Alex Dolan's Blog, page 4

Award-winning author Jennifer Kincheloe on America's 1st female police officer

This week week on Thrill Seekers, I interview award-winning author Jennifer Kincheloe on her debut novel, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc.    Listen now.   Can't listen now? SUBSCRIBE to the podcast here, and listen at your leisure.   Jennifer Kincheloe is an award-winning author who recently released her debut novel, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc. The historical literary thriller is inspired by the story of the Alice Stebbins Wells, the first woman police officer in the country, and takes us back

Bestseller Christina Henry on Alice in Wonderland and 80s Pop Hits

This week week on Thrill Seekers, I interview Christina Henry on her latest work.    Listen now.   Can't listen now? SUBSCRIBE to the podcast here, and listen at your leisure.   Christina Henry is a bestslelling author of the Black Wings series, as well as the two Chronicles of Alice books, Alice (2015) and Red Queen (2016). In Alice, Henry uses the world of Alice in Wonderland as a foundation to develop a dark psychological thriller about human trafficking and survival. On Thrill Seekers, she

Thriller master Jennifer McMahon on spooky things in Vermont, including Ben & Jerry's "Flavor Graveyard"

This week on THRILL SEEKERS, I talk to Jennifer McMahon about ghost stories and things that creep us out, including the Ben & Jerry's "flavor graveyard" in Vermont.   Jennifer McMahon is the author of seven wonderful novels, including the breakout ghost story/psychological thriller PROMISE NOT TO TELL, and the most recent THE WINTER PEOPLE and THE NIGHT SISTER, both released in 2015. As a child, she was convinced a ghost named Virgil lived in her attic, and since has crafted spooky,

New York Times bestselling erotica and thriller author Alessandra Torre on sex cam girls and psychopaths

This week on THRILL SEEKERS, I had the pleasure to speak with with erotica and thriller bestseller Alessandra Torre on the overlapping worlds of sex cam girls and psychopaths. Among her research for the main character, she cammed for three days.   Alessandra Torre (also A.R. Torre) is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who has has written 13 novels, five of which have become #1 erotic bestsellers. Her Deanna Madden series, including The Girl in 6E,  Do Not

Award-winning author Laura McHugh talks about things that can kill you in the Ozarks on THRILL SEEKERS

This week I had the pleasure of talking to award-winning debut author Laura McHugh about good and bad query letters and the best hiding place in America for criminals. Travel tip: if you're heading to the Ozarks, be careful of the scorpions and the brown recluse spiders.   Laura McHugh is the author of The Weight of Blood and Arrowood (coming in 2016). Her debut novel has won the International Thriller Writers Thriller Award for Best First Novel, Silver Falchion Award for Best First Novel:

Author Louis Bayard Talks Teddy Roosevelt, Kermit and Downton Abbey on THRILL SEEKERS

Louis Bayard is the author of seven novels, including Roosevelt's Beast, The School of Night, The Pale Blue Eye and Mr. Timothy. A New York Times Notable author, he has been nominated for both the Edgar® and Dagger awards and has been named one of People magazine's top authors of the year. Joyce Carol Oates has noted, "Louis Bayard is a writer of remarkable gifts: for language, for imagination, for that mysterious admixture of audacity and craftsmanship that signals a major talent in the

My Grandfather's Harvard Square Store Closes after 50+ years

My grandfather's landmark store in Harvard Square will be closing this week.    Joseph Rizzo made clothes for politicians and Nobel Laureates, including John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Robert Frost, John Kerry and Julia Child. His store on Church Street in Cambridge has been open since 1947. The store has been a fixture in the community, and he's even had a scholarship in his name at Harvard University.   This landmark sign in Harvard Square has stood for decades. The building may still keep

Rambo creator David Morrell joins me on THRILL SEEKERS

David Morrell is the award-winning author of First Blood, the novel in which Rambo was created. He is a co-founder of International Thriller Writers, and an honorary lifetime member of the Special Operations Association and the Association of Intelligence Officers. His latest novels, Murder as a Fine Art and Inspector of the Dead, are Victorian thrillers that explore the world of 1850s London. Based on years of research, they attempt to make readers believe they are truly on those harrowing,

Bestselling thriller author Andrew Pyper talks demons and evil twins on THRILL SEEKERS

Andrew Pyper is the author of several titles, including The Demonologist, and most recently The Damned. The Demonologist won the 2014 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel, and was a #1 bestseller in Canada. Film rights have been sold to Universal Pictures with Robert Zemeckis’ company, ImageMovers. The Damnedh as been optioned by Legendary Pictures. His other titles include The Guardians, The Killing Circle, Kiss Me, and Lost Girls. He is based in Toronto.    I started

Black Defiance and the Hedgehog, Or How to Develop Character Names

One of my favorite character names is from Ivanhoe. He’s a background character named Malvoisin, and since I was taking French classes, I liked the name because it translates to “bad neighbor.”   So what makes a decent name? Naturally, it’s subjective, but I’ve always been partial to names that show some imagination, and that give us some feeling about the characters they represent. The sound of the name can evoke an image or emotion about a person, and the meaning of a name can give insights