KN Magazine: Articles

1/10/17 1/10/17

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun / Shannon Baker and Jess Lourey

Something a lot of writers struggle with is promoting themselves. You can write an amazing book, but if no one knows that it exists they can't read it. This week's guest bloggers, Shannon Baker and Jess Lourey, discuss their decision to set up a joint blog tour, and how one could help you!

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford

Founder Killer Nashville

Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Hellloooo, Killer Nashville — she says in the rock star voice she uses in her dreams — thanks for icing up that sweet tea and having us in for a chat. Actually, can I have a dollop of bourbon instead? I’m not overly fond of sweet tea. Jess? Tea or bourbon?

Jess here. As a lifelong diplomat, I say we throw back a Long Island Iced Tea as a compromise, only we call it a Nashville Iced Tea and make it out of gin, tonic, and three limes, which is my summer drink of choice. Back to you, Shannon.

Okay, now that we’re settled in, let the introductions begin. I’m Shannon Baker and this is Jess Lourey. We discovered we had books due for the same September launch date (mine is Stripped Bare while Jess has Salem’s Cipher; both books are available for preorder) and with high hopes and much enthusiasm which might or might not have been a product of a late night at the bar at Left Coast Crime, we launched the Lourey/Baker Double-booked Tour.

We’re both mystery/thriller writers, and between us, have published 19 books (more on Jess’s side of the scale), a barrel of short stories, a zillion articles, and we won’t even try to count blog posts. It’s safe to say that writing is a big part of our lives. So today, we’re going to talk about not-writing.

Specifically, what to do after the book is done. As writers, we know we’ve got to promote ourselves. If no one knows we have a book out, they don’t know if they want to read it. It’s not like we’re peddling snake oil that might kill someone. There are readers who would love our books, and we need to get the word to them. And yet, it takes time and energy and different part of your brain to promote, not to mention sales-i-ness, which most writers do not come by naturally.

Shannon: I might have been grousing about setting up a blog tour when Jess and I figured out we had books launching on the same day and we started to brainstorm about how we could work together. Doing a joint tour makes so much sense to me. First of all, it cut the work load by half. We both queried blog and review sites and we both wrote interview questions and edited.

Jess: We are productive grousers, aren’t we? I agree that setting up a joint blog tour was one of the best marketing decisions I’ve ever made. As you say, it cut the work in half, but it also made it fun. Like most writers, I hate to market. It feels like swimming in grease—I’m not good at it, I never get anywhere, and I end up looking oily. But doing it together, it felt more like collaboration, like hanging out with a good friend, like drinking our way across cyber space and talking about books. Shannon, how much do you normally market your books?

Shannon here: I am a marketing disaster. Generally, I’m not one to procrastinate, but I can put off soliciting blogs or asking for reviews until deadlines fade into memory. So pairing up with a friend, someone I didn’t want to disappoint, gave me incentive to get on the ball and get my end done.

Jess: Sweet. Good old peer pressure. It doesn’t die after high school, it morphs. Shannon, anything unexpected in setting up this joint blog tour?

Shannon: What surprised me was how much fun I’ve had. It wasn’t quite as lively as sitting in the conference bar with a cold beer in front of me bantering with Jess, but ‘pert near it. There were times I spewed my beverage when I read a response of Jess’s to something I’d asked.

Jess: Back atcha. As far as productive advice for other authors thinking of setting up a joint blog tour:

Do it.
Check out the event schedule of other authors on book tour to find out which sites are amenable to hosting blog tours.
Reach out to a mix of blog reviewers and blog hosts who want you to write an article to spread out the amount of writing you have to do.
Be clear about who is querying where so you don’t double up, make sure to pitch unique ideas to each venue, consider a book giveaway, and keep the book tour within a discrete period of time—2 weeks to a month is good—to ramp up the excitement.
Have a sense of humor. (Not a requirement, but a bonus.)
End each blog post by saying where you’ll be next to build up an audience for each of the sites kind enough to promote you.
Get your posts plus photos to them early so they don’t need to stress.
Consider each writing a short story as a gift for anyone who preorders your book and forwards the preorder receipt to a dedicated email account (the email account can be set up to automatically respond with the short story).
Watch the preorders roll in! (Right???)

Jessica (Jess) Lourey is best known for her critically acclaimed Murder-by-Month mysteries, which have earned multiple starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist, the latter calling her writing “a splendid mix of humor and suspense.” She is a tenured professor of creative writing and sociology, a recipient of The Loft’s 2014 Excellence in Teaching fellowship, and leads interactive writing workshops all over the world. Salem’s Cipher, a breakneck thriller about a race to save the first viable U.S. female presidential candidate from assassination, is the first in her thrilling Witch Hunt Series, and hits stores September 2016. You can find out more at jessicalourey.com, or find Jess on Facebook or Twitter.

Shannon Baker is the author of the Nora Abbott mystery series from Midnight Ink, a fast-paced mix of Hopi Indian mysticism, environmental issues, and murder set in western landscapes of Flagstaff, AZ, Boulder, CO, and Moab, UT. Seconds before quitting writing forever and taking up competitive drinking, Shannon was nominated for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s 2014 Writer of the Year. Buoyed with that confidence, she acquired an agent who secured a multi-book contract with Tor/Forge. The first in the Kate Fox Mystery Series, Stripped Bare will release in hardcover September 2016. Set in the isolated cattle country of the Nebraska Sandhills, it’s been called Longmire meets The Good Wife. Visit Shannon at Shannon-Baker.com

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

*Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale. Killer Nashville receives zero compensation (other than sometimes the book to review) from publishers who have been selected for the Book of the Day.

1/10/17 1/10/17

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun / Shannon Baker and Jess Lourey

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Jess: Sweet. Good old peer pressure. It doesn’t die after high school, it morphs. Shannon, anything unexpected in setting up this joint blog tour?

Jess: Back atcha. As far as productive advice for other authors thinking of setting up a joint blog tour:

Do it.
Check out the event schedule of other authors on book tour to find out which sites are amenable to hosting blog tours.
Reach out to a mix of blog reviewers and blog hosts who want you to write an article to spread out the amount of writing you have to do.
Be clear about who is querying where so you don’t double up, make sure to pitch unique ideas to each venue, consider a book giveaway, and keep the book tour within a discrete period of time—2 weeks to a month is good—to ramp up the excitement.
Have a sense of humor. (Not a requirement, but a bonus.)
End each blog post by saying where you’ll be next to build up an audience for each of the sites kind enough to promote you.
Get your posts plus photos to them early so they don’t need to stress.
Consider each writing a short story as a gift for anyone who preorders your book and forwards the preorder receipt to a dedicated email account (the email account can be set up to automatically respond with the short story).
Watch the preorders roll in! (Right???)

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

1/10/17 1/10/17

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun / Shannon Baker and Jess Lourey

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Jess: Sweet. Good old peer pressure. It doesn’t die after high school, it morphs. Shannon, anything unexpected in setting up this joint blog tour?

Jess: Back atcha. As far as productive advice for other authors thinking of setting up a joint blog tour:

Do it.
Check out the event schedule of other authors on book tour to find out which sites are amenable to hosting blog tours.
Reach out to a mix of blog reviewers and blog hosts who want you to write an article to spread out the amount of writing you have to do.
Be clear about who is querying where so you don’t double up, make sure to pitch unique ideas to each venue, consider a book giveaway, and keep the book tour within a discrete period of time—2 weeks to a month is good—to ramp up the excitement.
Have a sense of humor. (Not a requirement, but a bonus.)
End each blog post by saying where you’ll be next to build up an audience for each of the sites kind enough to promote you.
Get your posts plus photos to them early so they don’t need to stress.
Consider each writing a short story as a gift for anyone who preorders your book and forwards the preorder receipt to a dedicated email account (the email account can be set up to automatically respond with the short story).
Watch the preorders roll in! (Right???)

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

1/4/17 1/4/17

Mastering the 5-Minute Pitch: 10 Tips for Giving a Great Book Talk / Liz Lazarus

Giving a great speech can be a daunting task for a writer. Our usual method of conveying our thoughts is through the carefully constructed written word. When giving a speech we find that not having an eraser or a delete key can take us a little out of our element. This week's guest blogger, Liz Lazarus, gives us some tips on how we can move past these barriers and deliver a compelling book talk.

