Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA. You’ll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You’ll also start getting Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you’ll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.

In this episode Kathy Reichs and I discuss:

• How to write each book in a series with different aspects while keeping it entertaining. 
• Keeping the main character consistent but also allowing room for them to grow and change throughout a series. 
• Adapting a series to television, the differences and challenges of writing a television script vs. a novel. 

Plus, Kathy’s #1 tip for writers.

About Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs’ first novel Déjà Dead, published in 1997, won the Ellis Award for Best First Novel and was an international bestseller. To date, she has written twenty-two novels featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Kathy was also a producer of Fox Television’s longest running scripted drama, Bones, which was based on her work and her novels. One of very few forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Kathy divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Montreal, Québec.

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

The Bone Hacker

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with her twenty-second high-stakes thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan who, following a series of bizarre disappearances on the islands of Turks and Caicos, enters a sinister labyrinth in which a new technology may wreak worldwide havoc.

Called in to examine what is left of a person thought to have been struck by lightning, Tempe traces an unusual tattoo to its source and is soon embroiled in a much larger case. Young men—tourists—have been disappearing on the islands of Turks and Caicos. Seven years earlier, the first victim was found in a strange location with his left hand hacked off; subsequently, two other visitors vanished without a trace. But, recently, tantalizing leads have emerged and only Tempe can unravel them.

Maddeningly, the victims seem to have nothing in common—other than the odd places where their bodies turn up, and the fact that none seems likely to have been involved in criminal activity. Do these attacks have something to do with the islands’ seething culture of gang violence? Tempe isn’t so sure. Disturbingly, she discovers evidence that what’s at stake may actually have global significance.

It isn’t long before the sound of a ticking clock grows menacingly loud. Then Tempe herself becomes a target.

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 471

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Spotify, or Google 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 471: A Behind the Scenes Look at How to Craft a Bestselling Thriller Series – Interview with Kathy Reichs appeared first on DIY MFA.

Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer with recaps of the most recent episodes, a curated Listening List of episodes on a particular theme, and other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! The theme for July is Thrillers, and you can become an insider by signing up with your email at diymfa.com/insiders.

In this episode Stacy, Carolyne, Allison, Wanda, and I discuss:

• Choosing whether to tell a story with multiple timelines, flashbacks, or an epistolary format.
• How their characters deal with the past, secrets, and lies as the story unfolds.
• What role the world and the setting play in how characters process their trauma.

Plus, their #1 tip for writers.

About the Debut Authors 

Stacy Willingham is the New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark. Before turning to fiction, she was a copywriter and brand strategist for various marketing agencies. She earned her BA in magazine journalism from the University of Georgia and MFA in writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her novel is currently being translated into over two dozen languages. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and Labradoodle, Mako, where she is always working on her next book.

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

Carolyne Topdjian is the author of The Hitman’s Daughter (Agora/Polis Books), a gothic mystery which Library Journal lauds as a “fast-paced, haunting novel of survival.” In addition to writing suspense novels, Carolyne has published short fiction in PRISM International, Dreamers Magazine, and Firewords Quarterly. She is a professor in the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts at Humber College in Toronto. Currently, she lives in a 114-year-old haunted house.

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

Allison Buccola is the author of the psychological thriller Catch Her When She Falls.  Before she turned to writing fiction, she was a practicing attorney with a JD from the University of Chicago, and she also did a brief stint as a bartender in Brussels.  She now lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and two kids.

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

Wanda M. Morris is the acclaimed author of All Her Little Secrets. It was named as one of the “Best Books of 2021” by Hudson Booksellers and selected as the #1 Top Pick for “Library Reads” by librarians across the country. It was selected as a Book Buzz Pick by Good Morning America, serialized in Entertainment Weekly and a Marie Claire book club pick. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Crime Writers of Color. A corporate attorney, Wanda has worked in the legal departments of some of America’s top Fortune 100 companies. As a former President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, she established a signature female empowerment program known as the Women’s Initiative. She is married, the mother of three and lives in Atlanta,Georgia. All Her Little Secrets is her debut novel.

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

About the Books

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

From debut author Stacy Willingham comes a masterfully done, lyrical thriller, certain to be the launch of an amazing career. A Flicker in the Dark is eerily compelling to the very last page.

When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, her own father had confessed to the crimes and was put away for life, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Now twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. While she finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to achieve, she sometimes feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. So when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, seeing parallels from her past that aren’t actually there, or for the second time in her life, is Chloe about to unmask a killer?

