Writers On The Beat: Crime Writers and Crime Fighters

Critically acclaimed author Casey Barrett sits down across the Interrogation Room to clear up a few things about his writing and craft. Casey is a crime novelist, Canadian Olympian, and the co-founder and co-CEO of Imagine Swimming, New York City's largest learn-to-swim school. His work on NBC’s Olympic Games broadcasts has won three Emmy awards and one Peabody award, and he’s the author of a popular swimming blog, Cap & Goggles, and regularly contributed to the Village Voice. You can also find his work in GQ, Rolling Stone, and Swimming World magazines.

Most relevant to this audience, Casey writes the Shamus-nominated Duck Darley series, which is set in present-day Manhattan and features protagonist Lawrence Darley, Jr, a fallen rich kid and convicted felon turned unlicensed private investigator, who’s the son of a Madoff-esque fraudster father. Darley is described as complicated, conflicted, and less than sober. The latest release in that series is entitled The Tower of Songs, and just released three days ago on August 27th.

In this episode, Casey and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss hard-boiled noir fiction; emulating your heroes; mental health and swimming; and who would get to investigate his murder.

Casey's works:

Casey's site:

Gavin's works:

Gavin's site:

#writersbeat #writerslife #writerscraft #craftofwriting #amwritingfiction #noir #hardboiled #duckdarley #caseybarrett #towerofsongs #crime #mystery #suspense #gavinthecop #gavinreese #amswimming #imagineswimming

Forensic handwriting examiner and multi-published author Sheila Lowe steps into the Interrogation Room to clear up a few things about her OWN writing and craft. She’s been a recognized expert and nonfiction author in her field for more than four decades, and her Handwriting Analyzer software has been in use around the world since the 1990s. Sheila also instructs forensic analysis courses at UC-Riverside and UC-Santa Barbara, regularly lectures on the topic in the US, UK, and Canada, and is the current president of the nonprofit American Handwriting Analysis Foundation.

Sheila also writes the award-winning Forensic Handwriting Mystery fiction series, which features the fictional character Claudia Rose. She describes the series as "medium-boiled," warns that they are “definitely not cozies,” and Sheila personally thinks of her fictional novels as psychological suspense.

In this episode, Sheila and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss the craft of writing psychological thrillers and suspense; advice for adding forensic analysts in fiction; Parents of Murdered Children; and researching crime fighters.

Sheila's works:

Sheila's site:

Gavin's works:

Gavin's site:

SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE WAS PROVIDED BY DAVID IVESTER:   http://www.author-guide.com/

#writersbeat #writerslife #writerscraft #craftofwriting #writingcoach #writingmentor #amwritingfiction #psychologicalsuspense #suspense #mystery #amnesia #murder #homicide #forensicscience #forensics #analyst #handwriting #proofoflife #whatshesaw #sheilalowe #gavinthecop #gavinreese

Novelist Chris Formant is a student of history, a tech CEO, and a former top executive of a multi-billion-dollar global business. His debut novel, BRIGHT MIDNIGHT, received lavish praise and has been dubbed the “Da Vinci Code for rock and roll fans.” In that thriller, Formant created a unique mystery in which he re-imagined the deaths of rock icons as murders.

Although Chris proclaims himself an unlikely author of historical fiction, the heroic story of Maryland’s Forgotten 400 drove him to assemble an expert team to assist with the painstaking research required to write his highly anticipated second book, entitled SAVING WASHINGTON.

In this episode, Chris and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss crafting historical characters, finding unique perspectives for storytelling, and how 400 men from Maryland saved the American Revolution only six weeks after the Declaration of Independence.

Chris' works:

Gavin's works:

Gavin's site:

#writersbeat #writerslife #writerscraft #craftofwriting #amwritingfiction #historicalfiction #1776 #forgotten400 #maryland400 #battleofbrooklyn #battleoflongisland #chrisformant #savingwashington #washington #gavinreese #gavinthecop

Award-winning music journalist and acclaimed author William Shaw steps into the Interrogation Room to clear up a few things about his craft and writing. He's written for such industry luminaries as ZigZag, The Observer, The NYT, Wired, Arena, and The Face, and is an Amazon UK Music Journalist of the Year. William's written nonfiction about a year he spent in South Central Los Angeles, and his fiction novels have been nominated for a Barry Award, a Golden Bullet, and a CWA Historical Dagger. Set in late sixties' London, his detective series features DS Breen and Constable Tozer up against the cultural and political revolution of those times. The latest series installment is PLAY WITH FIRE, which released on August 13th.

