Elena Hartwell's Blog, page 65

Amateur Sleuth and Research Librarian Solves Crimes

An amateur sleuth can make for some of the best crime fiction. Edwin Hill creates an intriguing and dynamic character with his research librarian Hester Thursby, who puts her skills to the test in the first two books of his series. Thrilled to have Edwin Hill on my blog this week to chat about his inspirations for writing his series.

Looking for more strong female amateur sleuths? Have you checked out the Clare Carlson series by R.G. Belsky? Click the link here to read more.

The Author

Edwin Hill was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, and spent most of his childhood obsessing over The Famous Five, Agatha Christie, and somehow finding a way into C.S. Lewis’s wardrobe.

After attending Wesleyan University and graduating with a B.A. in American Studies, he headed west to San Francisco for the dotcom boom. Later, he returned to Boston, earned an MFA from Emerson College, and switched gears to work in educational publishing.

He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and his favorite reviewer, their lab Edith Ann, who likes his first drafts enough to eat them.

To learn more about Edwin, click on his name, photo or any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and GoodReads

The Books
Little Comfort

In a brilliantly twisted debut set among Boston’s elite, Edwin Hill introduces unforgettable sleuth Hester Thursby—and a missing persons case that uncovers a trail of vicious murder . . .

Harvard librarian Hester Thursby knows that even in the digital age, people still need help finding things. Using her research skills, Hester runs a side business tracking down the lost.

Usually, she’s hired to find long-ago prom dates or to reunite adopted children and birth parents. Her new case is finding the handsome and charismatic Sam Blaine.

Want more of this dynamic amateur sleuth? Check out book two!

To Buy the Book, click on the following link: Amazon
The Missing Ones

Edwin Hill, author of the acclaimed Little Comfort, returns with his next book featuring Harvard librarian Hester Thursby—an intimate, intricate mystery as smart and complex as it is riveting.

“A conflicted protagonist battles formidable opponents in a bid for a normal life.” Kirkus

“Hill is adept at building compassion for his characters in a tight-knit social web while implicating them in dark thoughts and actions. He remains a writer to watch.” Publishers Weekly

To Buy the Book, click on  the following link: Amazon

The Interview

Your amateur sleuth is a research librarian, a brilliant set-up for a series. What gave you the idea for Hester Thursby?

My first book, Little Comfort, went through so many different revisions that I sometimes have to remind myself where Hester came from!

This book was inspired by the Clark Rockefeller case from about ten years ago. For those who don’t remember, Clark Rockefeller was a man who pretended to be a member of the Rockefeller family, married a wealthy woman, and had a child with her. When his story began to unravel, he went on the run with his daughter, and it became national news.

It turned out his name was actually Christian Gerhartsreiter, he was German national, and, ultimately, he was connected to the murder of a couple in California.

I thought this was a terrific story to use as inspiration for a novel, and for a while, I worked on a manuscript with a Tom Ripley-type antihero named Sam Blaine. I got to a point, though, where I didn’t feel that the story was moving forward enough, and that Sam needed a foil.

I also wanted to write a series, so I came up with Hester, a librarian, who uses her research skills to find missing people. To me, mysteries and thrillers are about curious people asking questions, and librarians are among the most curious people I know. I wondered what it would be like to extend that curiosity to the world of crime and missing people, and Hester was born!

I should note that Little Comfort and The Missing Ones are both psychological thrillers that are violent and deal with disturbing themes. Some readers have gone into the series expecting a gentler story and have been surprised by what they find!

“I wanted to play with class in that story, so choosing those locations was important to the plot because you find economic disparity in both.”

The first book in the series, Little Comfort, is set in Boston, the second, The Missing Ones, is set on a rugged, remote island off the coast of Maine. How has location and geography impacted the two books?

In the series, Hester and her longtime boyfriend Morgan live in Somerville’s Union Square, and Hester winds up exploring different parts of New England. Setting is so important to creating a good story, though I chose to set the series in Boston for a very practical reason: I live here and when I started writing I was still working full time at my day job, which didn’t leave much room for research.

All that said, I really like writing a series that’s set in New England because you can go from a very urban setting like Boston to a something different very quickly. Little Comfort is set in both Boston (Beacon Hill, to be exact) and in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

An Amateur Sleuth doesn’t mean a cozy read!
“I should note that Little Comfort and The Missing Ones are both psychological thrillers that are violent and deal with disturbing themes.” 

I wanted to play with class in that story, so choosing those locations was important to the plot because you find economic disparity in both. Little Comfort also takes place in the winter, and I used the rural, isolated setting of the Lakes Region to increase the intensity and danger at the end of the novel.

For The Missing Ones, I wanted to write a locked room story where there would be a finite number of potential victims and killers.

I visited Monhegan Island, which is located eight miles off the coast of Boothbay Harbor in Maine and thought it would be the perfect setting for a crime. It’s a tiny, isolated island that has been an artist colony for many years, and one of the unique things about it is that no cars are allowed on the island.

Once I started writing, I realized that I’d need to create a fictional island instead of using the actual location, so I renamed it Finisterre Island.

I made the change for a few reasons, mostly because the actual island is so specific that the smallest error would have destroyed the authenticity of setting.

Ultimately, I also needed to make some changes to the landscape for plot, so it seemed best to rename the setting. Still, anyone who has ever been to Monhegan Island will recognize many details from this unique and beautiful place.

“Edith Ann never lets me forget who is boss.”

Your yellow lab Edith Ann is your toughest critic. She also has her own Instagram page – what’s it like living with a canine celebrity? 

Edith Ann never lets me forget who is boss.

[You can find Edith Ann by clicking on the link here]

A quick definition of the Agatha Award: The Agatha Awards honor the Traditional Mystery, books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. For more information visit the Malice Domestic Website. A great place to find more books that feature an Amateur Sleuth!

The first book in the series, Little Comfort, was nominated for an Agatha. Did the success of the first novel give you a sense of relief? Or up the anxiety for The Missing Ones to live up to the debut? 

For so many years (decades, actually), I never had the slightest whiff of success as a writer, so having a book published checked off all my dream boxes.

Anything that follows is extra. I was stunned and honored when I got the Agatha nomination, and will continue to be equally as stunned and honored every time anyone tells me they read one of my books, let alone liked it!

Writing a series comes with its own challenges, with two books down and a third coming out next year, what have you learned about writing a series?

I really love reading series where you learn more about the main characters in each installment. For me, the hardest part of writing this series is balancing how much information I reveal about Hester and Morgan in each book so that the novel itself is a satisfying standalone read, while holding back enough to keep interest going for a longer series.

For example, I’m already thinking forward to Book Four in the series, which will focus on Morgan’s extended family, and I want to include a few clues in Book Three that will be tantalizing, and yet not annoying or untethered. Wish me luck!

Best of luck!

Good to know amateur sleuth Hester Thursby will be back!

What are you working on now?

I am working on the third Hester Thursby book, tentatively called BLIND SPOT (a title I can almost guarantee won’t stick!)

This novel is about four students who enroll in a sketchy for-profit art school only to be killed off one by one. Hester comes into the story when the general manager of the school hires her to find alumni without contact information. Great danger follows.

For fans of the series, much of the plot will focus on Detective Angela White, who has been a popular minor character in the first two novels.

“Honestly, if I can do this, so can you.”

Final Words of Wisdom:

Keep on trucking!

Honestly, if I can do this, so can you. Keep working hard on what you want to write, meet as many people in your given genre as possible, and listen.  You’ll get there!

Great words of wisdom! Thank you so much for sharing your books and your amateur sleuth Hester Thursby, and your adorable dog Edith Ann with us! Can’t wait to have you back on my blog with books three and four.

The post Amateur Sleuth and Research Librarian Solves Crimes appeared first on Elena Hartwell.

Amateur Sleuth and Research Librarian, Solves Crimes

An amateur sleuth can make for some of the best crime fiction. Edwin Hill creates an intriguing and dynamic character with his research librarian Hester Thursby, who puts her skills to the test in the first two books of his series. Thrilled to have Edwin Hill on my blog this week to chat about his inspirations for writing his series.

Looking for more strong female amateur sleuths? Have you checked out the Clare Carlson series by R.G. Belsky? Click the link here to read more.

The Author

Edwin Hill was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, and spent most of his childhood obsessing over The Famous Five, Agatha Christie, and somehow finding a way into C.S. Lewis’s wardrobe.