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Have you ever wondered how many writers are introverts versus extroverts? Given the solitary nature of the vocation, I imagine that more authors are introverts, which can make giving that all too familiar five-minute speech a bit daunting.

I’m frequently in front of an audience as a consultant, so I have honed my speaking skills over the years. I’ve been asked to give a few talks about Free of Malice and from preparing myself and watching other authors, I thought I’d share my 10 tips of delivering a great speech.

Thank. This first step may seem obvious but in the excitement of thinking about your book and what you plan to share, people often forget to thank the host of the event and the audience for coming. It’s not the end of the world if you forget, but it’s a classy way to start your presentation.
Teaser. If you start by throwing out a teaser, the audience will want to hear more. For Free of Malice, I share that there were three reasons that propelled me to write the book. Thus, it creates curiosity and encourages the audience to listen a little more intently to discover those facts.
Humor. People always appreciate a laugh. My go-to line is that I’m an engineer, so what the heck am I doing writing a book and giving book talks!
WIFM. The old adage, What’s In It For Me, applies for book talks. Let the audience know what they will receive from reading your book, whether something educational, entertaining or even a good cry. Let them know the kind of book you are offering. In addition to my book being suspenseful, I note that Atlantans will appreciate the familiar landmarks and that there is a theme song to my book, an added bonus. Consider adapting these elements based on your audience.
Props. Hold your book up for part of the talk. You want people to associate the cover with you and if you are among several authors, it’s even more important for the audience to make that connection. Also, hold your book during photo ops at the event and with your readers.
Ratings and Reviews. Don’t be bashful about sharing ratings, whether from Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Or share a snippet from a review indicating what others are saying about your work. I’ve found most authors don’t like to brag, so don’t think of it as bragging but as sharing useful information that will help potential readers make their purchase decision. You’d want to know a book’s rating before purchase, right?
Close. It may seem either corny or self-serving but part of closing the deal is asking for the sale. I’ve noticed that most writers don’t have the natural inclination to self-promote, or to ask for the purchase, but the reality is we give book talks to sell books and create fans.
Practice. I must have rehearsed five or six times before my first five-minute talk. First, I wanted to be sure I was within the allotted time, but also each time that I reviewed what I planned to say, I became more comfortable. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve seen in my professional career that can successfully “wing a presentation.” Because I’m not one of them, practice does make perfect.
De-stress. My friend and CNN host and speaker, Nadia Bilchik, has some great voice warm-up exercises on this video. I highly recommend! I’ve tried them a few times and they really did relax my vocal chords.
Enjoy. At the end of the day, you are talking about something near and dear to you – your book. Enjoy promoting your book. Share your writing process and how your book came into being. Be yourself, smile, and the audience will go on that journey with you.

In summary, glossophobia or speech anxiety is a fear that many people share, so if you get nervous before a talk, know that you are not alone. Glossophobia comes from the Greek glōssa, meaning tongue, and phobos, fear or dread. I’ve seen many suggested remedies from hypnosis to speech coaches to the ploy of picturing the audience nude. What has worked best for me is good, old fashioned practice and, just before I begin, I think about a past speech that prompted audience members to approach me afterward with compliments and to purchase my novel.

Putting that image of success in my head just before beginning my talk positions me in the right frame of mind.

Liz Lazarus is author of Free of Malice, a psychological legal thriller loosely based on her personal experience. She was born in Valdosta, GA, graduated from Georgia Tech with an engineering degree and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern with an MBA in their executive master’s program. She spent most of her career at General Electric’s Healthcare division and is currently a managing director at a strategic planning consulting firm in addition to being an author. She would love to hear your thoughts or suggestions at freeofmalice.com, via FB at AuthorLizLazarus, or twitter, @liz_lazarus.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

1/3/17 1/3/17

Mastering the 5-Minute Pitch: 10 Tips for Giving a Great Book Talk / Liz Lazarus

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Thank. This first step may seem obvious but in the excitement of thinking about your book and what you plan to share, people often forget to thank the host of the event and the audience for coming. It’s not the end of the world if you forget, but it’s a classy way to start your presentation.

Teaser. If you start by throwing out a teaser, the audience will want to hear more. For Free of Malice, I share that there were three reasons that propelled me to write the book. Thus, it creates curiosity and encourages the audience to listen a little more intently to discover those facts.

Humor. People always appreciate a laugh. My go-to line is that I’m an engineer, so what the heck am I doing writing a book and giving book talks!

WIFM. The old adage, What’s In It For Me, applies for book talks. Let the audience know what they will receive from reading your book, whether something educational, entertaining or even a good cry. Let them know the kind of book you are offering. In addition to my book being suspenseful, I note that Atlantans will appreciate the familiar landmarks and that there is a theme song to my book, an added bonus. Consider adapting these elements based on your audience.

Props. Hold your book up for part of the talk. You want people to associate the cover with you and if you are among several authors, it’s even more important for the audience to make that connection. Also, hold your book during photo ops at the event and with your readers.

Ratings and Reviews. Don’t be bashful about sharing ratings, whether from Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Or share a snippet from a review indicating what others are saying about your work. I’ve found most authors don’t like to brag, so don’t think of it as bragging but as sharing useful information that will help potential readers make their purchase decision. You’d want to know a book’s rating before purchase, right?

Close. It may seem either corny or self-serving but part of closing the deal is asking for the sale. I’ve noticed that most writers don’t have the natural inclination to self-promote, or to ask for the purchase, but the reality is we give book talks to sell books and create fans.

Practice. I must have rehearsed five or six times before my first five-minute talk. First, I wanted to be sure I was within the allotted time, but also each time that I reviewed what I planned to say, I became more comfortable. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve seen in my professional career that can successfully “wing a presentation.” Because I’m not one of them, practice does make perfect.

De-stress. My friend and CNN host and speaker, Nadia Bilchik, has some great voice warm-up exercises on this video. I highly recommend! I’ve tried them a few times and they really did relax my vocal chords.

Enjoy. At the end of the day, you are talking about something near and dear to you – your book. Enjoy promoting your book. Share your writing process and how your book came into being. Be yourself, smile, and the audience will go on that journey with you.

Putting that image of success in my head just before beginning my talk positions me in the right frame of mind.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

1/3/17 1/3/17

Mastering the 5-Minute Pitch: 10 Tips for Giving a Great Book Talk / Liz Lazarus

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Thank. This first step may seem obvious but in the excitement of thinking about your book and what you plan to share, people often forget to thank the host of the event and the audience for coming. It’s not the end of the world if you forget, but it’s a classy way to start your presentation.

Teaser. If you start by throwing out a teaser, the audience will want to hear more. For Free of Malice, I share that there were three reasons that propelled me to write the book. Thus, it creates curiosity and encourages the audience to listen a little more intently to discover those facts.

Humor. People always appreciate a laugh. My go-to line is that I’m an engineer, so what the heck am I doing writing a book and giving book talks!

WIFM. The old adage, What’s In It For Me, applies for book talks. Let the audience know what they will receive from reading your book, whether something educational, entertaining or even a good cry. Let them know the kind of book you are offering. In addition to my book being suspenseful, I note that Atlantans will appreciate the familiar landmarks and that there is a theme song to my book, an added bonus. Consider adapting these elements based on your audience.

Props. Hold your book up for part of the talk. You want people to associate the cover with you and if you are among several authors, it’s even more important for the audience to make that connection. Also, hold your book during photo ops at the event and with your readers.

Ratings and Reviews. Don’t be bashful about sharing ratings, whether from Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Or share a snippet from a review indicating what others are saying about your work. I’ve found most authors don’t like to brag, so don’t think of it as bragging but as sharing useful information that will help potential readers make their purchase decision. You’d want to know a book’s rating before purchase, right?

Close. It may seem either corny or self-serving but part of closing the deal is asking for the sale. I’ve noticed that most writers don’t have the natural inclination to self-promote, or to ask for the purchase, but the reality is we give book talks to sell books and create fans.

Practice. I must have rehearsed five or six times before my first five-minute talk. First, I wanted to be sure I was within the allotted time, but also each time that I reviewed what I planned to say, I became more comfortable. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve seen in my professional career that can successfully “wing a presentation.” Because I’m not one of them, practice does make perfect.

