Thriller 101

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The 5 Minute Writer Series is designed to help writers save time.

James Byrne Interview
Allison Buccola Interview

It’s a free weekly article that provides ~5 minute summaries of a longer articles, podcasts, videos, or courses. It’s designed to give you the highlights without the fluff so you can gain the knowledge without wasting time. So you can get back to writing! 

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5 Minute Writer
Article
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3 BIG TAKEAWAYS

1. Don't get stuck on genre conventions
2. Revamp your writing routine
3. Write unique characters

EPISODE INFO:
Character voice can make or break a manuscript. And a lot of times, as writers we’re trying to imitate what we see commonly in the genre. Maybe that means moody, angry, or short-tempered characters that fit the tone of our work, But it’s sometimes interesting to flip the script on readers as a way to provide a unique voice. That’s what James Byrne did in his Desmond Limerick novels. And I got the opportunity to ask him about how he develops unique character voices by ignoring common conventions.

We talk about so much more than just unique character voice. He also shares about why a top editor told him he needed a prologue, and he gives us his a unique writing process for writing books really fast. All that plus more on this episode of Thriller 101.

BIO:
Today’s guest is James Byrne, the author of a dozen novels. And, most recently, the second novel in his Desmond Limerick series, which is called DEADLOCK. 

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Learn more about submitting to the Agent Contest
Listen to the episode about the Agent Contest

Liz Alterman Interview
Josh Stallings Interview
Bianca Marais Interview

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Listen to Wednesday's episode with big announcement here!
Thriller 101
Sinem Gunel: Full Interview

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Listen to yesterday's episode with big announcement here!
Thriller 101
Paula Munier
Lori Galvin
Thomas Mullen
Write like Lisa Jewell

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Hey everyone! Today, I'm introducing Thriller 101, the new podcast that will take over for Writerly Lifestyle!

Exciting things are happening and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Click here to submit!

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5 Minute Writer
Article
Last week's interview with Lori Galvin
Connect with Thomas on Twitter
Link to Thomas Mullen's website
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3 BIG TAKEAWAYS

1. Writing opening scenes
2. Incorporating big ideas into your writing
3. Using existing literature to fuel your writing

EPISODE INFO:
How many times do you revise your opening scene? 

If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly concerned with giving away too much information and boring readers in your opening. 

Or maybe you're worried about going to far the other way and confusing readers by not providing enough context. 

Thomas Mullen is going to talk through how he nailed the opening of his new novel, BLIND SPOTS, which is out today! I highly recommend you pick it up!

BIO: (From ThomasMullen.net)
Thomas Mullen is the author of seven novels, including his internationally acclaimed series set in midcentury Atlanta: Darktown, an NPR Best Book of the Year, which was shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Southern Book Prize, the Indies Choice Book Award, and was nominated for two CWA Dagger Awards; Lightning Men, which was named one of the Top 10 Crime Novels of the Year by the New York Times Book Review and was shortlisted for a CWA Dagger; and Midnight Atlanta, which was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. His first novel, The Last Town on Earth, was named Best Debut Novel of 2006 by USA Today and was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction.

His works have also been named to Year’s Best lists by The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Irish Times, Kirkus Reviews, The Onion’s A/V Club, The San Diego Union-Times, Paste Magazine, and The Cleveland Plain-Dealer, and have been nominated for or won awards in France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. His stories and essays have been published in Grantland, Paste, The Huffington Post, Atlanta Magazine, Crime Reads, LitHub, and The Bitter Southerner. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and sons.

His new novel, Blind Spots, will be published April 4, 2023.

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5 Minute Writer
Article
Last week's interview with Author Aaron Philip Clark
Connect with Lori on Twitter
Connect with David on Twitter

3 BIG TAKEAWAYS

1. What agents are looking for in a client
2. Your first 5-10 pages
3. What it's like working with an agent

EPISODE INFO:
Are you looking to land an agent in 2024? 

In this episode, Aevitas Creative literary agent Lori Galvin is going to share the things you need to know if you want to grab an agent’s attention, both in your query letter and bio, but also when talking to an agent, and even those all-important first few pages. 

