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.

— Bess

In 1996, the publication of a new Louisa May Alcott novel called A Long Fatal Love Chase caused a stir. It was obvious from the title alone that this wasn’t another tome about the March sisters. But the subject matter was astonishing. In the novel, a man falls in love with a young woman, whisks her away on a world tour, and stalks her after she leaves him. Although Alcott’s “blood and thunder” tales (the inspiration for Jo March’s) were discovered by Alcott scholars Madeleine B. Stern and Leona Rostenberg in the 1940s, it wasn’t widely known in 1996 that Alcott wrote anything besides what she once termed the “moral pap” for the young for which she became famous. 

But she most certainly did. She wrote tales of passion, deception, and revenge under a pseudonym. (Rostenberg actually whooped in the Houghton library at Harvard when they finally proved that A.M. Barnard was actually Louisa May Alcott. The librarian wasn’t pleased.) 

Her characters avenge themselves against lovers who abandon them, play men off each other to gain an advantageous marriage, and have fiery tempers that put Jo and Amy March’s to shame. For this article, I focused on stories in the collection The Feminist Alcott: Stories of a Woman’s Power edited by Madeleine B. Stern. Reading these stories recently, I was struck by their similarity to the main characters in the wildly popular domestic thriller genre of today. 

Although the Alcott family’s activities as abolitionists, feminists, and proponents of equality for all are well known to Alcott scholars and die-hard fans, those who are more Little Women fans might not know about these unorthodox (for the nineteenth century) attitudes or the fact that Alcott wrote thrilling tales in order to support her family. She wrote under the aforementioned pseudonym, in order to spare her family from embarrassment over the salacious subject matter. But these tales weren’t just salacious. They were blatantly subversive. 

How does this connect to mysteries and thrillers? These stories are examples of sensation fiction, which was a precursor to those genres. Sensation fiction is a combination of Gothic and Romantic literature, meant both in the sense of causing a physical sensation and attracting the attention of readers with wild material. In fact, one of the most famous examples of sensation fiction The Woman in White was written by Wilkie Collins, who also wrote The Moonstone, widely considered to be the first detective novel. 

In these sensational stories, Alcott subverted gender and class expectations much more overtly than in Little Women. And unlike in Little Women, there is no criticism by a male character of these tales that helped her earn a living and in which she found secret satisfaction. 

“I think my natural ambition is for the lurid” — Louisa May Alcott 

Pauline’s Passion and Punishment

The first story in the collection is titled “Pauline’s Passion and Punishment.” Pauline Valary is the very definition of a woman scorned. She enlists the help of her admirer Manuel to get revenge on her former lover Gilbert. Gilbert led Pauline to believe they would marry, then left her for a young heiress named Barbara (tellingly nicknamed Babie). Manuel and Pauline marry and proceed to stalk Gilbert and Babie on their travels. As you can tell from the title, Pauline might just get her revenge, but if she does, it comes with a price. 

Pauline is a compelling example of a femme fatale. While she has obviously let bitterness and vengeance have too much sway in her heart, it’s satisfying to see her go after what she wants and be as dark and complicated as she pleases. In fact, her dogged commitment to her twisted plot of revenge reminds me of Amy Elliott Dunne in Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. 

V.V.: or, Plots and Counterplots

In “V.V.: or, Plots and Counterplots,” Alcott introduces us to Virginie Varens (same last name as Adele Varens, Mr. Rochester’s ward in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre), a “mercenary, vain, and hollow-hearted” actress who seeks money and security through marriage to a Scottish peer. Her plan tragically thwarted by her cousin, fellow actor, and jealous lover Victor, Virginie assumes a new identity and seeks security by any means necessary. 

Behind a Mask: or, A Woman’s Power

Jean Muir, the main character in “Behind a Mask: or, A Woman’s Power,” is an incredibly complex character. In this twisted, suspenseful tale, she borrows the mask of traditional womanhood to get back at a society that victimized her. She does this by almost literally wearing a mask. We discover on her first night with the Coventry family that she wears a costume to make her appear nineteen rather than thirty. After she goes to her room for the night, she vows “I’ll not fail again if there is power in a woman’s wit and will!” She then removes several false teeth and her makeup. Like Virginie Varens, she is an actress seeking security through marriage, no matter how much cunning and even outright deception she must employ.