De-stress. My friend and CNN host and speaker, Nadia Bilchik, has some great voice warm-up exercises on this video. I highly recommend! I’ve tried them a few times and they really did relax my vocal chords.

Enjoy. At the end of the day, you are talking about something near and dear to you – your book. Enjoy promoting your book. Share your writing process and how your book came into being. Be yourself, smile, and the audience will go on that journey with you.

Putting that image of success in my head just before beginning my talk positions me in the right frame of mind.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/27/16 12/27/16

Conquering The Beast: Creating an Overview That Works / Thomas Locke

Writing an overview has proven time and time again to be a challenge that stumps even the most experienced of writers. How do you take this massive story that you've built and condense it down to a page? While is it important to give an accurate summation of your story, it is also important to sell your story. This week's guest blogger, Thomas Locke, discusses what he has learned while writing overviews, and how you can write one that hooks your readers.

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Somewhere out there is an author for whom writing a commercial overview is a piece of cake. They sit down, the concept is hovering in the air over their computer, they type it out, done and dusted. I haven’t met them, but I’m sure they exist. If you happen to be that lone individual, I’d advise you not to tell the rest of us. Your end will be swift and certain.

The story overview is a beast. You have all these ideas that are swarming around in your head. You have a huge cast of characters, a growing storm of events, and three or four hundred pages later, you’ve created a fabulous tale.

Then comes the hard part.

How on earth do you distill all this down to one page? How can you tell your story in just a few paragraphs, create in that tiny space a vision that is so compelling the gatekeepers will fall over themselves in their haste to offer you a publishing contract, a film deal, the keys to the kingdom, whatever?

After twenty-five years as a published author, with more than seventy books in print, the simple answer is, it doesn’t come easy. But it can be done. I am going to offer you a few simple steps that will help deconstruct the project, and hopefully guide you towards a synopsis that is magnetic in its appeal.

Start with the question, so what’s your story about? Imagine you are seated in a television studio, with a much-loved interviewer staring at you from the other side of their desk. They ask you that question. How do you respond? You have the live audience on the other side of the camera, and they’re genuinely eager for you to tell them what they’re going to go out and buy the very next day. Write out that paragraph. Then set it aside.

Accept that it is a gradual process. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this first effort is going to be your finished project. Creating the winning overview is done through trial and error. A few days later, write your first paragraph again. Keep a notebook just for the overview. If you’re like me, most of these early attempts are not going to fit. But gradually you come to terms with the key element to the successful structure, which is:

Your job is not to tell your story. Your goal is to SELL your story. At some point there will come that moment when you discover the amazing concept, the emotional foundation that fuels your quest to write this story. When that happens...

Focus on that silver thread. Usually this emotional punch will help you identify the key plot line and characters that drive the story. The entire overview must center upon this one element. This time, when you write the paragraph, you will discover that the entire concept is real in a new sense. The paragraph that results is often called the story’s hook.

Begin with the hook, end with the climax. Gradually you develop a story concept that was not there before. As a result, you will often perceive your story’s climax in a new light. Write this final paragraph next. Remember, you are not entering into a contract. You are not required to actually keep this climax. You are selling.

Develop a log-line. The log-line is a Hollywood term, signifying the one sentence or even just a phrase that shouts to the world: This is unique, this is great, come join me on this amazing ride. At some point during the writing of my overview, I will go to the movies and walk down the line of posters for coming attractions. I visualize my story up there as a poster, and sketch out ideas for what this log-line might be. My goal is to come up with two, and I place one at the beginning and another at the end of my overview. These help the editor sell the story to the pub board, and the sales staff place your book with buyers. Oftentimes they also appear on the book’s back cover.

Polish and distill. Only at this point do I begin to concern myself with length. Because I want my overview to work with Hollywood, I must limit myself to one page. It is very rare for anything longer to be considered by senior executives. If an overview gets that far up the food chain, a junior exec will trim the longer structures. I much prefer to do that myself.

A final bit of advice to new authors: Refrain from speaking with anyone about your work until your overview is complete. This serves two purposes. First, you have created a commercial structure, and that is what outside readers are really all about. They respond to your project, not to the tender seed of creative fire that exists at heart level. Second, you now have a means by which you can present your story in a brief and concise fashion. When someone asks what the story is about, you actually know what to say.

Here is an overview of mine that has recently been successful both with a publisher and with a Hollywood production company. The thriller Trial Run was released last August, and has recently been named a Best Book of 2015 by Suspense Magazine. My current release, Flash Point, is the sequel.

Her goal was to shatter all boundaries.
That night, Professor Gabriella Speciale does something she has never done before. An Italian psychologist, she has spent five years studying the brainwave patterns of practitioners of deep meditation. She now intends to apply the latest electromagnetic techniques to stimulate similar brainwaves in ordinary subjects; those who have never practiced mental control. But her initial candidate reports something utterly unexpected. Then another. After the third research experiment, Gabriella decides to break with the demands of scientific objectivity. She must slip into the lab after-hours, and take her own trial run.
Gabriella seems to float on the edge of human consciousness. She senses a gradual separation from her physical form, frightening but also captivating. At one level she identifies the phenomenon as an out-of-body experience. These have been chronicled, and controversial, for centuries. Only now there is a difference. With a little tweaking, Gabriella finds a means to both control and direct the out-of-body experience. She seems to be omniscient – going anywhere, seeing everything. Has she, in effect, defied the laws of gravity, locality and time? As the lab comes back into focus, Gabriella is flush with exhilaration – and anxiety. She does not fully understand the ramifications – but something this big needs to be protected.
Charlie Hazard is a former security contractor who understands little about the human mind, but something about the human spirit. After his return from duty in Iraq, his ex-wife had labeled him “damaged goods.” At some level he agrees with her. Still, he is pleased to get the assignment from the laboratory. He is to guard an international group of scientists, testing some new technology about time-travel or clairvoyance or some such. Seems the here-and-now is tough enough to deal with. But Charlie is perceptive and loyal, and prepared to respond to any threat.
Reese Clawson specializes in global risk analysis for an elite cadre of industry executives. She infiltrates Gabriella’s group and steals the perception-bending technology. Her aim is decidedly mercenary – to package and sell the ultimate information-gathering system to the highest bidder. Her head spins with possibilities – marketing, detective work, espionage. But something has gone wrong. Her test-subjects slide into a coma-like state. Reese scrambles to maintain control and stave-off the demands of her clients.
Charlie Hazard uncovers the theft and Reese Clawson’s intentions. Gabriella is faced with an impossible choice. Either she allows Clawson to undermine the fundamental paradigms of global security, or she finds a way to recapture the equipment. Surely another priority is to save the coma-bound subjects. Charlie steps forward to take on the challenge. He races against the clock, even as time and space twist in unexpected directions. He summons his battered courage to protect and rescue – in and out of the physical realm. But he remains keenly aware that….
What you don’t know can kill you.

I wish you every triumph in making a winning transition from creative project to commercial success.

Thomas Locke is a pseudonym for Davis Bunn, the award-winning novelist with total worldwide sales of seven million copies. His work has been published in twenty languages, and critical acclaim includes four Christy Awards for excellence in fiction. Davis divides his time between Oxford and Florida and holds a lifelong passion for speculative stories. Read more at http://tlocke.com/

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/27/16 12/27/16

Conquering The Beast: Creating an Overview That Works / Thomas Locke

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Then comes the hard part.

Start with the question, so what’s your story about? Imagine you are seated in a television studio, with a much-loved interviewer staring at you from the other side of their desk. They ask you that question. How do you respond? You have the live audience on the other side of the camera, and they’re genuinely eager for you to tell them what they’re going to go out and buy the very next day. Write out that paragraph. Then set it aside.

Accept that it is a gradual process. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this first effort is going to be your finished project. Creating the winning overview is done through trial and error. A few days later, write your first paragraph again. Keep a notebook just for the overview. If you’re like me, most of these early attempts are not going to fit. But gradually you come to terms with the key element to the successful structure, which is:

Your job is not to tell your story. Your goal is to SELL your story. At some point there will come that moment when you discover the amazing concept, the emotional foundation that fuels your quest to write this story. When that happens...

Focus on that silver thread. Usually this emotional punch will help you identify the key plot line and characters that drive the story. The entire overview must center upon this one element. This time, when you write the paragraph, you will discover that the entire concept is real in a new sense. The paragraph that results is often called the story’s hook.