She even shares something I hadn’t heard before from agents about what they’re really looking for in a client. 

BIO:
Lori Galvin is a senior literary agent with Aevitas Creative Management. Previously she worked as an editor at Houghton Mifflin and America’s Test Kitchen. And, she also survived running a b&b in coastal Maine. She represents fiction (crime and book club) and select nonfiction (true crime, memoir, and food writing). A few of her clients include Kwame Onwuachi, Wanda M. Morris, and Sara Goudarzi.

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5 Minute Writer
Article
Last week's interview with Ausma Zehanat Khan
Aaron's Website
Connect with Aaron on Twitter
Connect with David on Twitter

3 BIG TAKEAWAYS

1. How to write action scenes
2. Using our unique experiences to drive our stories
3. Developing your craft

EPISODE INFO:
No matter what kind of writing you’re doing, you’re going to use have to write movement into your manuscript. So how do you pull off those all-important action moments in a way that helps to reveal character and inform theme? 

Aaron Philip Clark is here to help us!

BIO:
Aaron Philip Clark is a native of Los Angeles, CA. He is a novelist, poet, and former Los Angeles Police Department recruit. His first novel, THE SCIENCE OF PAUL: A Novel of Crime (New Pulp Press), was published in 2011. The debut was met with interest and acclaim. Clark followed THE SCIENCE OF PAUL with A HEALTHY FEAR OF MAN (Snubnose Press) published the following year. Both novels featured the morally plagued and emotionally damaged protagonist, Paul Little, as he fought to escape the perils of Philadelphia street culture and return to his deceased grandfather’s farm in North Carolina. Inspired by the works of French existentialists, Clark’s prose reverberated with ideas and philosophies put forth by Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean-Patrick Manchette, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.

After leaving his career in law enforcement, Clark returned to higher education and continued his work as an educator teaching college-level English, Creative Writing, and Humanities. During this time, Clark completed THE FURIOUS WAY, a stand-alone thriller, and UNDR COLOR OF LAW, inspired by his experiences with the LAPD. The novel centered on Det. Trevor “Finn” Finnegan, a Black LAPD detective, who is tasked with investigating the murder of a young Black academy recruit amid protests against police brutality and calls for reform. The novel was nominated for an International Thriller Writers Award in 2022, and Clark has more books planned for the series. BLUE LIKE ME, the second Trevor Finnegan novel, will be published on November 8, 2022, by Thomas & Mercer.

Clark is completing ALL THE SMOKE, a modern psychological thriller that explores racial identity, Black male trauma, and psychopathy. The story is set in the music industry and takes inspiration from THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and other works by Patricia Highsmith.

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Your Free Editing Outline
5 Minute Writer
Article
Last week's interview with Johnny Compton
Ausma's Website
Connect with Ausma on Twitter
Connect with David on Twitter

3 BIG TAKEAWAYS

1. Writing tension into your story
2. The author-agent relationship
3.  Sharing stories that matter

EPISODE INFO:
There are so many ways to write a novel. But the bottom line is this: you just have to find a way to keep readers reading. And that is what my guest today is going to help us with.

Ausma’s novel, BLACKWATER FALLS was able to propel readers through the investigation while always keeping us waiting and hunting for that next clue. 

We talk about outlines, changes in later drafts, and more! 

BIO:
Ausma Zehanat Khan holds a Ph.D. in international human rights law with a specialization in military intervention and war crimes in the Balkans. Blackwater Falls, her new crime novel on racial justice and policing, was published in November 2022 to rave reviews from the New York Times and the Washington Post. Blackwater Falls is also an Apple Books and Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2022 pick. Khan is the author of the award-winning Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty crime fiction series, which begins with The Unquiet Dead, and the author of the critically acclaimed Khorasan Archives fantasy quartet, which begins with The Bloodprint. She is also a contributor to the anthologies Private Investigations, Sword Stone Table, and The Perfect Crime. A British-born Canadian and former adjunct law professor, Khan now lives in Colorado with her husband. 

Get the list of 125+ Literary Agents who rep Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction

Study the Opening Paragraphs of the Top Authors Writing Thrillers Right Now