The Tao of Doo


In his kind and generous review of my first mystery, DEATH NOTICE, author James Reasoner said the plot was vaguely reminiscent of something found in Scooby-Doo, only played seriously. He meant it as a compliment and I took it Read more

BAD MOON Rises


Another October, another release date. Since BAD MOON is my second book, you would think I'd be used to it. But nope, I'm not. BAD MOON's publication date feels as surreal as DEATH NOTICE's did last year. For readers, the Read more

Writing With ... Louise Penny


I am thrilled beyond words to welcome one of my favorite writers, Louise Penny, whose Armand Gamache mysteries have appeared on bestseller lists worldwide.  Her last book, BURY YOUR DEAD, won the Ellis for best mystery in Canada, and Read more

Is Browsing Dead?


I'll be the first to admit that I was a nerdy teenager. Not pocket protector nerdy, but no sports star, either. I was bookish, I guess you could say. I read A LOT back then, and nothing pleased me Read more

Why We Left Earth


Outer space has always been a mystery. Even before mankind fully grasped its vastness, they wanted to go there. Early astronomers, fascinated by the stars, invented ways to get a closer view. Think Copernicus, Galileo, Cassini. Writers not content Read more

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Writing With

Writing With … Emily Winslow

Posted on 08/03/2011 by Todd Posted in Writing With | Comments Off on Writing With … Emily Winslow

Today, I welcome Emily Winslow, an American living in Cambridge, England. Her first novel, THE WHOLE WORLD, came out from Delacorte Press/Random House in
2010. Its sequel, THE START OF EVERYTHING, will be released in 2013.
THE WHOLE WORLD was a Parade magazine “top summer pick” and The Richmond Times-Dispatch said, “Winslow’s novel is so self-assured, so well-constructed and so chilling that the reader is left in awe by the young author’s accomplished debut…’The Whole World’ shines as a potent look at the self-absorption and angst of youth and the regrets and doubts of middle age.” Emily’s website is www.emilywinslow.com and her blog can be found at emilywinslow.wordpress.com.

Q. Tell us about your book and what inspired you to write it.

THE WHOLE WORLD is set in Cambridge, England, and I started writing it when I first moved here. Cambridge is so different from anyplace else I’ve ever lived that I felt driven to try to describe it. The university is 800 years old, and intertwined with the city. I found myself having to make sense of it in order to make a home here.

The story begins with an American narrator who is new to the city, like I was, but switches to more local narrators later, five in all. Two American students fall for the same charming “golden boy” graduate student, who then disappears…

Q. Did you need to do any special research for the book? If so, what’s
one of the most interesting facts you discovered?

The University works according to “the college system,” which sorts every student into both a department (for their subject) and a college. Your college (and there are more than 30 of them!) is where you live and eat and, to an extent, socialize, but it’s more than
that. The department gives you your lectures and exams, which you share with ALL the students in that subject from ALL the colleges. But, WITHIN your college is where you get your one-on-one and small group instruction, in “supervisions.”

Most of the colleges are architecturally exquisite, and are part of the city, not apart on a campus. I have no connection with the University except through family and friends, but I interact with it physically almost daily.

Q. Many people are content to just be readers. How did you become a writer?

I trained to be an actor, a job which is dependent on being cast by others, and then on being directed by others. I love that as a writer I can work whenever I want!

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Watch TV. I love crime dramas.

Q. What are you reading right now?

Amanda Kyle Williams’ upcoming THE STRANGER YOU SEEK. One of the perks of being a writer is getting to read other writers’ advance copies!

Q. If you were stranded on that proverbial deserted island, what five
books would you want to have with you?

Blank books and a pen.

Q. What’s your favorite movie?

So many:
Little Miss Sunshine
Shutter Island
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Fugitive, Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Others, Life is Beautiful…

Q. What’s your favorite food?

Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread.

Q. Cats or dogs?

Cats!     

Q. Name one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you.

I have one son with an American accent, and another with a British accent. Yes, we all live together.

Writing With … Jennifer Hillier

Posted on 07/23/2011 by Todd Posted in Writing With | 5 Comments

Today, I welcome Jennifer Hillier, author of the new thriller CREEP. Jennifer Hillier was born in Toronto, which is where she spent the first three decades of her life. When her husband was offered a transfer to Seattle, she didn’t know which would be worse: leaving Canada or moving to the West coast. She spent her first few months on American soil bemoaning her existence and writing her first novel. Now nicely settled in the Pacific Northwest, the only thing she misses — other than family and friends — is snow.

Q. Tell us about your book and what inspired you to write it.

CREEP is a psychological thriller about a sexually addicted college professor who is stalked and terrorized by her teaching assistant, who’s also her former lover. I wanted to write a novel that focused on a protagonist who makes mistakes. Sheila, the college professor in CREEP, is intelligent, kind, and loving — and she’s also a sex addict who engages in an affair with her teaching assistant. She makes terrible choices which might get her killed. Can she dig herself out of the mess she’s created for herself? Can she learn from her mistakes and redeem herself? Can readers root for a protagonist who’s seriously flawed? Those were some of the questions I wanted to explore. And, of course, I wanted to write a good old-fashioned serial killer story on top of it all.

