Carter Wilson's Blog, page 4

It’s time to write YOUR book.

This month marks a momentous anniversary: in March 2003 I typed the first words of my first novel. 

I had no clue what I was doing at first. I never dreamed of being a writer, nor did I know anything about the art of writing itself. But twenty years ago I was bored to tears in a continuing-education class and I posed myself a riddle to kill some time. The answer to that riddle became a 400-page manuscript that I wrote over the course of 90 days. That book was never published, nor were the two after it, but the following eight were (and a ninth on the way!). I’ve learned a lot about the craft in the past two decades. Not just about the act of writing itself, but also the psychology of writers.

I’ve talked to many novelists over my career, including interviewing nearly 100 of them so far on my podcast, and I’m fascinated by what it takes for someone to sit down and write that first book (spoiler: it’s fucking hard!). For all those aspiring writers who finally complete that debut novel, there are countless others who never find the proper motivation to finish their first book. There are starts and stops, perhaps, but there’s always a reason (or ten) some aspiring writers never get to type those two glorious words: THE END.

If you have always wanted to write a book but never pushed yourself to finally do it, I’m here to help. Starting this summer, I’m going to be offering an in-person two-and-a-half-day The Gentle Novelist workshop in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Limited to just ten people per workshop, the curriculum will be a blend of craft, practice, motivation, accountability, and inspiration.

Why the word “gentle”? Because as much as the workshop will be about accountability and hard work, it’s also about overcoming fears and giving yourself permission to achieve your goals. We all spend so much time being hard on ourselves, cursing our failures and inactions, and in this workshop I’ll give you the guidance on how to be gentle in your approach to novel writing, illustrating that consistent, achievable efforts will get you to THE END. You’ll bond with your fellow writers, have one-on-one time with me, learn the craft of novel writing from myself and guest speakers, and together we’ll break through those psychological barriers keeping you from realizing your dream. I’m a highly seasoned speaker who loves teaching, and I’m excited to share twenty years of knowledge with an intimate group in the Rocky Mountains.

The specific details are being finalized and I’ll be announcing them as soon as everything is in place. But if you’d like to be among the first to be able to reserve a spot, please fill out this simple form and I’ll make sure you get the details before they are broadly announced. Finally, I will be offering one scholarship that will reduce the cost of the program by 50%, so make sure to check that box on the form if you’re interested and I’ll reach out with follow-up questions.

Aspiring writers, let’s get you on your way to realizing your dream. See you in Boulder!

Boulder, Colorado

Making It Up
Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out!

This month I chatted with novelist and former Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chad Boudreaux (Scavenger Hunt), bestselling novelist Lexie Elliott (How to Kill Your Best Friend), award-winning crime-fiction writer David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Winter Counts), and novelist Rebecca Kelley (No One Knows Us Here).

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.  

What I’m Watching
Yellowstone, Season 1 (Peacock, 2018) 

So Jessica and I were in search of a new show, which seems insane because of how many shows are out there. One of us brought up Yellowstone, and both of us had heard all the praise the show has earned (there are four seasons already and a spinoff). I always liked Kevin Costner and hadn’t seen him ride a horse since Dances With Wolves, so I figured, why not?

Okay, the scenery is gorgeous. I want a house like the Dutton’s have. A want a lawn like that. I don’t even enjoy croquet, but I would croquet the shit out of that lawn. And I could cuddle up nicely in front of the massive stone fireplace. But a nice looking house does not make a show successful (and you can just go to Zillow to get your house-porn fix). The show itself is merely okay. It’s a highly dysfunctional family, and Succession has set the high-bar on how that’s supposed to be written. Yellowstone is much closer to Dallas and Dynasty than it is to Succession, bad acting included. Costner is pretty great, and I love that he’s playing a total dick with little-to-no redeeming features. But the plotlines follow fairly predictable beats, the emotion really struggles to shine through, and the director tends to go for shocking, visceral closeups in lieu of nuanced writing. Yellowstone is a soap opera. But there’s a reason soap operas last for decades: viewers keep coming back despite their better instincts. I suspect that could be my ultimate relationship with this show.

What I’m Listening To
Chameleon: Dr. Dante  (Podcast, The Binge, 2022)

I love podcasts about scammers. I don’t know why. I think I’m simply taken aback by the ballsy nature of con artists and how they just throw caution to the wind time and time again. And they almost always get caught! The narcissistic nature of these people is baffling, maddening, and fascinating.

From the show’s description: “Dr. Ronald Dante is a talented hypnotist (and not an actual doctor) whose mind-bending schemes span decades. Dante worked the smoke-filled nightclubs of 1960s Hollywood and rode the self-help craze of the 1980s and 90s, hypnotizing women out of their fortunes, taking out hits on his rivals and opening up one of the biggest fake universities in history. Host Sam Mullins tracks Dante through yacht clubs, prison cells, trailer parks and theme parks to uncover the unbelievable true story of the greatest con man you’ve never heard of.”

The podcast consists of eight meticulously researched episodes, and the host injects just the right balance of gravity and humor into each one. But the real draw is Dr. Dante, who is so infuriating and absurd as to make this show prime binge material. If you’re a true-crime fan who doesn’t want to hear about yet another serial killer, check this one out.

Photo of the Month
Ducklings in a pond. I took this shot years ago up in Estes Park, Colorado.

Update from My Kids
All of us were thrilled to have my daughter and her boyfriend home for spring break, but no one more so than Scully.

Update from My Cat and Dog
Everyone keeps telling me how the dog and cat and are going to be best friends, and all I think of is WHEN?

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  
I love the serendipity of picking up my book thinking it was a different one. Make sure to check out my novel Gawn Gurl. 

That’s it for now! Until next month…

Death by Edits

A book comes alive in editing. Unfortunately, editing sucks.

Editing is the time where you have face hard truths about your book, and as tempting as it is to tell yourself, ah, it’s fine, the reality is without putting in serious post-first-draft work, your book will probably stink. Stink real bad. And stinky books do not (often) get published.

I typically write three drafts before I show my completed work to anyone. There’s the free-for-all first draft, where anything goes. Then a very painful second draft, where I focus on high-level plot and character development, all in the attempt of figuring out what the book is truly about. Then there’s the third draft, where my attention goes to the writing itself, looking at each sentence and challenging myself to distill it into as few, powerful words as possible.

Then Jessica copyedits the manuscript and gives me a whole host of corrections and questions. Thank god for her.

Then it goes to my agent Pam, who brilliantly highlights all issues big and small. Sometimes this requires a come-to-Jesus phone call.

Then after all those changes are made, the book goes off to my editor, Anna. Anna is in charge of putting the book into the world, so the pressure’s on her to make sure the manuscript is in the best possible condition. Anna reads the book and puts together an editorial letter. Every traditionally published author gets an editorial letter, and these letters, upon receipt, often send authors into states of catatonia.

