, it’s taking on the troubles of the little guy and his fight against the big guy or the bad guy. Reacher is basically Shane. The quiet hero who comes into town and saves the day. And we like that. We don’t want him to change. Same for James Bond. When James Bond returns to London or Reacher sticks his thumb out and hitchhikes to the next town, they are the same person they were at the beginning of the story and indeed the story before and the one before that. They don’t change, they use their skills to solve problems. And we relish being along for the ride.

Writing a Steady Protagonist

These are the same principles I employ in my Jake Longly series. These stories are more humorous than hard-boiled. Mainly because of Jake’s quirky take on the world around him, his complete contentment with his life as it is, and that, despite his resolve to avoid real work, the circumstances he repeatedly finds himself in. Jake is an ex-professional baseball player who now owns a bar and restaurant on the Gulf Coast. His life goals are to run his bar, hang out with friends, and chase bikinis. He is who he is. This seemingly lack of ambition creates tension with his father Ray, who wants him to be more serious about life and to join him in his private investigation firm. Jake will have none of it. Jake does not change. He’s the same low-key, lovable character through each story.

So what is the story about if not change? This series is basically about Jake and his girlfriend Nicole Jamison and best friend Tommy “Pancake” Jeffers, who actually works for Ray as a P.I. Actually, so does Nicole. Well, sort of. Though Jake twists and turns and does all he can to avoid it, Ray, Pancake, and Nicole continually drag him into quirky situations that involve crime and corruption, even murder and mayhem. Jake is always a fish out of water and continually finds himself in deeper water. His abilities, or lack thereof, to handle these calamities plus his off-kilter view of the world, is where the humor lies in this series.

So, does Jake change? No, and yes. His basic nature and his belief system remain unaltered, but his relationship with Nicole does trigger some evolution within Jake. Before meeting her, a long-term relationship for him was maybe three weeks, yet he and Nicole have been together for over a year. And they are content with each other. But in the big things, the earth-shaking things, Jake doesn’t change. And that’s the way it should be.

So, while character arcs work very well, and indeed are essential, for many stories, for a series character, they can spell disaster. I think the best advice for writers is that for your series characters you should pressure them, make them adapt, make them use their skills to solve the problem and save the day, but be wary of fundamental changes in who they are. Your readers will buy your next book because they like your protagonist. Don’t make him a stranger.

DP Lyle is the Amazon #1 Bestselling; Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Award-winning; and Edgar (2), Agatha, Anthony, Shamus, Scribe, Silver Falchion, and USA Today Best Book (2) Award-nominated author of 20 books both non-fiction (Murder, Mayhem, Forensics for Dummies, Forensics and Fiction, More Forensics and Fiction, Howdunnit, Forensics and ABA Fundamentals: Understanding Forensic Science) and fiction, including the Samantha Cody thriller series (Devi’s Playground, Double Blind, and Original Sin); the Dub Walker thriller series (Stress Fracture, Hot Lights, Cold Steel, and Run to Ground); the Jake Longly thriller series (Deep Six, A-List, Sunshine State), the Cain/Haper thriller series (Skin in the Game) and the Royal Pains media tie-in novels (Royal Pains, First, Do No Harm and Royal Pains: Sick Rich). His essay on Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island appears in Thrillers: 100 Must Reads his short story “Even Steven” in ITW’s anthology Thriller 3: Love is Murder, and his short story “Bottom Line” in For the Sake of the Game. He served as editor for and contributed the short story “Splash” to SCWA’s anthology It’s All in the Story.

He hosts the Crime Fiction Writer’s Blog and the Criminal Mischief: The Art and Science of Crime Fiction podcast series. He has worked with many novelists and with the writers of popular television shows such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Diagnosis Murder, Monk, Judging Amy, Peacemakers, Cold Case, House, Medium, Women’s Murder Club, 1-800-Missing, The Glades, and Pretty Little Liars.Visit his website, and connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.

The post Do Series Characters Change? appeared first on DIY MFA.

Episode 262: Inside the Mind of a Worldbuilding Junkie — Interview with Fonda Lee

DIY MFA Team — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 12:30:21 +0000

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Fonda Lee on the show.

Fonda is a recovering corporate strategist, black belt martial artist, and an action movie aficionado as well as the author of several highly acclaimed books of fantasy and science fiction, such as the young adult sci-fi novels Zeroboxer, Exo, and Cross Fire.

Her work has been nominated for several awards, including the Nebula and Locus Awards, and been featured on Best of Year lists such as NPR and Syfy Wire. She also won the Aurora Award, Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award, twice in the same year for Best Novel and Best Young Adult Novel.