In her guise as a young governess, Jean proves strangely magnetic. Despite some initial distrust from a few family members, she speedily wins over everyone. She is an astute judge of character, finding the exact route to each person’s affections and following it. Once she gains their affection, she plays the three Coventry men against each other. She is ruthless with nerves of steel, but the darkness of her character is leavened by moments of true empathy and compassion. While I won’t spoil the ending and tell whether Jean achieves her aim of safety in an advantageous marriage, I will say she is not punished for her tempestuous emotions as Pauline was. “Behind a Mask” was published two years before Little Women and is one of the last and many think the best of Alcott’s thriller tales. The difference between Pauline and Jean shows the growth in Alcott’s skill as a writer. 

Taming a Tartar

In the collection’s final story “Taming a Tartar,” Alcott subverted traditional roles by having Englishwoman Sibyl Varna tame the Russian prince Alexis Demidoff rather than the other way around. Sybil takes a position as companion to the prince’s sister Nadja. In the course of this position, she gets to know both very well and uses her confidence and good sense to help Alexis tame his temper and Nadja stand up to her brother. It’s very satisfying to see a sexist story in the vein of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew turned on its head. Although there are elements that are hard to take (namely Alexis’s occasionally aggressive behavior to Sibyl and one instance of cruel behavior to his dog Mouche), it is overall a worthy read, due to a heroine very similar to Jo March (no darkness in Sibyl) and a memorable (for the nineteenth century) exchange between Alexis and Sibyl at the end.

Alcott’s sensation fiction adds a fascinating facet to the beloved author. These stories are dramatic, tempestuous, and just plain interesting. They are also a drop in the bucket from a very prolific author. If you are a fan of Little Women, intrigued by Greta Gerwig’s groundbreaking adaptation, or just a fan of thrillers and Gothic fiction, I encourage you to explore Alcott’s dark side. 

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 Jo March’s Twisted Sisters: The Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott appeared first on DIY MFA.

But truly masterful literary suspense is easier read than done, so to speak. When writing horror (or mystery or thriller), it’s all too easy to rush through the aforementioned buildup, or to forget to include any suspenseful elements at all. So if you’re stepping out of your comfort zone to write a suspense story for the first time, you should know that it will likely challenge your usual methods of exposition — but if you manage to get it right, it’ll be incredibly gratifying. 

To that end, here are five key tips to writing nail-biting suspense that will keep your readers enthralled from start to finish!

1) Employ flashbacks

Using flashbacks to conjure suspense is one of the oldest tricks in the book, and for good reason: flashbacks implicitly promise to reveal something important to the reader, especially if there’s a knowledge gap between past and present. A classic example of this is Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, which mentions a tragedy in the very first chapter, but doesn’t specify what happened. The truth then comes out over the course of the novel — and many, many flashbacks.

This is probably the most common way of using flashbacks: dangling a carrot in the reader’s face and compelling them to chase it. Of course, as the narrative progresses, you’ll have to produce other, smaller carrots (baby carrots?) to feed them so they don’t get frustrated by the chase. These carrots will consist of dramatic scenes and less-important bits of information that factor into the “big reveal” without giving it away, which is especially crucial if it’s a plot twist. 

Another, riskier way to use flashbacks is to not dangle the carrot at all. Sometimes authors jump into flashbacks without any apparent cause or direction, and readers just have to trust that they will lead somewhere rewarding. This can be good if you want to reduce the chances of readers guessing your ending, but it also makes it slightly more difficult to engage them off the bat. 

In any case, flashbacks are an excellent tactic to sustain suspense in a story, and also just a nice way to mix up your narrative structure. The only thing I’d caution against is using flashbacks for atmosphere alone, without any plot-related payoff. While it might seem like a great way to create suspense and misdirection, it’s bound to end in them feeling cheated, and — here’s the really scary part — could even result in a scathing review on Goodreads.

2) Sprinkle in foreshadowing

Speaking of dangling carrots (I promise this metaphor won’t last much longer), another highly effective way to build suspense is through foreshadowing. Though I’m sure we’ve all come across it before, you may not know just how many types there are — from subtle symbolism to Chekhov’s gun, almost every story has some kind of foreshadowing in it.

One of the cardinal rules of foreshadowing is not to overdo it, lest the reader guess the ending too early. But if you want to create suspense that accumulates and intensifies throughout the story, your foreshadowing can’t be too subtle; otherwise, readers won’t register it at all. 

