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In this episode Iris Yamashita and Lori discuss:

• How culture has affected the trajectory of her career as a screenwriter and novelist.
• The way her screenwriting background informed her process for maintaining tension and keeping readers on the edge of their seat.
• Using a multiple voice format to make a shifting, close third POV work across characters with very distinct personalities.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Iris Yamashita

Iris Yamashita is an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter for the movie Letters from Iwo Jima.

She has been working in Hollywood for fifteen years developing material for both film and streaming, has taught screenwriting at UCLA, and is an advocate of women and diversity in the entertainment industry.

She has also been a judge and mentor for various film and writing programs, and lives in California.

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

City Under One Roof

A stranded detective tries to solve a murder in a tiny Alaskan town where everyone winters in the same high-rise building, in this gripping debut by Academy Award–nominated screenwriter Iris Yamashita.

When a local teenager discovers a severed hand and foot washed up on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has her own reasons for investigating the possible murder in this isolated place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel.

After an avalanche causes the tunnel to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and suspicious residents of the town—all 205 of whom live in the same high-rise building and are as icy as the weather. Cara teams up with Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski, but before long the investigation is upended by a gang from a nearby reservation who are seeking shelter from the snowstorm.

Cara soon discovers that everyone in this town is keeping secrets. If there is anything as elusive as the residents themselves, it’s answers.

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 444

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 444: Lies, Secrets, and Tension in a Closed-Setting – Interview with Iris Yamashita appeared first on DIY MFA.