Q. Did you need to do any special research for the book? If so, what’s one of the most interesting facts you discovered?

My villain, Ethan, likes to play around with disguises, so I spent some time researching silicone masks and special effects movie makeup. I watched quite a few YouTube videos and was freaked out by how real some of these transformations can be. You know how you can buy rubber masks at Halloween that cost around thirty dollars? You can also buy masks that cost thousands of dollars, and it’s scary how real they look.

Q. Many people are content to just be readers. How did you become a writer?

When I was a little kid, my Dad refused to read me bedtime stories because he thought it would be more fun and interesting to make them up. So for years, that’s what we did together every night before bed. As I got older, still bitten by the storytelling bug, I started to make up stories on my own and write them down.

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I work from home all day, so I relish every opportunity to get out of the house. I love exploring new restaurants, going shopping, and spending time with friends and family. I also love to travel, and I try and get back to Toronto a few times a year.

Q. What are you reading right now?

I’m in between books at the moment. I just finished THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett, and GOOD IN BED by Jennifer Weiner (every so often I crave reading books that are completely outside my genre, and these two fit the bill perfectly). But I just bought Will Lavender’s DOMINANCE and Jon Ronson’s THE PSYCHOPATH TEST, so I’ll be starting those this week.

Q. If you were stranded on that proverbial deserted island, what five books would you want to have with you?

IT by Stephen King (my favorite King book), FIGHT CLUB by Chuck Palahniuk, THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy by Suzanne Collins (I’m going to cheat and count this as one big book!), THE PRINCESS BRIDE by William Goldman and a nice, fat textbook describing exactly what I need to do to survive on this proverbial deserted island.

Q. What’s your favorite movie?

The Shawshank Redemption is my all-time favorite. A close second would be The Princess Bride, and tied for third would be Fight Club and Almost Famous.

Q. What’s your favorite food?

Chocolate. And if it’s wrapped in pastry, so much the better.

Q. Cats or dogs?

Meow!

Q. Name one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you.

I may write thrillers, but I’m the biggest scaredy cat you’ll ever meet. I jump at the slightest sound, and when my husband’s not home, I have to sleep with the lights on. It’s pathetic, really.

Writing With … Chevy Stevens

Posted on 07/06/2011 by Todd Posted in Writing With | Comments Off on Writing With … Chevy Stevens

I’m super-psyched to welcome author Chevy Stevens to the blog. Chevy grew up on a ranch on Vancouver Island and still calls the island home. Her first novel, STILL MISSING, was a New York Times Bestseller and was nominated for an Arthur Ellis Award and the International Thriller Award. Her second novel, NEVER KNOWING, was released Tuesday by St. Martin’s Press. You can find out more about Chevy at www.chevystevens.com

Q. Tell us about your book and what inspired you to write it.

Several years ago I was a Realtor working at an open house and a horrific thought came to me: What if I was abducted and held captive for a long time? Could I survive such a brutal experience? Can you be so hurt, so broken and so damaged that there’s no putting you back together?

In STILL MISSING I explore all of these questions as my character, Annie, struggles to come to terms with what happened to her. I’ve always been drawn to stories of survivors, of people who overcome tragic events, terrible childhoods and monstrous indignities. So many people never recover and remain locked in their pain. I wanted to know about the ones who rise above and succeed despite everything that’s been thrown at them.

Q. Did you need to do any special research for the book? If so, what’s one of the most interesting facts you discovered?

I used a lot of my own emotions and life experiences for Annie’s story. I did some research on narcissist personalities and PTSD, which I found fascinating. I also thought learning about the differences between Canadian law and American law was interesting. For example, Canadians don’t have Miranda rights. Instead, if you were arrested you’d be read your Charter of Rights.

Q. Many people are content to just be readers. How did you become a writer?

I’d always dreamed about being a writer, then one day the idea for STILL MISSING came to me and I “heard” my character’s voice in my head. Then I became consumed with writing her story.

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I like to take nice long walks with my dog, or collapse in front of the couch with my husband, a good movie and a big bowl of popcorn.

Q. What are you reading right now?

I have a few on the go but haven’t been able to find any time to read lately. Waiting for me are Lisa Gardner’s new one, PRAY FOR SILENCE by Linda Castillo, Tana French and some classic Stephen King.

Q. If you were stranded on that proverbial deserted island, what five books would you want to have with you?

“How to get off a Deserted Island in Less Than Five Days”
“Twenty Ways to Crack a Coconut”
“Live off a Banana for Weeks!”
“Knots That Will Save Your Life”
“Building a Raft with Driftwood and Vines”

Q. What’s your favorite movie?

That’s a hard one. I have a few favorites, but if I had to pick one I’d say Rudy.

Q. What’s your favorite food?

Popcorn and peanut butter (not at the same time)!

Q. Cats or dogs?

Growing up we had many animals but I was usually seen carrying a cat under one arm and a book in the other. As an adult I found Annie, the dog of my life, and everything revolves around her. Though I still appreciate cats and all animals, Annie doesn’t want to share.

Q. Name one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you.

I’ve read both of Russell Brand’s memoirs and MOTLEY CRUE, THE DIRT.

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