Fonda’s latest writing project is the fantasy/crime drama series the Green Bone Saga. The first book in this series, Jade City (which I am loving!), won the 2018 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the second book in the series, Jade War, has just been released.

So listen in as Fonda and I chat about this amazing series, and the numerous strategies and decisions that go into crafting the world of your story.

In this episode Fonda and I discuss:

How to choose the right way to build your world.
The “iceberg effect” of worldbuilding.
How to put your reader into the middle of your story from page one the right way.
Using a fantasy element to make your story feel more real.
How to manage the powerful tool of multiple point of view.

Plus, Fonda’s #1 tip for writers.

About Fonda Lee

Fonda Lee is the author of several highly acclaimed books of fantasy and science fiction, such as the young adult science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo and Cross Fire.

Fonda’s work has been nominated for the Nebula, Andre Norton, and Locus Awards, and been named to Best of Year lists by NPR, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books, and Syfy Wire. She also won the Aurora Award, Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award, twice in the same year for Best Novel and Best Young Adult Novel.

Fonda is a recovering corporate strategist, black belt martial artist, and an action movie aficionado. Born and raised in Calgary, Canada, she now resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two children, and a scruffy mutt.

Her latest writing project is the new fantasy/crime drama series the Green Bone Saga. The first book in this series, Jade City, released in June of 2018 and won the 2018 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the second book in the series, Jade War, is now available from Orbit Books.

To connect with Fonda check out her website at www.fondalee.com.

Green Bone Saga

Book 1: Jade City

Family is duty. Magic is power. Honor is everything.

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for—and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon’s bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone—even foreigners—wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones—from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets—and of Kekon itself.

Jade City begins an epic tale of family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of jade and blood.

Book 2: Jade War

Magic divides. Power corrupts. Family endures.

On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years.

Beyond Kekon’s borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon’s most prized resource, could make them rich—or give them the edge they’d need to topple their rivals.

Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival—and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon.

Jade War is the second book of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.

If you decide to check out the books in the Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee —Jade City and Jade War—we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links, 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 262

(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.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 262: Inside the Mind of a Worldbuilding Junkie — Interview with Fonda Lee appeared first on DIY MFA.

Episode 240: The Intricate Design of Romantic Suspense — Interview with B.J. Daniels

DIY MFA Team — Wed, 20 Feb 2019 13:30:50 +0000

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with New York Times and USA Today bestselling author B.J. Daniels!

After a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, B.J. wrote and sold over 37 short stories before she finally wrote her first book, Odd Man Out, which went on to be nominated for Best First Book and Best Intrigue for 1995 in the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards.

Since then she has sold more than 40 short stories and over 100 books, and has won numerous awards including a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award in 2002 with her novel Premeditated Marriage, and a Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Suspense in 2002 from the Romantic Times.

Her latest novel, Stroke of Luck, kicks off her newest romantic suspense series, Sterling’s Ranch.

So listen in as B.J. and I chat about this awesome book and how to weave together the suspense of mystery with the tension of romance into one amazing story.

In this episode B.J. and I discuss:

Using a compressed space to amplify the tension between your characters.
How to craft the “fool” supporting character archetype the right way.
Happily ever after, making the inevitable romance ending surprising every time.
Bringing a unique world to life through the eyes of your characters.
How to write a series for new readers and loyal fans at the same time.

Plus, B.J.’s #1 tip for writers.

About B.J. Daniels

B.J. Daniels is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous romance novels and novellas.

After a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, she wrote and sold over 37 short stories before she finally wrote her first book, Odd man Out, and sold it to Harlequin Intrigue. This book went on to be nominated for Best First Book and Best Intrigue for 1995 in the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards.

Since then she has sold more than 40 short stories and over 100 books, writing for both Harlequin Intrigue and HQN, and has won numerous awards including a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award in 2002 with her novel Premeditated Marriage, and a Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Suspense in 2002 from the Romantic Times.

She lives in Montana with her husband, Parker and three springer spaniels. When she isn’t writing, she quilts, boats, snowboards, waterskis, camps, plays tennis and, of course, reads.

To connect with B.J. check out her website at www.bjdaniels.com.

Stroke of Luck

The Sterling Ranch’s season opening isn’t going so smoothly. With the ranch’s lodge full of guests and a Montana blizzard threatening, Will Sterling needs help—and he needs it fast. So when his childhood friend Poppy Carmichael agrees to lend a hand, he’s grateful for a second chance…and more enticed by the woman she’s become than he cares to admit.