How can you do this without exposing too much? The best technique is to combine specific details with vague, ominous implications. The ever-brilliant Margaret Atwood does a marvelous job of this in her new book The Testaments (don’t worry, no spoilers): 

We didn’t live over the store. Our house was a long distance away… It was made of yellow brick, and it was very ordinary. There was nothing about it that would make you look at it twice. Thinking back, I’m guessing that was the idea. 

This is only a few chapters in, so we don’t yet know why the house needs to look so innocuous. But this statement clearly signals that we should look out for the answer, and that it will be a big revelation when it arrives. Indeed, when it comes to any strategy for writing suspense, this is the perfect balance to strike: just enough info to keep readers on their toes, not enough for them to draw firm conclusions.

3) Include ambiguous characters

A more complex method of increasing suspense is to introduce ambiguous characters — characters that are unreadable, unpredictable, or otherwise unknown to the reader. Not only is there the constant question of “What are they going to do next?”, there’s also the larger, more pressing concern of, “Are they actually the antagonist?” 

Gillian Flynn is a big fan of ambiguous characters, but perhaps her best-known is Nick Dunne, one of the main characters and narrators of Gone Girl. Though Nick’s initial narrative account seems innocent enough, clues soon begin to mount that he’s not the man he portrays himself to be. We find out the shocking truth halfway through the novel, but before that point, the reader constantly wonders whether he’s good or bad — and if the latter, to what extent exactly. 

Of course, this ambiguity is carefully calculated on Flynn’s part. That’s how she’s able to maintain it for so long, even with Nick’s super-close first-person point of view, which would normally let readers in on everything. It helps that Nick’s POV alternates with his wife’s old diary entries (another example of flashbacks), which completely contradict his perspective. 

So if you want an ambiguous character to boost your suspense, make sure you have their arc figured out from the beginning — seamlessly skirting the line between good and bad, known and unknown, isn’t something that just happens. That said, if you can pull it off Flynn-style, you might just be on your way to your own David Fincher adaptation.

4) Use cliffhangers (but not too many)

Speaking of movies, you probably associate cliffhangers mostly with films and TV shows — especially soap operas that are always trying to entice you to watch the next episode. While I agree that totally far-fetched cliffhangers are a cheap trick that actually degrade suspense rather than add to it, I do believe they can be very effective when done right.

A cliffhanger in a book doesn’t have to be terribly dramatic, it just has to facilitate a little tension. For example, if you have multiple narrators, one character’s section might end in a cliffhanger, then another character might take over for just a few pages before the cliffhanger is addressed. Another common tactic is to have flashback scenes end in small cliffhangers, each of which then resolves in the next flashback scene, after a bit of present-day narration. 

Queen of suspense Liane Moriarty does this in several of her books, but I’m going to use Truly Madly Guilty as a clear-cut example. Just about every chapter ends with an intriguing statement or cliffhanger, like: “There was a piercing yell from upstairs.” 

However, each cliffhanger is then resolved within a few pages (in the case of the piercing yell, it was just two kids getting into a scuffle). This demonstrates how cliffhangers can be a great way to provide those “baby carrots” for readers. They wait in suspense for a bit, but they’re soon rewarded with a dose of insight… which suggests that the long wait for the story’s ending will be proportionately rewarded, as well.

5) Always stay one step ahead

Of course, the number-one tip to writing amazing suspense for your readers is to stay one step ahead of them at all times. As you’re constructing a scene, not only should you be depicting those particular moments, but also laying the groundwork for the next scene and, ideally, the rest of the narrative. 

This is why it’s crucial to map out your book’s suspense as much as possible before you start. Otherwise, your ambitious attempts will just lead to plot holes, pacing issues, and abandoned story elements that take forever to fix. You have to figure out what each character’s arc will be, what level of foreshadowing you want, how to intersperse flashbacks, etc. — and yes, it might seem like overkill now. But if you want your suspense to deliciously build and crescendo in a satisfying way for your readers, trust me, you’re going to need those blueprints.

If you have any doubts about your structure and planning, the best way to learn is by studying other great suspense writers! Read some Agatha Christie, some Patricia Highsmith, some Dean Koontz, or anyone else I’ve given as an example here. Try to be extremely conscious of how suspense waxes and wanes throughout the narrative — what specifically does the author do to make that happen, and how can you apply it to your own story?

