The Thrill that Inspires

by Barbara Kyle

As the author of historical thrillers and contemporary thrillers, I've enjoyed pushing the boundaries of the genre.

It’s often said that a good thriller is like a roller-coaster ride. That's true enough. The genre is about high stakes, countdowns, and suspense, and every compelling thriller delivers this kind of excitement.

But the most satisfying thrillers deliver more: an exciting story that also explores complex issues and has something important to say about our world. This kind of story takes the reader away from the amusement park and sends them on a voyage: an exhilarating journey into a different way of thinking.

I call it the Inspiring Thriller.

An inspiring thriller takes readers beyond their expectations and gives them an insight they never saw coming. “Insight” literally means seeing the truth through and under the surface of things. It’s the inspiring thriller’s job to challenge readers’ acceptance of society’s status quo.

At its heart, an inspiring thriller is always about confronting power.

 Power-Busters

Charles Dickens knew this when he used his immensely popular novels to hold a mirror up to the horrors that working-class people suffered under unfettered capitalism in nineteenth-century England.

In our time, bestselling author John Grisham has often done the same with his thrillers about the “little guy” up against some form of corporate bully. 

John le Carré’s thrillers train his unflinching focus on the controlling corporate and political powers that corrode our lives.

Denise Mina, a master of crime fiction, reveals the raw wounds that Glasgow’s poor and powerless suffer, while featuring female central characters who are resilient and resourceful.

 Grisham, Le Carré, and Mina use the thriller genre to say what needs to be said.

 What’s It All For?

Christopher Vogler, in his book The Writer’s Journey, says the final step of any hero’s journey is bringing back an “elixir” to heal the rupture that incited the main character’s risky quest. The elixir might be literal: food for the starving tribe. Or it might be abstract: a hard-won wisdom that heals a shattered family. In a big techno-thriller, it might even heal the world.

Whatever it is, if the hero does not bring back something to share, they remain unenlightened, adolescent. They haven’t grown. And therefore, neither can the reader.

In other words, the roller-coaster ride is all you get.

An inspiring thriller may end in tragedy, or it may end with justice prevailing, or maybe a bittersweet blend of both. Whatever the outcome, readers welcome the experience. We need it.

Because it’s not the roller-coaster ride that satisfies the soul. It’s the voyage.

 

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Barbara Kyle is the author of the bestselling Thornleigh Saga series of historical novels and of acclaimed thrillers. Her latest novel of suspense is The Man from Spirit Creek. Over half a million copies of her books have been sold. Barbara has taught hundreds of writers in her online Masterclasses and many have become award-winning authors. Visit Barbara at https://www.barbarakyle.com/ 

Superstitions: The Nutty Ties that Bind Writers and Actors

by Barbara Kyle

 

Shakespeare was an actor. So was Dickens.

 

In a way every writer is, because when we create stories we play all the roles inside our heads. It’s part of the joy of writing.

 

Before becoming an author I enjoyed a twenty-year acting career (here I'm with Bruce Gray when we starred in the TV series High Hopes) and I’ve found many commonalities between the two arts. 

 

 

One of the most interesting commonalities is superstitions. 

 

Actors are obsessively superstitious about many things, and one in particular: the name of a certain play by Shakespeare, the one in which a certain Highland lady can’t get blood off her hands. 

 

Actors won’t say the name of this play inside a theater. Instead, they call it “The Scottish Play.” Why? Because it carries a curse.

 

- At its first performance in 1606 the actor who was going to portray Lady Macbeth (a boy in those days) died suddenly and Shakespeare was forced to replace him.

 

- In 1957 actor Harold Norman, playing the lead role, died after his stage battle with swords became a little too realistic.

 

- During a performance starring the famous Sir Laurence Olivier a stage weight crashed down from above, missing him by inches.

 

And what if an unsuspecting soul makes the error of uttering the name of this play inside a theater? Is there a spell to remove the curse?