The Hitman’s Daughter by Carolyne Topdjian

The Château du Ciel was once the destination for the rich and famous to play, drink and ski―complete with a luxurious railway to shuttle those desiring extra privacy―now, however, the guests are few and far between. The New Year’s Eve party was supposed to hoist the rundown hotel back to its former status, until a massive blizzard descends upon the Châ teau, trapping the guests who’ve come to celebrate the grand hotel’s last hurrah. The circumstances might even be considered romantic; if only the hotel wasn’t reputed to be haunted.

When hotel employee Mave Michael finds the resident artist dead, and shortly thereafter hotel security finds Mave alone with the body, the reputation she has fought long and hard to outrun comes back to haunt her. Because Mave’s father is a notorious hitman serving multiple life sentences in prison. Mave changed her name and location dozens of times to escape her legacy, but he somehow manages to track her down―even sending her a postcard on the eve of her birthday, January 1st. Mave is the perfect choice to frame for murder, and now the number one suspect. She can no longer deny the lessons in survival her father taught her, and must use them and her uncanny sixth-sense in “finding” lost objects to navigate the maze-like hotel. To save herself, Mave not only has to stop running from her own past, she must unearth the history of the hotel, its elite guests and buried secrets―one deadly sin at a time.

Catch Her When She Falls by Allison Buccola

In this “propulsive” (Kimberly McCreight) debut thriller, a young woman questions everything she thought she knew about the shocking murder that changed her life when she was in high school.

Ten years ago, my boyfriend killed my best friend. 

When Micah Wilkes was a senior in high school, her boyfriend was convicted of murdering her best friend, Emily, a star ballerina with a bright future. A decade later, Micah has finally moved on from the unforgivable betrayal and loss. Now the owner of a bustling coffee shop in her small hometown in Pennsylvania, she’s happily coupled up with another old high school friend, the two having bonded over their shared sorrow.

But when reminders of her past begin appearing at her work and home, Micah begins to doubt what she knows about Emily’s death. Questions raised on a true crime blog and in an online web sleuthing forum force her to reexamine her memories of that fateful night. She told the truth to the investigators on the case, but was there another explanation for Emily’s murder? A stranger in the woods. An obsessive former classmate. A domineering ballet instructor. Or the internet’s favorite suspect: Joshua, Emily’s outcast younger brother who hasn’t been seen since his sister’s death.

As Micah delves deeper into the case, she feels her grip on reality loosening, her behavior growing more and more secretive and unhinged. As she races to piece together the truth about that night ten years ago, Micah grapples with how things could have gone so wrong and wonders whether she, too, might be next to disappear.

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

A fast-paced and twisty thriller about a black lawyer who gets caught in a dangerous conspiracy after the sudden death of her boss . . . A debut perfect for fans of Attica Locke, Alyssa Cole, Harlan Coben, and Celeste Ng, with shades of How to Get Away with Murder and John Grisham’s The Firm.

Everyone has something to hide…

Ellice Littlejohn seemingly has it all: an Ivy League law degree, a well-paying job as a corporate attorney in midtown Atlanta, great friends, and a “for fun” relationship with a rich, charming executive, who just happens to be her white boss. But everything changes one cold January morning when Ellice arrives in the executive suite and finds him dead with a gunshot to his head.

And then she walks away like nothing has happened. Why? Ellice has been keeping a cache of dark secrets, including a small-town past and a kid brother who’s spent time on the other side of the law. She can’t be thrust into the spotlight—again.

But instead of grieving this tragedy, people are gossiping, the police are getting suspicious, and Ellice, the company’s lone black attorney, is promoted to replace her boss. While the opportunity is a dream-come-true, Ellice just can’t shake the feeling that something is off.

When she uncovers shady dealings inside the company, Ellice is trapped in an impossible ethical and moral dilemma. Suddenly, Ellice’s past and present lives collide as she launches into a pulse-pounding race to protect the brother she tried to save years ago and stop a conspiracy far more sinister than she could have ever imagined…

Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris

From the award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets comes yet another gripping, suspenseful novel where, after the murder of a white man in Jim Crow Mississippi, two Black sisters run away to different parts of the country . . . but can they escape the secrets they left behind?

It’s the summer of 1964 and three innocent men are brutally murdered for trying to help Black Mississippians secure the right to vote. Against this backdrop, twenty-two-year-old Violet Richards finds herself in more trouble than she’s ever been in her life. Suffering a brutal attack of her own, she kills the man responsible. But with the color of Violet’s skin, there is no way she can escape Jim Crow justice in Jackson, Mississippi. Before anyone can find the body or finger her as the killer, she decides to run. With the help of her white beau, Violet escapes. But desperation and fear leads her to hide out in the small rural town of Chillicothe, Georgia, unaware that danger may be closer than she thinks.