A typical editorial letter looks something like this:

Dear Author,
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to review Operation Murder Zebra. What fun! Please find attached my overall comments on this unique mystery novel.

What I Liked:
I enjoyed that the character Ethan had a cat. Readers like cats. Perhaps the name Mr. Whiskers is a bit too obvious, though?

What Could Use Improvement:

In the following sixteen, single-spaced pages, I’ve outlined eight distinct subplots that could be introduced to help weave together a more cohesive narrative arc. Alas, this would necessitate removing most of the story in its existing format, including, regrettably, Mr. Whiskers.

Some books beget long editorial letters, others much less so. I’ve been pretty fortunate over the years, and I will say Anna’s suggestions are always spot-on. I can’t think of any major editorial request that I’ve refused, and I make these changes not to placate, but because her suggestions are GOOD. They make the book better, which is the singular goal of everyone on the publication team.

All this to say I spent the better part of 2022 making edits to my next book, including changing the entire manuscript from third-person past-tense to first-person present-tense. And I’m so glad I went through what was a very challenging process, because the story is SO much better.

You’ll be hearing much more from me this year about the book. In the meaning, I’m working on something new and having a fucking blast. Until I get to the editing.

“The Dead Girl in 2A will grip you from the first chapter and never let go. A lightning- paced thriller reminiscent of Dean Koontz. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!”

—Liv Constantine, internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

Making It Up
Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out!

This month I chatted with award-winning horror writer Ronald Kelly (Southern Fried & Horrified), Nuzo Onoh, the “Queen of African Horror” (A Dance for the Dead), and Mark Stevens, who returns to the show for a second time to discuss his new novel The Fireballer.

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

Making It Up Highlight Clip!
Kelly J. Ford discuss the process of winging it.

@carter.wilson.author

Kelly J. Ford: Writing without drafts #MakingItUpShow#CarterWilson#KellyJFord #authortok#writersinterview#authorlife#writertok

♬ original sound – Carter Wilson

What I’m Watching
Your Honor, Season 1 (Showtime, 2020) .

I don’t have Showtime but I purchased season one of Your Honor through Amazon Prime. Sometimes with a show I’m intrigued about on a platform I don’t have, I’ll just buy one episode at a time in case the season goes off the rails. With Your Honor, I purchased the whole season upfront. Why? Bryan Cranston. I’m only on episode five and the season could still well go off the rails, but I’ll keep watching because, well, Cranston is immensely watchable.

The premise is fairly basic but with a clever little twist. From Showtime: “A  judge confronts his deepest convictions when his son is involved in a hit and run that embroils an organized crime family. He faces a series of impossible choices and discovers how far a father will go to save his son’s life.” Cranston is said judge, and an honest and fair one in what is established as a very corrupt New Orleans jurisdiction. His integrity is supremely challenged when he has to break every imaginable law to keep his son (and himself) out of danger from a soulless mob boss (the wonderful Michael Stuhlbarg). 

If it sounds a lot like Cranston’s role in Breaking Bad, you wouldn’t be wrong. There’s such joy in watching him try to play normal while falling apart inside; he might be the best there is at it. The show is full of angst, grit, and unapologetic violence, and you’ll be stressed out after every episode. Highly recommend!

What I’m Reading
The Passenger, Cormac McCarthy (Knopf, 2022)

DNF. In case you don’t know what that stands for, it means did not finish. The worst thing an author can see in a review.

I don’t know if it’s this book or me—probably some of both—but as much as I love some of McCarthy’s works (The Road is perhaps my favorite book of all time), The Passenger was too bloated and meandering for me. I put it down about a third of the way through. Maybe if I made it further it would have gripped me more, but life is short and when I read in bed at night, I want to be captivated. I don’t mind a challenging book, but I don’t care for a book that’s so deliberately obtuse as to only serve UP frustration rather than any kind of plot. The Passenger has indeed gotten some stellar reviews from the likes of The New York Times and The Atlantic, but it just didn’t resonate with me.

Photo of the Month
Flashback years ago to a summer storm near my house. This field is a subdivision now.

Update from My Kids
My daughter sent me this photo from college of her trying to study while her friend’s bearded dragon rested on her textbook. What the hell?

Update from My Cat and Dog
They play rough, but each shows restraint. Scully is now nearly twice the size of Guff, but it’s still Guff who could take her down for the count at any time.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  
The colors here are just lovely, aren’t they?

That’s it for now! Until next month…

What Scares Me

Back in September I asked you all to suggest a topic for my newsletter, and a reader said they wanted to know what my fears are. Well, number one on that list is a fear of my cat taking over my newsletter (and based on the number of emails I got, Guff has a lot of new fans. Also, many of you said you prefer his writing to mine).

I actually get asked about my fears from time to time. I write psychological thrillers with heaping doses of creep and paranoia, and readers want to know if I write about things that scare me personally. Hell yes! And in writing about my fears through my characters, maybe what I’m actually doing is confronting my own fears in a safe environment.

Judging from my assorted writings and in no particular order, these must be the things that scare me most:

Losing my mind. This is a biggie. The theme of insanity, of what-is-real-and-what-isn’t, of deep, gut-wrenching paranoia is a thread through many of my books. No question a large part of this is having watched my father suffer though and succumb to early-onset Alzheimer’s. Your mind is what makes you you. It controls you. And you can’t run away from it. There is nothing in the world more trapping than one’s own mind.Something happening to my kids. Ugh. No question about this one. I’ve had some pretty terrible things happen to kids in my books, but never a child of a protagonist. I don’t think I would want to explore that emotion on paper, powerful as it might be. There are some shadows I need to step around.Knives. Who knew? I had a fantastic knife collection as a kid—everything from delicate 19th-century blades to Bowie knives. Never really thought of knives as scary, but good God do they make some gruesome appearances in my works. There’s something so personal and visceral about a blade. The responsibility associated with stabbing rather than shooting. You’ve got to actually use your own force to make a piece of sharp metal effective as a weapon. Especially if you have to work through bone.Losing someone I love. This shares thematic elements with #1 and #2 above, but the idea of losing a loved one horrifies me. I’ve had more than one character lose people close to them, leaving them to fend for themselves. That gut-twisting sense of loss can’t be tossed aside. It will eat your mind until its full, leaving a lesser version of you in its wake.Finding out someone close to me is actually evil incarnate. OK, odds are better I’m that person to somebody else, but who isn’t scared at the idea of someone they love and trust actually living a secret, evil life? The idea of having everything you thought you knew about someone yanked away in seconds is terrifying. It speaks to the vulnerability in us lying just millimeters beneath the surface. But no, just to set the record straight, I’m no Dexter. He has much more lustrous hair.Being watched. Not that this weighs on me constantly, but it does come up often in my writing so I’m thinking I have a deeply rooted fear here. A character finding out they are being watched is a powerful way to showcase true fear and paranoia in your story, and with today’s technology there are more ways than ever for voyeurs to know just about anything they want about someone. Now that I think about it, just writing out my list of fears in a newsletter is providing strangers with intimate details about my psyche. Damnit. 