 

Yes, there is. You leave the theater, spin around three times, spit over your left shoulder, and either recite a line from Shakespeare or spout a profanity. Got it?

 

Writers have superstitions too and they’re just as weird. Here are three that many writers hold:

 

- No chapter can be 13 pages long because that number brings bad luck. Any chapter that ends on page 13 must be revised to make it 12 or 14. (By the way, there’s a name for the fear of the number 13: triskaidekaphobia. Try saying that three times fast!)

 

- Many writers can’t write unless they’re wearing a particular “lucky” piece of clothing, like a certain sweater or a pair of slippers or a hat.

 

- Some writers won’t give characters the same initials as friends — otherwise, the person might suddenly have bad luck.

 

 

Some famous writers had their own pet superstitions:

 

- Alexander Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers, had to write all of his fiction on blue paper, his poetry on yellow paper, and his articles on pink paper. No exceptions.

 

- Charles Dickens had to place the ornaments on his desk in a specific order before beginning to write.

 

- Truman Capote refused to begin or end a piece of writing on a Friday.

 

- J.K. Rowling’s superstition is to hold off titling a piece until it is complete. She said on Twitter: “I only type the title page of a novel once the book is finished.”

 

If you’re thinking actors and writers are a bit nuts, you’re not far wrong. After all, we spend our days with imaginary people. As John Gardner said, “One must be a little crazy to write a good novel.” 

 

But it’s a happy madness. One meets such interesting (imaginary) people!

 

So now I’ll cross my fingers, touch wood, toss grains of salt over my left shoulder, and get back to work on my new book.

 

Wish me luck.

 

Barbara Kyle

 

Barbara Kyle is the author of the bestselling Thornleigh Saga series of historical novels (“Riveting Tudor drama” – USA Today) and of acclaimed thrillers. Over half a million copies of her books have been sold. Her latest is The Man from Spirit Creek, a novel of suspense. Barbara has taught hundreds of writers in her online classes and many have become award-winning authors. Page-Turner, her popular how-to book for writers, is available in print, e-book, and audiobook. Visit Barbara at www.BarbaraKyle.com 

   

 

The Man from Spirit Creek

 

When Liv Gardner arrives in the rural town of Spirit Creek, Alberta, she has nothing but her old car and a temporary job as paralegal with the local attorney. But Liv’s down-market persona is a ruse. She is actually in-house counsel of Falcon Oil, a small oil and gas company she co-owns with her fiancé, CEO Mickey Havelock – and they are facing financial ruin.

Farmer Tom Wainwright, convinced that lethal “sour” gas killed his wife, is sabotaging Falcon’s rigs. But Wainwright is clever at hiding his tracks and the police have no evidence to charge him. With the sabotage forcing Falcon toward bankruptcy, Liv has come undercover to befriend Wainwright – and entrap him.

But Liv never dreamed she’d become torn between saving the company she and Mickey built and her feelings for the very man whose sabotage is ruining them.

On a rain-swept night, Spirit Creek is stunned when one of their own is murdered. The evidence does more than point to Tom Wainwright . . . it shatters Liv’s world.

 

The Man from Spirit Creek is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. 

 

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Time to Get Serial

by Bethany Maines

This week (12/9 – 12/13) one of my short stories, Oh, Holy Night, is being serialized on Frolic – the site for all things romance.  Oh, Holy Night is a Christmas romance involving bank robbery, coffee, and best friends. And while I’m always ecstatic to sell and share one of my stories, I have to say that I’m a little more over the moon about this story because of the significance of serialized stories in the history of writing.