After attending Wesleyan University and graduating with a B.A. in American Studies, he headed west to San Francisco for the dotcom boom. Later, he returned to Boston, earned an MFA from Emerson College, and switched gears to work in educational publishing.

He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and his favorite reviewer, their lab Edith Ann, who likes his first drafts enough to eat them.

To learn more about Edwin, click on his name, photo or any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and GoodReads

The Books
Little Comfort

In a brilliantly twisted debut set among Boston’s elite, Edwin Hill introduces unforgettable sleuth Hester Thursby—and a missing persons case that uncovers a trail of vicious murder . . .

Harvard librarian Hester Thursby knows that even in the digital age, people still need help finding things. Using her research skills, Hester runs a side business tracking down the lost.

Usually, she’s hired to find long-ago prom dates or to reunite adopted children and birth parents. Her new case is finding the handsome and charismatic Sam Blaine.

Want more of this dynamic amateur sleuth? Check out book two!

To Buy the Book, click on the following link: Amazon
The Missing Ones

Edwin Hill, author of the acclaimed Little Comfort, returns with his next book featuring Harvard librarian Hester Thursby—an intimate, intricate mystery as smart and complex as it is riveting.

“A conflicted protagonist battles formidable opponents in a bid for a normal life.” Kirkus

“Hill is adept at building compassion for his characters in a tight-knit social web while implicating them in dark thoughts and actions. He remains a writer to watch.” Publishers Weekly

To Buy the Book, click on  the following link: Amazon

The Interview

Your amateur sleuth is a research librarian, a brilliant set-up for a series. What gave you the idea for Hester Thursby?

My first book, Little Comfort, went through so many different revisions that I sometimes have to remind myself where Hester came from!

This book was inspired by the Clark Rockefeller case from about ten years ago. For those who don’t remember, Clark Rockefeller was a man who pretended to be a member of the Rockefeller family, married a wealthy woman, and had a child with her. When his story began to unravel, he went on the run with his daughter, and it became national news.

It turned out his name was actually Christian Gerhartsreiter, he was German national, and, ultimately, he was connected to the murder of a couple in California.

I thought this was a terrific story to use as inspiration for a novel, and for a while, I worked on a manuscript with a Tom Ripley-type antihero named Sam Blaine. I got to a point, though, where I didn’t feel that the story was moving forward enough, and that Sam needed a foil.

I also wanted to write a series, so I came up with Hester, a librarian, who uses her research skills to find missing people. To me, mysteries and thrillers are about curious people asking questions, and librarians are among the most curious people I know. I wondered what it would be like to extend that curiosity to the world of crime and missing people, and Hester was born!

I should note that Little Comfort and The Missing Ones are both psychological thrillers that are violent and deal with disturbing themes. Some readers have gone into the series expecting a gentler story and have been surprised by what they find!

“I wanted to play with class in that story, so choosing those locations was important to the plot because you find economic disparity in both.”

The first book in the series, Little Comfort, is set in Boston, the second, The Missing Ones, is set on a rugged, remote island off the coast of Maine. How has location and geography impacted the two books?

In the series, Hester and her longtime boyfriend Morgan live in Somerville’s Union Square, and Hester winds up exploring different parts of New England. Setting is so important to creating a good story, though I chose to set the series in Boston for a very practical reason: I live here and when I started writing I was still working full time at my day job, which didn’t leave much room for research.

All that said, I really like writing a series that’s set in New England because you can go from a very urban setting like Boston to a something different very quickly. Little Comfort is set in both Boston (Beacon Hill, to be exact) and in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

An Amateur Sleuth doesn’t mean a cozy read!
“I should note that Little Comfort and The Missing Ones are both psychological thrillers that are violent and deal with disturbing themes.” 

I wanted to play with class in that story, so choosing those locations was important to the plot because you find economic disparity in both. Little Comfort also takes place in the winter, and I used the rural, isolated setting of the Lakes Region to increase the intensity and danger at the end of the novel.

For The Missing Ones, I wanted to write a locked room story where there would be a finite number of potential victims and killers.

I visited Monhegan Island, which is located eight miles off the coast of Boothbay Harbor in Maine and thought it would be the perfect setting for a crime. It’s a tiny, isolated island that has been an artist colony for many years, and one of the unique things about it is that no cars are allowed on the island.

Once I started writing, I realized that I’d need to create a fictional island instead of using the actual location, so I renamed it Finisterre Island.

I made the change for a few reasons, mostly because the actual island is so specific that the smallest error would have destroyed the authenticity of setting.

Ultimately, I also needed to make some changes to the landscape for plot, so it seemed best to rename the setting. Still, anyone who has ever been to Monhegan Island will recognize many details from this unique and beautiful place.

“Edith Ann never lets me forget who is boss.”

Your yellow lab Edith Ann is your toughest critic. She also has her own Instagram page – what’s it like living with a canine celebrity? 

Edith Ann never lets me forget who is boss.

[You can find Edith Ann by clicking on the link here]

A quick definition of the Agatha Award: The Agatha Awards honor the Traditional Mystery, books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. For more information visit the Malice Domestic Website. A great place to find more books that feature an Amateur Sleuth!

The first book in the series, Little Comfort, was nominated for an Agatha. Did the success of the first novel give you a sense of relief? Or up the anxiety for The Missing Ones to live up to the debut? 

For so many years (decades, actually), I never had the slightest whiff of success as a writer, so having a book published checked off all my dream boxes.

Anything that follows is extra. I was stunned and honored when I got the Agatha nomination, and will continue to be equally as stunned and honored every time anyone tells me they read one of my books, let alone liked it!

Writing a series comes with its own challenges, with two books down and a third coming out next year, what have you learned about writing a series?

I really love reading series where you learn more about the main characters in each installment. For me, the hardest part of writing this series is balancing how much information I reveal about Hester and Morgan in each book so that the novel itself is a satisfying standalone read, while holding back enough to keep interest going for a longer series.

For example, I’m already thinking forward to Book Four in the series, which will focus on Morgan’s extended family, and I want to include a few clues in Book Three that will be tantalizing, and yet not annoying or untethered. Wish me luck!

Best of luck!

Good to know amateur sleuth Hester Thursby will be back!

What are you working on now?

I am working on the third Hester Thursby book, tentatively called BLIND SPOT (a title I can almost guarantee won’t stick!)

This novel is about four students who enroll in a sketchy for-profit art school only to be killed off one by one. Hester comes into the story when the general manager of the school hires her to find alumni without contact information. Great danger follows.

For fans of the series, much of the plot will focus on Detective Angela White, who has been a popular minor character in the first two novels.

“Honestly, if I can do this, so can you.”

Final Words of Wisdom:

Keep on trucking!

Honestly, if I can do this, so can you. Keep working hard on what you want to write, meet as many people in your given genre as possible, and listen.  You’ll get there!

Great words of wisdom! Thank you so much for sharing your books and your amateur sleuth Hester Thursby, and your adorable dog Edith Ann with us! Can’t wait to have you back on my blog with books three and four.

The post Amateur Sleuth and Research Librarian, Solves Crimes appeared first on Elena Hartwell.

Tech Thriller Combines Fiction with Current Technology

Tech Thriller

Tech Thriller author Tom Chatfield is the latest ITW Debut Author to visit my blog. An expert in contemporary technology and digital culture, he’s here to chat about how truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction . . . Welcome Tom!

Do you love Tech Thrillers and Thrillers with a sci-fi or technological twist? Don’t miss my interview with S.L. Huang and her debut near-future science fiction thriller, click the link here.

The Author

Tom Chatfield

Dr. Tom Chatfield is a British writer, broadcaster and tech philosopher. He’s the author of half a dozen books of non-fiction exploring digital culture—most recently Live This Book! (Penguin) and Critical Thinking (SAGE Publishing), researched as a Visiting Associate at the Oxford Internet Institute—published in over two dozen languages.

His debut novel, The Gomorrah Gambit (Mulholland), is the first in a series of thrillers set in the world of the dark net and was a Sunday Times thriller of the month. He’s also an avid amateur jazz pianist, father to two small children, and heavily reliant on coffee for sustained concentration.

To learn more about Tom, click on his name, photo, or the following link: Twitter

The Book

Tech Thriller

Edward Snowden meets Jason Bourne.