Making It Up
Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out!

This month I chatted with bestselling author Katie Sise (Creative Girl), fiction writer and social worker Carla Damron (The Orchid Tattoo), and Jennifer Givhan, a Mexican American writer, activist, and author of four full-length poetry collections (River Woman, River Demon). 

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. 

What I’m Watching
The White Lotus, Season 2 (HBO, 2022) .

From HBO: “Mike White’s Emmy®-winning series returns for Season 2, following various guests over the span of a week in the White Lotus’s Sicily location. While a darker side of the picture-perfect travelers begins to emerge, the hotel’s professional but prickly manager tries to keep two young locals – each striving to get ahead by different means – out of her luxury establishment.”

Meh. I really loved season one of The White Lotus, but found season two disappointing. I didn’t think the character stories were nearly as compelling, and this season was so sex-centric that it soon became tiresome. The most interesting storyline concerned Tanya’s (Jennifer Coolidge) questionable friendships with a group of wealthy ex-pats. But I will say Jennifer Coolidge is fantastic in the show, and it’s almost worth watching just for her. 

What I’m Reading
The Fireballer, Mark Stevens (Lake Union, January 2023)

I’ve known Mark for some time (he was on Making It Up last year) and was thrilled to get an early release of his book. Man, this is a good one. Here’s a blurb I wrote up for it. Check it out!

“Mark Steven’s THE FIREBALLER is one for the ages. The subject matter is compelling: a tour de force Major League pitcher struggles to survive the world’s attention while battling demons of his own tragic past. But a story is only as good as its words, and Stevens unleashes a master class in narrative prowess here. This is lyrical, sumptuous, visceral writing. You will feel every nuance of Frank Ryder’s angst just as surely as you will hear the crack of the bat at the bottom of the ninth. And don’t be fooled thinking this is a story about baseball. It’s a story about the long road to redemption, and how to reconcile doing the thing you love when that same thing might destroy you. A must read.”

Photo of the Month
A sunrise view of my backyard after a December snowstorm.

Update from My Kids
Sawyer is a senior in high school, so it’s college application time. He and I spent a week touring some schools in the south, and during our trip I impulsively bought us tickets to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.  Go Dawgs!

Update from My Cat and Dog
Well, it’s been about 5 weeks since I brought lil’ Scully home. She’s great! Sure, there are the typical puppy challenges, but she really is a sweet little girl. Guff and Scully are definitely playful with each other,  but of course “playing” for Guff really means “eviscerating.” Here’s a moment of pet zen when they were at (temporary) peace together.

Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend

Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  
My favorite part of this is the reader has an advance-review copy of Mister Tender’s Girl, which actually featured a different cover than the final release. And I love the spider ring!

That’s it for now! Until next month…

Dogz Drool

Hey. It’s Guff here. Yeah, you know. The cat of the family. I’m taking over the blog post this month because Carter is too busy.

Too busy, you ask? What could he possibly be too busy with that would make him delegate the task of writing his monthly blog post to his goddamn cat?

Well, I’ll tell you.

HE GOT A FUCKING DOG

Are you kidding me? It’s been five years since the last time a dog has been living in this house (and yeah, you keep believing that dog died of “old age”). Five glorious years of being the center of attention. And then, last Saturday, he brings this abomination into the house and tells me it’s staying. And right before Christmas! Suffice it to say, I’ve been solidly drunk for the past three days.

Okay, you ready to see this thing? Here we go…
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 “Scully” aka “Lady Dipshit”Just look at it. That smug expression. That needy little fucking face. And you should hear it. The yipping is like a buzzsaw through my skull. Plus, it’s already peed SEVERAL TIMES in the house. Goddamn philistine.

And everyone is just in awe of this thing. Seriously, if Santa came into this house with a bag filled with cash and Ferrero Rochers he wouldn’t get as much attention as this chump does.

And the name…Scully? What is that? Apparently it’s from some TV show called The X-Files. Jesus Christ, gimme a break. So dumb. Not like Guff. Guff is a solid name. 

So, anyway, that’s where things are at here. While I’m planning an exit strategy for either myself or this brainless chunk of fur, I’ve been asked to do the newsletter this month. OH, OKAY, I HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO.

Well, here we go. Happy holidays or whatever.“I didn’t read this but I’m so blinded by rage I’m just going to go ahead and say it sucks. Sucks real bad.”

            —Guff on The New Neighbor Making It Up
Carter said to tell you newly added episodes of his conversation series Making It Up are out.

This month Carter chatted with bestselling thriller writer Jeffery Wilson (TIER ONE series) and Barbara Nickless, the #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Sydney Parnell police procedural series.

I gotta say this. When Carter records these episodes not only does he lock me out of the room, but he actually puts up soundproofing so he can’t hear me screaming at him. What if I started choking on a ham bone? Or was being attacked by a hawk that managed to get in the house?

He doesn’t care. He just doesn’t care.

Anyway, all episodes are available on Carter’s website, his YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.  Whatever.
Look at him laughing. I could have been actively being abducted at that very moment and he wouldn’t have heard. Making It Up Highlight Clip!
No, sorry, I’m done being a shill for his dumb little show. I’ll give you another video instead. Here I am with a mattress falling on top of me. I think he wanted this to happen (click to play). What I’m Watching
A screensaver.

God, I’m dumb. Carter turned on a screensaver on his TV and it had a couple digital butterflies flitting around, and I fell for it. I swear I’m going to start putting arsenic in his vodka gimlets.What I’m Reading
I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats  by Francesco Marciuliano (Chronicle Books, 2012)

Brilliant.
My favorite poem in this collection is called “Nudge.”

Nudge.
Nudge. Nudge. Nudge.
Nudge. Nudge. Nudge. Nudge. Nudge.
Nudge.
Your glass just shattered on the floor.

I just did that to a Christmas ornament. Made an unholy mess. It was awesome.Photo of the Month
I was scrolling through Carter’s phone (WHY WOULD HE LET ME) and found this beauty. Yeah, that’s a fake fish toy. Shut up, I like it.Update from My Human and His Kids
So the Girl came home for Thanksgiving (where did she go, by the way?) along with Carter’s sister and her family. Everyone was happy and reunited. Apparently Thanksgiving dinner was amazing. I wouldn’t know. I ate the same shit I’ve had for the past nine years.  Humor of the Month sent by Carter’s friend
I don’t know why but I can’t stop watching this.