Whether you write horror, thriller, mystery, or some combination of the three, suspense is imperative to your readers’ experience of the story. And indeed, learning how to write suspense is a valuable lesson for any writer who wants their narrative to be truly compelling (which, I’m guessing, is every writer). So take these tips and hold them dear; you never know when you might need them

Savannah Cordova is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories. Naturally, she’s a big fan of plot twists (when they’re done right).

The post #5onFri: Five Tips for Writing Nail-Biting Suspense appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I have the absolute pleasure of hosting Jon Land on the show!

You may remember Jon from a previous episode where he took part in a round table interview  live from last year’s ThrillerFest along with two other bestselling thriller authors: Lisa Gardner and Karin Slaughter. Today though he’s here solo to let me pick his brain and give you his own nuggets of writing wisdom.

Jon is the USA Today bestselling author of over 44 books, including the critically acclaimed and award-winning Caitlin Strong series, whose ninth installment, Strong to the Bone, won the 2017 American Book Fest Award for Mystery/Suspense.

Also in the mystery genre, Jon took over writing the Murder She Wrote series in 2018 with A Date with Murder as his first entry.

His latest novel, the most recent installment of his Caitlin Strong series, Strong as Steel, is available now, and his next entry in the beloved Murder She Wrote series, Murder in Red, will be released in May of 2019.

So listen in as Jon and I chat about these two amazing books and the ways in which cozies and thrillers converge.

In this episode Jon and I discuss:

• How to juggle writing two very different series at the same time.
• The structural elements of the thriller vs. the cozy mystery.
• How the scope of your world supports the character’s quest.
• The mechanisms used to craft a cozy thriller.
• Being genuine and honest with your readers.

Plus, Jon’s #1 tip for writers.

About Jon Land

Jon Land is the USA Today bestselling author of over 44 books, including the critically acclaimed and award-winning Caitlin Strong series. One of the latest books in that series, Strong to the Bone, won the 2017 American Book Fest Award for Mystery/Suspense.

Also in 2017, Jon teamed up with ThrillerMaster Heather Graham to write The Rising, the first in a groundbreaking sci-fi series.   

On top of all this he also took over writing the Murder She Wrote series in 2018 with A Date with Murder as his first entry.

Jon’s latest novel, the most recent installment of his Caitlin Strong series, Strong as Steel, is available now, and his next entry in the Murder She Wrote series, Murder in Red, will be released in May of 2019.

To connect with Jon check out his website at www.jonlandbooks.com.

And listen in to Jon’s round table interview with Lisa Gardner and Karin Slaughter where they discuss crafting strong female protagonists in thrillers at DIYMFA.com/213.

Strong as Steel

1994: Texas Ranger Jim Strong investigates a mass murder on a dusty freight train linked to a mysterious, missing cargo for which no record exists.

The Present: His daughter, fifth generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong, finds herself on the trail of that same cargo when skeletal remains are found near an excavation site in the Texas desert. She’s also dealing with the aftermath of a massacre that claimed the lives of all the workers at a private intelligence company on her watch.

These two cases are connected by a long buried secret, one that men have killed and died to protect. Caitlin and her outlaw lover Cort Wesley Masters must prove themselves to be as strong as steel to overcome a bloody tide that has been rising for centuries.

Murder in Red

In the latest entry in the USA Today bestselling series Murder She Wrote, Jessica loses a loved one to unnatural causes and sets her sights on the mysterious local hospital before more people wind up dead on arrival…

Jessica Fletcher’s favorite gin rummy partner, Mimi Van Dorn, checks into the brand-new Clifton Care Partners, a private hospital that’s just opened up shop in town, for a simple procedure—one that leads tragically, and inexplicably, to her death. Seeking justice in her inimitable fashion, Jessica decides to pursue her own investigation on the hospital and its shadowy business dealings.

On the trail of what initially appears to be medical malpractice, Jessica digs deeper and learns her friend was actually a victim of something far more sinister. Death is bad for business, but murder is even worse, and Jessica will find plenty of both as she races to bring down Clifton Care Partners before someone else flatlines…

If you decide to check out Strong as Steel or would like to pre-order Murder in Red, 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!

(Right-click to download.)

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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 249: Thrillers, Cozies, and Everything in Between — Interview with Jon Land appeared first on DIY MFA.