A darkly satirical tech thriller set in the underbelly of the internet, featuring the stuff of everyday 21st-century nightmares: terrorism, fascism, trafficked drugs and lives, hacked democracies and stolen identities.

All unravelled by a reluctantly globe-trotting hero who’d rather stay safely sat behind a screen in his shed.

To Buy the Book, click on any of the following links: IndieBound, Mulholland Books, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

The Interview
















Describe your publishing journey:

“Fiction either succeeds or fails on its own terms: and when you’re explicitly setting out to thrill and captivate your audience, that’s a pretty scary thing.”

I’m a slightly unusual debut novelist, in that I’ve been writing non-fiction exploring technology and 21st-century society for the best part of a decade. After years of gathering increasingly incredible stories about the world we’re living in and its unseen networks of power, I came to feel that fiction was one of the best ways I could approach what’s going on – and do so, I hope, without slipping into despair or resignation.

Fortunately for me, I found a fantastic editor at Hodder – Melissa Cox – who felt the same way. I’ve been incredibly lucky to make a relatively smooth transition from facts to fiction, although I couldn’t believe how hard it was to write a book that isn’t propped up by reality in the way that non-fiction is.

Fiction either succeeds or fails on its own terms: and when you’re explicitly setting out to thrill and captivate your audience, that’s a pretty scary thing.

What inspired you to write this novel?

I’m a total geek who has always been fascinated both by technology and by genre-bending speculative fictions: novels of ideas, thrillers that break down the barriers between sci-fi and fantasy and contemporary reality. It’s a world I’ve always wanted to be a part of, and that has fueled a lot of my non-fiction.

In technology especially, I think fiction has played a powerful role in mapping (and warning against) possible futures. I’ve spent much of the last decade looking for ways to turn my non-fictional fascinations into fiction, and I finally found the answer in the form of the dark net and the tales emerging from its users: this parallel world of anonymous marketplaces in which anything and everything is for sale, nobody is who they seem, and the strangest extremities of human behavior are laid bare.

That’s the stuff I tried to put onto the page. Although, sometimes, the reality was so bizarre or appalling that I found myself toning it down in order to make it bearable and believable.

Tech Thriller, also called a Techno-Thriller, is a book that includes a focus on the details of technology.

What are you working on now?

I have a little textbook coming out in the Fall, which will be my second book for the academic publisher SAGE addressing the topic of critical thinking.

And I’m also working away on the sequel to The Gomorrah Gambit, which should be coming out next year (provided I don’t get paralyzed by anxiety around the reception of the first book).

I’m looking forward to leaping between non-fiction and fiction over the coming years. It keeps me feeling fresh and anchored in the world.

Sounds like a fascinating Tech Thriller! Thanks for hanging out with us today!

Header photo by Gerd Altmann on Pixabay. For more information, click on the link here.

The post Tech Thriller Combines Fiction with Current Technology appeared first on Elena Hartwell.

A New Culinary Mystery from a Best Selling Author!

What’s a Culinary Mystery?

A Culinary Mystery combines food, usually recipes, and murder.

How can you not love food and murder all in one place?

This week I’m thrilled to have my friend, the fabulous USA Today Best Selling Author Catherine Bruns on to chat about her latest culinary mystery and writing in general.

(Do you love recipes in your novels? Check out my interview with Jennifer Gold about her debut novel, The Ingredients of Us by clicking the link here.)

Welcome Catherine!

The Author

Catherine Bruns has lived in Upstate New York her entire life. Her brood consists of a male dominated household: husband, three sons, and several cats and dogs.

She holds a B.A. in English and Performing Arts and is a former newspaper reporter and press release writer. When she’s not writing and has spare time, she enjoys traveling, shopping, and of course, a good book.

To learn more about Catherine, click on her name or photo or any of the following links: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The (latest!) Book

Tomato sauce isn’t the only thing that runs red…

Local chef Tessa Esposito is struggling to get back on her feet following her husband’s fatal accident. And when the police knock on Tessa’s door, things just get worse. They’ve discovered Dylan’s death wasn’t an accident after all, and they need Tessa to start filling in the blanks. Who would want her beloved husband dead, and why?

With the investigation running cold, Tessa decides it’s time to save her sanity by reconnecting with her first love-cooking. And maybe the best way back into the kitchen is to infiltrate Dylan’s favorite local pizza parlor, which also happens to be the last place he was seen before he died. But the anchovies aren’t the only thing that stink inside the small family business, and with suspects around every corner, Tessa finds that her husband’s many secrets might land her in hot water.

To buy the book, click on any of the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound

The Interview
You have several successful series. The Cookies and Chance Series, The Carrie Jorgenson Series, The Cindy York Series, and now your latest, the Italian Chef Mysteries. How do you keep all your various projects, characters, and storylines straight when you’re working? Do they ever get confused in your mind?

Oh yes! It happens. A lot of writers I know with multiple series keep “Bibles” for each one. I need to get around to making some lol.

I tend to make things more difficult for myself. For example, if I can’t remember something from a previous book in the series, such as the protagonist’s boyfriend’s mother’s name, I do a search through the document. That means I always have about 50 windows open on my laptop.

The main characters in each series never get confusing because Sally, Carrie, Cindy, and Tessa are all very different from each other with different lifestyles.

“I enjoy writing culinary mysteries so it seemed natural to weave these things together.”

What prompted your interest in writing about an Italian chef who gets embroiled in solving mysteries?

I wanted to write a book/series that focused on my culture. My father, who passed away in 2000, was born in Sicily. I feel that I wasted many opportunities while he was alive to learn more about my heritage…the language, country, etc.

Plus I enjoy writing culinary mysteries so it seemed natural to weave these things together.

How did being a newspaper reporter help (or hinder!) when you shifted to writing fiction?

I’ve always been a fiction writer first.

To be honest, I never enjoyed working as a reporter. I was very timid back then and hated having to approach people with questions.

But I wanted a job writing and that was all I could find at the time. If it’s taught me anything it’s that life is short. If possible, spend it doing something you enjoy. (Great advice!)

You’ve lived your entire life living in upstate New York. How has that environment impacted your writing? Your characters? The settings for your books?

I tend to set my stories in New York, although different areas, because I am so familiar with the state. I think a lot of writers do that.

My one exception is the Aloha Lagoon series which takes place in Hawaii, but I’ve visited the state twice so I feel my book was researched well.

If you are writing about a non-fictional town it’s important you know the area because a reader will always take notice.

Photo by BKD on Pixabay

(I’m thinking I need to write a book set in Hawai’i! I should definitely do some research on that . . . And maybe a culinary mystery so I can spend time eating in paradise!)

What is the most challenging aspect of writing a series? Do you ever think about writing a standalone?

With a series, you need to have a good idea right from the beginning of where you want to take your main character. Always leave room for her to grow in each book.

You should also have a plot for at least the first three books in mind when you query. Many publishers will want to see all the synopses before deciding to make an offer.

I do have plans for a stand-alone in a different genre but it’s in the very early stages.

What are you working on now?

A Yummy Read!

I just finished writing Book #2 of the Italian Chef Mysteries. My agent will review and then it will be off to the publisher.

I’m doing some traveling to promote Penne Dreadful’s release  during August but also plan to start work on the ninth book in the Cookies & Chance series.

“Never give up.”



Final words of wisdom:

Never give up. If writing is something you enjoy, keep at it. Don’t let the rejections discourage you.

We all get them and you will keep improving your craft over time.

That’s the beauty about writing, we are always improving.  Believe in yourself and try to write a little each day, even if it’s only a paragraph. You’ll be surprised at how fast it accumulates.

Congratulations on your exciting new series! I love that you are writing a culinary mystery series about an Italian chef! I love Italian food. Thanks for hanging out with us!

Header Photo by Divily on Pixabay, for more information, click the link here.

The post A New Culinary Mystery from a Best Selling Author! appeared first on Elena Hartwell.

International Thriller Writers Debut Authors of 2020!

International Thriller Writers Debut Authors are getting ready for a fantastic year. Through the end of this year and until July 2020, I’ll be posting as many interviews with members of the 2020 Debut Author Program as possible. I love supporting new writers and ITW.

Want to read about this year’s ThrillerFest? Click the link here for my blog post on the events of the weekend.