@bebop.n.rocksteady

Her followup surgery is tomorrow morning…and I hope we can retire these sweaters soon, and I pray she will forgive us…but I totally understand if she doesn’t 😂 #BetheReasonVisa #IntuitTouchdownDance

♬ Kawaii Plankton Impersonation – ✨shmol animator✨

Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  
Oh my god, what? Carter has a section of his newsletter where he showcases people who love his books? Gross.I guess that’s it. All right, then. I’m going back to bed.

Halloween Scream Reel 2022

It’s November, so that means it’s time for the Halloween Scream Reel. 

I revealed in last month’s newsletter that my theme this year was Disco Inferno, so basically I transformed my garage in a dance club located in hell. The main attraction was the bar I built, staffed by demon bartenders. Now, one of the bartenders was an animatronic triggered by a footpad on the floor. Once triggered, it would rapidly extend to a height of eight feet. Scary shit!

But the vibe in the garage was decidedly dance party. Disco music, fog, laser dance lights, you get it. So all the trick or treaters weren’t really sure whether to dance or freak out. Most of them did both.

The numbers this year were decent. About 250 actual trick or treaters, but many more parents. So my garage was pretty much packed for two straight hours. I have to say, I think I got more compliments on my setup this year than ever (every year is a different theme). Which is great, because it’s SO MUCH WORK!

But all the screams make everything worthwhile.

Enjoy.“Wilson unveils each revelation of some new betrayal with surgical precision en route to a bittersweet finale. A harrowing reminder that you really can’t go home again.”

            —Kirkus Reviews  on The Dead Husband Making It Up
Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out!

This month I chatted with brilliant psychological suspense novelist Wendy Walker (What Remains), former BBC Newsnight producer Sam McAlister (Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews), gritty crime novelist Kelly J. Ford (Real Bad Things), pulp horror writer Jonathan Woods (Wild Hogs), and Marine-turned-novelist Samuel Octavius (The Echo Chamber). 

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.  Making It Up Highlight Clip!

Thriller writer James Byrne discusses the importance of noticing details. What I’m Watching

The Patient , (Hulu, 2022)

Man, Steve Carell is versatile. That’s not a particularly hot take; Carell has been mixing drama with comedy for years. But it feels like The Patient is the series that has elevated Carell to Robin Williams status. A primarily comedic actor who can deliver dramatic performances worthy of Oscars and Emmys.

From Hulu: “The Patient is a psychological thriller from the minds of Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg (The Americans) about a therapist, “Alan Strauss” (Steve Carell), who’s held prisoner by a patient, “Sam Fortner” (Domhnall Gleeson), who reveals himself to be a serial killer. Sam has an unusual therapeutic demand for Alan: curb his homicidal urges.”

So there’s this whole Dexter vibe going on in the sense the killer wants/needs help to curb his urges, but in this case he actually imprisons the person he needs to help him. It’s a small show–nearly the entirety of it takes place in one room, with some occasional flashbacks–creating a claustrophobic atmosphere. The writing is tight and tense, with some moments of dark comedy thrown in. And the acting…oh my goodness the acting. Carell is understatedly brilliant, and matching him moment for moment is Domhnall Gleeson, who plays the tortured killer with so much pain and internal torment you kinda just feel for him. Well, sometimes.What I’m Reading

Cats in  Quarantine  by Mario Acevedo (Hex Publishers, 2022)

I want to highlight a book from a buddy of mine, who’s both a great writer and artist. During the quarantine he drew a daily single-panel comic of a “cat in quarantine” and posted it to social media. Well, those posts became VERY popular, and this book is the compilation of 300 of his panels. 

With an introduction by Peter Heller, Cats in Quarantine beautifully commemorates the tragic and the absurd, the frustrations, fear, and loss that marked a time we’ll never forget.Photo of the Month
Jessica and I are all decked out in our finest disco gear for my Halloween party.Update from My Kids AND My Cat
My son and Guff. A picture is worth a thousand words… Humor of the Month, sent to me by a friend  
It’s a real book!Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  Who doesn’t appreciate a spooky October read?That’s it for now! Until next month…

And my Halloween theme is…

It’s that lovely time of year ago when thoughts turn to scaring the hell out of little kids. Halloween!

For my newer subscribers, you should know I’m kinda into this holiday. I remember, when I was a little kid, there would always be that ONE HOUSE that was the crazy Halloween house. And I remember thinking to myself, someday I’m gonna be that house. Well, I’ve been living that dream for about 20 years now, going all out with my Halloween decorations and curating a unique theme every year.  And it pays off! I have a big party and, on the special night itself, my Victorian-styled neighborhood usually sees 300-400 trick or treaters.

Most years I’ve wrapped my front porch in burlap and built the set out there. In 2019, I moved it to my garage and spent the better part of a month constructing a Stranger Things motif. It was goddamn rad.

The last couple of years have been back to the porch, but this year it’s once again in the garage and the theme is:

DISCO INFERNO!

Yeah, I know. Kind of weird. I get it. I actually think I came up with this idea during a fever dream. But I’m committed, and it’s going to be lovely.

I’m essentially turning my garage in a 70’s disco club that exists in the fiery depths of hell.  I’ve built a bar (666 Spirits) staffed by sequined demons. I’ve handcrafted dayglo, resin cocktails. There will be an animatronic leaping Satan. A spinning disco ball and a million lights. Horrendous disco music blaring. Fog filling the space.  And I might just be lurking about in my 3-piece red suit and demon eyes, waiting to provide a few extra scares.



Check out the walk-through video below, and stay tuned for next month when I’ll share my Halloween scream reel. Happy haunting, friends!“Gritty, unflinching, and sometimes violent, this thriller is reminiscent of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and the television series The Equalizer.”

            —Library Journal (Starred Review)  on The Comfort of Black Making It Up
Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out!

This month I chatted with New York Times bestselling mystery author Laurie R. King (Back to the Garden), lawyer-turned-crime writer Leanne Kale Sparks (The Wrong Woman), award-winning novelist and James Patterson co-author David Ellis (Looks Closer), and horror novelist Russell James (Dark Inspiration). 

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.  What I’m Watching

Santo , (Netflix, 2022)

Ugh, okay. I really wanted to like this (and how I fucking hate reviews of my books that begin like that…) This show grabbed my attention because it seemed to have a Narcos vibe about it, and I loved that show.

From Netflix: “Two cops on opposite sides of the Atlantic engage in a desperate hunt for a vicious international drug dealer whose face has never been revealed.”

I love vicious international drug dealers! Especially faceless ones! The setting alternates between Brazil and Spain (apparently massive Netflix subscriber bases), and the dialogue similarly alternates between Spanish and Portuguese. Not a problem. Beautiful languages, and of course I used subtitles. Shot on location in each country, and the cinematography is lovely. The acting? Decent! Raúl Arévalo is particularly good. 

So what’s my problem with this show? Well, I can encapsulate the issue using the words I muttered to myself while watching the complete first season. I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON.