For this episode, William and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss researching and writing historical fiction, the narcissism of conspiracy theories, the press vs the police, crafting timepiece characters, and why he loves Ann Cleeves' cynical Dutch Detective Commissaris "Piet" Van der Valk.

William's site:

Gavin's works:

Gavin's site:

#writersbeat #writerslife #writerscraft #amwritingfiction #historicalfiction #thriller #mystery #policeprocedural #writingcoach #writingmentor #craftofwriting #playwithfire #williamshaw #breenandtozer #metpolice #gavinreese #gavinthecop #conspiracy #characterdev #characterstudy

International bestselling writing team Preston & Child step back into the Interrogation Room to discuss their craft and upcoming release, OLD BONES. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are modern-day Renaissance Men with backgrounds in editing and literary education. Readers have consumed millions of their works in seven languages all across the globe, and their latest series features a fan-favorite character, archaeologist Nora Kelly. OLD BONES lands at a bookstore and Internet near you on 20-August. 

In this episode, Preston, Child, and host Gavin Reese discussed their co-writing process, historical inspiration, Linc's ties to the burning of the Library at Alexandria, and what archaeologists will find in their writing spaces a thousand years from now. 

OLD BONES:

https://www.amazon.com/Bones-Nora-Kelly-Douglas-Preston/dp/1538747227

Preston & Child’s site:

https://www.prestonchild.com/

Gavin’s works:

https://www.amazon.com/Gavin-Reese/e/B072W5PPGS

Gavin’s site:

https://www.gavinreese.com

#writersbeat #writerslife #writerscraft #craftofwriting #writingcoach #writingmentor #prestonchild #oldbones #norakelly #archaeology #historicalfiction #donnercamp #donnerparty #gavinthecop #gavinreese #murder #homicide

Acclaimed author Rob Hart steps into the Interrogation Room to clear up a few things about his writing and his upcoming release, THE WAREHOUSE. Rob is the author of the short story collection TAKE-OUT and the Ash McKenna series, which wrapped up with POTTER'S FIELD in July 2018. He is also the co-author of SCOTT FREE with James Patterson. THE WAREHOUSE releases in the US market on August 20, but it’s already published in more than 20 countries and Ron Howard has already optioned it for film.

In this episode, Rob and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discussed THE WAREHOUSE; influences like 1984 and FAHRENHEIT 451; global corps becoming Big Brother; Adam Smith and Simon Sinek; and the need for more authors to study Krav Maga.

Rob's site: https://robwhart.com

Gavin's site: https://gavinreese.com

#writersbeat #writerslife #writerscraft #amwriting #craftofwriting #thewarehouse #cloud #paxton #winstonsmith #1984 #fahrenheit451 #robhart #robwhart #gavinthecop #gavinreese #scottfree #jamespatterson #bookshots #bigbrother #dystopian #adamsmith #simonsink #invisiblehand #thriller #suspense #rapidhire #ronhoward #joanieloveschachi #richiecunningham #happydays #londonbookfair #bouchercon #thrillerfest #crimecon #sdcc #nyccc #newrelease #ashmckenna 

Psychotherapist and acclaimed author AF Brady steps into the Interrogation Room to answer a few questions about her writing and process. Alex was born in NYC, earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Brown U, and two Master's from Columbia in Psychological Counseling; her private counseling practice currently treats individuals and couples. Alex's first novel, THE BLIND, released to critical acclaim in 2017 and established her as a fantastic psychological thriller writer. ONCE A LIAR, her second book, published last January to consistent acclaim, and Alex is now working on her third novel.

For this episode, Alex and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discussed penning psychological thrillers; her greatest achievements in writing and psychotherapy; creating authentic, diagnosed characters; and why they hope to wake up dead in Toon Town.

Alex's site:

Alex's works:

Gavin's site:

Gavin's works:

#writersbeat #writerslife #writerscraft #craftofwriting #amwritingfiction #psych #psychologicalthriller #crime #murder #homicide #mystery #oncealiar #afbrady #gavinthecop #gavinreese #counselor #counseling #mentalhealth #mentalillness #dsm #sociopath #psychopath #sympathyforthedevil 

 Veteran police detective and acclaimed international bestselling author Bernard Schaffer steps into the Interrogation Room to clear up a few things about his writing and latest release. Bernard published multiple works as a prolific indie author in a variety of genres, which have included the titles WAY OF THE WARRIOR, SUPERBIA, and WHITECHAPEL: THE FINAL STAND OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. Bernard’s most recent novels are the Santero and Rein Thriller Series from Kensington Publications, which includes last year’s THE THIEF OF ALL LIGHT and AN UNSETTLED GRAVE, which released on 30-JULY-2019. The series’ third installment, entitled BLOOD ANGEL, is due out in 2020.