Begin with the hook, end with the climax. Gradually you develop a story concept that was not there before. As a result, you will often perceive your story’s climax in a new light. Write this final paragraph next. Remember, you are not entering into a contract. You are not required to actually keep this climax. You are selling.

Develop a log-line. The log-line is a Hollywood term, signifying the one sentence or even just a phrase that shouts to the world: This is unique, this is great, come join me on this amazing ride. At some point during the writing of my overview, I will go to the movies and walk down the line of posters for coming attractions. I visualize my story up there as a poster, and sketch out ideas for what this log-line might be. My goal is to come up with two, and I place one at the beginning and another at the end of my overview. These help the editor sell the story to the pub board, and the sales staff place your book with buyers. Oftentimes they also appear on the book’s back cover.

Polish and distill. Only at this point do I begin to concern myself with length. Because I want my overview to work with Hollywood, I must limit myself to one page. It is very rare for anything longer to be considered by senior executives. If an overview gets that far up the food chain, a junior exec will trim the longer structures. I much prefer to do that myself.

Her goal was to shatter all boundaries.

That night, Professor Gabriella Speciale does something she has never done before. An Italian psychologist, she has spent five years studying the brainwave patterns of practitioners of deep meditation. She now intends to apply the latest electromagnetic techniques to stimulate similar brainwaves in ordinary subjects; those who have never practiced mental control. But her initial candidate reports something utterly unexpected. Then another. After the third research experiment, Gabriella decides to break with the demands of scientific objectivity. She must slip into the lab after-hours, and take her own trial run.

Gabriella seems to float on the edge of human consciousness. She senses a gradual separation from her physical form, frightening but also captivating. At one level she identifies the phenomenon as an out-of-body experience. These have been chronicled, and controversial, for centuries. Only now there is a difference. With a little tweaking, Gabriella finds a means to both control and direct the out-of-body experience. She seems to be omniscient – going anywhere, seeing everything. Has she, in effect, defied the laws of gravity, locality and time? As the lab comes back into focus, Gabriella is flush with exhilaration – and anxiety. She does not fully understand the ramifications – but something this big needs to be protected.

Charlie Hazard is a former security contractor who understands little about the human mind, but something about the human spirit. After his return from duty in Iraq, his ex-wife had labeled him “damaged goods.” At some level he agrees with her. Still, he is pleased to get the assignment from the laboratory. He is to guard an international group of scientists, testing some new technology about time-travel or clairvoyance or some such. Seems the here-and-now is tough enough to deal with. But Charlie is perceptive and loyal, and prepared to respond to any threat.

Reese Clawson specializes in global risk analysis for an elite cadre of industry executives. She infiltrates Gabriella’s group and steals the perception-bending technology. Her aim is decidedly mercenary – to package and sell the ultimate information-gathering system to the highest bidder. Her head spins with possibilities – marketing, detective work, espionage. But something has gone wrong. Her test-subjects slide into a coma-like state. Reese scrambles to maintain control and stave-off the demands of her clients.

Charlie Hazard uncovers the theft and Reese Clawson’s intentions. Gabriella is faced with an impossible choice. Either she allows Clawson to undermine the fundamental paradigms of global security, or she finds a way to recapture the equipment. Surely another priority is to save the coma-bound subjects. Charlie steps forward to take on the challenge. He races against the clock, even as time and space twist in unexpected directions. He summons his battered courage to protect and rescue – in and out of the physical realm. But he remains keenly aware that….

What you don’t know can kill you.

I wish you every triumph in making a winning transition from creative project to

commercial success.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/27/16 12/27/16

Conquering The Beast: Creating an Overview That Works / Thomas Locke

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Then comes the hard part.

Start with the question, so what’s your story about? Imagine you are seated in a television studio, with a much-loved interviewer staring at you from the other side of their desk. They ask you that question. How do you respond? You have the live audience on the other side of the camera, and they’re genuinely eager for you to tell them what they’re going to go out and buy the very next day. Write out that paragraph. Then set it aside.

Accept that it is a gradual process. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this first effort is going to be your finished project. Creating the winning overview is done through trial and error. A few days later, write your first paragraph again. Keep a notebook just for the overview. If you’re like me, most of these early attempts are not going to fit. But gradually you come to terms with the key element to the successful structure, which is:

Your job is not to tell your story. Your goal is to SELL your story. At some point there will come that moment when you discover the amazing concept, the emotional foundation that fuels your quest to write this story. When that happens...

Focus on that silver thread. Usually this emotional punch will help you identify the key plot line and characters that drive the story. The entire overview must center upon this one element. This time, when you write the paragraph, you will discover that the entire concept is real in a new sense. The paragraph that results is often called the story’s hook.

Begin with the hook, end with the climax. Gradually you develop a story concept that was not there before. As a result, you will often perceive your story’s climax in a new light. Write this final paragraph next. Remember, you are not entering into a contract. You are not required to actually keep this climax. You are selling.

Develop a log-line. The log-line is a Hollywood term, signifying the one sentence or even just a phrase that shouts to the world: This is unique, this is great, come join me on this amazing ride. At some point during the writing of my overview, I will go to the movies and walk down the line of posters for coming attractions. I visualize my story up there as a poster, and sketch out ideas for what this log-line might be. My goal is to come up with two, and I place one at the beginning and another at the end of my overview. These help the editor sell the story to the pub board, and the sales staff place your book with buyers. Oftentimes they also appear on the book’s back cover.

Polish and distill. Only at this point do I begin to concern myself with length. Because I want my overview to work with Hollywood, I must limit myself to one page. It is very rare for anything longer to be considered by senior executives. If an overview gets that far up the food chain, a junior exec will trim the longer structures. I much prefer to do that myself.

Her goal was to shatter all boundaries.

That night, Professor Gabriella Speciale does something she has never done before. An Italian psychologist, she has spent five years studying the brainwave patterns of practitioners of deep meditation. She now intends to apply the latest electromagnetic techniques to stimulate similar brainwaves in ordinary subjects; those who have never practiced mental control. But her initial candidate reports something utterly unexpected. Then another. After the third research experiment, Gabriella decides to break with the demands of scientific objectivity. She must slip into the lab after-hours, and take her own trial run.

Gabriella seems to float on the edge of human consciousness. She senses a gradual separation from her physical form, frightening but also captivating. At one level she identifies the phenomenon as an out-of-body experience. These have been chronicled, and controversial, for centuries. Only now there is a difference. With a little tweaking, Gabriella finds a means to both control and direct the out-of-body experience. She seems to be omniscient – going anywhere, seeing everything. Has she, in effect, defied the laws of gravity, locality and time? As the lab comes back into focus, Gabriella is flush with exhilaration – and anxiety. She does not fully understand the ramifications – but something this big needs to be protected.

Charlie Hazard is a former security contractor who understands little about the human mind, but something about the human spirit. After his return from duty in Iraq, his ex-wife had labeled him “damaged goods.” At some level he agrees with her. Still, he is pleased to get the assignment from the laboratory. He is to guard an international group of scientists, testing some new technology about time-travel or clairvoyance or some such. Seems the here-and-now is tough enough to deal with. But Charlie is perceptive and loyal, and prepared to respond to any threat.

Reese Clawson specializes in global risk analysis for an elite cadre of industry executives. She infiltrates Gabriella’s group and steals the perception-bending technology. Her aim is decidedly mercenary – to package and sell the ultimate information-gathering system to the highest bidder. Her head spins with possibilities – marketing, detective work, espionage. But something has gone wrong. Her test-subjects slide into a coma-like state. Reese scrambles to maintain control and stave-off the demands of her clients.

Charlie Hazard uncovers the theft and Reese Clawson’s intentions. Gabriella is faced with an impossible choice. Either she allows Clawson to undermine the fundamental paradigms of global security, or she finds a way to recapture the equipment. Surely another priority is to save the coma-bound subjects. Charlie steps forward to take on the challenge. He races against the clock, even as time and space twist in unexpected directions. He summons his battered courage to protect and rescue – in and out of the physical realm. But he remains keenly aware that….

What you don’t know can kill you.

