One of the great enigmas of the suspense genre is how to pull off a huge twist. I have read about a hundred-fifty mystery books and only been able to predict the plot in totality a few times. Is this because the writers are especially gifted or could it have more to do with theContinue reading “I’m Looking Through You”
Author Archives: Xandra
The Value of Browsing
Online browsing is such a fundamental of life that it is easy to forget its predecessor. If you are fifty are older, chances are you spent your foundational years discovering books by wandering at leisure through book stores and libraries. These things still happen, but they have become more antiquated. Indie bookstores have slowly disappeared,Continue reading “The Value of Browsing”
Voice Tricks
Some readers have a preference when it comes to narrative voice. The first person is intimate but limited, like listening to one side of the story. The third person is more expansive, like hearing multiple sides of the story from a more objective source. Some writers use multiple first-person narrators, a bridge of sorts betweenContinue reading “Voice Tricks”
Why I Don’t Like Romcoms
If you read this blog, you know that I am not a fan of the romantic comedy genre. I get reflexively judged as snobbish for saying this, so I would like to take a few moments to explain my reasoning. 1. The Movie Is Always Better When you think of great romantic stories, you willContinue reading “Why I Don’t Like Romcoms”
Gangs, Guns, Prison, Poverty
I once attended a publishing panel featuring YA authors of color. The general vibe was downbeat, which can be expected from any discussion of fiction. Nearly 90% of first novels don’t get published, and those that do often make less than 10K for the author. It is a tough industry with a star system thatContinue reading “Gangs, Guns, Prison, Poverty”
Time For Letting Go
It’s the end of the year, and I have been thinking about the books I’ve read, not just this year but for the past few. Four years ago, I decided to keep a book journal to track plot similarities in mystery/suspense books. The aim was simple: since I write in the genre, I was lookingContinue reading “Time For Letting Go”
The Ten (2021)
I often find it difficult to select “best of” lists based on a numerical limit. Do I really need to cut off an excellent contender just because there were ten more suitable options? (And why ten?) The next criteria to grapple with is what the standards are for naming something “best.” There are beautifully writtenContinue reading “The Ten (2021)”
The Wife Nearby
Tension building is one fundamental of suspense. The reader must feel a mild fear as the plot builds, aware of danger without being able to spot it too easily. A growing sense of unease develops in the narrative with the hint of something about to boil over. A trio of novels have tried a newContinue reading “The Wife Nearby”
The Reading Afflictions
Not everything is joyful when it comes to books. There are experiences that take the fun out of reading, such as the reading rut, the hostage negotiation, and the incessant replay. If you are an avid reader, you have probably experienced all of these. So what are they? I will attempt to explain. 1. TheContinue reading “The Reading Afflictions”
The Best Suspense
I read a lot of suspense novels, but I’m not sure it’s my favorite genre. There is plenty of mediocrity amidst the gems, including some shamefully misogynistic women writers. (Tarryn Fisher and Shari Lapena, I’m looking at you.) What I do know, however, is that when I love a book to the moon and back,Continue reading “The Best Suspense”
Books Smitten 