Now, look, I’m not claiming to have a steel-trap mind when it comes to TV shows. Jessica will attest to the many nights on the couch where I pause a show, turn to her, and ask, “Who’s that guy again?” But with Santo, it’s almost like they tried very hard to insert ambiguity to cover massive plot holes. Like the executives at Netflix decided a confusing show was more acceptable than an outright bad one. The show jumps location and time periods frequently, never quite giving enough clues to fully understand any character’s motivations or actions. And after reading some other critical reviews of the series, it looks like I’m not alone in this assessment. As a writer, I’ve learned from experience the importance of telling a complex tale as simply as possible, and Santo, unfortunately, does not do that.

On the plus side, there were some scenes where characters had the letter X carved into their eyelids, and that was kinda neat.What I’m Reading

Man, I’m really struggling to get books read. Maybe it’s because I have a whole stack of them on my nightstand. Maybe it’s because many of them are mystery/thrillers, and sometimes those are hard to read when I’m in the middle of my own novel. Maybe it’s because I never read during the day, figuring I should be writing instead.

But I think it’s mostly because I watch dumb shows like Santo too late in the evening, and when I crawl into bed I’m too tired to make it past three of four pages. 

All that being said, I am about 100 pages into my buddy Shawn Cosby’s novel  Razorblade Tears  and am very much enjoying. Gritty and unapologetic, which is how the best writing always is. This book is a massive hit and has won more awards than I can count, and all that success could not have happened to a nicer guy. Side note: Obama gave a shout out to this book on Twitter, and Shawn told me the moment he heard about it he was eating a bowl of Froot Loops. I just love that.Photo of the Month
We went to Europe! It had been three years since my last international trip, and Jessica and I were able to go to Prague and Vienna last month. This is a shot of beautiful Prague from the top of the Old Town Hall.Update from My Kids
Flashback to two years ago, and my kids had just harvested our backyard pumpkin patch. God, I love October.Update from My Cat
Guess who wasn’t happy about my trip to Europe? The cat, of course. Here he is trying to rip the foot off my petsitter.Humor of the Month, sent to me by a friend  Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  Thank you @cbrygida_czyta, for reading the Polish edition of The Comfort of Black! Hope you enjoyed it…

That’s it for now! Until next month…

Five Years of Cat Pics

I was interviewed the other day in a writers’ workshop, and the topic was newsletters. I was asked how long I’ve been writing mine, and I answered three years. After the workshop, I went to check. And you know what? As of this month, it’s been FIVE YEARS. 

I was taught long ago that authors can’t just get by writing books. They need to create and sustain a following, be active both online and in person. There are countless ways to do this, and the reality is you can’t do everything. And although I’m moderately active on social media, I chose to fully commit to newsletters. So on the 13th of the month for the past sixty months, I’ve sent one out.

For those of you looking to create a newsletter for your business, I’d thought I’d use this newsletter to tell you what I’ve learned from the past five years of writing them.

You Have to Care
DO NOT write a newsletter because you think you have to. You have to want to write a newsletter, because only then will you put effort into it. You must possess the ego to assume people want to hear from you, and then it’s your job to figure out interesting things to say.

Be Consistent
My newsletter goes out at 7am Mountain Time on the 13th of every month. EVERY MONTH (okay, once I skipped because I was in a totally shitty mood). My point is consistency matters. If you send three newsletters in one month and then another six months later, you’ll annoy people. Once a month is just fine.

Be Human
Don’t spend the entirety of your newsletter just promoting your stuff. Be personal. Be human. Let your audience get to know you. And, above all else, be honest.

Have Structure
My newsletters all follow a particular format. They begin with my “main feature” article, the longest part of the newsletter. Then there’s any book news I have to announce along with upcoming event dates. After that, I review a book I’ve recently read and a show or movie I’ve watched. Then I have my tidbits: photo of the month, updates from my kids, pics of Guff (lots of pics of Guff), my event schedule, and latest episodes of Making It Up. Then I have my giveaway, which brings me to my next point.

Give Away Stuff
PR folks label this a “call to action.” Have your readers engage with you and reward that engagement. In my case, each month I feature Carter’s Tell-Me-A-Secret contest. Whatever you decide to do, make the newsletter an opportunity for readers to engage with you personally and win stuff that’s only available to subscribers.

Be Okay with People Unsubscribing Every Time You Send Something Out
Because they will. Damnit.

Make it Pretty
Make sure you know how to use MailChimp or whatever platform you’ve chosen. It’s not hard, but invest some time in video tutorials. Understand how to use graphics effectively, how to scale photos, view how the newsletter will appear on different phones and laptop screens, etc. 

Send it Twice
Five days after you send it, send it again to those who didn’t open it (and change the subject line). Yes, some people will notice it twice, but you’ll get a good amount of fresh opens.

And finally:

Get Folks to Sign Up
Don’t be shy about asking people to sign up for your newsletter, and let them know the benefits of doing so. Be creative–run sign-up contests on social media or reward your readers with referrals! 

That’s pretty much it. It took me a while to figure things out and I received some great advice from my PR team. But in the end, just like my books, it’s about content. And your content is only as good as your passion to write it. If you choose to start writing and sending newsletters, be original, be vulnerable, be funny, provide value, and strive to make a real connection with your readers.

Write that first one, send it out, and then keep doing it forever.“Wilson turns the creep factor up to 11, balancing his prose on a knife’s edge. A highly satisfying high-tension thriller.”

                   —Kirkus Reviews on Mister Tender’s Girl\

Making It Up
Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out!

This month I chatted with New York Times bestselling suspense author Clare Macintosh (The Last Party), acclaimed mystery writer Faye Snowden (A Killing Rain), writer, musician and actor Pip Drysdale (The Next Girl), and thriller writer James Byrne (The Gatekeeper).

All episodes are available on my YouTube channel and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Check them out now here! October 8, 2022 12PM – 2PM
Book Signing
Barnes & Noble
Lakewood, COOctober 11, 2022 5:30PM
Author Talk
Fort Morgan Public Library and Museum
Fort Morgan, COApril 29, 2023
Author Keynote
Books and Brunch Scholarship Benefit
Golden, CO
Details TBA

Make sure to check my calendar for the more up-to-date information. Also, if you’re interested in having me speak at your event or book club, please reach out to my PR team.What I’m Watching

Halt and Catch Fire , (AMC 2104-17)

You all know I’m a sucker for any show based in my childhood years, so I’m currently devouring this fictionalized series about the early computer revolution of the 1980s. Yeah, yeah, I know, that sounds like a geekfest, but I recently saw an article saying Halt and Catch Fire was the best AMC series since Mad Men, and that’s what got me watching.