Back in Jackson, Marigold, Violet’s older sister, has dreams of attending law school. Working for the Mississippi Summer Project, she has been trying to use her smarts to further the cause of the Black vote. But Marigold is in a different kind of trouble: she’s pregnant and unmarried. After news of the murder brings the police to her door, Marigold sees no choice but to flee Jackson too. She heads North seeking the promise of a better life and no more segregation. But has she made a terrible choice that threatens her life and that of her unborn child? 

Two sisters on the run—one from the law, the other from social shame. What they don’t realize is that there’s a man hot on their trail. This man has his own brand of dark secrets and a disturbing motive for finding the sisters that is unknown to everyone but him . . .

If you decide to check out the books, we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links: A Flicker in the Dark, The Hitman’s Daughter, Catch Her When She Falls, All Her Little Secrets, and Anywhere You Run 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 419

(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.

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 419: When Past and Present Collide – Thrillerfest 2022 Debut Authors Roundtable appeared first on DIY MFA.

Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter, especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer with recaps of the most recent episodes, a curated Listening List of episodes on a particular theme, and other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! The theme for February is Romance, and you can become an insider by signing up with your email at diymfa.com/insiders.

In this episode JK Ellem and I discuss:

• How a wrong turn and a gated community inspired his Ravenwood series.
• Why he chose to break the rules of POV and how he pulled it off.
• Creating questions that get the reader involved in the mystery and control the pacing.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About JK Ellem

JK Ellem is an Amazon Charts US and UK #1 Bestselling thriller author. 

In 2020, his independently published crime thriller, Mill Point Road, climbed to #1 globally in the Amazon Kindle Store in the categories of Crime Fiction, Thriller Fiction, Financial Thrillers, Heist Crime, Kidnapping Crime Fiction, and Noir. This was achieved with no agent, no publicist, and no publishing company behind him. Just him and his wife Jennifer, who looks after his marketing and social media.

Jack was born in London and sold his business in 2017 so he could concentrate on writing full-time. He has a dry sense of humor that tends to get him into trouble with his wife and their three adult children.  

Jack splits his time between the US, the UK, and Australia.

You can find them on his website or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Mill Point Road

Five women. Five dark and sinister secrets. One killer who knows them all.

When Rebecca Cartwright, young and recently widowed, moves into the exclusive gated community of Mill Point Road, in the town of Ravenwood, she thought she had found her sanctuary. Leaving behind the bad memories of her past, she soon befriends the welcoming group of wives who are her neighbors.

But behind the backdrop of beautiful homes, manicured lawns, and high walls, Becca soon discovers that the women of Mill Point Road are hiding dark and sinister secrets. There is Zoe Collins, young and timid who tells everyone she’s so in love with her husband as she tries to cover up the bruises on her arms. Sabine Miller, the queen of information, together with her husband Mark, they are the living, breathing statement of wealth and success. Maggie Vickerman, the older patriarch of the group, keeps her numerous liaisons with younger men hidden from her husband, Hank. And then there is Paige Hamill, the only child of a US Senator who desperately wants a child and will do anything to fall pregnant.

But no one knows Becca has her own secret, and it’s the darkest and most sinister of them all…

Ravenwood (Book 2: Ravenwood Series)

In some small towns, you can get away with murder.

Catching the Eden Killer earned Haley Perez her detective’s badge—and plenty of angst from her fellow, more experienced, detectives. With her mentor, Marvin Richards, now retired, Perez must rely on her own instincts when the body of a woman is found frozen to death in the forest near Ravenwood, with her eyes gouged out.

But, that’s the least of Haley’s problems; she has a deadly, new admirer.  Someone claiming to be the Eden Killer’s mentor, is stalking her.

Then there are the women of Mill Point Road; Becca, Paige, Maggie and Sabine, as well as a new, mysterious neighbor who has recently moved in. Old secrets will be revealed, new secrets will emerge, and staying friends may prove to be lethal.

With the help of Annabel Chandler, a county forensic investigator, Haley Perez follows the trail of this new, cruel, and sadistic killer who is roaming the snow-covered streets in search of their next victim.

Winter isn’t the only brutally chilling thing to arrive in Ravenwood.

Ravenwood is the electrifying sequel to Mill Point Road, the Amazon US & UK #1 Bestselling Thriller, from JK Ellem.

If you decide to check out these books, we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links for Mill Point Road and Ravenwood, 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 398

(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.

