Brian Freeman's Blog, page 30
December 11, 2014
Ho Ho Ho
It's a time of holidays and gift-giving! For all of the readers on your list -- and that includes yourself -- books are the perfect gift. I hope you'll share your favorite authors with your loved ones this year.
Spend some time browsing the shelves in your local bookstore. Or do your shopping online from the comfort of your home. Get print editions you can hold in your hand -- or e-books you can take with you on your iPad, Kindle, or Nook. There's no wrong way to buy and read books!
Want to find all of my books for sale? Talk to the bookseller in your area, or visit my Amazon store or BN.com.
Thanks for reading!
December 2, 2014
SPITTING DEVIL: Live!
SPITTING DEVIL: A Theatrical Reading
December 1, 2014
Once Upon a Crime
November 19, 2014
Spread the Word
Publishing is the last great word-of-mouth business. So periodically, I like to remind people how important it is for readers to spread the word! That's how authors connect with new fans.
Talk to your local bookseller. Talk to your local librarian. Post updates or photos about your favorite books on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. If you love a book, share your thoughts on Amazon, Goodreads, BN, and other sites for book lovers. Do it for the author's most recent book -- and his or her earlier books, too.
That's especially important as we enter the holiday shopping season. It really does make a difference in this very challenging business. So on behalf of authors everywhere...THANKS!
November 16, 2014
Wyoming Library
October 22, 2014
Newport Library
October 17, 2014
What Are Psychological Thrillers?
I've never been a fan of putting novels in boxes.
To me, each novel should stand on its own based on its plot and characters, because the styles of all good authors are necessarily different. You may find echoes from author to author, or even book to book, but each novel (even among a series from the same writer) should rise or fall on its unique merits.
Here's an example. The Chicago Tribune review of STALKED said that my books should be on the to-read list for anyone who enjoys books by Harlan Coben and David Baldacci. I'm not complaining! That's high praise to be put in the company of two very successful writers. But my style really isn't much like either Coben's or Baldacci's. Yes, my books are fast-paced, with lots of twists and turns, like their novels, but I don't do suburban suspense like Harlan or political thrillers like David.
On the other hand, I know it's a useful shortcut for readers. If you like Coben, or Baldacci, or Connelly, or Cornwell, will you like my books? I think you will. But the reading experience will be as different as it is for each of those authors.
If I have to build a box, I want it to be my own box. So when readers ask me to give my books a label, here's what I say: If I had to carve out my specific niche in the big, wide genre of mysteries and suspense, I'd call my novels psychological thrillers.
The drama isn't about how the crime was committed (as in a literary game of Clue) or even really about how the crime is solved (such as in the forensic novels of Patricia Cornwell or Kathy Reichs or the police procedurals of Michael Connelly). Instead, the focus is really on why a crime took place to begin with. What was it about the backgrounds of the characters that drew them across a terrible line?
The result is that, chapter by chapter, the story peels back the emotions, secrets, and sexuality of the characters. Yes, there are police investigating crimes, but their voices are not the only ones in the novel. We are also pulled inside the heads of other characters, and we get to know them as complex, multi-dimensional individuals, not all good, not all bad. The suspense and drama are driven by their actions and motives. As a result, the ending should not only be shocking and unexpected; it also should feel like the last piece in the emotional puzzle and the right psychological resolution.
I actually have a specific goal for people reading my books. I want you to read them twice. The pace should be so fast that you have to keep turning the pages to get to the breathtaking climax and find out what happens and why. But when you're done, I want you to feel compelled to go back and read parts of the novel again, to pick up the nuances of the characters you may have missed the first time. The beauty of psychological thrillers is that, once you know the secrets, the drama of the interactions changes and becomes something completely different. Suddenly, you know the back story; you know what's in the back of the characters' minds. It gives you a whole new perspective on the novel.
That's my box.
