Jamie Freveletti's Blog, page 6

THE NINTH DAY launch Sept 27 & Tour

  I'm excited for the launch of The Ninth Day and to begin a tour. Here's a quick synopsis of the tour (details on the Events link).  I start out in Arlington Heights at the Tuscan Market and Wine Bar. Great venue and wonderful people. Stop by for a drink, book talk and signing! The Tuscan market is across the street from the Metra stop if you prefer to train it there. After the Tuscan launch party…

Back in the Islands

    It's August and the month of the annual  trip to my favorite island: Anguilla. It's in the British West Indies, a stone's throw from St. Barth's but a whole world of difference. There is nothing to do here. If you want shopping or nightlife you'll need to leave Anguilla and head elsewhere. If you want beautiful, soft sand beaches and peace, here's your place. Getting here is the…

Writing As A Profession: The Creative Industry

Some authors seem surprised at the fact that writing is an industry complete with some of the more cold blooded aspects that the word industry implies. I, however am not because I’ve been around the creative industry all my life in some form or another. My mother was a singer when I was a kid. She would spend the days rehearsing her band in our house and I would sit in a corner, playing with my plastic horse models…

What’s With Thriller Writers and Death? Are We Working Through Some Issues?

It's late at night as I write this. It's raining outside and I can hear it hit the windows. The house is quiet and  I just finished writing a chapter in one manuscript and struggled over an ending of a short story, which I can't seem to get right. I want the ending to say something about the circle of life. My frustration with the way the story should end got me thinking about thriller writers and their view of death. I've noticed…

Running Dark wins a Lovey Award!

I am thrilled to say that Running Dark won a Lovey award at this year's Love is Murder conference!  This great conference was the second that I ever attended when I started attempting to market what I had written (Bouchercon in Chicago was the first) and it has been my favorite place to go every year since. The conference is small but filled with authors, publishers, and, this year,…

Thank you Mr Ludlum I’ve Been Asked To Write Next In Ludlum’s Covert One Series

The Estate of Robert Ludlum has asked me to write the next in the Covert One Series.http://www.chicagotribune.com/enterta... I discovered Robert Ludlum after my mother purchased The Matarese Circle and spent all night reading it. She then bought The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Bourne Identity and The Parsifal Mosaic. I would rush home from school to try to wrestle the next one out of her hands. Books were a luxury, but she bought those, and the rest we…

Running Past the Gatekeepers: Weiner and Picoult Make a Move

I’ve read with interest the debate raised by Jennifer Weiner and Jodi Picoult(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-p... about the dearth of commercial writers covered in influential newspapers and magazines across the country. Both women point out that white, male writers steal the lion’s share of the now dwindling review space. In particular, the press drum begun in advance of Jonathon Franzen’s new book has the women wondering why his stories about family angst are labeled “astounding” and “literary” while their stories about…

The Thrill of the Chase: Male/Female Relationships 2010

I’m in the process of picking topics for my next three Chicago Literary Salons, and one is the state of male/female relationships in 2010. Since the Salon requires both fiction and non-fiction authors, I’ve been reading the non-fiction first. The advice matches your grandmother’s (I’d say your mother’s too, but some of us had pretty wild mothers). For women it goes like this: Don’t call him; Don’t text him; Don’t pay for the…

Criticism: Taking the good and tossing the bad.

Once you’re “in the game” as a writer, criticism in one form or another is inevitable. The first comes from the agents who have rejected you, but were kind enough to give some helpful feedback with the rejection. (That’s a good rejection, if one can call it that). Then there’s the criticism of an editor. Usually good, but sometimes forces a situation where you will end up deleting a scene you wish you hadn’t. And finally, there’s…

Getting from Here to There: Writing Scenery in a Thriller.

Every writer has her strengths and weaknesses. I’m no exception. I love writing dialogue, action scenes, and creating premises. Scenery I could do without. Picture it, you’re writing some great motion-helicopters are shooting at your protagonist from the sky and your character is running away, dodging tree stumps and falling shrapnel. Just writing the scene is exhilarating, not to mention a whole lot of fun. Then it’s over. You’re compelled to “slow” down the story. Contrary to what…