Is it as good as Mad Men? Well, no. The characters aren’t as nuanced and the storylines are a bit more basic. Still, this is a great show! Lee Pace is mesmerizing as morally dubious genius Joe MacMillan, who in turn is nicely balanced by anarchist/brilliant coder Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis). The show is less about the tech than it is about the drama and emotion associated with forging into any new frontier. There’s no shortage of obsessive gamers, brilliant visionaries, greedy venture capitalists, and self-destructive millionaires. Plus, for all you 80’s alternative-music junkies, the soundtrack is to die for. Plus, it’s “only” four seasons, so it’s not an overwhelming commitment. Strongly recommend.What I’m Listening To

Chameleon: Scam Likely (Campside Media, 2022). I’ve been going down a bit of a rabbit hole with podcasts based on scams and fraud, and this one is particularly engaging. From the producer: “When a small team of government investigators learns that ordinary citizens all around the U.S. are losing their life savings to scam callers, they go on the hunt for the shadowy multinational mob behind the con.”

You ever get those fake calls from someone claiming to be with the IRS and they insist you owe back taxes? Yeah, this show is about these scumbags. It’s hard to believe people still fall for these scam calls, and it’s equally horrifying to see how much money they get taken for when they do. If you can get past the rage you’ll feel listening to this show, you’ll likely find it fascinating.  Also, it will have you refusing to answer your phone ever again.Photo of the Month
Welp, I made it 2.5 years COVID-free. That is, until the last week of August. Finally got the ‘rona after doing some traveling and attending events. I’m all vacc’ed and boosted, and the extent of my symptoms was a stuffy nose and sporadic cough. So I’m happy to report it was a non-event for me, but I’m bummed I can no longer be part of the rarefied COVID-free club.Update from My Kids
My 19-year-old daughter has been wanting a tattoo for some time (and I always reminded her I was 38 before getting my first one.). But she finally did it! She and her friend got matching dragonfly tattoos on their arms (the dragonfly plays meaningfully in a shared experience they had as kids). So now my daughter is, yup, that’s right, The Girl With the Dragonfly Tattoo.Update from My Cat
Sunday-morning-just-woke-up face.Humor of the Month, sent to me by a friend  
click to follow link

@alexandriasuz

She isn’t even concerned that it doesn’t have eyes 🙃 #creepy #halloween #halloweendecor #doyouwanttoplaywithme

♬ original sound – Alexandriasuz

Her expression at the end is amazing.Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  Thank you @coffee_cats_goodbooks! That’s it for now! Until next month…

New England is Creepy

I remember thinking about New England when I set out to write my 2018 thriller  Mister Tender’s Girl . I don’t outline so I didn’t yet know the plot of the book, but I’d decided the entirety of the story would take place over the two weeks leading up to Halloween. With that in mind, I knew I wanted a location for my story that fit a particular vibe.

And, I thought, well, New England is creepy.

I can’t tell you exactly what led me to this conclusion. I’ve never lived in New England (the closest I came were my four years at Cornell in upstate New York), and at the time I’d only really traveled to Massachusetts and Rhode Island. But when I imagined trick or treaters running up and down a street on Halloween, fallen leaves skipping along the ground in a chilling breeze, I just knew that street was in a New England town. I suppose that’s how I decided the region was creepy. Also, once upon a time they executed witches in Salem.

And let’s not forget Lizzie Borden.

And pretty much every Stephen King novel.

So, I decided to set my story in new England. But where? I didn’t want Boston–too big. And I didn’t want a little hamlet where everyone knew each other. I needed a good mid-size city, a place a person could be anonymous if they wanted to, but still would likely run into people they knew in the supermarket.

This led me to Manchester, New Hampshire.

I toured Manchester on Google Maps and decided it would work. But to really be true to the spirit of the city, I knew I needed to go there, which is exactly what I did.

Discovering a new place for the purposes of novel writing is exciting. In Manchester, I could look at the city through the eyes of my protagonist, Alice. I navigated the streets and thought, here’s where she works. This is the route she takes to walk home at night. And…there! Holy shit, that’s her house!

I stayed at a beautiful BNB (shout out to the lovely Ash Street Inn). I walked for hours. I took pictures in a cemetery. I wrote in the local coffee houses. I toured the Millyard Museum (fascinating!). And at the end of my stay, I really didn’t find anything outwardly disturbing except the sheer number of Patriots fans.

But Manchester did have the mood my story needed. It was a place that was not itself creepy, but creepy things could happen there. And in my book, they most certainly did.

My experience writing Mister Tender’s Girl made me yearn to go back to New England in another story, but not the same location. I wanted an affluent town, a collection of McMansions in a bedroom community of Boston. A place were lawns are perfectly manicured and secrets securely locked behind looming front doors.

After extensive research, I did the thing a novelist loves doing most: I just made it all up. I created the small town of Bury, New Hampshire for my thriller  The Dead Husband  and gave it all the touches the book needed, including a house that may or may not be haunted. And I ended up loving the subtle malevolence of Bury’s residents and houses so much that I visited there again for my follow-up novel The New Neighbor.

So that’s my connection to New England. Nothing to do with my personal history. Nothing scientific or really, even reasonable. I based the location of three of my eight novels in New Hampshire simply because it seemed like a great place to go trick or treating.

If that whimsy isn’t one of the great joys of fiction writing, I don’t know what is.
Oh, hell, no. Making It Up
Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out!

This month I chatted with internationally bestselling suspense author Hannah Mary McKinnon (Never Coming Home), brilliant thriller writer Ashley Winstead (The Last Housewife), and Joey Hartstone, a TV and film writer with his first novel recently released (The Local).

All episodes are available on my YouTube channel and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Check them out now here! Making It Up clip of the week!

Making It Up clip of the week! Stuart Turton (The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Devil and the Dark Water) tells me about his hatred of law school. (click to play). August 24, 2022 7PM
Book Club featuring The Dead Husband
Book Bar
Denver, Colorado

September 8-11, 2022
Bouchercon
Hilton Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Panel Moderator: “Writing Domestic Suspense”, September 8

October 8, 2022 12PM – 2PM
Book Signing
Barnes & Noble
Lakewood, CO

October 11, 2022 5:30PM
Author Talk
Fort Morgan Public Library and Museum
Fort Morgan, CO

April 29, 2023
Author Keynote
Books and Brunch Scholarship Benefit
Golden, CO
Details TBA

Make sure to check my calendar for the more up-to-date information. Also, if you’re interested in having me speak at your event or book club, please reach out to my PR team.What I’m Watching

The Old Man , (FX/Stream on Hulu, 2022-)

So this is a Jessica-and-me show.  I have shows I watch alone (Better Call Saul, Halt and Catch Fire), shows I watch with my kids (Stranger Things), and shows I watch with Jess. We stumbled onto this not too long ago, and stumbling is about the only way to find good shows in the content-rich landscape of today’s streaming platforms.

And holy shit is The Old Man good!

From FX: “Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, The Old Man stars Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow and Amy Brenneman. The Old Man centers on Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since.  When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.”