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

(Right-click to download.)

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

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Traci Lambrecht, of the mother-daughter writing team P.J. Tracy, perhaps most well-known for their Monkeewrench thriller series.

Traci spent most of her childhood riding and showing horses, then graduated with a Russian Studies major from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She then began writing in order to finance her propensity for travel and, much to her mother’s relief, found that writing was her true calling.

Traci and her mother P.J. wrote several books together and had a long, prolific career as a team. Sadly, P.J. passed away in December 2016, but Traci continues to write and carry on this amazing legacy.

So listen in as we chat about the newly released ninth volume in their Monkeewrench series, The Guilty Dead, and how to ratchet up suspense throughout a story to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

In this episode Traci and I discuss:

• Multiple protagonists vs. a single protagonist
• How to pull off a killer prologue.
• Creating vivid descriptions without slowing down your plot.
• How to use reading to inform your writing.
• Dealing with the “muggles” in your life.

Plus, Traci’s #1 tip for writers.

About P.J. Tracy

P.J. Tracy was the pseudonym of mother-daughter writing team P. J. and Traci Lambrecht.

Traci spent most of her childhood riding and showing horses. She graduated with a Russian Studies major from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she also studied voice. Her aspirations of becoming a spy were dashed when the Cold War ended, so she began writing to finance her annoying habits of travel and singing in rock bands.

Much to her mother’s relief, she finally realized that the written word was her true calling. They had a long, prolific career together in multiple genres before  P. J.’s passing in December 2016. Traci continues to write and carry on this amazing legacy.

The latest thriller in P.J. Tracy’s critically acclaimed Monkeewrench series, The Guilty Dead, is now available.

To connect with Traci check out her website at pjtracy.com.

The Guilty Dead

The city of Minneapolis is rocked by the suicide of their most beloved philanthropist, Gregory Norwood, exactly one year after his son’s very public heroin overdose. After his body is discovered by a photojournalist looking for a candid shot, detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are called in to handle the delicate case. It should be a simple, open-and-closed case. Until they find a second body.

The evidence prompts them to believe that Norwood’s death is no suicide. However, with no suspects and a puzzling tangle of digital evidence that even the Minneapolis Police Department’s most seasoned cops can’t crack, Magozzi calls in Monkeewrench Software’s founder and chief computer genius, Grace MacBride. She and her motley crew of partners begin to unravel connections between Norwood’s death and an even larger plot. Delving into the darkest secrets of one of Minneapolis’ most powerful families, the detectives realize that Norwood wasn’t the first to die. And by the end, he may just be one of many.

The breakneck, high stakes race to find his killer and save hundreds make The Guilty Dead P. J. Tracy’s most gripping and outstanding novel yet.

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 229

(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 229: Ratcheting Up the Suspense — Interview with P.J. Tracy appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I am so excited to have doctor and writer Robin Cook on the show!

Robin started his medical career as a general surgical resident and finished with an ophthalmology residency at Harvard. His literary career, however, began as he wrote his debut novel, The Year of the Intern, underwater inside a nuclear submarine.

He followed this up with his novel Coma, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and created the medical thriller genre. Robin is the author of thirty-four previous international bestselling novels, and is now back with his latest work Charlatans.

Listen in as we dive into Robin’s latest medical thriller, the genre itself, and get an inside look at how to turn firmly held beliefs of the medical profession on their heads.

In this episode Robin and I discuss:

• What makes a medical thriller.
• How to balance keeping an issue present without creating an issue-driven book.
• Why fiction is better at influencing public policy than nonfiction.
• Using little details to drag readers into the story from page one.
• Prologues, when you should use them and the reasons why.

Plus, Robin’s #1 tip for writers.

About Robin Cook

Robin Cook’s literary career began with his first novel, The Year of the Intern, which he wrote underwater while on board the nuclear submarine, Kamehameha. It was written to illustrate the less than salubrious psychological impact of graduate medical education on the psyche of young physicians. It was followed 5 years later in 1977 with Coma, which had been written at night while he was a senior ophthalmology resident and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. This novel created the genre of the medical thriller, and changed the public’s perception as well as the media’s portrayal of medicine.

To date Robin Cook is the author of thirty-four previous international bestsellers. Most all of Dr. Cook’s books have been written to elucidate various medical/biotech ethical and public policy issues. From his first novel on, it had been Dr. Cook’s intention to use entertainment as a method of doing this.