I’m thrilled to get started with Caleb Breakey and Eric J. Guignard.

International Thriller Writers Debut Authors 

The Author

Caleb Breakey is the founder of Speak It To Book, a company dedicated to helping exceptional people write authentic books and build impactful platforms that captivate, educate, and motivate lives in unprecedented ways.

Caleb is an ECPA Award finalist and winner of the prestigious Genesis Contest for fiction writers.

He loves exploring truth through story in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where he lives with his wife, Brittney, two mischievous mini huskies, and a smiley Shiba Inu.

To learn more about Caleb, click his name, photo, and the the following links: LinkedIn and Facebook

The Book

A sociopath is running a deadly social experiment on a university campus. Markus Haas is the first to refuse to play the game.

What unravels is a sequence of impossible decisions and a race against time to stop the sociopath before others pay the ultimate price.

To Buy the Book, click on any of the following links: IndieBound, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:

Fiction writing has been in my blood since the start. My wife and I spent our wedding money on fifty-two books about writing fiction.

Then, for years, I spent my days off penning fiction for sixteen hours straight: 12 years ago my fiction journey started; 11 years ago I helped teen writers write; 10 years ago I started attending writers conferences; 9 years ago I started teaching at writers conferences; 8 years ago I gave up journalism in order to write more; 7 years ago I won ACFW’s Genesis contest;

6 years ago I published my first non-fiction book; 5 years ago I published my second non-fiction book; 4 years ago I started Sermon To Book; 3 years ago I started Speak It To Book; 2 years ago I signed my first fiction contract with Revell; 1 year ago I wrote The String; on July 16, 2019, The String was published everywhere, marking the beginning of what I hope to be a long and fruitful journey of exploring truth through story.

Great stories shed light on the truth of who we are as humans. I love them because they teach us without a lecture, inspire us without a speech, and entertain us without any props.

What inspired you to write this novel?

The story came to me while doing a ride along with an officer at a university campus. The first books I ever wrote were epic fantasies with big worlds and timelines. Then I asked myself, “What kind of story might take place within a small footprint and forty-eight-hour time frame?”

The next thing I knew, I was feverishly writing notes while riding shotgun in a 4Runner belonging to a university police officer, and a man who called himself the conductor began speaking to me about The String.

What are you working on now?

I am slowly working on the second book in the series, tentatively titled, THE HIVE.

You all know I had to ask for a photo of the dogs – aren’t these the sweetest faces!! (Boone, Winnie, and Stormy)

That’s an amazing journey so far. Congratulations on your debut!

Interested in becoming a member of the International Thriller Writers Debut Author Program?

Click the link here.

The Author

Eric J. Guignard is a writer and editor of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles. He’s twice won the Bram Stoker Award, been a finalist for the International Thriller Writers Award, and is a multi-nominee of the Pushcart Prize for his works of dark and speculative fiction.

He has over one hundred stories and non-fiction author credits appearing in publications around the world; has edited multiple anthologies (including the current series, The Horror Writers Association’s Haunted Library of Horror Classics with co-editor Leslie S. Klinger); and created an ongoing series of author primers championing modern masters of the dark and macabre, Exploring Dark Short Fiction through his own press, Dark Moon Books.

His latest books are his short story collection, That Which Grows Wild (Cemetery Dance Publications, 2018) and novel, Doorways to the Deadeye (JournalStone, 2019).

To learn more about Eric, click on his name or photo or any of the following links: Dark Moon Books, Blog, Twitter (author), Twitter (Dark Moon Books), GoodReads, and Instagram.

The Book

Doorways to the Deadeye: A Depression-era hobo rides the rails and learns the underlying Hobo Code is a mystical language that leads into the world of memories, where whoever is remembered strongest—whether by trickery, violence, or daring—can change history and alter the lives of the living.

To Buy the Book, click on any of the following links: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, JournalStone, and IndieBound

The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:

Although I’ve published many short stories, and written or compiled books as editor, this was my first full-length novel, and, as such, it’s my baby!!

I’ve worked with this publisher, JournalStone, before on a couple of other projects, so I was very happy to continue my relationship with them, hopefully tying together a body of work into one source.

What inspired you to write this novel?

I was approached by another writer, Lisa Morton, to co-write a different project with her in 2013 for this same publisher, pairing two novellas together. For that project I brainstormed two ideas, both having to do with American history.

The first was about a gambler who bids in the hotel baggage auctions, made popular during the first half of the twentieth century, which became the novelette I wrote and published for them, Baggage of Eternal Night (made a finalist in 2014’s International Thriller Award for Best Short Story, which I’m still insanely proud of).

The second idea for the project, I loved more, but decided it would be way too long to be written for that project, and had to do with a Depression-era hobo reading messages through the Hobo Code, which takes him to the land of our memories.

It took a few years before I began writing it, but that eventually evolved into Doorways to the Deadeye!

“I’m curating a new series of books . . .”

What are you working on now?

Through my press, Dark Moon Books, I’m continuing to publish a series of author primers created to champion modern masters of the dark and macabre, titled: Exploring Dark Short Fiction (Vol. 1: Steve Rasnic Tem; Vol. II: Kaaron Warren; Vol. III: Nisi Shawl; Vol. IV: Jeffrey Ford; Vol. V: Han Song; Vol. VI: Ramsey Campbell).

And through SourceBooks I’m curating a new series of books titled, The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics with co-editor Leslie S. Klinger (to begin publishing 2020).

I’m also still writing short stories, and I’ve started THREE new novels, although I’m not very far into any of them! One is a pulp science fiction, one a paranormal detective series, and one a literary historical horror.

You have some amazing projects in the works – thank you for sharing your journey with us! 

Check back throughout the year to discover new books from the International Thriller Writers Debut Author Program!

Want something a little sweeter for your reading pleasure? Don’t miss my interview with Book Club Fiction Author Jennifer Gold! Click the link here to read about her sweet story.

The post International Thriller Writers Debut Authors of 2020! appeared first on Elena Hartwell.

ThrillerFest 2019 and one last Debut Author

ThrillerFest and one last ITW Debut Author from the 2018/2019 Class!

Time for another ThrillerFest in NYC. Thank you K.J Howe for another amazing year.

Visiting New York makes me nostalgic for a history I never experienced. The heat coming up from the streets, the noise, the bustle. I feel like I should “know” it the way a person who once lived there would. Something about New York always feels like coming home.

Something about New York always feels like coming home. 

This last weekend I visited New York for ThrillerFest, one of my favorite crime writer conferences. It’s always exhilarating and exhausting in equal measure. One of the highlights was the Breakfast with the Debut Author Class of 2019. I’ve been involved with the Debut Author Program since 2016. I love to engage with all the debut authors past and present.

As many of you know, I try to interview every single one of the Debut Authors from the Debut Author Program. This year there were (if I counted correctly) fifty-six debut authors in the program. Thirty-four made it to this year’s ThrillerFest! Here’s a link to my very first post about a debut author for 2019.

ThrillerFest was fantastic.

Crooked Lane Books at ThrillerFest

I got to hang out with fellow Crooked Lane Authors James L’Etoile (and #NotMyCat), D.A. Bartley (with fellow debut David Albertyn) and August Norman.

Lots of great panels to attend, including the one I was on with the amazing authors, Shaun Harris, Roger Johns, Lynn McPherson, Nina Sadowsky, and Sheila Sobel, moderated by the brilliant Bryan Robinson. Sheila always looks gorgeous in these photos, whereas, I of course, am yakking – I hope I had something interesting to say.

The City itself is like another person I love to catch up with since the last time I visited. I stayed at Pod 51, which has a very cool rooftop deck.

One of my favorite coffee shops, Ground Central, is just a few blocks away. I spent my first day walking the neighborhood, from the hotel to Central Park then back around to the hotel.

I visited a longtime friend and had dinner at The Bar Room on E. 60th Street. A funky joint with great burgers and a very nice Sauvignon Blanc (my go-to wine for hot days). 

Hanging with my agent and editor at ThrillerFest

Thursday was a highlight of the trip. I got to see my agent Madelyn Burt and my editor at Crooked Lane, Jenny Chen, in person! So much fun to spend time hanging out over breakfast. We talked about travel, life, and whether or not the perfect book exists.

Then I got to help aspiring writers with Practice PitchFest. Nervous authors could practice their pitches with me before going in front of agents and editors. I like to think I helped a few people hone their pitches and steady their nerves.

