Sarah’s Comments (group member since May 06, 2013)

Sarah’s comments from the Thriller Chat with Chris Allen group.

Just read a fun blog post by Chris's publisher Momentum Books where they come up with some reasons for when you should give a TV series the flick.

http://momentumbooks.com.au/blog/when...

My question to you all is - which TV series have you given up on, and what happened to make you switch off?

The good people at That Book You Like are hosting a live Facebook chat with Chris on their Facebook page in just 30 minutes!

It's part of their making June Intrepid Month in their book club, but all are welcome to add their question over on Facebook.

'LIKE' That Book You Like's Facebook page: http://buff.ly/11A7Hir
Author Thriller Chat link: http://buff.ly/18actHl

Some great questions lined up, and Chris looks forward to getting yours too. *See* you all soon!

Jim wrote: "What's always worked for me is the combination of a protagonist with a flaw struggling against an antagonist with a point."

I love it!

Good luck Maddie with the book giveaway :) Sar

Madeline wrote: "Steve wrote: "I love Leverage and Burn Notice. I have also followed NCIS from the beginning - and that has periodic episodes that would definitely qualify as Thrillers, I believe. I used to watch..."

666 Park Avenue - is that the one with Rose Byrne. If so that was the CREEPIEST show!! I had to stop watching after a while.... I got freaked out by (spoiler alert) the goings on in the basement....

Thank you!

No worries Madeline thanks for all your great comments and participation in the group :)

Larry wrote: "Hey, nice to be here.
I am a big fan of the great masters - Ludlum and Clancy - they have shaped my direction in what i call a great thriller - for me it's a balance between a good story line, acti..."

That is a good way of expressing it Larry and I agree with you!

Steve wrote: "An excellent definition, Larry :) I never used to be a thriller reader, and if it had been left up to some writers, I never would have become one! Happily, a couple of things changed that. My so..."

Hi Steve,

So pleased you started enjoying this new genre thanks to you-know-who. I am about to start a Lee Childs book but not sure which one. Have you read any of his?

Chris has just posted about what makes a cracking thriller on That Book You Like and talks about a plot that keeps you guessing, action that compels you to keep reading and characters you care about. If you are interested here's the link: http://buff.ly/13Bb6eR

Best, Sar

Madeline wrote: "I think that my first thriller was the series, Goosebumps, by R.L. Stine. Do these stories technically fall into the category?

Also, remember Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz?"

I think we are going to keep the category pretty broad for the purposes of this conversation!

Goosebumps was a great series...

Madeline wrote: "Hi! My name (as you can see) is Madeline, but you may call me Maddie if you wish. I have always loved reading scary stories and watching scary movies, so I am happy to join a group that discusses b..."

Hi Maddie, first of all GREAT name! I too am a big fan of Atwood - the Handmaid's Tale is one that will never leave me. If you like Margaret Atwood you might appreciate some of Australian Writer Helen Garner's work, not that she writes dystopic fiction like Atwood does, but her descriptions are so realistic and insightful and her characters are fabulous. She writes fiction and non-fiction like
Joe Cinque's Consolation, A True Story of Death, Grief and the Law which was a pretty creepy story. As they say, real life is often stranger than fiction!

Look forward to future chats.

Best - Sar

Madeline wrote: "Has anyone seen Grimm or American Horror Story? Both shows are quite good!"

I just googled American Horror Story - one to watch late at night! Have written it down and will be sure to look it up, as well as Melissa's Leverage. Thanks for all the great tips!

Steve wrote: "If we're talking thrillers on TV, then can you beat the IPL (just finished) or the Champions Trophy (about to start)? :D To the uninitiated, that's Cricket! LOL (Oh, and what a disaster for Austr..."

Cricket!! Steve, we are an Aussie Rules Football family mostly - although I think our boys Morgan & Rhett will decide what they want to play in due course :)

Elementary is starting to grow on me, but it's taken a while as I was actually quite attached to all the British-isms in the Sherlock show.

I agree with you, Alex O'L may not be quite right for the screen as Alex Morgan, I'd like Sam Worthington!

There's a new Hunter giveaway for the month of June - win a paperback copy here: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Melissa wrote: "I've recently become hooked on "Leverage" - not sure if it's exactly a thriller, but has some thrilling moments :) I don't think it's been on free to air TV here in Australia, but it's on DVD."

I will be sure to look that one up Melissa!

Hi Jim.

There was a real phase at Chez Allen where (before kids) we spent one winter watching The X Files, season after season. It was great! That seems to be the thing, we get hooked on a series. Another crime / spooky one for a while was The Mentalist, but then they got obsessed with the Red John character and it didn't seem to appeal, so we dropped it. The latest on the TBW pile is Game of Thrones.

That TBR pile can been a doozy Chris!

My favourite is Clear and Present Danger (Tom Clancy) which became the movie with Harrison Ford. He was quite the man to watch at the time and I had also had an enounter with Tom Clancy's Hunt For The Red October. At the age of 12-14 it was all quite mature themes and I recall it made my heart beat fast because I was quite frankly terrified!!

G'day Jim,

It was funny to see your response, as we have a WA in Australia which is 'Western Australia' and I was saying to Chris: "Is there a Bellevue in WA?" as he is from Perth in Western Australia. But the penny dropped - you havent moved Down Under but are talking about Washington! How fabulous. If you are ever in Picolinos in Seattle take a photo for us - it's a cafe Chris featured in his book Hunter and we hope to get there for a coffee one of these days.

Your website shows you as a very accomplished writer - I have downloaded a chapter of Dismantle the Sun!

Have a good one.

Sar

Jim wrote: "Hi,

I'm Jim Snowden. I've written a couple of books (one's out, the other'll be out soon) and some short fiction.

Let's see.

1. I'm from Santa Monica, California.
2. I've valued work from a wid..."

Hi Jim, how's the weather in California at this time of year? We've got spectacular Autumnal blue skies mostly in Sydney - very mild - but I wonder if you have similarly mild trans-seasonal / all year weather?

Meanwhile I will check out your books some time - will look you up.

Sar

Karen wrote: "It's too long ago now to remember specifics, but started out with the Famous Five, graduated to Hitchcock Mysteries and then moved onto Alistair MacLean, Ludlum, Le Carre and all those sorts of boo..."

It seems a few of us started with the Famous Five Karen, but I got into Roald Dahl and never quite left... until I started reading the Alex Morgan series (wonder why), now I'm a thriller reader again having developed a taste for the genre as a 'mature' adult!

1. Do you have a favourite thriller novel since made into movies?
2. Did you love the movie version, or hate it?
3. Were the main characters portrayed in line with your own reading of them?
4. Which thriller would you like to see on the big screen?
Love to hear your thoughts!