There have been almost a dozen theatrical movies, television movies, and mini-series made from Robin Cook’s work. In 2009 Robin Cook created and produced with Michael Eisner the world’s first full-length V-cast movie in 50 three-minute segments as a prequel to his book, Foreign Body. Recently Dr. Cook has teamed up with several successful businessmen to form Cook-Blackwood Productions to make feature movies and TV series from his work.

His most recent bestsellers include Host, Cell, Death Benefit, and Cure. Cook divides his time among Florida, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. His latest medical thriller Charlatans is available now.

To connect with Robin check out his website at www.RobinCook.com.

Charlatans

It all begins with a relatively simple hernia operation. What should be an easy process goes devastatingly wrong, though, and the man dies on the operating table. How could it go so wrong, especially considering how many doctors—at the top of their fields—were in the room when the man expired?

Dr. William Mason, one of the most sought-after surgeons in Boston, forcefully shifts the blame to the anesthesiologist on the case, Dr. Ava London. Dr. London pushes back, pointing out the flaws in Dr. Mason’s technique and how he scheduled multiple surgeries all going on at the same time. The implication hangs in the air: Is this death the result of patients being treated like cattle, herded through a complicated medical system and processed as quickly as possible? Or is something even more sinister, more dangerous, more explosive going on?

For Dr. Noah Rothauser, nothing is clear. As the chief resident at Boston Memorial Hospital—one of the best and most advanced medical institutes in the country—Rothauser is in charge not only of creating surgical schedules but also running the hospital’s M&Ms—the morbidity and mortality conferences held by the hospital to review cases that go wrong. It falls on him to investigate and lead the review for this deadly mishap, and to do his job, he’ll find himself between a rock and a hard place as the egotistical Dr. Mason threatens to ruin Dr. Rothauser’s career over the investigation, and Dr. London becomes a potential love interest.

As Dr. Rothauser proceeds with his analysis of the case, another death happens, and once again Dr. London was the anesthesiologist. Is it an unfortunate coincidence—or, once again, a sign of something more troubling? And while Dr. Rothauser’s heart is telling him to trust Dr. London, why is his gut compelling him to look into her background and find out if she truly is who she seems to be?

One thing is certain: To get to the truth behind what is happening at Boston Memorial Hospital, Dr. Noah Rothauser will have to go to dangerous lengths and put his own career—as well as his very life—on the line. Because something ominous is happening with the staff at BMU, and some dangerous people don’t want anyone getting to the bottom of it.

Charlatans is a top-notch mystery from the inventor—and undisputed master—of the medical thriller, as well as a bold step forward for the entire genre. It will surely become one of the hottest page-turners…and cause every patient to ask his or her doctor: Are you truly who you say you are?

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 175

(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 175: Crafting the Medical Thriller — Interview with Robin Cook appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I am thrilled (pun intended) to have Joseph Finder on the show!

Joseph Finder is the New York Times  bestselling author of thirteen previous novels, including the international bestseller Killer Instinct, which won ITW’s Thriller Award for Best Novel in 2006. Two novels—Paranoia and High Crimes—have also become major motion pictures. Today we’re talking about his new book, The Switch.

The Switch begins with a very relatable premise: a simple mix-up at airport security. This small event leads to a case of mistaken identity that throws an innocent man into the crosshairs of sinister government secrets. In this interview, Joseph and I discuss the craft elements behind creating a realistic suspense novel and how to create a likeable antagonist.

In this episode Joseph and I discuss:

• What to include when writing a mistaken identity story.
• How to craft an unlikeable character that is relatable to readers.
• How to keep a story gripping when the audience knows more than the character.
• How to use dual point of view to craft a sympathetic antagonist and protagonist.
• How to create a sense of reality in a suspense novel.

Plus, Joseph’s #1 tip for writers.

About Joseph Finder

Joseph Finder is the New York Times bestselling author of thirteen previous novels, including Guilty Minds, The Fixer, Suspicion, Vanished, and Buried Secrets. Finder’s international bestseller Killer Instinct won the International Thriller Writer’s Thriller Award for Best Novel of 2006. Other bestselling titles include Paranoia and High Crimes, which both became major motion pictures. His latest novel The Switch is available now. He lives in Boston.

