There are a lot of plots that involve money. Often it’s simple greed, such as characters who are driven to murder for financial gain. Sometimes it’s desperation, such as a story in which frantic parents need to fund their child’s medical bills. Others involve characters who take a well-paid job without realizing that the extraContinue reading “The Financial Incentive”
Tag Archives: Suspense
Reading Double: Alice Feeney
In the name of diversity, I usually don’t read a particular author twice. There are exceptions. I have read pretty much everything Anne Tyler, Armistead Maupin, and Anne Lamott have written, and occasionally find an author I want to read more of. In the past few years, Joshilyn Jackson, Alex Michaelides, and Alice Feeney haveContinue reading “Reading Double: Alice Feeney”
Reading Double: Joshilyn Jackson
I think of books as authors’ children. They resemble each other, usually not identically, and occasionally you might find two that don’t seem at all similar. They all have the essence of their maker in them, though, which is why I rarely read the same author multiple times. There are exceptions – Anne Tyler, AnneContinue reading “Reading Double: Joshilyn Jackson”
I Dissent
Sometimes books and I just don’t click. Like a dud first date, it usually isn’t personal. There are different wavelengths and sometimes I am not on the same one with others. It gets worse when you slog through a tedious book only to log on to your favorite review site to find enraptured praise fromContinue reading “I Dissent”
Make It Stop
Every once in a while, I hate a book. Sometimes the bad reaction says more about me than the book. (I once rated Me Without You, a perfectly fine novel, one star because I was in a lousy mood.) Other times the story just isn’t for me. If I figure this out in the firstContinue reading “Make It Stop”
How To Be A Best-selling Author
Writers seem to fall into two camps: those that aspire to best-seller status and those that don’t. The latter snort derisively at the lowbrow efforts that top the lists, perpetuating the stereotype that quality is an aquired taste. Others write intentionally towards sales, shuttling serious topics in favor of murder mysteries and epics. As someoneContinue reading “How To Be A Best-selling Author”
Cheap Applause
Ten years ago, I submitted my first novel to several literary agents. I had worked hard on it – multiple drafts and revisions after feedback from half a dozen beta readers – and was proud of the final product. It was a thrill to get “full” requests – a second step after agents have readContinue reading “Cheap Applause”
Ripped from the Headlines
Some books aim for originality while others take a topical premise and explore it in a variety of ways. I think of the latter as “ripped from the headlines” novels. If you watched classic Law & Order, you will remember their tendency to build plots from recent newsworthy events, often switching secondary elements to keepContinue reading “Ripped from the Headlines”
The Suspense Formula
In a standard murder mystery, an inciting incident – an unnatural death -happens early on. The detective – amateur or professional – is introduced to investigate the crime, usually in the form of meeting potential culprits and trying to discern their means and motive. There is usually some escalating dramatic tension as the detective pursuesContinue reading “The Suspense Formula”
Twister
The promise of a twist in domestic suspense is the marketing equivalent of a shirtless hunk on an erotic romance cover. If you are going to move books, you have to deliver what you are selling. Suspense fans expect the unexpected. That said, there is nothing new under the sun. I have been reading inContinue reading “Twister”
Books Smitten 