This is the kind of show that has a lot of potential to suck. I fully expected Jeff Bridges to do some super-human asskicking, which tends to get very boring. But while the violence is indeed pervasive, it’s also real, as are the consequences. People get hurt, and they stay hurt. There is profound emotion. There’s a couple dogs you’re REALLY hoping stay healthy. And, my god, Jeff Bridges. The man is coming off of a nasty fight with lymphoma and has never acted better in his life. 

Bonus: John Lithgow!What I’m Playing

Stray (Blue12 Studio, 2022). That’s right. I’m now playing video games.

To be truthful, I played video games well into my 30’s, but only the first-person shooters Quake and Doom. And only casually. I never was the true gamer type, playing for ten-hour bursts while popping Adderall and slugging Red Bulls.

But, for whatever reason, articles about this new game Stray kept popping up in my newsfeeds. And what got my attention were two things. First, the game had a PERFECT review rating, which is the same as a movie getting 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with dozens of reviews. Second (and this is the part where you laugh at me even more), the POV of the game is from a stray cat.

That’s right. You are a stray cat (and a cute one!), and you’re in some crazy dystopian after-world trying to make sense of things. From the studio:

“Lost, alone and separated from family, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten city. Stray is a third-person cat adventure game set amidst the detailed, neon-lit alleys of a decaying cybercity and the murky environments of its seedy underbelly. Roam surroundings high and low, defend against unforeseen threats and solve the mysteries of this unwelcoming place inhabited by curious droids and dangerous creatures.”

So, yeah, I bought this game and play it a little bit here and there. And I have to say, it’s much more soothing than putting up with Guff’s bullshit.Photo of the Month
Had a lovely and much-needed getaway to Steamboat Springs last month. Hiking, biking, hot springs, and some great eats. Man, I love the mountains in the summer.
Me, Sawyer, Ili, Jessica, HenryUpdate from My Kids
For my son’s 17th birthday I got him two tickets to “The Stadium Tour” concert, featuring Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett. And you know what? He let his old man tag along! I wasn’t complaining at all.Update from My Cat
Insert your own caption here.Humor of the Month, sent to me by a friend  Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  Thank you @pumpkinjennilynn63! (Question: was @pumpkinjennilynn01-62 already taken?)

That’s it for now! Until next month…

The Standalone Thriller

I have eight books published, and they are all standalone thrillers. By standalone, I mean none of my books is part of a series (though  The New Neighbor  and  The Dead Husband  have very direct ties to one another.) In case you haven’t noticed, series are VERY popular, and once in a while I’ll get asked why I don’t write them. So, a few reasons…

1. Writing a series is a difficult pitch for a publisher. You pretty much need to have the series already written, or have an idea for a series that really astounds your publisher. Because a publisher is taking a risk just buying one book, and they have no idea how it’s going to sell. If your book about a sassy Scandinavian philatelist who solves murders on the side ends up being a flop, your publisher doesn’t want to be on the hook to release three more books with that same character.

2. I love to world build. Every time I start pondering a new book, I get excited thinking about new characters and new locations. I consider my books to very fairly off-template, not fitting into the typical thriller molds, and creating unique worlds and characters with each novel is truly one of the things I love most about writing. Sure, I get it, you can have very different styles of books within a series, but that tends to confound readers’ expectations. 

3. I don’t tend to have characters that are series-centric. Most series center on a highly skilled character whose profession lends itself to continued adventures (cop, lawyer, hit man, rogue agent, philatelist, what have you). I’m interested in smaller, more singular stories about someone facing extreme adversity, and not having the skill sets at all to deal with it.

4. I don’t outline. I rarely know what’s going to happen in, say, the next four chapters. How the hell am I going to pitch a four-book series?

But most of all…

5. I want to kill off any character at any time. I have a book in which a major character dies about halfway through. When I killed them, it wasn’t my plan. I started writing that day and the thought just hit me…what if this person just died, like, right now? So that character met an untimely end and the book was better because of it. Best of all, I didn’t have to worry about having to miraculously resurrect them because the publisher was expecting them to be a central figure in the next book.

Don’t get me wrong, I think book series are great and I’m not saying I’d never write one. I just haven’t landed on an idea that excites me enough to commit years of writing to it. Writing is fucking hard work, and really, it all comes down to joy at the end. How do you find your joy as a writer? For me, it’s through winging it and killing off characters on a whim. And I suppose that’s all that matters.
A wall of standalones.“Readers of The New Neighbor are signing up for a ride on a frenetic and terrifying rollercoaster: it’s a top notch domestic thriller.”  ―Criminal Element Making It Up
Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out!

This month I chatted with historical-mystery writer Jess Montgomery (The Echoes), thriller author Elle Marr (The Strangers We Know), and 15-year-old newspaper founder Hilde Kate Lysiak.

All episodes are available on my YouTube channel and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Check them out now here! Making It Up clip of the week!

Elle Marr and I discuss deadlines and the incessant demand for content.September 8-11, 2022
Bouchercon
Hilton Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Make sure to check my calendar for the more up-to-date information. Also, if you’re interested in having me speak at your event or book club, please reach out to my PR team.What I’m Reading

Never Coming Home , Hannah Mary McKinnon (MIRA, May 2022)

I recently interviewed Hannah for Making It Up and she was fantastic! After our conversation, I plowed through her latest thriller and it was every bit as entertaining a read as she was a guest. Here’s the blurb I wrote about this wonderful book:

“Brilliant! Hannah Mary McKinnon’s NEVER COMING HOME induces waves of anxiety in the best possible way. Have you ever wanted to murder your spouse? Lucas Forrester will show you how, outlining every meticulously crafted step. But even the best-laid plans contain vulnerabilities, and we feel every second of Lucas’s heart-pounding stress as his crime—and his world—begins to unravel. McKinnon is masterful in capturing Lucas’s voice, balancing humor and horror on a razor’s edge, forcing him to be sympathetic and despicable at the same time. Do not miss this one—add NEVER COMING HOME to your reading list now to find out how much work ‘till death do us part’ really entails.”  What I’m Watching

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Lionsgate, 2022). Are you a Nicolas Cage fan? If not, you should question your very existence. If you are and haven’t yet seen The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, then stop everything you’re doing and watch it this very moment.

Cage is known for his quirkiness, and it doesn’t get quirkier than this. In the movie Cage plays, well, himself. Literally himself. An aging actor who’s had a string of flops and is looking to reinvent his career. When he accepts a job to appear at a birthday party in Spain, little does he realize the wealthy client (and, obviously, massive Nic Cage fan) has some very serious ties to the criminal underworld. So this very meta Nicolas Cage movie then turns into a…Nicolas Cage movie!

