Yearly Archives: 2024

What Makes a Thriller, a Thriller?

Posted on by December 1, 2024

“Makes a living by travelling, talking a lot and sometimes writing stuff down. Galericulate author, polymath and occasional smarty-pants.”

John Dolan hails from a small town in the North-East of England. Before turning to writing, his career encompassed law and finance. He has run businesses in Europe, South and Central America, Africa and Asia. He and his wife, Fiona, currently divide their time between Thailand and the UK.

He is the author of the Time, Blood and Karma; Children of Karma; and Crimes of Inhumanity mystery/thriller series featuring PI David Braddock. John’s latest David Braddock PI novel, For the Hell of It, has just been published, and is available on Amazon worldwide in Kindle and paperback formats.

Sometimes, I get asked the question, “How do you go about writing a thriller novel?” (Though I also get asked, “What made you think that style of haircut was a good idea?” and, “Do you happen to have a spare cigarette on you?” But I digress.)

The thriller genre does have a number of specific elements – ‘rules’, one might say – although these are more fluid than you might think. We’ll come onto that in a minute.

Most folks would probably agree, however, that a thriller requires suspense and tension, twists and turns, and a certain amount of conflict built into the narrative. There must be something important at stake, and characters are often flawed, but at least some of them must be relatable, or interest is soon lost, no matter how compelling the plot is. Moreover, there needs to be a steady build-up of dread/excitement as the narrative progresses, and some kind of credible end resolution.

So far, so obvious.

However, when you examine the components of a good mystery novel, the above list would be rather similar. While the solving of a problem/crime tends to take centre stage in a mystery, and danger is at the forefront in a thriller, the other characteristics can blur together – especially in novels where there is a real depth of characterisation and the narrative has psychological ‘layers’ to it.

But then, how strictly do most writers follow the rules (whatever they are) anyway? For sure, we are all familiar with those authors who write to a formula; and there is nothing wrong with that. Many readers enjoy the comfort of knowing what they are committing to – this seems to me to be especially evident in the ‘cozy mystery’ format.

But I always struggle with which box to put each of my David Braddock PI novels into. Are they mysteries? Well, certainly there are puzzles to be solved. But is there tension and danger? Well, yeah, if I’ve done my job correctly. So, I tend to label each one according to which element shouts the loudest. Indeed, my Braddock novel A Poison Tree hovers on the border of literary fiction – mainly thanks to all the pretentious vocabulary I slipped into it. The danger of this, of course, is that I disappoint both thriller and mystery afficionados. In this, I’d like to think my books are unique. (He smiles wanly and takes off his Panama hat.)

In fact, I suspect there are a number of authors who struggle with the idea of which tyrannical marketing shelf their novel should sit on. Because, in the end, unless we are outright plagiarists, we write stories. They come ultimately (and sometimes unbidden) from our subconscious. They are informed by books we have read, or movies/TV programmes we have seen, by people we have encountered, and experiences that have left a mark on us. Our subconscious doesn’t work in terms of marketing labels. It roams free. The brain is a kluge. At least, mine is, as my long-suffering wife Fiona will testify.

So, the answer to the question, “How does one write a thriller?” is that one doesn’t. Not unless one is writing to a well-worn formula. Otherwise, one sits down for weeks/months at a laptop to capture a narrative that the little person at the back of one’s head has devised, and hopes that the efforts will attract an audience.

Yeah, I’m being pompous, of course. A tad. I blame society and my parents for that. It can’t be my fault, surely?

By the way, if you haven’t needed to Google what a ‘kluge’ is, congratulations. I might want to employ you as an editor in the future.

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WHAT THE YEARS REMEMBER: My Latest Release

Posted on by October 20, 2024

It’s not uncommon for people to ask me how I go about writing a book. Where do I begin? Do I have a thousand ideas? How long does it take? How many drafts do I do? How do I choose what to write? Is it hard?

Those questions, which I’m guessing many writer friends have heard (and many more), aren’t always the same. For me, every book is a different experience, and while I give my all to everything I write, each book has its unique challenges. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I keep raising the bar for myself. Let me explain.

When I wrote Hotel Obscure: A Collection of Short Stories, it was my first book of short stories, but they weren’t disparate. They all took place in the same location—with characters often appearing in multiple stories.


Because I finished that, I decided to write The Waiting House: A Novel in Stories, a book in which separate stories all become part of an overall story arc. Never thought I’d get through that one, but I did it.


In Twice a Broken Breath, my suspense thriller set in New York City, I wrote the entire novel in a male voice. For whatever reason, that book was kind to me, and while every book has its major road blocks, I always knew I’d see the finish line.