For Poppy, it was supposed to be a retreat full of horse rides and hoedowns—with a side of showing Will what he’s been missing all these years. But as the snow deepens outside, the guests’ suspicion and mistrust turn sinister inside, catching Will and Poppy in the crosshairs.

Weathering the storm in each other’s arms is all too easy for Will and Poppy, but will a confrontation with a killer mean their reunion is short-lived?

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author B.J. Daniels starts her Sterling’s Ranch series off with a bang in this suspenseful story of romance and revenge.

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 240

(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.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 240: The Intricate Design of Romantic Suspense — Interview with B.J. Daniels appeared first on DIY MFA.

Episode 184: Your Author Career Strategy — Interview with Kat Martin

DIY MFA Team — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 13:30:39 +0000

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to have bestselling author Kat Martin on the show!

Kat is the author of sixty-eight historical and contemporary romantic suspense novels, and with over sixteen million copies of her books in print in twenty countries outside the US, you could say Kat knows a thing or two about building a long-term career as an author.

The first book of her most recent series The Texas Trilogy, also known as the Beyond— series, Beyond Reason, received a coveted starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. The second installment, Beyond Danger, hit shelves on January 30, 2018, and the third, Beyond Control, is coming in June 2018.

Listen in as we chat about not only Kat’s latest series, but the strategic decisions she made on her career path to bestselling author.

In this episode Kat and I discuss:

How to keep yourself motivated in the early days of your writing career.
Knowing when to say goodbye, how to change agents and publishers.
Who owns the rights? What to look for in contracts.
Matching your writing pace to the voracious romance reader without going crazy.
Kat’s tips for staying in control of your series.

Plus, Kat’s #1 tip for writers.

About Kat Martin

Bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, in Missoula, Montana, Kat has written sixty eight historical and contemporary romantic suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries.

Into the Firestorm, the final book in the Boss Inc trilogy, took the #7 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List, a personal best for Kat and it’s her 15th novel in a row to be included on that prestigious list.

Beyond Reason, the 1st book in Kat’s new Texas Trilogy, received a coveted STARRED REVIEW, from Publishers Weekly! Beyond Danger, book #2, hit shelves on January 30, 2018, and the third book in this series, Beyond Control, is coming in June 2018.

Kat is currently at work on her next romantic suspense.

To connect with Kat check out her website at www.KatMartin.com.

The Texas Trilogy

Book 1: Beyond Reason

Five weeks ago Carly Drake stood at her grandfather’s grave. Now she’s burying Drake Trucking’s top driver, and the cops have no leads on the hijacking or murder. Faced with bankruptcy, phone threats and the fear of failure, Carly has to team up with the last man she wants to owe—Lincoln Cain.

Cain is magnetic, powerful, controlling—and hiding more than one secret. He promised Carly’s granddad he’d protect her. The old man took a chance on him when he was nothing but a kid with a record, and now he’s the multi-millionaire owner of a rival firm.

But Linc’s money can’t protect Carly from the men who’ll do anything to shut her down, or the secrets behind Drake Trucking. If she won’t sell out, the only way to keep her safe is to keep her close . . . and fight like hell.

Book 2: Beyond Danger

Texas mogul Beau Reese is furious. All six feet three obscenely wealthy, good-looking inches of him. His sixty-year-old father, Stewart, a former state senator no less, has impregnated a teenager. Barely able to contain his anger, Beau is in for another surprise. It appears that Stewart has moved an entirely different woman into the house . . .

Beau assumes that stunning Cassidy Jones is his father’s mistress. At least she’s of age. But those concerns take a sudden backseat when he finds Stewart in a pool of blood on the floor of his study—and Cassidy walks in to find Beau with his hand on the murder weapon.

The shocks just keep coming. Someone was following Stewart, and Cassidy is the detective hired to find out who and why. Now she’ll have to find his killer instead. Her gut tells her it wasn’t Beau. And Beau’s instincts tell him it wasn’t Cassidy. Determined to track down the truth, they form an uneasy alliance—one that will bring them closer to each other—closer to danger and beyond . . .

Book 3: Beyond Control

When Victoria Langford got engaged, she told herself to give love a chance. Six months later, she’s on the run from her angry, abusive ex-fiancé with her four-year-old daughter and nowhere to go.

Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere. That’s what its new owner, Josh Cain, wanted when he came back from Afghanistan. Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.