Friday was a blur, with speakers, chatting with writers, volunteer hours, and dinner with the debut authors.

ThrillerFest to Matthattenhenge!

It was also Manhattenhenge! A solar event where the sun lines up with 42nd Street like a modern day Druidic festival.

Saturday started with the breakfast, then more speakers, chats with friends – and ended with the blackout, which wiped out Hell’s Kitchen and part of Midtown in one fell swoop. Did a lot of walking instead of seeing Come From Away, which couldn’t go up without electricity.

I’ll have to get back to NYC soon to see the show another time. But I still had a great time out on the street with 100,000 of my closest friends.

Sunday I headed home with new books to read, new memories to cherish, and a lot of excitement for ThrillerFest next year, when I will be back as Elena Taylor, Crooked Lane Author of ALL WE BURIED, a Sheriff Bet Rivers Mystery. Until then – so long New York . . .

Up Next, ITW Debut Author Ellen LaCorte

The Author
Ellen LaCorte : It’s funny how life redirects your plans. Like many young women in the 1970’s, I pursued a teaching degree. With a major in English, I did what I would do with every minute of my life if given the chance—read great literature and lots of it.


As it would happen, I completed my teaching practicum in my senior year and only discovered then that I really didn’t want to teach at the high school level. Not that the kids weren’t precocious and fun, it was the idea of presenting the same curriculum year after year. Faces would change but the information wouldn’t. Like many others in my graduating class, I was jettisoned from college into the great unemployed.

So I moved to Arizona. It was just as easy to be jobless in Arizona as in New Jersey but with the benefit of Michael, future husband-to-be, already there. I searched for a job as my savings dwindled. With $21 dollars left in my account I became employed as a window salesperson. I’m embarrassed to report that I didn’t quit this job but let’s just say the terms of employment—a very hand-sy boss—were not to my liking. At that point, ignoring all parental advice, I decided to get a job I thought would be fun. I answered an ad for a human resources position.

And a career was born. So much to learn and the faces changed all the time as did the challenges. No day was ever the same. For a very long time, this was my passion and led to wonderful positions as chief HR officer for prestigious universities and also a doctorate in Higher Education Administration.

“But, after thirty-five years in the field, it was time to try something new.”

But, after thirty-five years in the field, it was time to try something new.

I can’t tell you when I started to realize my heart was leaning elsewhere. Maybe it was when I started in community theater, dancing and singing my way through musical productions, sometimes three in a year. I wanted to improve my craft so I took singing and dancing lessons. There were some painting classes and the occasional writing seminar. And I kept ignoring the signs: that I was never happier than when I was singing or dancing or writing or painting. After three years, when I had started to write on a very part time basis, I finally decided it was time to make the leap full time into where my heart had already placed itself. It was frightening but wonderful to start over, with so much new to discover.

The Perfect Fraud is my debut novel. A native New Jerseyite, my family and I lived in Arizona for twenty-five years. Now I write from New Jersey, blocks away from where Washington crossed the Delaware. My husband, Mike, and I have two grown sons, Chris and Nick, and a cat, Emma, who is definitely a reincarnated dog.

To learn more about Ellen, click on her name or photo above or click on the following links: Instagram and Facebook














The Book

Claire Hathaway is a psychic, faking her way through readings in Sedona, Arizona and Rena Cole is a New Jersey mom with a seriously ill four-year old.

These two women with deep secrets are thrown together by an unexpected meeting that plunges both their lives into chaos.  But it’s a sick little girl whose fate hangs in the balance.

To Buy the Book click on the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, Books-A-Million, Apple Books, and IndieBound

The Interview

Describe your publishing journey:

I’d actually written two books before The Perfcct Fraud.  The first one was like the first pancake – you, know, it didn’t come out quite right.  But I did get a call from a great agent who praised the writing and the fact that I had switched careers from Human Resources to Author but then said, “Don’t go out with this one. Shelve it and start another one.”  So I did.

With the second one, which is actually a precursor to The Perfect Fraud, I did secure an agent who did a great job marketing it to the large and mid-size NY publishing houses but it didn’t sell.  It’s disappointing but that’s the reality:  many agented books do not sell.  Part of the difficulty was that I don’t think that this book was as good as it needed to be to get traction and also that this agent was a children’s books agent who didn’t have the best targeted contacts in the market.

“I was ready to give up.”

I was ready to give up.  After all, I’d had a wonderful 30-year career already and as you probably know, the writing/agenting/publishing route can be positively soul-sucking.  But I decided to try one more time and using everything I learned from writing and marketing the first two, I started on TPF.

I knew this one was a whole different thing from the beginning.  I was getting a lot of requests for full manuscripts.  Informed by my business background, I had a methodical way of approaching the submissions process (documented research into agents who represented my genre, spread sheets, etc.).

At the last minute I decided to also send query letters to those agents who had seen the second book, liked it, but ultimately passed.  One of these was the magnificent Molly Friedrich.  By the time she and I met in NYC (she first took my manuscript with her to her daughter’s wedding in Italy!), I had had two other offers for representation but there was no doubt in my mind that Molly was the person to shepherd this book on its way.

We became partners in May of 2018 and by the first week in July, she had The Perfect Fraud sold to HarperCollins!

“From the cards and my reading, I can see that you’re not giving enough to your marriage.”

What inspired you to write this novel?

I’d had an “interesting” experience with a psychic I visited about seven years ago.  After a sort of mediocre reading, she turned to me and said, “From the cards and my reading, I can see that you’re not giving enough to your marriage.”

She must have noticed the disappointment on my face because she continued, “But, don’t worry.  For $450 I can help you.  I’ll be your soul sister and can not only fix what’s going on your marriage but also lift you to a higher spiritual plane.”  Fortunately, I gathered myself up and left.

After, I was crying and telling my husband about it, apologizing for what a rotten wife I was.  He assured me that I was giving plenty to the marriage and after I calmed down, I thought, wow, what better way is there to get to a woman (and her wallet) than by telling her she’s not giving enough.

It got me thinking about psychics and how some of them do what they do and that led me to developing one of the two main characters in the book, Claire Hathaway.  For the other character, Rena Cole, without giving anything away, let’s just say I’d been collecting articles for years about stories I found interesting, squirreling them away for possible use in a future book.

What are you working on now?

This is the summer for marketing The Perfect Fraud but I’m hoping that come fall, I can begin on the second book.  Claire will likely be a character in this book, although not a primary one.  I’m excited to start!

Thanks, Ellen! Great to meet you at ThrillerFest!
Looking forward to seeing you again next year.

 

The post ThrillerFest 2019 and one last Debut Author appeared first on Elena Hartwell.

Book Club Fiction Author Jennifer Gold

It’s Summer! So I’m taking a little break from writing about writers who write about murder and doing something a little sweeter!

Book Club Fiction Author Jennifer Gold joins me this week to talk about her debut novel with Lake Union Publishing. Welcome Jennifer!

(Still need more murder? Read my post on mystery and thriller novels launching through December by clicking the link here.)

The Author

A proud Pacific Northwest native, Jennifer Gold got started writing women’s fiction during her time as a baker. She has a passion for writing about the relationships of career-focused women — the victories, the struggles, and everything in between.

When she’s not writing books, Jennifer can be found spending time with her husband, horse, and two cats. She has a weakness for espresso, ice cream, and chocolate. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in writing and lives in Washington state.

To learn more about Jennifer, click on the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram.

The Book

A delicious novel about the sweet and sour ingredients of life and love.

Elle, an accomplished baker, has a recipe for every event in her life. But when she discovers her husband’s infidelity, she doesn’t know what to make of it. Jam, maybe? Definitely jam.

Fed up with the stale crumbs of her marriage, Elle revisits past recipes and the events that inspired them. A recipe for scones reminds her of her father’s death, cinnamon rolls signify the problematic courtship with her husband, and a batch of chocolate cookies casts Elle in a less-than-flattering light. Looking back, Elle soon realizes that some ingredients were missing all along.

After confronting her husband, Elle indulges her sweet tooth in other ways, including a rebound that just leaves her more confused. As secrets from the past collide with the conflicts of the present, Elle struggles to manage her bakery business and maintain the relationships most important to her. In piecing her life back together, will Elle learn to take the bitter with the sweet?