I wish you every triumph in making a winning transition from creative project to

commercial success.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/20/16 12/20/16

Three Lessons I’ve Learned as an Author / Robert Bailey

Sometimes the hardest part of writing is the very first word. Getting motivated and maintaining that creative energy is crucial to completing your novel. Writing for at least a few moments each day will help you to get into the rhythm of writing on a regular basis and make getting motivated to sit down and get to work that much easier. This weeks Killer Nashville guest blogger, Robert Bailey, discusses how to do just that.

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Ever since I read The Bobbsey Twins in the Country in the third grade, I have loved fiction. My first crack at writing my own stories was during my senior year at Davidson College when I took a creative writing class. However, crazily enough, my writing career did not begin in earnest until I had a vivid daydream during a particularly boring day of law school: What would happen if my professor actually had to try a case? It was very much a smart aleck idea at the time, but it became the spark for a story that would feature a longtime law professor at the University of Alabama who returns to the courtroom to try a case with a young former student.

Eight years, three re-writes and thirty-eight drafts of the last re-write later, I signed my first publishing contract. The Professor was originally published in January 2014 from Exhibit A Books, and a second edition was released by Thomas & Mercer in August 2015. This past March, the sequel, Between Black and White, was published by Thomas & Mercer, and I am currently working on a third title in the series. I have learned many lessons since I began writing the prologue to The Professor over a decade ago. Here are three of the most important:

It doesn’t get any easier. You would think with two published novels under my belt that the writing process would become easier, right? Wrong. If anything, the process is more challenging now because I recognize mistakes in the narrative quicker than when I began my first book many moons ago. My expectations are higher, and it is harder to build momentum. And…
Momentum is critical. When writing the first draft of a novel, doubts are inevitable. Is the main character engaging? Is the plot moving? Is the villain realistic? Are character descriptions consistent? With all of this second-guessing going on in your head, it is important to move the story, even if it is just a page or a measly paragraph. Force yourself to keep the accelerator pressed down. During the writing of the first draft of Between Black and White, I had to try a jury trial over in Tuscumbia, Alabama. I was away from home for most of two weeks and did not write a word. When I returned to the computer a few weeks later, the manuscript felt dry and stale. I had to re-read large chunks of it to get up to speed, and, after doing so, I wasn’t happy with the story. All total, that two-week break probably cost me two months time in completing the manuscript. Now, regardless of my trial schedule, my goal is always to…
Write every day. Not only is daily writing important in creating momentum, it also breeds confidence and harnesses talent. I call it being “oily.” When a pro golfer has played several tournaments in a row and his fingers have band aids on them from constant practice, playing the course becomes a process defined by execution that day. There are few jitters—only the round at hand. First tee nerves are lessened, because he is on the first tee all the time, four times a week, in competition. Contrast that with the golfer coming back from injury who hasn’t played any competitive tournaments: will she be as sharp as the player that has been on the course every day? Of course not. Writing is the same way, and it is a lesson I’ve learned the hard way. After finishing both The Professor andBetween Black and White, I rewarded myself with several weeks off writing. The only thing the time away from the craft accomplished was to make me rusty and restless. Trust me: the best time to start your next book is the day after you finish your last book.

Robert Bailey is the author of Between Black and White released on March 15, 2016 by Thomas & Mercer. His debut novel, “The Professor, won the 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award for legal thriller of the year and was an Amazon bestseller, spending several weeks at No. 1 in the legal thriller category. He lives in Huntsville, Ala., where he practices law with the firm of Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/20/16 12/20/16

Three Lessons I’ve Learned as an Author / Robert Bailey

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

It doesn’t get any easier. You would think with two published novels under my belt that the writing process would become easier, right? Wrong. If anything, the process is more challenging now because I recognize mistakes in the narrative quicker than when I began my first book many moons ago. My expectations are higher, and it is harder to build momentum. And…

Momentum is critical. When writing the first draft of a novel, doubts are inevitable. Is the main character engaging? Is the plot moving? Is the villain realistic? Are character descriptions consistent? With all of this second-guessing going on in your head, it is important to move the story, even if it is just a page or a measly paragraph. Force yourself to keep the accelerator pressed down. During the writing of the first draft of Between Black and White, I had to try a jury trial over in Tuscumbia, Alabama. I was away from home for most of two weeks and did not write a word. When I returned to the computer a few weeks later, the manuscript felt dry and stale. I had to re-read large chunks of it to get up to speed, and, after doing so, I wasn’t happy with the story. All total, that two-week break probably cost me two months time in completing the manuscript. Now, regardless of my trial schedule, my goal is always to…

Write every day. Not only is daily writing important in creating momentum, it also breeds confidence and harnesses talent. I call it being “oily.” When a pro golfer has played several tournaments in a row and his fingers have band aids on them from constant practice, playing the course becomes a process defined by execution that day. There are few jitters—only the round at hand. First tee nerves are lessened, because he is on the first tee all the time, four times a week, in competition. Contrast that with the golfer coming back from injury who hasn’t played any competitive tournaments: will she be as sharp as the player that has been on the course every day? Of course not. Writing is the same way, and it is a lesson I’ve learned the hard way. After finishing both The Professor and Between Black and White, I rewarded myself with several weeks off writing. The only thing the time away from the craft accomplished was to make me rusty and restless. Trust me: the best time to start your next book is the day after you finish your last book.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/20/16 12/20/16

Three Lessons I’ve Learned as an Author / Robert Bailey

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

It doesn’t get any easier. You would think with two published novels under my belt that the writing process would become easier, right? Wrong. If anything, the process is more challenging now because I recognize mistakes in the narrative quicker than when I began my first book many moons ago. My expectations are higher, and it is harder to build momentum. And…

Momentum is critical. When writing the first draft of a novel, doubts are inevitable. Is the main character engaging? Is the plot moving? Is the villain realistic? Are character descriptions consistent? With all of this second-guessing going on in your head, it is important to move the story, even if it is just a page or a measly paragraph. Force yourself to keep the accelerator pressed down. During the writing of the first draft of Between Black and White, I had to try a jury trial over in Tuscumbia, Alabama. I was away from home for most of two weeks and did not write a word. When I returned to the computer a few weeks later, the manuscript felt dry and stale. I had to re-read large chunks of it to get up to speed, and, after doing so, I wasn’t happy with the story. All total, that two-week break probably cost me two months time in completing the manuscript. Now, regardless of my trial schedule, my goal is always to…

Write every day. Not only is daily writing important in creating momentum, it also breeds confidence and harnesses talent. I call it being “oily.” When a pro golfer has played several tournaments in a row and his fingers have band aids on them from constant practice, playing the course becomes a process defined by execution that day. There are few jitters—only the round at hand. First tee nerves are lessened, because he is on the first tee all the time, four times a week, in competition. Contrast that with the golfer coming back from injury who hasn’t played any competitive tournaments: will she be as sharp as the player that has been on the course every day? Of course not. Writing is the same way, and it is a lesson I’ve learned the hard way. After finishing both The Professor and Between Black and White, I rewarded myself with several weeks off writing. The only thing the time away from the craft accomplished was to make me rusty and restless. Trust me: the best time to start your next book is the day after you finish your last book.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/13/16 12/13/16

Why not you? The best lessons I’ve learned as a writer / Julia McDermott

As writers, one of our most valuable resources are our fellow writers. It's what makes conferences, like Killer Nashville, so beneficial. While technical knowledge is crucial, whats just as important is staying motivated and having a positive state of mind. This weeks Killer Nashville guest blogger, Julia McDermott, discusses how you can learn from your mistakes, stay motivated, and better yourself while you learn the craft of writing.

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

The same year that quarterback Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl (2014), I signed a publishing contract for my first suspense novel, Underwater. Wilson, a “short” quarterback by NFL standards, famously quoted his dad as inspiring him by asking, “Why not you?” When the acquisitions editor at a major mystery/thriller imprint discovered my self-published novel and approached me with an offer, I was surprised and thrilled. Then I thought, “Why not me?”

Years earlier, I sat down to write the first page, and I’m still learning the craft of writing. But I’ve learned some lessons along the way:

To keep focused. To work every day. That, as Woody Allen said, 80 percent of success is just showing up. So I show up even when it’s hard. If I don’t write, I work on plot or characters, do research, or just revise what I wrote yesterday. No matter what, though, I stay focused on my work in progress.