For this episode, Bernard and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discussed the realities of cop work; his development from inspired and desperate writer to bestseller; composing the finest story possible every time; and why John Creasy should investigate his murder.

Bernard's works:  https://www.amazon.com/Bernard-Schaffer/e/B002X7WK4W/

Bernard's site:  https://www.bernardschaffer.com

Gavin's works:  https://www.amazon.com/Gavin-Reese/e/B072W5PPGS

Gavin's site:  https://www.gavinreese.com

#wrtiersbeat #writerslife #writerscraft #craftofwriting #writingcoach #amwritingfiction #crime #thriller #mystery #policeprocedural #kensingtonpub #bernardschaffer #copauthor #author #bestseller #manonfire #research #authenticity #detective #murder #homicide #serialkiller #gavinthecop #gavinreese

Stuart Neville steps into the Interrogation Room to clear up a few things about his craft and writing. His debut novel, THE TWELVE (published in the USA as THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST), won the Mystery/Thriller category of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was picked as one of the top crime novels of 2009 by both the New York Times and the LA Times. He has been shortlisted for various awards, including the Barry, Macavity, Dilys awards, as well as the Irish Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year. He has since published three critically acclaimed sequels, COLLUSION, STOLEN SOULS and THE FINAL SILENCE.

Stuart also writes standalone thrillers under the pen name HAYLEN BECK, and his next release, entitled LOST YOU, publishes on August 6.

For this episode, Stuart and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discussed elements of psychological thrillers, character development, time manipulation, and his love of crafting villains.

Haylen's works: https://www.amazon.com/Haylen-Beck/e/B073CFBXV9

Stuart's site: http://www.stuartneville.com/

Gavin's works: https://www.amazon.com/Gavin-Reese/e/B072W5PPGS

Gavin's site: https://gavinreese.com

#writersbeat #writerslife #amwritingfiction #writerscraft #craftofwriting #belfast #writingmentor #writingcoach #lostyou #haylenbeck #stuartneville #psychologicalthriller #thriller #psychology #criticism #amediting #crime #kidnapping #lostchild #foundchild #thomasharris #silenceofthelambs #claricestarling #reddragon #irishauthors #authorsofireland #writersofireland

Renaissance Man Mark Ohlshaker steps into the Interrogation Room to clear up a few things about his work. Mark is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, acclaimed novelist, and NYT bestseller who began his career in journalism. He’s since gained tremendous expertise in law enforcement, criminal justice, public health, disease prevention, intelligence, biodefense, and pandemic planning. He consults to the US DOJ Office for Victims of Crime and, of particular interest to the WOTB audience, Mark is also a longtime coauthor with retired FBI Special Agent and Criminal Profiler John Douglas, who founded the field of behavior analysis. Their joint work began with the bestselling nonfiction MINDHUNTER, and the duo has since sold millions of copies across the globe and in numerous languages. Their latest release, THE KILLER ACROSS THE TABLE, published in May to tremendous and immediate success, and a second season of MINDHUNTER on Netflix launches August 16.

In this episode, Mark and Writers On The Beat host Gavin Reese discuss serial killers, predatory and deviant criminal behavior, survivor's guilt, and the Parents of Murdered Children organization. We also hit on baseball and the Washington Senators, just to lighten the mood a bit.

Mark's site:  https://mindhuntersinc.com

Gavin's site:  https://gavinreese.com

#writersbeat #writerslife #writerscraft #craftofwriting #amwriting #nonfiction #serialkiller #murder #homicide #serialmurder #criminalpsychology #deviant #fbi #bau #criminalminds #mindhunter #netflix #johndouglas #markohlshaker #killeracrossthetable #amreading #jonbenetramsey #tedbundy #thomasharris #silenceofthelambs #hanniballector #deathpenalty #scottglenn #agentstarling #buffalobill #noremorse #sociopath #psychopath #evil #trueevil #gavinthecop #gavinreese