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 398: Trust Your Reader and Trust Yourself: Writing a Multiple Point of View Thriller – Interview with JK Ellem appeared first on DIY MFA.

Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Internationally Best-Selling Author of 17 novels in The Tracy Crosswhite police detective series set in Seattle, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and the Charles Jenkins espionage series.

He is also the author of several standalone novels including The Eighth Sister and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, both #1 Amazon kindle downloads, as well as The 7th Canon and The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post best book of the year. Several novels have been optioned for television series. Robert is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for fiction and many other awards. We’ll be talking about his book A Cold Trail which is out now.

In this episode Robert and I discuss:

• The power of dedicated, daily work
• Revisiting an old crime in a new book
• The particular appeal of a small town as a mystery setting
• The interplay between setting, theme and characters
• The myth of originality

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Internationally Best-Selling Author of 17 novels in The Tracy Crosswhite police detective series set in Seattle, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and the Charles Jenkins espionage series. He is also the author of several standalone novels including The Eighth Sister and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, both #1 Amazon kindle downloads, as well as The 7th Canon and The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post best book of the year. Several novels have been optioned for television series. Robert is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for fiction and many other awards. Check out his website, or connect with him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

A Cold Trail

In New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s riveting series, Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite returns home to a brutal murder and her haunted past.

The last time homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite was in Cedar Grove, it was to see her sister’s killer put behind bars. Now she’s returned for a respite and the chance to put her life back in order for herself, her attorney husband, Dan, and their new daughter. But tragic memories soon prove impossible to escape.

Dan is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. And Tracy is urged by the local PD to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of a police officer’s wife and local reporter who was investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman. As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy’s trail becomes dangerous. It’s stirring up her own haunted past and a decades-old conspiracy in Cedar Grove that has erupted in murder. Getting to the truth is all that matters. But what’s Tracy willing to risk as a killer gets closer to her and threatens everyone she loves?

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via the above 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 291

(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 291: How to Make Your Story Truly Unique — Interview with Robert Dugoni appeared first on DIY MFA.

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

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

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

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

Thriller Summit FAQs

What’s a telesummit and how does it work?

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

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

Cool beans, but how do I access the interviews?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Thriller Summit starts next week!

Click here to join.

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

We’re doing something different for this episode of DIY MFA Radio. This week I’m speaking with Steve Berry and Raymond Khoury about the art of collaboration. As you may remember, Steve Berry has appeared on this show before, and this time I’m thrilled to welcome him back with a twist. Today I’m talking both with him and with fellow thriller author Raymond Khoury, about their recent ebook collaboration: Shadow Tag.

In case you’ve been off the grid and don’t know who these two awesome authors are… Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of several history-driven thrillers and his latest book The 14th Colony which will be out on April 5. Raymond Khoury is a former screenwriter and now the author of five consecutive New York Times and #1 international bestsellers. His latest book The End Game will be out on March 10. Their collaborative eBook is a phenomenal example of how two authors can work together to increase both their platforms and reach new readers.

In this episode Steve, Raymond, and I discuss:

• The myth of “original” material
• The logistics of collaboration
• Cross-pollinating reader bases as a marketing strategy
• How to find a collaboration partner

Plus, Steve’s and Raymond’s #1 tip for writers.

Resources:

Shadow Tag is out now, and you can pre-order Raymond Khoury’s The End Game and Steve Berry’s The 14th Colony. If you decide to purchase, we hope you’ll consider doing so via these amazon affiliate links, where DIY MFA gets a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting this podcast!

Steve Berry:

History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It’s his passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 Steve and Elizabeth have crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures, raising money via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners and their popular writers workshops. To date, over 2,500 students have attended those workshops. In 2012 and 2013 Steve’s devotion to historic preservation was recognized by the American Library Association, which named Steve it’s spokesperson for National Preservation Week. Among his other honors is the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award; the 2013 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award given by Poets & Writers; the 2013 Anne Frank Human Writes Award; and the Silver Bullet, bestowed in 2013 by International Thriller Writers for his philanthropic work. A 2010 NPR survey named The Templar Legacy one of the top 100 thrillers ever written.

Steve was born and raised in Georgia, graduating from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a founding member of International Thriller Writers—a group of more than 2,600 thriller writers from around the world—and served three years as its co-president.

To learn more about Steve, you can visit www.steveberry.org, or follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Youtube. His new book The 14th Colony will be out on April 5.