To buy the book, click the link here.

The Interview

How did baking and writing come together for you?

It probably won’t come as a surprise to learn that I spent a few years working as a baker. I was in college, and the place was a cute café that also specialized in coffee, breakfast, and sandwiches. The baking wasn’t as technical as what you might find on the Great British Baking Show, but I made the whole nine: pastries, pies, cakes, cookies…

Unlike the other employees, I spent all my time in the back room, often alone. For a writer, that’s the perfect time to make up stories. I loved the dynamic of the bakery—the up-front workers and the back-room workers, the pace, the odd hours. I was also inspired by the owner, a strong woman who was cheerful and meticulous and cared so deeply for her business.

However, it wasn’t just the setting that got me thinking about a book. When I interacted with customers, I found a common yet unexpected theme taking place: food is tied to something much greater than just our taste buds.

Everyone has a recipe that reminds them of an experience or person. To name a few personal examples: crème brulee reminds me of my husband, because we always share it on our anniversary; most chocolate recipes remind me of my mother, especially the mousse she makes every year for my birthday; bread pudding reminds me of my brother (it’s a secret recipe he decoded just from taste); peanut butter milkshakes remind me of Tuesday afternoons when my dad would pick me up from middle school; bear claws remind me of piano class when I was little; and…you get the idea.

We all have recipes—especially sweet recipes—in our lives that conjure up much more than just indulgence. Food can be tied to family, experiences, and more. Just a taste can transport us to places we long forgot, or evoke emotions so strong we weep.

The reason I knew I had to include real, on-the-page recipes in The Ingredients of Us is because I wanted the reader to truly grasp that concept—and grasp it with the hands of a baker. The book is about so much more than just recipes—career, relationships, and how to balance the two—but at its heart, the recipes serve as a lens through which my main character Elle views everything else in her life.

“My female characters don’t necessarily end up with Prince Charming, but they always end up with a better version of themselves.”

We get to enjoy the delicious recipes embedded in your novel. Where did they come from? Are they yours? Passed down? Learned while you worked professionally? How did you choose which ones to include?

All of the above! Some are family recipes, work recipes, and favorites from books. However, they have been tweaked and adapted by me. The descriptions are all my own.

I chose the recipes based on the characters and context. I often asked myself, “If I was going through XYZ, what would I bake to make myself feel better?” I loved playing with taste, smell, and texture to draw out the emotions my characters were feeling.

You live in an amazing place. How does your environment impact your writing? 

It’s true—I live on a 50-plus-acre farm on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, where I work as a horse caretaker. Honestly, it’s hard NOT to be inspired by where I live: the ocean, the mountains, the evergreens…I could write a hundred books that take place in the Pacific Northwest—and I’m on my way.

My new novel, Keep Me Afloat, which releases in the spring of 2020, takes place in my hometown of Port Townsend and on a whale-watching boat in the Puget Sound.

My current work-in-progress is about horses on a farm not unlike where I live. I feel incredibly blessed to have grown up on the OlyPen—it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I love sharing an inside look with my readers.

 ‘Book Club Fiction seems to get closer to the heart of the genre—stories that are discussable, multi-layered, and tackle complex themes.’

Your work is often called Women’s Fiction or Book Club Fiction, what do those terms mean to you? Are there other ways you would characterize your work?

I really struggle with the term Women’s Fiction, because I think it makes it sound like it’s a genre exclusive to women, when in reality, I know many men who write and read WF. Book Club Fiction seems to get closer to the heart of the genre—stories that are discussable, multi-layered, and tackle complex themes (one might argue that this is simply “general fiction,” but perhaps that is not a specific enough label).

As one might guess, women’s fiction books are most often about women: mothers, non-mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, girlfriends, grandmothers. Unlike romance, which contains plots that are driven first and foremost by a love interest and guarantees a “happily ever after,” women’s fiction plots can explore relationships of all kinds, not just romantic. Women’s fiction novels can span historical fiction, suspense, thriller, contemporary, and more.

My favorite definition is from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association: “Women’s fiction heightens human connection, engenders empathy, and illuminates new perspectives. [It features] layered stories in which the plot is driven by the main character’s emotional journey.”

As for my own writing, my simplest description is this: I write contemporary stories about the relationships of career-focused women — the victories, the struggles, and everything in between. My female characters don’t necessarily end up with Prince Charming, but they always end up with a better version of themselves.

” . . . when it comes to meeting my needs and expectations as an author, Lake Union goes above and beyond.”

What has it been like working with Lake Union Publishing?

Frankly, I love Lake Union Publishing—I loved what they were up to long before they offered me a publishing contract, and now that I’m on the inside, I love them even more. They are author-centric, have incredible marketing prowess, and they produce very beautiful books (inside and out!). I am very happy with their professionalism and the degree to which they involve me in the book-producing process (such as having input on my covers!).

With Lake Union, I have access to a robust digital marketing machine (that never forgets my backlist!), and author-communication is through the roof. They’re incredibly forward-thinking and supportive of their authors. For Ingredients, I received hardcovers, paperbacks, ebooks, and audio. Plus, ARCs!

For those who don’t know, Lake Union is one of the larger imprints of Amazon Publishing. This is not to be confused with self-publishing through CreateSpace—A-Pub is a traditional publisher with a digital-marketing focus.

I could go on and on about the pros and cons, but let’s leave it at this: when it comes to meeting my needs and expectations as an author, Lake Union goes above and beyond.

What are you working on now?

As I touched on earlier, I’m working on two books! The first is my 2020 release, Keep Me Afloat, which is about a marine biologist returning to her hometown after a tragedy sent her away. The book has lots of coffee, whales, and Olympic Peninsula beauty. I’m currently working with my acquisitions editor on polishing it up before sending it off to the copyeditor!

I’m also editing a book about a farm manager whose life is turned upside down with the arrival of four troublesome rescue horses—and her ex-husband.

(Something tells me your beautiful environment is going to be very helpful in writing that third book!)

Final words of wisdom:

Short version: Never stop learning. Read a lot and write a lot.

Longer version: I highly recommend writers’ conferences and organizations—I learn more from these communities than anywhere else and have made invaluable lifelong friends and professional contacts. There is always something to learn, whether it’s craft advice or a marketing tip—so take yet another craft class, ask for advice from the authors and professionals you admire, and soak it all up like a sponge.

On writing: Let go of your inner perfectionist. I see so many beginning writers struggle with writer’s block because they don’t keep their inner perfectionist in check. My best advice? Vow to never let anyone read your first draft. That’s right, no one. By making this vow, you allow yourself to simply write.

If no one is ever going to read the first draft, it doesn’t need to be perfect. In fact, it doesn’t even need to be coherent—it just needs to be finished, so you can start editing. You can’t edit a book knowledgeably, strategically, or efficiently without having a full draft written down first.

I don’t let anyone read my books until I’ve written the first draft and edited the whole book at least once (but usually three or four times, because my first drafts are MESSY). The point is: allow yourself to be creative and have fun without the worry of whether or not it’s “good,” and you’ll end up editing it into something definitely great. (This is GREAT advice!)

On reading: This is self-explanatory. Read a lot so you can see how the masters do it. There’s always something to be gleaned. Read in your genre, read craft books, read articles, and read fiction in other genres. It’s all useful.

And one more thing, with regard to publishing: be patient and focus on finding the right fit.

Congratulations on finding the right home for your work! So excited to follow your career.

Header Photo by RitaE on Pixabay. Click the link here for more information.

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Son of a Serial Killer: Murderabilia, A Debut Novel

Serial Killers, Deadly Fathers, and Copycat Killers, Oh My!

Carl Vonderau’s debut novel focuses on the son of a serial killer facing a copycat only his father can understand. Read on for my interview with the latest ITW Debut Author Program Author.

Want to catch up on all my other author interviews and writing posts? Peruse my blog by clicking the link here.

The Author

Carl Vonderau was raised in a Christian Science family. He grew up in Cleveland before attending college in California.

He studied economics at Stanford and music at San Jose State University before embarking on a career in banking. He lived and worked in Latin America, Canada, and North Africa, and speaks Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

Carl has two grown sons and lives with his wife in San Diego.

To learn more about Carl, click on his photo or any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn


The Book: Out July 8!
A private banker for the very wealthy has hidden a terrible secret. His father is the infamous Preying Hands, in jail in Illinois for the last thirty years for killing thirteen women and making artistic photographs of their bodies.

