All posts tagged: literary thriller

Wednesdays with Writers: Janelle Brown on salty snacks and trashy magazines, writing everyday while her kids are at school; identity, the dark side of motherhood, how the ending of WATCH ME DISAPPEAR was changed three times, & so much more

By Leslie Lindsay  Tantalizing and twisty, this literary suspense is a clever meditation on what it means to be a family, to really know someone.  Billie (Sybilla) Flanagan, a beautiful, charismatic Berkeley mom goes on a solo hike in the Desolation Wilderness never to return. It’s been a year and…where is she? Picking up the pieces are her husband and 16 year-old daughter, Olive who are seeking a death certificate as she is now presumed dead (all that’s found of her is a lone hiking boot). Olive and Jonathan do the best they can, but they are shattered, confused, broken. Jonathan is a writer attempting a loving memoir about his wife and death, Olive attends a prestigious all-girls prep school. But then Olive starts having visions/hallucinations/waking dreams of her mother. Jonathan’s concerned about her emotional stability and schleps her to doctors trying to find the source of the problem. But secrets from Billie’s past surface, leading both Jonathan and Olive the person they once shared a life with.  Together–and somewhat reluctantly–Jonathan and Olive embark on a quest to discover …

Writers on Wednesday: Bestselling author John Hart talks about REDEMPTION ROAD, writing a female protagonist for the first time, the gritty South, finding zen on the farm, & how writing allows us the ability to explore things we love and loathe.

By Leslie Lindsay  Since 2011, when his last New York Times bestseller, IRON HOUSE, shot out of the gate, gripping readers and winning resounding praise, fans around the world have been waiting. Five years later, phenomenal storyteller John Hart returns with his dark, gritty Southern fiction with a literary slant aptly titled, REDEMPTION ROAD (St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books, May 3 2016). Trust me, if you want to feel as if you’re in the hands of a seasoned pro, get REDEMPTION ROAD, revel in it, and then wish you could write like that (or at least see all story elements that you’re sure to miss the first time around); the man can flat-out write. Set in small town North Carolina, REDEMPTION ROAD is all about tortured souls, traumatized children, corrupt law enforcers, and a serial killer. Toss in a little religious undercurrent, and it’s very emotionally charged powerhouse of a novel that will leave your head spinning. There’s so much going on in REDEMPTION ROAD, it’s challenging to summarize, but that’s the sign of a …

Write On, Wednesday: Debut Literary Thriller Author Laura McHugh!

By Leslie Lindsay I am absolutely, 100% thrilled to welcome Laura McHugh, debut author from my home state of Missouri! “Show Me Girls” (and boys; see Matt Wertz’s interview on song writing) have gotta stick together…kind of like family, as they do in Laura’s new release THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD. This literary thriller will knock your  socks off with the carefully crafted sentences, attention to detail, and the family saga McHugh deftly weaves throughout the pages. [Be sure to check out the end of the interview for a chance to WIN a complimentary copy of the book!] A busy mom of two young daughters, a background in library science, and stellar reviews from prominent authors, Laura seems to have it made. But I am guessing it wasn’t an overnight success. Laura, can you tell us how you went from idea to published book? Time involved? Critique Groups? Agents? However your journey unfolded… Laura McHugh: I decided to write The Weight of Blood after I lost my job, and my goal was to finish the first …