My new book, What the Years Remember, is a suspense/psychological drama novel that’s also set in New York City. In fact, some of the characters from Twice a Broken Breath play a supporting role in this story. But this book, as I not so affectionately called it as I wrote, was “the brain breaker.” How did I raise the bar for myself here? First, this novel has multiple narrators—something also almost new to me. And I didn’t expect to weave such a dense fabric. So many threads!

In fact, What the Years Remember took a long time to initially take shape. I had several vague, but related ideas, and while they sounded good in a few sentences, I knew they weren’t ideas that I could effectively or passionately write. I didn’t think the ideas that plagued me for months would ever take shape. Until one did. And I wrote, and wrote, and wrote. This book had a lot of threads to tie together, but I kept finding more.

I’ve lost count of the number of drafts I did. At least twelve. This book underwent major surgery multiple times. But finally, the “patient” was as well as this doctor of words could make it. I got to know the characters in ways I hadn’t imagined. Their secrets, which might have stayed hidden had I not persevered, revealed themselves.


Here’s the blurb:

Growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley, fraternal twins Amber and Jade were always different. Amber, somewhat shy and affable, is a happy, well-liked child. Jade, often angry, laments from an early age that others have what she covets. As the girls grow up, Jade’s jealousy escalates. Dangerously so.

At sixteen, enraged by their classmate Michael’s affection for Amber, Jade lures her sister to an abandoned lot, shoves her onto concrete, and leaves her for dead. Knowing Jade would try again, her parents agree to fake her death. Amber moves to New York City with her father, and Jade moves with her mother to Los Angeles.

Twenty-three years have passed. Amber is alive, happily married to Michael, with a son, and living in New York City under her new name. Jade, still living in California, has been cavalierly committing crimes. After a robbery attempt on a woman in Beverly Hills ends in her death, Jade flees to New York. Amber, quickly learning that her sister is nearby and a bigger threat than ever, goes on the offensive to stop Jade before she can decimate the lives of everyone Amber holds dear. But uncertainty, altered paths, and unexpected revelations can change everything.

You can buy What the Years Remember here:

All fourteen of my book are available in Kindle and paperback editions on Amazon.

Additionally, all are free to read in Kindle Unlimited.

 

 

 

 

How a Country Can Become a Character in a Book by Ellis Shuman

Posted on by July 7, 2024

Ellis Shuman is an American-born Israeli author, travel writer, and book reviewer. His writing has appeared in The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, and The Huffington Post. His short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and has appeared in Isele Magazine, Vagabond, The Write Launch, Esoterica, Jewish Literary Journal, San Antonio Review, and other literary publications. He is the author of The Virtual Kibbutz, Valley of Thracians, The Burgas Affair, and Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria.

 

It was a cloudy, spring day and my wife and I were sitting on a bench in Vratsa, a small town in northwestern Bulgaria, 2-hours’ train journey north of Sofia. A statue of 19th century Bulgarian revolutionary Hristo Botev overlooked the pavement, the hero’s arm clenched across his chest as if he were about to launch a fervent call to rebel against the long-gone Ottoman oppressors. A dark-skinned boy approached us.

The boy mumbled something in Bulgarian, a language we had yet to master. The boy held out his hand.

 

Vratsa

My wife shook her head, indicating that we didn’t intend to hand over any money. We had heard about the Roma, and how they were discriminated against not only in Bulgaria, but elsewhere in Europe as well. We saw them picking through the garbage outside our modern apartment building. Their horse-drawn wagons battled to make their way up our cobblestone street. We knew to keep our distance.

The boy smiled. He stuck out his hand even more enthusiastically.

Suddenly, we realized what we had done. We had encouraged the boy, made him think that we were going to give him some coins. In Bulgaria, a nod of the head up and down means “no” while a horizontal shake, such as my wife had made, indicates “yes”. The boy thought we had agreed to give him some pittance for his efforts.

Bulgarian Ceramics

It wasn’t easy to get used to the Bulgarian way of nodding one’s head. This was just one of the many unexpected things we were learning about Bulgaria, a country which would be our home for two years.

My job in online marketing was relocated to Sofia in 2009 and we made an impulsive decision to make the move. It was a decision that would not only give us a better understanding of a different culture, but also serve as an impetus to fuel my writing career.

Sofia’s Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

During our stay in Bulgaria, my wife and I traveled extensively around the country, visiting its picturesque villages and driving into its forested mountains. We learned about its rich history and the many monasteries that unified Bulgarians during centuries under Ottoman rule. We tasted its unique cuisine and drank rakiya, its signature alcoholic drink. But alas, we failed to learn Bulgarian.