Then the banker is accused of the same crime.


To buy the book, click on the following links: Amazon, IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books and Mysterious Galaxy Book Store (Two of Elena’s favorite bookstores!)
Read my Goodreads Review by clicking the link here.




The Interview
Describe your publishing journey.
I have written other books, but none have been published. Michelle Richter at Fuse Literary is my agent. I found her at the San Francisco Writers Conference, when she turned to me at a cocktail party and said to describe my book in one sentence.

Fortunately, I’d prepared my pitch at the Algonkian Pitch Conference a couple of months before. She liked the manuscript. Then it took several months to find Midnight Ink as a publisher, and a year for it to come out in print.

“I like the idea of secrets.”



What inspired you to write this novel?
I like the idea of secrets. As my novels are set in the financial industry, I wondered what secret a tony banker might have and never want to reveal. How about if his father was a notorious serial killer?

Then I wondered what kind of family background he might have had. I decided that a fundamentalist Christian Scientist mother could unknowingly enable her psychopathic husband to practice his “hobby.”

I was raised a Christian Scientist and so could speculate on how the religion might prompt such behavior. My banker has been trying his whole life to escape his family legacy.

John Douglas, a former Chief of the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit and author of Mind Hunter says, “A very conservative estimate is that there are between 35-50 active serial killers in the United States” at any given time.



What are you working on now?

I’m continuing to explore father-son relationships.

In this case, my novel is about a father who has a very difficult son. In order to save his son he must become involved in money laundering.



Looking forward to seeing you at ThrillerFest in NYC this week! Can’t wait to hear how the launch goes!

Header photo by: darksouls1 on Pixabay. Click the link here for more information.
Quote about serial killers from a HuffPost article by Diane Dimond. Click here for the full article.

The post Son of a Serial Killer: Murderabilia, A Debut Novel appeared first on Elena Hartwell.

Fostering Thriller Writers: Hollywood, Theater, and Death

Three Exciting New ITW Debut Authors

Hollywood, Theater, and death help foster the careers of these debut thriller writers: Deborah Goodrich Royce, Caleb Smith, and Layne Fargo

Find out how life in Hollywood—from actress to Miramax—helped Deborah Goodrich Royce pen her debut. 

The Author

Deborah Goodrich Royce was an actress for ten years, starting with the leading role of Silver Kane, sister of the legendary Erica Kane, on ABC’s All My Children, and wrapping with a short stint on Beverly Hills 90210. She moved behind the scenes as the story editor at Miramax Films in the 1990s.

Today, she is the president of the Avon Theatre Film Center, an independent cinema outside of New York, and serves on the advisory boards of the American Film Institute, the Greenwich International Film Festival, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, and the Preservation Society of Newport County, as well as the governing boards of New York Botanical Garden, the Greenwich Historical Society and the PRASAD Project. Finding Mrs. Ford is her first novel.

Learn more about Deborah by clicking on the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads

The Book

In the summer of 2014 by the sea in New England, Susan Ford’s cocoon of privilege is threatened when an Iraqi man from her distant past boards a plane in Baghdad to come find her.

In the summer of 1979, a much-younger Susan meets wild-as-the-wind Annie Nelson, who lures her to work at a shabby discothèque on the crumbling edge of Detroit. The tether that links these two summers is about to be tightened in ways that Mrs. Ford can no longer escape.

To buy the book click on any of the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, IndieBound

The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:

My years as the story editor at Miramax Films were really my writing school. I couldn’t begin to count the number of screenplays and novels that I read, synopsized, and analyzed. Yet I did not begin to seriously approach writing on my own until—as I not-so-jokingly joke—my youngest child left the house and I got the real estate in my brain back!

I started Finding Mrs. Ford in 2014, I had a first draft and attended a seminal writers’ conference a year later, and I had an agent a year after that. And it was at that point that the journey hit a snag when my agent had difficulty selling the book to a big five publishing house. In the end, after two more years of revisions and rejections, I am happily housed at Post Hill Press, a small imprint that is distributed by Simon and Schuster.

“My years as the story editor at Miramax Films were really my writing school.”

What inspired you to write this novel?

I have always been interested in the ways that people change when their exterior circumstances alter. In early drafts, I played with titles that had to do with the concepts of slumming and social climbing, and Susan Ford is a woman who does a fair bit of both. So, it was this idea of moving between worlds, classes, social groups, that was my initial inspiration.

From there, the thriller—the danger—grew. For reasons the reader will slowly discover, Mrs. Ford seeks to put the past firmly behind her. The book is an exploration of the difficulty of doing just that.

What are you working on now?

Ruby Falls! This is a novel that is far more gothic than Finding Mrs. Ford. It begins when a six-year old girl—Eleanor Ruby Russell—is abandoned by her father in a pitch-black cave in Tennessee.

This, as you can imagine, catapults her into an extremely fragile psychological state. We next meet her when she is in her mid-twenties, has been suddenly fired from her starring role on a soap opera, and spontaneously marries Orlando Montague, a mysterious Englishman she meets on holiday in Europe.

Suffice it to say, Orlando might not be as wonderful as he seems, and Ruby might have a secret or two, herself. I just submitted a first draft to an editor.

Congratulations on your debut novel and the exciting follow up. Looking forward to reading both!

Next up, Caleb Smith. Find out how mortality prompted him to write his first novel!

The Author

Caleb Smith is an author from Bangor Maine. He studied Business Administration at the University of Maine and is a member of Phi Eta Kappa fraternity.

He is a life student to Christianity, Gnostic Anthropology and the greater mysteries of life.

Caleb works for a large transportation company in freight management. He starting writing 13 years ago as a hobby which has now turned into a second full time job.

To learn more about Caleb, click any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads

The Book

Friendless in his new school except for sassy tomboy Wendy Sherman, Noah Thomas constantly finds himself on the run to escape the continuous torture from bully Mike Nason and his cohorts.

Upon stumbling into a strange bookshop one afternoon while trying to escape the villainous pack, Noah is hurled into a wild adventure.

Noah learns that the bookshop, does in fact lead to the Akashic Records, a place that holds all past spirit lives stored in tablets of light. This new-found knowledge may just be what Noah needs to face his worst fears!

To buy the book, click on the following link: Amazon

The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:

My publishing journey has been a great learning experience. I discovered the “Longevity” concept back in autumn of 2006 while on a long drive home to visit my parents for the weekend. Before then I never thought I would be a writer. I guess it’s in the blood as my grandfather was an English major and wrote to record battles in the Pacific while serving in General MacArthur’s cabinet during WWII.

My father championed English and literature as well, always holding a Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie novel close by. He introduced all the fantasy classics to me as a young boy, and I instantly fell in love with the likes of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie, George MacDonald and James Joyce to name a few.

After starting the Longevity series back in January of 2007, I haven’t looked back. Since then I have written 4 Novels in the genres of Fantasy and History and hundreds of poems, including two children’s poetry collections.

After sending a multitude of submissions to agents and publishers starting back in 2017, for (Longevity: The Wardens Of Time) I finally linked up with a solid mid-sized Indie House that has been great to work with on my first published novel. It’s been a fun but most challenging ride.

“After having a near death experience at the age of 22, I think the continuous thought of life after death pushed me to write this novel, after all is it not the biggest question in existence?”

What inspired you to write this novel?

After having a near death experience at the age of 22, I think the continuous thought of life after death pushed me to write this novel, after all is it not the biggest question in existence? Where do we go? What do we see? What happens to us?

It was the search of these thoughts with the combination of experiences growing up that contributed to making this novel complete. I felt that creating a young protagonist, would hold strong when it came time to introduce Longevity to the open market.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I am writing the second Longevity installment, Sub- Titled: Warrior’s Rise. This novel will be completely different from the Wardens of Time. The story takes place in 1275 A.D. Scotland and holds true to the English / Scottish conflict, stemming from the power-hungry King Edward I, to the opposing southern clans of Scotland who met his invading English forces head on.

In this novel I will be introducing and developing an entire new cast of characters next to a plethora of unique elemental creatures for a classic fantastical outlook. The two connecting factors in these books are the Akashic Records and Noah’s blood line, stemming back nearly 800 years to Scotland.

Fascinating! Congratulations on the amazing start to your publishing career.