Most people think of Charles Dickens when they think of serialized stories.  And although A Christmas Carol was not serialized, his Pickwick Papers (1836) was written and shared in nineteen installments, each costing a shilling.  Partially, the success was due to the format of bite-size, cliff-hanger segments sold in a time when people couldn’t dash off and find entertainment on their phones.  But, let’s think about that for just a moment.  Now that we can dash off and find entertainment at any moment of the day, wouldn’t now be the perfect time for bite-size, cliff-hanger segments of a story?  The old adventure movies captured this idea in the early days of film with short movies that were meant to keep you coming back next Saturday or at the least for the next reel. Have you ever wondered why some movies (ex: James Bond) will give you a 15 minute opening adventure before cutting to the credits? Thank the early days of film when complete reels were 15 minutes long and the projectionist needed to hustle to change reels. Current television has captured this format with long story lines and cliff-hanger episodes and then broken the mold by allowing everyone to binge watch all the episodes at once. The idea of writing extended stories that leave the reader wanting more with each chapter is a unique skill that is hard to master. One that I’m sure I haven’t mastered it yet, but one that I’m excited to work on. 

If you Pop over to Frolic to read Oh, Holy Night for free and check out my effort at a serialized story!

GO TO>> Frolic.media

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Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous short stories. When she's not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

TO PROMOTE OR NOT PROMOTE

By AB Plum

With the advent of a new year, who better to paraphrase than the Bard himself?

Promoting is much on my mind in these early days of 2018. I haven’t yet finished my 2018 Marketing Plan. Part of me hates, loathes, and cannot stand having to spend writing time on finding reviews, placing ads, and figuring out new ways to get discovered by readers inundated by newsletters for the latest book promotion.

As a matter of full disclosure, I hop on cross-author/genre promotion bandwagons every chance I get. Local newspapers and national magazines have whittled away their book sections so I'm grateful for those authors who manage to host new offerings. Still …

How much of every day did the Bard spend much time “promoting”? How about Charles Dickens—he, who penned (by hand) 5,000 words a day? According to this same source, Barbara Cartland wrote 6,000 words daily. Stephen King’s a slacker with his per diem output of 2,000 words.

How could they possibly have spent any time promoting their books? Did they write in their sleep?

These questions bring up the issue of time management—a subject I find too personal to share publicly. Once, long ago, I was a veritable Little Red Hen. Somewhere, I took a wrong turn and no longer plant, harvest, bake the bread, and read a book a day. 

Before anyone reminds me that promoting goes with the territory of writing, I admit I know this. If I made New Year's resolutions, I'd resolve to stop whining, adjust my 'tude and get with the program.

I don’t make resolutions, but I understand I’m wasting my energy, spinning my wheels, ranting over the foregone: YES! To write for an audience carries the need to promote. NO! To write for myself, no need to do anything but write.

’nuf said.

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Living off the fast lane in Silicon Valley, AB Plum loves her writing life--even the promo activities which challenge her brain and imagination most days. Check out her latest novel, The Dispensable Wife here. Coming later this month: the box set for The MisFit Series. Notice that not very subtle way she plugged two offerings at once.

Movie Stars Merry & Bright

by Sparkle Abbey

Judy posted earlier in the week about the traditions of holiday movies and we couldn't help but add our two cents worth on the topic because we love holiday movies. Do you like holiday movies? Do you have a favorite (or two or three) that you look forward to each year as they start appearing in the television line-up?

We love It's a Wonderful Life, Holiday Inn, Miracle on 34th Street, The Bishop's Wife, The Holiday, and oh so many others. Such great stories and so many wonderful stars!

There's nothing like Zuzu Bailey proclaiming, "Teacher says, 'Every time a bell rings, an angel get his wings.'" Or Bing Crosby singing White Christmas. Or Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, and Jude Law and all the madcap mixups in The Holiday.

But we have to tell you, there's a new kid on the block. A new entry in our favorite holiday movie must-see list. The Man Who Invented Christmas with Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as Charles Dickens, and Christopher Plummer as Scrooge was a surprise as we hadn't heard much about it. But this telling of how Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol did not disappoint!

Perhaps some of the charm for us was the protrayal of Dickens, the writer, and the difficulties he encounters as he tries to work out the plotline and get his characters to behave. And deal with real life difficulties at the same time. We won't give away any details, but if you get a chance, check out this new movie that's on our list of favorites.