Raymond Khoury:

Raymond came to writing thrillers from a career in screenwriting, which includes the BAFTA award winning BBC series SPOOKS (aka MI:5 in the US). THE LAST TEMPLAR began its journey to print as an original screenplay written in 1996. At the time, a book agent suggested turning it into a novel, and a major NY publisher, the first to read it, offered Raymond a $500,000 advance for the as-yet-unwritten novel, with one condition: “Lose the religion. It’s boring. Change the Templars’ secret to gold, diamonds, something people get excited about.” After much tortured consideration, Raymond turned the offer down, his first potential paycheck from writing. Almost exactly ten years later, his novel, based on that screenplay–religion included–became a global bestseller, hitting #1 in multiple countries and getting adapted into an NBC miniseries.

Raymond’s thrillers are based on big themes that interest him such as international politics and conspiracies, fact vs faith, why we age and die, what do we really know about reincarnation, about mind control. He explores these themes in depth, with heavy emphasis on research, and often combines a historical angle to his stories. As such, some of his novels feature dual timelines: the bulk of the stories are set in the present day, interspersed with chapters that take place in the distant past. As Booklist puts it, “Khoury’s thrillers engage the reader’s mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khoury’s books very much.”

Raymond’s 7th novel, THE END GAME, is released on March 10, 2016.

To learn more about Raymond visit his website, or follow him on Facebook.

Link to Episode 84

(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 84: The Art of Collaboration – Interview with Steve Berry and Raymond Khoury appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I’m interviewing the New York Times bestselling thriller author, Brad Taylor. We’ll be talking about the fiction vs. reality. As writers, we’ve all been told to “write what you know” but as with everything, there are pros and cons to incorporating our real-life experiences into our stories and novels.

Brad Taylor’s novels are a great example of finding that balance between fact and fiction. A former member of the Special Forces and now a security consultant, Brad uses his knowledge both of the military world and obscure international news, to craft thrillers that seem almost to anticipate real-world events. In this episode, he shares insights about his process: how he gets inside the skin of his characters and brings readers into the world of stories, making that world feel totally real.

In this episode Brad and I discuss:

• Writing what you know and balancing fiction and reality.
• How to get into the shoes of your character.
• Deciding which details and information to unpack for the reader.
• Plotting versus pantsing.

Plus, Brad’s #1 tip for writers.

About Brad Taylor:

Brad Taylor served for more than twenty years in the US Army, including eight years in 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, commonly known as Delta Force. He also holds a Master’s of Science in Defense Analysis and, in addition to his writing, he serves as a security consultant on asymmetric threats.

Brad pays close attention to obscure international news stories before mainstream media picks them up, so his books can read like prophecies, almost anticipating real-world events. He is a trusted and mediagenic expert who has been called to comment on breaking news for FOX, CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera America, and Newsmax on stories as diverse as the Charlie Hebdo attack, ISIS, the Sony hack, the death of Osama Bin Laden, and Tom Clancy.

Brad is the New York Times bestselling author of eight previous Pike Logan novels. His latest book The Forgotten Soldier, is a fascinating departure from this series, where the characters (a close-knit group in a military Taskforce) face their most emotional challenge yet—hunting one of their own.

To learn more about Brad and his books, you can follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit his website.

Link to Episode 79

(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 79: The Fact of Fiction – Interview with Brad Taylor appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I’m talking to Drew Chapman. Drew is a thriller author. His debut novel, The Ascendant, was published in 2014 and the sequel The King of Fear is currently being released as a serialized eBook and will be out in paperback come February 2016.

A fellow New Yorker, Drew grew up in NYC, got a BA in History from the University of Michigan, then eventually moved to LA to work in the movie business.

He directed an indie film Stand Off, was a writer on the animated feature Pocahontas for Disney, and most recently wrote and co-executive produced the second season of Legends (a spy show for TNT). Now working mostly in television, he has been writing for networks like ABC, Fox, and TNT. Drew lives in Seattle with his wife and kids.

In this episode Drew and I discuss:

• The difference between writing for TV and film and writing novels.
• What his process is like for writing his characters.
• How the craft of storytelling differs based on the medium you choose.
• Writing serial fiction.
• The art of the info-dump. When to use back story and when to leave it out.

Plus, Drew’s #1 tip for writers.

Resources:

To learn more about Drew you can follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit his website. Check out his books:

• The King of Fear Part One
• The King of Fear Part Two
• The King of Fear Part Three
•  The King of Fear Complete Saga
• The Acendant (first book of the Garrett Reilly series)

Link to Episode 73

(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 73: Finding the Right Medium for Your Story – with Drew Chapman appeared first on DIY MFA.