To connect with Joseph check out his website at www.JosephFinder.com

The Switch

The last time you went through airport security, did you make sure the laptop you picked up was actually yours? If you’re like me, you probably scooped it up and ran to your gate without thinking twice. But what if you got home and discovered that you had the wrong computer—and that the one you grabbed contained classified government information?

In The Switch, Joseph Finder puts the reader squarely in the shoes of a man who finds himself in the crosshairs of government secrets and ruthless political ambition. The Switch seamlessly combines Finder’s suspenseful, whip-smart brand of thriller with an “everyman” protagonist—a man whose daily life probably resembles yours.

The Switch also taps into a timely, ongoing national conversation about the line between privacy and national security, when just earlier this year, Wikileaks released thousands of documents describing secret new hacking tools the CIA employs to break into users’ computers, cell phones, and even smart TVs. This is Joseph Finder at his best: a  ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that is just one mishap away from happening to you.

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 158

(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 158: Exploring the Relatable Antagonist — Interview with Joseph Finder appeared first on DIY MFA.

Eager to see how readers would receive the initial draft, I entered my story in a series of contests. Romantic suspense is a genre that often straddles more than one market so I cast a wide net and submitted to contests sponsored by Romance Writer’s of America and others in the mystery field. Submissions ranged from twenty to fifty pages, as dictated by contest guidelines.

The initial feedback was promising. The novel was named best romantic suspense in the Virginia Fool for Love Contest 2016. I was ecstatic. And yet, only months later, a judge from the North Texas RWA Great Expectations contest said, “I don’t find the romance.” But then the story was a finalist for Killer Nashville’s Claymore award, a forum for mystery, thriller, and suspense writers. Needless to say, the feedback I received was wide-ranging.

Was there a tipping point?

How could perspectives be so diverse? Was there a tipping point? When did a story transition from a mystery or thriller to a romantic suspense?

I went to writer association websites searching for the answer. Mystery Writer’s of America (MWA) and Sisters in Crime do not offer a definition of romantic suspense, but both promote romantic suspense authors. MWA includes Entangled and Harlequin, both category romance publishers with romantic suspense lines, on their approved publisher list.

So I looked at Romance Writer’s of America. RWA defines romantic suspense as,

“Romance novels in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot.”

It was a broad definition and certainly applied to my novel. But the illusive tipping point was still missing for me. So I dug a little deeper.

Romance and suspense are mixed equally

New York Times bestselling author, Brenda Novak writes, “Many people believe any romance that includes a mystery or suspense subplot constitutes romantic suspense. In my mind, however, a romantic suspense novel mixes both genres fairly equally. One strand – romance or suspense – does not significantly overwhelm the other… There needs to be two types of tension: the tension found in an escalating romance, and the danger or ‘ticking time bomb’ found between the covers of a good suspense novel.”

USA Today bestselling author Maureen Smith says, “There is a reason why the genre is called romantic suspense, not suspenseful romance. The romance must come first. Achieving the perfect balance between the two can be tricky. Unlike other fiction genres, you’re straddling the fence between two readerships.”

So if this was true, then there was no tipping point. The goal was to blend a romance and mystery/ thriller plot while creating a fast paced story – filled with tension and looming danger – with a happily ever after/ happy for now ending.

I considered my favorite romantic suspense authors. Sandra Brown blends romance and suspense effortlessly. Her story, Friction, is a great example. Texas Ranger, Crawford Hunt, attends his daughter’s custody hearing when the courtroom is attacked. Crawford saves the Judge, Holly Spencer, but the gunman escapes and is now a threat to Holly. Holly still has to rule on his daughter’s case. Despite the conflict of interest, they can’t deny their attraction.

Melissa Cutler’s Tempted into Danger is also one of my favorites. ICE Agent, Diego Santero, must deliver Vanessa Crosby to a safe house, something goes horribly wrong. They go on the run. Sparks fly.

And of course television is ripe with examples too. Castle is a great one. Richard Castle is a best-selling mystery novelist and solves cases with NYPD homicide detective, Kate Beckett. The series, ultimately, is about the romance between Rick and Kate and their investigation into her mother’s murder.