Speaking of stars, we've been busy with the launch of our latest installment in the Pampered Pets mystery series, Barking with the Stars, and we'd love to give away a special holiday gift packet to celebrate. Just leave a comment below before midnight December 9th and we'll draw from among those commenting for a free Sparkle Abbey book and some other Christmas goodies.

Please share your favorite holiday movie, if you have one. Or if you're not into holiday movies, is there a movie that you re-watch each year?

Wishing you all things merry & bright and a great holiday season!
Sparkle Abbey

Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series.


They love to hear from readers and you can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. And if you want to make sure you're up on all the Sparkle Abbey news, stop by their website and sign up for updates at sparkleabbey.com.

Fun & Name-Games

By Laura Spinella

Imagine if Dickens had penned Otto instead of Oliver, or Jane Austen found herself smitten with Doolittle before Darcy ever crossed her mind.  Would these grand works of literature have been influenced by something as basic as a name? Fast forward to modern times and it’s clear that name choice is no less critical. Had Margaret Mitchell been in more of a Susan mood, Scarlett might not have resonated in quite the same manner. And what about Scout? Her name feels like a fingerprint on Harper Lee’s character, a curious tomboy through whom the reader views the world. While all the parts have to come together, nothing cues the music or gets us on board like a character’s name.  It’s one of my favorite parts of the writing process, and something I stumbled on by accident… or error.

Years ago, my staple income was writing for a regional magazine in Salisbury, Maryland. After yet another yawning interview with hospital’s latest CEO, or maybe it was the manager of a restaurant in town, I did what I always did. On the drive back to my desk, I recast the subjects. Along with savvier bios and backgrounds, I gave them far more illustrious names. They weren’t necessarily exotic or catchy, just a better fit for the personal history I’d embellished. This was all fun and games until an intriguing alias ended up in the piece I’d been assigned. I told the proper story about the new director of parks and recreation, but I'd accidentally given him the name I conjured up. Yeah, it wasn’t good. You can misspell someone’s name, an unprofessional but forgivable faux pas. But dish up a Sunday spread, photos included, and call him something other than the name his mama gave him and, well, it’s an embarrassing clue that maybe you’re not cut out for real news

      It’s all good now as I’ve traded those tarnished credentials for the kind of writing that embraces a bad habit. Deciding a character’s name is one of the perks of the job and, I think, one of the most critical elements.  I don’t revisit a character’s name once I’ve handed a story over to my editor or filed a wannabe book in a drawer, but in the moment nothing seems quite as important.

 In BEAUTIFUL DISASTER I was fortunate to have a Madonna moment—no, not an epiphany, just a character strong enough to stand on one name: Flynn. He actually has a first, middle and last name, but Flynn’s single call sign ended up being as integral to his character as his dark past and questionable psyche. There’s an interesting footnote here and why I mention it, perhaps highlighting how deep the name process goes. Flynn’s name was fashioned after a professional baseball player I admired as a teenager. The book’s protagonist and real-life Flynn have about as much in common as a Kardashian and Supreme Court Justice, but that just demonstrates how something so small can trickle down to the heart of a novel.  

With my current WIP, the name hunt is no less intense, as if I might have to swear to it on a bible. Some of those names—Levi St John, a surname my husband suggested over burgers at the British Beer Company, Aubrey Ellis, swiped from an author I admire, and Frank Delacort,  guttural and obstinate—floated in on a breeze. Others, like Dustin Byrd, had to be coerced and cajoled. It was an effort to capture the right combination of syllables and sounds to attach to his quirky character. Curiously, Violet Byrd, Dustin’s mother, also plays a part in this book. As I wrestled with this task, casting and deleting a dozen possible choices, it occurred to me how much easier the name-game would be if I could have just asked her.  

Laura Spinella is the author of the award-winning novel, BEAUTIFUL DISASTER and upcoming novel, PERFECT TIMING. Visit her at www.lauraspinella.net