Rila Monastery

Fast forward to our return to Israel. I continued to work in online marketing yet I couldn’t stop thinking about my experiences in Bulgaria. We returned to the country to visit, and I spent a memorable week hiking in the Rila and Pirin Mountains, but that wasn’t enough for me.

Hiking in the Rila Mountains

I suddenly realized that I could return to Bulgaria every single day, through my writing. I began writing travel articles about Bulgaria, encouraging Westerners to visit the country. But, more than that, I began writing fiction about Bulgaria.

Bulgaria in My Books

My first novel, Valley of Thracians (2013), is the story of a Peace Corps volunteer who goes missing in Bulgaria, and of his grandfather, who is determined to find him. Although set in the present, the book refers to the Thracians, a militant tribal people who lived in the region four thousand years ago and whose tombs are all over Bulgaria.

My second novel, The Burgas Affair, is a fictional account of the very real terrorist attack at the airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, in which five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian bus driver were killed by a suicide bomber. In the book, a steadfast Bulgarian detective teams up with an inexperienced Israeli security agent to track down the killers. This novel was published first in Bulgarian (2015) and a year later in English.

Village of Gela

And now, in my new collection of short stories, I return to Bulgaria again. In Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria, readers will hear the voices of native Bulgarians as well as see the country through the eyes of those visiting Bulgaria for the first time. Readers will experience Bulgaria’s unique rich history and traditions and explore the country’s picturesque villages and stunning nature. Additionally, readers will get a virtual taste of Bulgarian cuisine topped off with the country’s traditional alcoholic drink – rakiya.

Homemade Rakiya

In the twelve stories of Rakiya, readers will meet a mother pickpocketing tourists in order to support her daughter. An elderly war veteran ashamed of his actions during the Holocaust. Two brothers hunting a killer bear. A Syrian refugee working in a Sofia bakery. A femme fatale disappearing at an international writers’ conference. And two neighbors competing to see who makes the best rakiya.

In Bulgaria, when people drink rakiya they toast each other, “Nazdrave!” which means “To your health!” It is my hope that readers of Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria will experience a little of what makes Bulgaria unique and special.

Rakiya – Stories of Bulgaria is published by GenZ Publishing (June 2024) and is available on Amazon.

 

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REFOCUSING ON LIFE’S BEAUTY: Guest Blog by Shykia Bell

Posted on by June 1, 2024

Shykia Bell is an artist, poet, and author. She lives in New York with her husband and their daughter. She also works as a freelance writer, digital/pencil portrait artist, and graphic designer.
 

People everywhere, myself included, are overwhelmed by life’s challenges. Each day more is demanded of us regardless of how depleted our emotional resources may be. Not enough value is placed on our need to recharge ourselves and to an extent we’ve been primed to see self-neglect as a normal part of life. One thing has become clear to me over the years, and that’s the glaring fact that collectively society has an urgent need to heal and rejuvenate so as to avoid exceeding our breaking point.

 

For a while, I pondered how I could use my talent to help others achieve this. I tried blogging, and later publishing works including Duality, a collection of poems and essays all focused on highlighting the multifaceted contrasts of life’s stages. Duality actually came about during my transition into motherhood and the realization that I no longer had as much free time to devote to my craft since something more delicate required my attention. So, Duality is the culmination of the fragments of time I was able to claim during early parenthood.

Enduring life’s responsibilities and demands

When one finds themselves inundated with responsibility it can trigger an identity crisis. I’m no exception to this. Prior to publishing Duality, I faced questions regarding my purpose and connection to others. Parenthood is a known catalyst of this phenomenon, but it can also apply to anyone who finds themselves in a caregiving role or a drastically evolving state in their lives. I understand the strain that comes with thoughts of potential failure and how it tempts one to give up not only on dreams, but sometimes the prospect of facing life altogether. So it becomes even more important to seek out joyful and relaxing activities to help not only offset negativity, but to serve as another reason to persevere and connect with others and share our experiences. This realization moved me to write Shifting Perspective, a poem from Duality.

SHIFTING PERSPECTIVE

Traversing life’s corridors along individual journeys,

We view experiences through shifting lenses,

Of varying opacity and sharpness,

Sometimes enhancing and obscuring our acuity,

 

As they intermittently cross our paths,

That eventually intersect,

And for a moment, we share the same vision,

Albeit shaped by our individual goals.

 

Why can’t we linger in this place of harmony?

Why must we instead go back to wandering,

And wondering what could have been,

If we had only just remained in peace?

 

Life is Beautiful

Now, roughly six years later, I released my first coloring book, Life is Beautiful, with a similar aim as Duality. Though, Life is Beautiful focuses mainly on the beautiful aspects of life and nature since I believe that’s what the world needs most right now.