But still, there are romantic suspense stories that defy convention. I loved Anne Wilson’s Hover. A novel that is heavier on the suspense and lighter on the romance, Navy helicopter pilot, Sara Denning, is assigned to battle group and meets SEAL Eric Marxen. He coordinates flights operations for a SEAL team who requests Sara to pilot one of their missions. Sara’s interactions with Eric leave her reeling.

Is romantic suspense changing?

In the end, perhaps stories that are considered romantic suspense are changing. Maybe it is as simple as Lisa Gardner writes, “Personally, I consider a romantic suspense novel to be a book that focuses on developing key relationships as well as advancing some kind of intrigue.”

So what were the lessons I learned? Reader expectations influence contest results. Some readers want a sexy, sizzling romance in the opening pages of a story. While others enjoy romantic suspense stories where the suspense is more center stage.

What are your favorite romantic suspense stories? Do you like romance with your suspense or suspense with your romance? 

Stacy Woodson is a U.S. Army Special Operations veteran and a self-declared fitness junkie. She loves a good conspiracy story and has penned one of her own. She believes in the power of a good writing community and how it can elevate your writing. She is a contributor to DIY MFA’s 5onFri and a Claymore finalist. She’s represented by John Talbot at the Talbot Fortune Agency.

The post When is a Story a Romantic Suspense? appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I’m absolutely thrilled to introduce you to Jessica Strawser, the editorial director of Writer’s Digest magazine, and author of the stunning debut novel Almost Missed You.

As editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she has interviewed luminaries like David Sedaris and Alice Walker. She is now a debut author herself—her novel was released yesterday from St. Martin’s Press—and her book has already garnered early accolades from an amazing list of bestselling authors.

Her second novel is slated for release in Spring 2018 and let me just say… I can’t wait. Today, Jessica and I dive into some of the decisions she made in crafting Almost Missed You. Listen in to the episode below.

In this episode Jessica and I discuss:

• Strategies for setting up your first chapter. Jessica and I unpack ways to craft your first chapter for maximum effect.
• Shifting POV between multiple main characters. Picking which elements of the characters’ stories you want to show, and which you want to keep hidden.
• Tapping your personal perspective, emotions, and experiences to help illustrate character experiences in your novel.
• Balancing work, writing, and family in such a way that sets you up to be successful, and helps you channel the strongest emotions possible to your characters. Knowing and being clear about your priorities to meet your goals.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

Jessica Strawser is the editorial director of Writer’s Digest magazine, North America’s leading publication for aspiring and working writers since 1920, where she counts her cover interviews with such luminaries as David Sedaris and Alice Walker among her career highlights. Her debut novel, Almost Missed You, is forthcoming in March 2017 from St. Martin’s Press and has garnered early accolades from a humbling list of bestsellers, including Chris Bohjalian, Garth Stein, Adriana Trigiani, Lisa Scottoline and Jacquelyn Mitchard, and a second novel is slated for a Spring 2018 release.

Her diverse career in the publishing industry spans more than 15 years and includes stints in book editing, marketing and public relations, and freelance writing and editing (with work published in The New York Times and other fine publications). She blogs at WritersDigest.com and elsewhere, tweets @jessicastrawser and enjoys connecting at Facebook.com/jessicastrawserauthor. Learn more at jessicastrawser.com.

Almost Missed You

Violet and Finn were “meant to be,” said everyone, always. They ended up together by the hands of fate aligning things just so. Three years into their marriage, they have a wonderful little boy, and as the three of them embark on their first vacation as a family, Violet can’t help thinking that she can’t believe her luck. Life is good.

So no one is more surprised than she when Finn leaves her at the beach—just packs up the hotel room and disappears. And takes their son with him. Violet is suddenly in her own worst nightmare, and faced with the knowledge that the man she’s shared her life with, she never really knew at all.

Caitlin and Finn have been best friends since way back when, but when Finn shows up on Caitlin’s doorstep with the son he’s wanted for kidnapping, demands that she hide them from the authorities, and threatens to reveal a secret that could destroy her own family if she doesn’t, Caitlin faces an impossible choice.

Told through alternating viewpoints of Violet, Finn and Caitlin, ALMOST MISSED YOU is a powerful story of a mother’s love, a husband’s betrayal, connections that maybe should have been missed, secrets that perhaps shouldn’t have been kept, and spaces between what’s meant to be and what might have been.

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 140

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share!

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 140: Writing Multiple POV Suspense — Interview with Jessica Strawser appeared first on DIY MFA.