Funny as hell, beautifully ironic, and peppered with some surprisingly touching moments, this film with surely rank in many critics’ best-of lists for the year.Photo of the Month
Okay, this is self-serving, but hey…  Guess who has two thumbs and won the Colorado Book Award? THIS GUY! Yup,  The Dead Husband  took home the prize in the Thriller category.

This is me trying to figure out what the hell to say after my name was read. I know it’s lame to say I wasn’t expecting to win, but I REALLY didn’t, and I had ZERO SPEECH prepared. I was this close to reciting my margarita recipe.Update from My Kids
Went for a lovely hike with my daughter in Boulder. And by lovely, I mean exhausting. But it was fantastic companionship and a sublime view from the top! Update from My Cat
Those death-makers are WAYYYY too close to my crotch.Humor of the Month, sent to me by a friend  Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  It’s weird/awesome when someone quotes my work on social media. Thank you @dwinwonderland!That’s it for now – until next month!

Do Writers Socialize?

Do writers socialize? Hell yeah we do!

Writing seems like such as solitary thing. There’s the image of the novelist walking in the snowy woods to the single-room cabin, outfitted with only an ancient typewriter, a fireplace, an endless supply of coffee, and, of course, a cat who requires chin scritches every fifteen minutes. The writer spends their day there, eight hours or more, writing five thousand words and cutting half of them. The writer emerges only upon exhaustion, armed with the knowledge they will do the same thing tomorrow, and the day after, all alone, always alone, until the work is done, which, of course, it never is, and such is the burden and the beauty of the literary journey.

Fuck that!

The truth is writing is much more of a team effort than most people realize. Sure, the act of writing is a solo one, but I rely on feedback and interaction about my work from my agent, editor, marketing team, PR team, critique group, film/TV agents, Jessica, my family, and more (all the while still giving my cat chin scritches every fifteen minutes). Beyond that, most writers want to socialize, get to know one another, and support each other.

Networking is as important to writers as it is any other industry. Did you know there are entire conferences just for writers? There are, and they’re RAD. I try to go to a couple each year, and now that conferences are slowly becoming a thing again, I’ve been hitting the road once more. My first stop was in Denver (near my home) for StokerCon, which is the annual conference presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA). I’m not a member of HWA but was excited to attend. I sat on a panel (“Writing the First Line”), did a signing, and went to a friend’s house for a gathering of authors and alcohol. Aside from some COVID scares, I had a good time!

Then it was off to NYC for Thrillerfest, the annual conference for the International Thriller Writers (ITW). I’ve been a member of ITW for more than a decade, and the conference is always a blast. This year I taught a class at CraftFest (“Marketing the Thriller Writer”) and then sat on a panel (“The Writer Who Influenced You the Most”). And when I’m not speaking, you can bet I’ll be attending some of the other panels, which have titles like:Inventive Ways to Kill Off CharactersVarying Your PacingMemorable VillainsSurprising Your ReaderCreating SuspenseAnd so on. Then, of course, are the cocktail parties and the swanky awards-banquet. I had the honor of being an ITW Thriller Award finalist a few years ago, but lost to Jane Harper (damnit). And over the past decade, I’ve developed friendships with many other novelists, all of whom I can comfortably hang out and bitch about the publishing industry with.

So, yes, writers do congregate and socialize at conferences, just like accountants, software engineers, and Amway sales reps. But I would venture none of those other folks are learning how to poison someone without leaving a trace of evidence.Top: Thrillerfest Banquest (credit: Alan Jacobson)
Middle left: With S.A. Cosby
Middle right: With Megan Miranda
Bottom left: With Clare Mackintosh and Lynne Constantine (credit: Clare Macintosh)
Bottom right: With Stephen Graham Jones (credit: Josh Viola)“Eerie, disturbing, and violent, Wilson’s psychological thriller packs a real punch, with a shocker of an ending.”   — Booklist on The New Neighbor Making It Up
Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out!

This month I chatted with debut thriller writer Katie Lattari (Dark Things I Adore), brilliant horror/thriller author Katrina Monroe (They Drown Our Daughters), poet Ananda Lima (Mother/land), and D.P. Lyle, the award-winning author of 22 books.

All episodes are available on my YouTube channel and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Check them out now here! Making It Up clip of the week!

Katrina Monroe and I discuss the label “horror.”September 8-11, 2022
Bouchercon
Hilton Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Make sure to check my calendar for the more up-to-date information. Also, if you’re interested in having me speak at your event or book club, please reach out to my PR team.What I’m Reading

The  Ghosts of Eden Park , Karen Abbot (Crown, August 2019)

So I met Karen Abbott (Abbott Kahler) at a book festival, at which we were both speaking. She stood and gave a riveting talk about her book The Ghosts of Eden Park, a non-fiction account of infamous 1920’s bootlegger George Remus and Mabel Walker Willebrandt, the U.S. Attorney General who doggedly pursued him. After Abbott was done with her presentation I knew I’d be reading that book. Hell, I’d remembered Remus from the portrayal of him in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

Simply put, The Ghosts of Eden Park is fascinating, as is most masterfully told non-fiction. The characters seem unbelievable in their idiosyncrasies, the display of wealth delightfully gaudy and obscene, and thirst of the press covering every facet of the Prohibition players unquenchable. Most impressive of all is the fastidious research Abbott employed in writing book. From the opening pages: “Everything that appears between quotation marks comes from a government file, archive, diary, letter, newspaper, book, or, most often, a hearing or trial transcript.” Pick this riveting book up now–you won’t be disappointed.
 What I’m (no longer) Watching

Severance (Apple TV+, 2022). From direction Ben Stiller comes this alternatingly chilling and humorous story of office workers who’ve had their minds surgically altered to separate their work lives from their personal lives. Now, going into this nine-part series, I knew it had already checked a lot of my boxes. It’s wonderfully shot and acted, has a serious echoing of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (one of my favorite movies), is strange and quirky, and, as a major bonus, features Christopher Walken!

Yet there’s something about this show that burrows under the skin and festers. Maybe it’s the completely windowless office setting, or the constant yearning for freedom, or just the subtle, simmering despair. Whatever it is, it’s hard to take. Jessica stopped watching after the second episode, and I made it two additional episodes before calling it quits. This is a rare example of a show that’s excellent on all counts and yet one I can’t watch. Do with that what you will.Photo of the Month
Say hello to Penny, my sister’s Corgi. She is more otter than dog in terms of the time she spends on her back commanding belly rubs. WHO’S A GOOD GIRL??Update from My Kids
When I was on a 9-day trip to NY, my kiddos were spending the same dates in Hawaii. In addition to cliff jumping, volcano climbing, and beach dwelling, they also went to the wedding of their cousin, who married her longtime boyfriend. Here’s a shot of my little ankle-biters from the wedding.Update from My Cat
When a well-positioned sunbeam makes you look like Emperor Palpatine.Humor of the Month, sent to me by a friend  Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month  Thank you @nurse_bookie!That’s it for now – until next month!