Last, but not least! Layne Fargo channels a real life Chicago Theater villain in her debut novel.

The Author

Layne Fargo is a thriller author with a background in theater and library science.

She’s a Pitch Wars mentor, a member of the Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the cocreator of the podcast Unlikeable Female Characters.

Layne lives in Chicago with her partner and their pets.

To learn more about Layne, click on her photo or any of the following links: Twitter and Instagram

The Book

Temper is a feminist psychological thriller set in the Chicago theater world, about the power struggle between a mercurial director and a headstrong actress who thinks she can handle him.

To buy the book, click on any of the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and IndieBound

The Interview

Describe your publishing journey:

Temper was my second finished manuscript (though I have several other false starts stuffed in the proverbial trunk too). I was lucky enough to be mentored by thriller author Nina Laurin in the 2017 edition of Pitch Wars, and I signed with my agent Sharon Pelletier shortly afterward.

I did a few more rounds of revision with Sharon before going on submission in early 2018, and Temper sold to Gallery Books/Scout Press about a month later.

” . . . featuring lots of rage and revenge . . .”

What inspired you to write this novel?

The original inspiration for Temper was a real-life scandal at a theater in Chicago, involving a director who physically, sexually, and psychologically abused multiple people in his company for many years.

The actress heroine of Temper, Kira, was actually the protagonist of my first-ever manuscript, and I found myself wondering how she would respond to a man like that. So I plucked her out of that first failed project and put her this new storyline, which ended up suiting her much better anyway.

What are you working on now?

I’m writing another feminist psych thriller featuring lots of rage and revenge, this time about a female serial killer who hunts terrible men on the college campus where she teaches.

They sound like fascinating stories! Check in with us again when you get ready to launch book two!

Header photo from Pixabay, click the following link for more information.

 

 

 

The post Fostering Thriller Writers: Hollywood, Theater, and Death appeared first on Elena Hartwell.

Personal Experiences in Fiction By Two Debut Novelists

Writing from Personal Experiences in Fiction

Writers often use personal experiences in fiction to make their characters and stories feel “real”. Two writers from this year’s International Thriller Writers Debut Author Program share how their lives intersected with their debut novels.

Looking for more new mysteries, thrillers, and Women’s fiction to read? Check out my post on new books through the end of the year by clicking the link here.

 

The Author

Daniela Petrova is the author of the novel Her Daughter’s Mother (Putnam, June 2019). She grew up behind the Iron Curtain in Sofia, Bulgaria. Soon after the fall of Communism, she moved to New York where she worked as a cleaning lady and a nanny while studying English at the YMCA.

She is a recipient of an Artist Fellowship in Writing from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Her short stories, poems and essays have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, and Marie Claire among others. She lives and writes in New York City.

To learn more about Daniela, click on her photo or any of the following links: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

 

The Book

Newly pregnant Lana Stone has never considered herself a stalker—until the night she recognizes her anonymous egg donor on the New York City subway and starts following her, hungry to find out more about the young woman whose genes her baby will inherit.

When she vanishes without a trace a week later, Lana starts digging into the young woman’s past, even as the police grow suspicious of her motives. But she’s unprepared for the secrets she unearths, or their power to change everything she thought she knew about those she loves best.

To buy the book, click on any of the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and Books-A-Million

The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:

Her Daughter’s Mother is my debut novel but isn’t my first. And while I would be embarrassed to show anyone the first book I wrote, it was a great learning experience.

I thought of the premise for Her Daughter’s Mother while undergoing infertility treatments with my husband years ago and wrote a very rough first draft. But when my marriage fell apart, I had to put the book aside as I struggled to get back on my feet and hit the restart button at the age of 40.

Eventually I picked it up again and, over the course of three years, I went through numerous revisions on my own and with my agent, Lisa Grubka. I found Lisa with the help of one of my writing teachers, Curtis Sittenfeld whose class at the Iowa Writers Workshop I’d taken more than a decade earlier.

Later, as a freelance writer, I interviewed her for Guernica magazine and mentioned that I was working on a novel. She asked if I had an agent and recommended Lisa. I sent her the first 50 pages, she liked them and asked to see the full manuscript. Which meant I had to sit down and write it.

“On a deep primal level, you feel like damaged goods.”

What inspired you to write this novel?

While my husband and I were trying to get pregnant, our doctor suggested a donor egg cycle as our last chance. Using the eggs of a younger woman in order to conceive is a complicated, emotionally-wrought process. On a deep primal level, you feel like damaged goods.

When my husband and I scrolled through profiles of young, beautiful women on the donor egg agency’s website, it felt like we were choosing a girl for a threesome, or worse—my replacement.

Unlike my protagonist, I didn’t get pregnant, but as I was going through the process, I kept thinking what if I were to run into my donor by chance? What would I do? Would I follow her, hoping to learn more about her? That sounded like an interesting premise for a book.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on my second novel, also domestic suspense. Again, I’m drawing on my personal experience, this time as an immigrant in New York in the mid-90s. Before cell phones and social media, it could be a very isolating experience, and potentially dangerous, for a young woman who knew not a soul in the country and barely spoke any English.

Fascinating projects – and so deeply personal. Thank you for sharing how you used your personal experiences to write your fiction.

The Author

Photo by Evangeline Gala (www.evangelinegala.com)

Jodé Susan Millman is a life long resident of Poughkeepsie, New York, which serves as the setting for her legal suspense novels. In her writing, she draws upon her experiences as an attorney to capture the tensions that arise when a small community is rocked by tragedy.

She received her BA and JD from Syracuse University, and while studying at NYU Law School she served as a contributing editor to “The Kaminstein Legislative History Project: A Compendium and Analytical Index of Materials Leading to the Copyright Act of l976.” Concentrating on law and literature, Jodé obtained her MA in English Literature from Eastern Michigan University, and has taught at Detroit Mercy Law School and Marist College.

Jode is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters In Crime and Romance Writers of America. Her legal column can be found in InSincC, The Sisters in Crime Quarterly.

To learn more about Jodé, click on her photo or follow her on: Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads.

The Book

A pregnant attorney risks her life, career and her unborn child to aid her mentor, when he is accused of murdering a trespassing teen.

When Jessie Martin, Esq. is accused of aiding in the crime, she must untangle the web of betrayals and the shocking truths behind the homicide. This quest turns out to be the fight of her life.

To buy the book, click on the following link: Amazon

The Interview
Describe your publishing journey:

My road to fiction publication was really long and rocky. The Midnight Call is my first fiction manuscript, and I had been working on it for at least ten years.

In November 2015, I was signed by Loretta Barrett Books Literary Agency, but then my agent was involved in a head-on crash, retired from the business and the agency folded. At that point, I put The Midnight Call on the back burner and started my next novel.

Then, in March 2018, I entered a Twitter pitch contest with #PitMad pitching The Midnight Call. Immortal Works contacted me, requested pages, then chapters, and then minor revisions to my manuscript, which I gladly made.

In May 2018, they offered to publish the revised manuscript and here we are. It’s been a happy, busy, exciting and challenging year.

“How could I know someone who committed murder?”

What inspired you to write this novel?

I’m a retired attorney and a hometown girl living in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Shortly after I graduated from Syracuse University College of Law, one of my junior high school teachers, a very popular fellow, committed a brutal murder. He killed a student who was trespassing through his yard late one August night.

Since Poughkeepsie is a small city, and everyone knows everyone, I was struck by the emotional and physical proximity of the murder. How could I know someone who committed murder? How could someone in a position of trust betray his friends, his students and his community?

I still have trouble wrapping my head around those questions and wanted to explore them through my cast of characters.

What are you working on now?

Poughkeepsie is a hot bed of bizarre crimes, so a local prostitute-obsessed serial killer inspired my next novel, HOOKER AVENUE. It’s a sequel to The Midnight Call.

Jessie Martin’s involvement with the murder of Ryan Paige has left her a pariah in the legal community, so while considering her options, she’s drawn into one of the darkest mysteries in Hudson Valley history.

Teaming up with Detective Ebony Jones, she investigates the disappearances of eight women in the Hudson Valley – cases that were neglected because the women were in the sex trade.

So interesting that both of you used personal experiences in your fiction. Thank you for sharing your journey with us!

Header photo by Didgeman on Pixabay. Click the link here for more information.

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