Now, the title isn’t meant to imply that life is always beautiful, but that its beauty still exists during the times we’re distracted by its ugly and chaotic moments. Actually, this book was created during some very dark and unfavorable times in my life over the past year or so. It helped me to remember that such times are temporary and that light would eventually break through the gloom. And the realization of the process led me to create the page Even In Your Darkest Moment You Still Shine For Someone.

Sometimes as a means of survival we must remember that we all have the ability to provide light in a world that often fixated on darkness and negativity. Such a consistent focus on the negative is unsustainable to the mind and spirit. Not only is it toxic, but it’s downright exhausting. I’ve existed in that mindset for far too long and it’s a counterproductive way to live. It’s a mode of existence I’d like to help people out of, or if possible, to avoid. Also, I strive to leave a legacy that acknowledges life’s difficulties, but also reminds people about the beauty that lies in its mysterious wonders and our ability to dream and grow. And above all, I want to be a positive role model for my daughter. I hope to achieve that by demonstrating effective, creative ways to cope with life’s challenges while maintaining hope. After all, everyone needs a reason to persevere each day.

 

 

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TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION

Posted on by March 31, 2024

 

Hi, Friends:

As a multigenre author, I always want to tell stories that pull at me to write them. I don’t care how intriguing someone else’s suggestion might be, if a story doesn’t beg me to be written, it lingers in oblivion.

As writers, we want to tell exciting stories. I’m a character-driven author, so I enjoy colorful characters who may be a bit outrageous.

Allow me to be a little gross, if I may. About 20 years ago, I was walking into a Wawa market (in Pennsylvania) with a friend, when a woman leaving the store walked past us with literal thick streams of snot flowing from each nostril like dueling waterfalls. Yeah, really. I turned to my friend and said, “I’m going to put that in a book one day.” She smiled and said, “I bet you will.”

Now, after having published thirteen books, that woman has yet to be seen. Why? Not so much that she was gross, although that is a factor, but I came to the conclusion that she sounded too outrageous to be believed—even in a work of fiction.

I’ve written two romantic comedies. In my first one, Molly Hacker Is Too Picky!, feisty Molly and her best friend run into Molly’s nemesis in the ladies room at the local mall. Of course, hilarity ensues. As the book is set in a fictional town, not a large city, the chances of that happening are not all that unusual. Yet, in a review, some woman wrote how improbable that sounded to her. (And yeah, this was comedy, not literary fiction.)

Many decades ago, here in Los Angeles, during my lunch hour (can’t even remember where I was working), I decided to go to the Beverly Center as I desperately needed some Lancôme moisturizer. For those who don’t know, the Center is located at the edge of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. It’s huge. It’s a place where many of the rich and famous go to shop.

I can’t even estimate how many thousands of people are in the mall at one time, but as I stood looking down at the products in a display case at Bullock’s, the saleswoman asked if she could help me. I looked up, and before I could ask where I knew her from, I realized it was one of my dearest friends from junior high school back East. We’d lost touch when her family moved to California, and this is how we found one another again after ten years. This day, my trip to that particular store was the one and only time I’ve been there.

So, what if I wrote that in a book? Would it be plausible? I bet not.

Many years later, living in Los Angeles, I was trying to get together with a friend on the East Coast. She said she was taking a cruise leaving from Long Beach, CA and would have twenty minutes to spare before boarding the ship. No way was I going to drive that far for twenty minutes, especially in LA traffic that’s impossible to rely on. While I was planning a trip back East, where I was staying was nowhere near where she lived. So, we basically gave up and forgot about getting together.

One day, months later, I’m getting on a plane to go East, and for the first time in flying history, I needed to use the facilities immediately. The ones near my seat were occupied, and the flight attendant told me the one in back was free. I walked to the end of the plane, and in the very back row was the friend with whom I’d been trying to get together with. There was an empty seat next to her. So, I retrieved my carry-on items and moved to the back of the plane. We had five long hours to catch up. If I told that story in a book, I’ll bet review after review would claim that scenario ruined the book for being so implausible. And P.S. years prior to this, I’d run into this same person on the streets of New York City.


Believe it or not, I have more stories exactly like the two I just told. I’m certainly not alone, I’m sure, in hearing stories and seeing things in real life, good, bad, and horrible, that would have once seemed too unreal for fiction—and many that still do.

Novels, stories, and movies are often considered “places” where anything can happen. And I’m not debating the veracity of that. But for me, there are many times when truth is stranger than fiction—so strange that I hesitate to use it.

What are your experiences? Have you had real-life experiences too improbable to read or write?