To remember the most important ingredient in my story: conflict. Bad things happening. Personally, I don’t like confrontation, but professionally, I need it. Some people have a hard time getting along with others, and in maintaining relationships. Those people inspire characters in my novels. In Underwater, that character was Monty, the villain; in Daddy’s Girl, my latest suspense novel, it was Valerie, the protagonist.

To be humble. To throw out whatever doesn’t work. To change characters’ ages, personalities, backstories, etc. To understand what readers liked about my last book, and what they didn’t like. And to discard the elements that fell short or disappointed.

To try new things–and when they work, to stick with them. I joined writers critique groups and organizations, and other groups where I might meet readers, artists, or other authors. I accepted invitations to speak to groups about my books, and I got active on social media. I asked bookstores and merchants to host me to do book signings. The best part about them is serendipity, not sales. At a signing in Roswell, Georgia, last spring, I struck up a conversation with AJC sports writer Jeff Schultz after he bought one of my books. Weeks later, I was talking to his friend, AJC editor Suzanne van Atten, about writing a “Personal Journey” article for a Sunday edition of the paper. It was published on July 10, 2016.

To remember that my book is a product. I want people to buy my content–flock to my content–in whatever format they want to read it in. I want them to like it so much that they tell all their friends about it so they will buy it, too. But it’s not as much about the money as it is the readers.

That whether I submit my work to traditional publishers, self-publish, or do both (and I have), to make sure I’m proud of my work. But to be open to my editor’s comments, to trust her, and to make all the necessary changes.

To get my log lines down and to keep it short. I served on a panel once where an author was asked for the log line for her first and only book. She uttered a rambling, run-on sentence that was more a paragraph than a line. When she was done, I blurted out, “That’s a long log line!” Here’s my log line for Daddy’s Girl: A spoiled, entitled princess risks it all to join a technology startup, loses it all, and then embarks on a mission of revenge and retribution. Here’s my two-sentence one, for Underwater: An Atlanta CEO is guilted into funding an expensive spec home by her devious brother, who plans to flip it. Then the market plunges and sends the family into a downward spiral of deceit and danger.

That “authors look like normal people, but aren’t,” according to one of my readers at a book festival. I dress for the job, and for me, that’s usually a dress or something nice. For others, it may be more casual. I met author Grant Jerkins at a multi-author reading I was invited to participate in last summer, and before the event began, I spied him perusing my books. I didn’t know who he was. I spoke to him as if he were a potential buyer, and judged him based on his clothing, which was casual. When he got up to read as the final author, he brought the house down with his phenomenal, funny story. He may have looked like a normal person, but he isn’t. He’s a talented author.

Not to pay attention to negativity or indifference. Maybe some people doubted whether you could even write a book. Maybe they discounted your accomplishments, or weren’t impressed when you got your first book deal. Maybe they didn’t read your book, or only skimmed it. Maybe they scoffed at the fact that writing a book takes work and time. Some of the above has happened to me. But I pushed through it and didn’t pay attention. I’ve learned to gravitate to those who are supportive and to disregard the rest.

I’ve got more to learn, and I’m drawn to others who will share what they know. I met Georgia author Terry Kay at a literary festival that we both participated in, and he’s become a mentor to me. I’m committed to challenging myself as a writer, and to producing my best work. And I keep asking myself, “Why not me?”

Julia McDermott is the author of psychological thrillers Daddy’s Girl and Underwater, French travel/romance Make That Deux, and creative nonfiction All the Above: My Son’s Battle with Brain Cancer, awarded Finalist - 2016 Georgia Author of the Year Award. Underwater was a Nominee for the 2015 GAYA, and for the 2014 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award. Julia grew up in Atlanta, graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and spent her junior year in the south of France. A member of Sisters in Crime and the Atlanta Writers Club, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and family. Visit her online at juliamcdermottbooks.com

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/13/16 12/13/16

Why not you? The best lessons I’ve learned as a writer / Julia McDermott

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

The same year that quarterback Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl (2014), I signed a publishing contract for my first suspense novel, Underwater. Wilson, a “short” quarterback by NFL standards, famously quoted his dad as inspiring him by asking, “Why not you?” When the acquisitions editor at a major mystery/thriller imprint discovered my self-published novel and approached me with an offer, I was surprised and thrilled. Then I thought, “Why not me?”

Years earlier, I sat down to write the first page, and I’m still learning the craft of writing. But I’ve learned some lessons along the way:

To keep focused. To work every day. That, as Woody Allen said, 80 percent of success is just showing up. So I show up even when it’s hard. If I don’t write, I work on plot or characters, do research, or just revise what I wrote yesterday. No matter what, though, I stay focused on my work in progress.

To remember the most important ingredient in my story: conflict. Bad things happening. Personally, I don’t like confrontation, but professionally, I need it. Some people have a hard time getting along with others, and in maintaining relationships. Those people inspire characters in my novels. In Underwater, that character was Monty, the villain; in Daddy’s Girl, my latest suspense novel, it was Valerie, the protagonist.

To be humble. To throw out whatever doesn’t work. To change characters’ ages, personalities, backstories, etc. To understand what readers liked about my last book, and what they didn’t like. And to discard the elements that fell short or disappointed.

To try new things–and when they work, to stick with them. I joined writers critique groups and organizations, and other groups where I might meet readers, artists, or other authors. I accepted invitations to speak to groups about my books, and I got active on social media. I asked bookstores and merchants to host me to do book signings. The best part about them is serendipity, not sales. At a signing in Roswell, Georgia, last spring, I struck up a conversation with AJC sports writer Jeff Schultz after he bought one of my books. Weeks later, I was talking to his friend, AJC editor Suzanne van Atten, about writing a “Personal Journey” article for a Sunday edition of the paper. It was published on July 10, 2016.

To remember that my book is a product. I want people to buy my content–flock to my content–in whatever format they want to read it in. I want them to like it so much that they tell all their friends about it so they will buy it, too. But it’s not as much about the money as it is the readers.

That whether I submit my work to traditional publishers, self-publish, or do both (and I have), to make sure I’m proud of my work. But to be open to my editor’s comments, to trust her, and to make all the necessary changes.

To get my log lines down and to keep it short. I served on a panel once where an author was asked for the log line for her first and only book. She uttered a rambling, run-on sentence that was more a paragraph than a line. When she was done, I blurted out, “That’s a long log line!” Here’s my log line for Daddy’s Girl: A spoiled, entitled princess risks it all to join a technology startup, loses it all, and then embarks on a mission of revenge and retribution. Here’s my two-sentence one, for Underwater: An Atlanta CEO is guilted into funding an expensive spec home by her devious brother, who plans to flip it. Then the market plunges and sends the family into a downward spiral of deceit and danger.

That “authors look like normal people, but aren’t,” according to one of my readers at a book festival. I dress for the job, and for me, that’s usually a dress or something nice. For others, it may be more casual. I met author Grant Jerkins at a multi-author reading I was invited to participate in last summer, and before the event began, I spied him perusing my books. I didn’t know who he was. I spoke to him as if he were a potential buyer, and judged him based on his clothing, which was casual. When he got up to read as the final author, he brought the house down with his phenomenal, funny story. He may have looked like a normal person, but he isn’t. He’s a talented author.

Not to pay attention to negativity or indifference. Maybe some people doubted whether you could even write a book. Maybe they discounted your accomplishments, or weren’t impressed when you got your first book deal. Maybe they didn’t read your book, or only skimmed it. Maybe they scoffed at the fact that writing a book takes work and time. Some of the above has happened to me. But I pushed through it and didn’t pay attention. I’ve learned to gravitate to those who are supportive and to disregard the rest.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/13/16 12/13/16

Why not you? The best lessons I’ve learned as a writer / Julia McDermott

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Years earlier, I sat down to write the first page, and I’m still learning the craft of writing. But I’ve learned some lessons along the way:

To keep focused. To work every day. That, as Woody Allen said, 80 percent of success is just showing up. So I show up even when it’s hard. If I don’t write, I work on plot or characters, do research, or just revise what I wrote yesterday. No matter what, though, I stay focused on my work in progress.