One look tells Josh the pretty redhead with the adorable little girl will give him trouble of the most personal kind. But he’s seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy. Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch. Not when Tory’s best friend back in Phoenix is abducted and brutalized. Not even when it looks like their current problems are only the tip of the iceberg.

But if he gets too close to fierce, determined Tory, Josh knows his nights are going to be anything but quiet. And that’s one possibility no amount of training can prepare him for . . .

If you decide to check out the first two books in The Texas Trilogy— Beyond Reason and Beyond Danger— or pre-order the third book— Beyond Control— we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links, 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 184

(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.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 184: Your Author Career Strategy — Interview with Kat Martin appeared first on DIY MFA.

Episode 180: Writing a Thriller Series — Interview with D.P. Lyle

DIY MFA Team — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 13:30:41 +0000

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to have author D.P. Lyle on the show!

In his writing career, Doug has received a Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Silver Award and has been nominated for a gazillion others including, but nowhere near limited to, the Edgar, Agatha, and Silver Falchion. He is the author of 17 books, including the thriller series of Samantha Cody, Dub Walker, and Jake Longly (which is the one highlighted on the show!). He has also worked with writers of numerous popular T.V. shows like, Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Monk, and the list goes on.

As if all that wasn’t impressive enough, Doug is also the VP of Education for International Thriller Writers. This means he is in charge of CraftFest, Master CraftFest, and ITW’s online Thriller School.

Listen in as we discuss his latest Jake Longly thriller, and the art of crafting a thriller series to keep all your readers, both new and super fans, coming back for more.

In this episode Doug and I discuss:

The importance of settings, and how to use them right.
Writing the epic vs. episodic series.
Tips to overcome the challenges of the thriller series character.
Less is more, knowing what to leave in and what to leave out.
An inside look at ITW’s educational programs, and ThrillerFest 2018.

Plus, Doug’s #1 tip for writers.

About D.P. Lyle

Doug P. Lyle is the Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Silver Award winning and Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, Shamus, Scribe, Silver Falchion, and USA Today Best Book Award nominated author of 17 books, both nonfiction and fiction, including the Samantha Cody, Dub Walker, and Jake Longly thriller series as well as the Royal Pains media tie-in novels. His essay on Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island appears in Thrillers: 100 Must Reads, and his short story “Even Steven” in ITW’s anthology Thriller 3: Love is Murder. He served as editor for and contributed the short story “Splash” to SCWA’s anthology It’s All in the Story.

He is the International Thriller Writer’s VP for Education, and runs CraftFest, Master CraftFest, and ITW’s online Thriller School. Along with Jan Burke, he was co-host of Crime and Science Radio. He has worked with many novelists and with the writers of popular television shows such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Diagnosis Murder, Monk, Judging Amy, Peacemakers, Cold Case, House, Medium, Women’s Murder Club, 1-800-Missing, The Glades, and Pretty Little Liars.

His new novel A-List, the latest in the Jake Longly series, is available now.

To connect with Doug check out his website at www.dplylemd.com.

A-List: A Jake Longly Thriller

Jake Longly and girlfriend Nicole Jemison are still recovering from their ordeal with Ukrainian underworld boss Victor Borkov and life on the Gulf Coast is returning to normal. Then Nicole’s producer uncle Charles Balfour calls asking them to head to New Orleans where his mega-star, A-list actor Kirk Ford, has awakened with the corpse of a college co-ed in his hotel bed. Ford, in the Big Easy for a location shoot, remembers little of the evening and nothing of the murder. As if things couldn’t get worse, the girl is the niece of local mafioso-type Tony Guidry who will do what is necessary to avenge his niece’s death.

As Jake and Nicole attempt to put the pieces together, they butt heads with Tony’s muscle, his near-do-well yet aggressive nephews (the dead girl’s brothers), as well as drug dealers Ju Ju and Ragman. Of course, Ray and Pancake arrive to help sort things out with the help of Ford’s beautiful co-stars in the multi-billion dollar Space Quest franchise, Tegan and Tara James (aka The Twins), who vehemently support and defend Ford.

But something isn’t right. The facts don’t fit. Who would want Kristi Guidry dead, or Kirk framed for murder? And why? Everyone has an opinion, including Kristi’s friends, her ex-boyfriend, homicide detective Troy Doucet, and even local fortuneteller Madam Theresa. It’s up to Jake and Nicole to decipher who’s lying, who’s telling the truth, and exactly who schemed to murder Kristi Guidry.

Nothing is easy in the Big Easy.

Link to Episode 180

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The post Episode 180: Writing a Thriller Series — Interview with D.P. Lyle appeared first on DIY MFA.