To remember the most important ingredient in my story: conflict. Bad things happening. Personally, I don’t like confrontation, but professionally, I need it. Some people have a hard time getting along with others, and in maintaining relationships. Those people inspire characters in my novels. In Underwater, that character was Monty, the villain; in Daddy’s Girl, my latest suspense novel, it was Valerie, the protagonist.

To be humble. To throw out whatever doesn’t work. To change characters’ ages, personalities, backstories, etc. To understand what readers liked about my last book, and what they didn’t like. And to discard the elements that fell short or disappointed.

To try new things–and when they work, to stick with them. I joined writers critique groups and organizations, and other groups where I might meet readers, artists, or other authors. I accepted invitations to speak to groups about my books, and I got active on social media. I asked bookstores and merchants to host me to do book signings. The best part about them is serendipity, not sales. At a signing in Roswell, Georgia, last spring, I struck up a conversation with AJC sports writer Jeff Schultz after he bought one of my books. Weeks later, I was talking to his friend, AJC editor Suzanne van Atten, about writing a “Personal Journey” article for a Sunday edition of the paper. It was published on July 10, 2016.

To remember that my book is a product. I want people to buy my content–flock to my content–in whatever format they want to read it in. I want them to like it so much that they tell all their friends about it so they will buy it, too. But it’s not as much about the money as it is the readers.

That whether I submit my work to traditional publishers, self-publish, or do both (and I have), to make sure I’m proud of my work. But to be open to my editor’s comments, to trust her, and to make all the necessary changes.

To get my log lines down and to keep it short. I served on a panel once where an author was asked for the log line for her first and only book. She uttered a rambling, run-on sentence that was more a paragraph than a line. When she was done, I blurted out, “That’s a long log line!” Here’s my log line for Daddy’s Girl: A spoiled, entitled princess risks it all to join a technology startup, loses it all, and then embarks on a mission of revenge and retribution. Here’s my two-sentence one, for Underwater: An Atlanta CEO is guilted into funding an expensive spec home by her devious brother, who plans to flip it. Then the market plunges and sends the family into a downward spiral of deceit and danger.

That “authors look like normal people, but aren’t,” according to one of my readers at a book festival. I dress for the job, and for me, that’s usually a dress or something nice. For others, it may be more casual. I met author Grant Jerkins at a multi-author reading I was invited to participate in last summer, and before the event began, I spied him perusing my books. I didn’t know who he was. I spoke to him as if he were a potential buyer, and judged him based on his clothing, which was casual. When he got up to read as the final author, he brought the house down with his phenomenal, funny story. He may have looked like a normal person, but he isn’t. He’s a talented author.

Not to pay attention to negativity or indifference. Maybe some people doubted whether you could even write a book. Maybe they discounted your accomplishments, or weren’t impressed when you got your first book deal. Maybe they didn’t read your book, or only skimmed it. Maybe they scoffed at the fact that writing a book takes work and time. Some of the above has happened to me. But I pushed through it and didn’t pay attention. I’ve learned to gravitate to those who are supportive and to disregard the rest.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Arthur Jackson, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/6/16 12/6/16

Writing Believable, Accurate Legal Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers / Christina Morgan

When writing a legal thriller, few things are more important than keeping the reader immersed in the story, and nothing can break immersion faster than inaccurate statements presented as truths. In this week’s Killer Nashville guest blog, author Christina Morgan discusses how to make sure your legal thriller is both believable and fast-paced, and she does precisely that in her Flesh and Blood Trilogy. Following these tips and tricks will ensure that your reader truly believes that what they are reading is possible.

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

Writing Believable, Accurate Legal Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers

By Christina Morgan

On television crime dramas, DNA comes back in three minutes, crimes are solved in less than forty-two minutes, and defendants always buckle under the pressure of the prosecutor’s ceaseless and dogged examination, melt down, and confess to everything right there on the stand in front of judge and jury. While I can find entertainment value in these types of shows, I often want to hurl my remote at the television. Why? Because none of it is real, and they are very rarely an accurate portrayal of the judicial system and how it works. As a legal professional myself, it’s beyond frustrating.

So, if you’re planning on writing a novel with a protagonist who works in the legal field and/or where a majority of the plot revolves around the justice system, it is imperative you get the facts right. Not only will members of the legal community know you’ve got it all wrong, but even lay readers will be able to tell you didn’t bother to learn about you character’s chosen profession. This will ruin your credibility as an author and you want to avoid this no matter what it takes.

If you’re wondering if there’s a market for legal thrillers, I have a prime case study which proves legal thrillers can make a killing (pun intended). John Grisham has sold over 250 million books, makes an average of $20 million per year, and his net worth is a whopping $220 million[1].

So what does it take to write such prolific legal thrillers? Talent. Practice. Determination. Research. First, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably already determined you have the talent to write great fiction. And if you’re doing it right, you’ve been practicing and honing your craft for quite a while. You must be determined to never give up and to keep on keeping on, even when the going gets tough. And finally, by research, I don’t just mean perusing the internet and reading Wikipedia (though there is a wealth of information out there in cyber space and you can learn quite a bit). I’m referring to actual, hands-on, in-person research. By this, I mean find yourself an attorney willing to answer all of your questions and tell you exactly what you need to know to pull off a convincing legal thriller. If you don’t already know one, call your city’s Bar Association. Tell them you’re an author seeking advice and/or information to assist in writing your novel. Tell them what field of law your character works in (criminal, civil, etc.) and they will almost always find one for you.

Now that you’ve found your attorney partner in crime, make a list of questions to ask them. Make sure your list includes procedural questions as well as substantive law questions. If you’re unclear on the difference, procedural would include legal how-to’s such as: how would my attorney protagonist file an appeal in a death penalty case; how would he/she conduct themselves at trial; how does a grand jury work, etc. Substantive law would include questions such as: what is the law on appeals; are wiretaps illegal in this state; what is the statute of limitations on armed robbery, etc.

Further, I advise that you ask your new attorney friend for a copy of a deposition transcript (redacted, of course). You will learn a lot from a deposition, including how objections really work, as well as legal terminology, and attorney lingo. Even better, call your local court clerk and ask when the next civil or criminal trial will be held. Trials are open to the public so you could sit in the gallery and take extensive notes on everything you hear and observe. I truly believe this is the best way to learn how the legal system works.

When I was writing my Flesh and Blood Trilogy (especially book one, Like Father, Like Daughter), I chose to have my protagonist work as a paralegal because with almost twenty years of experience as a paralegal myself, I felt I could write a convincing novel with believable characters and a compelling legal subplot. But even with my extensive experience, there were still things I was unsure about, so I leaned on my attorney buddies, court clerks, and judges to cross all my T’s and dot all my I’s.

Legal thrillers are fun, fast-paced, exciting reads, even for people not “in the industry.” You want to do your characters and your novel justice so the reader truly believes what they are reading is correct and possible. You don’t want to have any glaring errors. That could kill your book. So take your time, learn the biz, and get to work. Your readers will thank you.

Christina Morgan is the author of The Flesh & Blood Trilogy (Like Father, Like Daughter/Family Ties/Brother’s Keeper) and Confessions of an Old Lady. She lives in Nicholasville, Kentucky with her husband and two teenage daughters, three dogs (one of which is blind and has only three legs), and three cats (one of which is still relatively feral.) To learn more about Christina and her books, please visit her website at www.christinamorganbooks.com

[1] Source - http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/authors/john-grisham-net-worth/

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Jessica Crone, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/6/16 12/6/16

Writing Believable, Accurate Legal Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers / Christina Morgan

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

knphoto-morgan

Writing Believable, Accurate Legal Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers
By Christina Morgan

When I was writing my Flesh and Blood Trilogy (especially book one, kncover-morgan Like Father, Like Daughter), I chose to have my protagonist work as a paralegal because with almost twenty years of experience as a paralegal myself, I felt I could write a convincing novel with believable characters and a compelling legal subplot. But even with my extensive experience, there were still things I was unsure about, so I leaned on my attorney buddies, court clerks, and judges to cross all my T’s and dot all my I’s.

Christina Morgan is the author of The Flesh & Blood Trilogy (Like Father, Like Daughter/Family Ties/Brother’s Keeper) and Confessions of an Old Lady. She lives in Nicholasville, Kentucky with her husband and two teenage daughters, three dogs (one of which is blind and has only three legs), and three cats (one of which is still relatively feral.) To learn more about Christina and her books, please visit her website at www.christinamorganbooks.com

[1] Source - http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/authors/john-grisham-net-worth/

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Jessica Crone, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

12/6/16 12/6/16

Writing Believable, Accurate Legal Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers / Christina Morgan

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

knphoto-morgan

Writing Believable, Accurate Legal Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers
By Christina Morgan

[1] Source - http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/authors/john-grisham-net-worth/

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Jessica Crone, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

11/29/16 11/29/16

First Page Punch / Lynette Eason

When writing a mystery or a thriller, writers strive to have the reader on the edge of their seat, eager to turn the page and learn more. According to this week's Killer Nashville guest blog author Lynette Eason, it's crucial to have that engagement with the reader from page one. Eason immediately drops the reader into nail-biting action, as shown in her most recent work, A Killer Among Us, When A Heart Stops, and Without Warning. With these tips and tricks, learn how to engage your reader from the opening page and have them struggling to put your book down.

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

First Page Punch

By Lynette Eason

As a writer, I’m deathly afraid of writing a book that a reader is going to pick up, read the first page, and be bored to death. Keeping that fear in mind as I write, my first goal is to immediately engage the reader in the story. That’s where the First Page Punch comes in. (Yes, I made that up.) What I mean by this is, my first scene starts off with action. And I don’t mean boring action.

You don’t necessarily have to have a car chase with bullets flying and bodies dropping, although that’s great if you do, but you do need to have something happening. Save the backstory and introspection for later.

For example, in my books, nobody is driving into town thinking what a wonderful family reunion she’s going to have and no one is sitting on the front porch pondering life and drinking sweet tea—unless he’s a serial killer and he’s just worked up a thirst, you know what I mean?

Here’s one of my first page openings. In A Killer Among Us, I open the story with a hostage situation. Detective Kit Kenyon is trained in hostage negotiation and is trying to talk the hostage taker into giving up. Here’s how the story opens:

Detective Kit Kenyon stared past the barrel of the gun and fixed her eyes on the man before her.

The forty-four-year-old blinked against the sweat dripping into his hazy green eyes. A thick tongue swept out against dry lips, and his gaze darted from her to the door to his wife, who sat on the floor under the window weeping softly.

Melanie, his twelve-year-old daughter, winced at the harsh hand ensnaring her long brown ponytail and never took her terrified gaze from Kit.

“Virgil?” Kit pushed gently. “Right now you haven’t hurt anyone. In fact, you’ve cooperated nicely.” Except for the part where she’d asked him to end this peacefully.

But they were getting there.

“I’ve got a clean shot.” The voice whispered in her earpiece.

Another example of a First Page Punch would be in my book, When A Heart Stops:

If she moved, would she die? Serena Hopkins kept her eyes shut and lay as still as possible in the king-size bed, doing her best to keep her breathing even.

Which was becoming more impossible by the second.

As her fear increased, so did the rate of her heartbeat and respirations.

Was he still there?

A slight rustle to her left answered that question.

I’ve given you two examples. Do you think if you picked up either book in your local bookstore and scanned the first page, you’d want to read more? If you said no, I’m not writing this post for you. If you said yes, why? Because I’ve dropped you right into the danger, right? I’ve given you someone to care about, someone who’s in trouble and needs help.

These two opening pages set the tone for the story. The reader doesn’t know the characters yet, but usually if someone innocent such as the twelve-year-old girl in example one is in danger, we’re rooting for her and the people trying to help her, right?

In example two, we have a woman who is in danger from an intruder. Our first instinct is to hope the intruder doesn’t discover that she’s awake and if he does, we hope that she’ll be unharmed. At least I hope that’s your first instinct!

All that to say, as an avid reader, I remember picking up books, reading the first page and going, “meh” and tossing the book aside.

Some authors may argue that their story gets better as you get into it. My response to them is that they should start the story where it starts to get better. Seriously. Ditch all the other stuff before it. The reader who picks up the book then tosses it aside because she can’t get past the first chapter isn’t going to know she should keep reading because things get interesting in chapter eight. Things have to be interesting on page one.

When I decided to write, I studied the craft, I attended writer’s conferences and I knew that I wanted to write stories that kept readers on the edge of their seats. In order to that, I had to keep them turning the pages. The best way to do this is to grab those readers on the first page and keep it going from there.

All the best with your writing as you deliver a powerful punch right on the first page!

Without Warning is the second book in the Elite Guardians Series. If you read it, I hope you’re immediately hooked and lose lots of sleep because you can’t put the book down!

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the WOMEN OF JUSTICE series, the DEADLY REUNIONS series, and the HIDDEN IDENTITY series, as well as Always Watching in the ELITE GUARDIANS series. She is the winner of an ACFW Carol Award, a Selah Award, and an Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award. She has a master’s degree in education from Converse College, and she lives in South Carolina. To learn more about Eason and her work, visit her website here.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Jonathan Nash, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

11/29/16 11/29/16

First Page Punch / Lynette Eason

Happy reading!

Clay Stafford
Founder Killer Nashville
Publisher / Editorial Director Killer Nashville Magazine

First Page Punch
By Lynette Eason

Detective Kit Kenyon stared past the barrel of the gun and fixed her eyes on the man before her.

Melanie, his twelve-year-old daughter, winced at the harsh hand ensnaring her long brown ponytail and never took her terrified gaze from Kit.

“Virgil?” Kit pushed gently. “Right now you haven’t hurt anyone. In fact, you’ve cooperated nicely.” Except for the part where she’d asked him to end this peacefully.

But they were getting there.

“I’ve got a clean shot.” The voice whispered in her earpiece.

Another example of a First Page Punch would be in my book, When A Heart Stops:

If she moved, would she die? Serena Hopkins kept her eyes shut and lay as still as possible in the king-size bed, doing her best to keep her breathing even.

Which was becoming more impossible by the second.

As her fear increased, so did the rate of her heartbeat and respirations.

Was he still there?

A slight rustle to her left answered that question.

All that to say, as an avid reader, I remember picking up books, reading the first page and going, “meh” and tossing the book aside.

When I decided to write, I studied the craft, I kncover-eason attended writer’s conferences and I knew that I wanted to write stories that kept readers on the edge of their seats. In order to that, I had to keep them turning the pages. The best way to do this is to grab those readers on the first page and keep it going from there.

All the best with your writing as you deliver a powerful punch right on the first page!

Without Warning is the second book in the Elite Guardians Series. If you read it, I hope you’re immediately hooked and lose lots of sleep because you can’t put the book down!

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

Thanks to Tom Wood, Jonathan Nash, and publisher/editorial director Clay Stafford for their assistance in putting together this week’s blog.

For more writer resources, visit us at www.KillerNashville.com, www.KillerNashvilleMagazine.com, and www.KillerNashvilleBookCon.com.

And be sure to check out our new book, Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, an anthology of original short stories by New York Times bestselling authors and newbies alike.

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KN Magazine: Articles

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun / Shannon Baker and Jess Lourey

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun / Shannon Baker and Jess Lourey

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun / Shannon Baker and Jess Lourey

Mastering the 5-Minute Pitch: 10 Tips for Giving a Great Book Talk / Liz Lazarus

Mastering the 5-Minute Pitch: 10 Tips for Giving a Great Book Talk / Liz Lazarus

Mastering the 5-Minute Pitch: 10 Tips for Giving a Great Book Talk / Liz Lazarus

Conquering The Beast: Creating an Overview That Works / Thomas Locke

Conquering The Beast: Creating an Overview That Works / Thomas Locke

Conquering The Beast: Creating an Overview That Works / Thomas Locke

Three Lessons I’ve Learned as an Author / Robert Bailey

Three Lessons I’ve Learned as an Author / Robert Bailey

Three Lessons I’ve Learned as an Author / Robert Bailey

Why not you? The best lessons I’ve learned as a writer / Julia McDermott

Why not you? The best lessons I’ve learned as a writer / Julia McDermott

Why not you? The best lessons I’ve learned as a writer / Julia McDermott

Writing Believable, Accurate Legal Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers / Christina Morgan

Writing Believable, Accurate Legal Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers / Christina Morgan

Writing Believable, Accurate Legal Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers / Christina Morgan

First Page Punch / Lynette Eason

First Page Punch / Lynette Eason

Submit Your Writing to KN Magazine

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