We’ve all heard that age-old wisdom—write what you know. Personally, I’ve always rebelled against this advice and opted for a different philosophy—write the book you want to read. This always ended up having little to do with the life I knew.   So it was really interesting when I found myself writing my ninth novel, “No Funny Business”, about what I know—stand-up comedy, cross country road trips, classic rock music, and dead relatives (but don’t worry, it’s a comedy).   Because of where I was in my life (trying to survive a global pandemic), I knew I had to reach into the depths of my life to bring this book alive. Sprinkling in my real-life experiences had to be part of the recipe.   Here are five story elements in “No Funny Business” that were inspired by my real life . . .   My Favorite Pastime   For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to laugh. My dad was a stand-up fan, and we’d listen to comedy specials on vinyl. I awaited weekly sketch comedy shows like “In Living Color”, then snorted laughter in my teens watching stand-ups like Chris Rock, Judy Gold, and John Leguizamo. It…

Excerpted from UPGRADE by Blake Crouch. Copyright © 2022 by Blake Crouch. Excerpted by permission of Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.   That night, after dinner, I beat Ava in three games of chess. None of them were even close, and the last one required only twelve moves to checkmate her. “What the actual hell is going on here?” she asked, tipping her king over when she saw the inevitable end. “Have you been going easy on me all this time, Dad?” “No.” I laughed. “How are you suddenly this good?” “What’s going on?” Beth asked from the couch. “Dad just shellacked me for…… ” Ava counted up the losses in her head. “….. the ninth game in a row.” “Impressive,” Beth said. “Impossible,” Ava said, staring at me suspiciously.   Memories were coming back to me, and not just of every book I’d ever read. Random moments of insignificance. Pivotal events that had shaped my life. From a month ago. From a decade ago. From my childhood. It was an eerie sensation. As if someone…

I love a good villain. Of course, every story needs a hero worth rooting for, someone you’ll want to follow for hundreds of pages. But the stronger, smarter, and savvier the hero, the more important it is to have a villain who can thwart them throughout the book. Because the best stories have that push and pull between the hero and villain, the sense that either one could come out on top and you need to keep reading to see who prevails (or at least to see how the hero could outwit such a worthy opponent). With every story I write, I spend as much time figuring out the villain as I do developing the hero/heroine. Because a worthy villain isn’t pure evil borne out of nothing. A worthy villain has their own backstory, their own motivations, their own belief systems. The villains have good qualities, too, even if the bad outweigh the good. And they all have as much of a desire to prevail as the hero. It’s why they continue to fight, even at points when the hero might seem to have an advantage. It’s why there are points in the story where it seems as though there’s…

Hello! Leslie Langtry here to tell you about my book MUNCHIES AND MURDER – book #23 in the Merry Wrath cozy comedy series! The books can be read in any order, but if you want to start at the beginning, there’s MERIT BADGE MURDER. Merry Wrath was a CIA agent undercover with a Chechen strongman when the Vice President ‘accidentally’ outted her on CNN to get back at her senator dad. After a close call escape that included an armed chicken, Merry retired to her hometown of Who’s There, Iowa, where her best friend convinces her to start a Girl Scout troop. In some ways, Merry often wonders if life was less dangerous in the CIA than with this very precocious group of little girls. Too bad bodies keep popping up at inconvenient times. Here’s a little bit about MUNCHIES AND MURDER:   M is for Merry Wrath – an ‘accidentally’ outted ex-CIA agent who moves back to Who’s There, Iowa, starts a Girl Scout Troop and stumbles upon more dead bodies than any random jogger on any tv mystery series.   U is for Unusual as this book is pretty weird. Seriously…this may be the weirdest book I’ve written,…

Although I’m normally a cozy mystery fan, I love the themes of isolation and dark secrets. Plus, the remote island thing is giving me definite Agatha Christie vibes, mixed with classic virus horror films. What are you most hoping to convey with your book THE DISINVITED GUEST? Agatha Christie was definitely an inspiration, specifically her And Then There Were None, of course.  I wanted to convey the heightened tension of finding yourself in an isolated setting that may seem idyllic but then becomes threatening when you can’t leave, and bad things start happening.  The idea of a group of people who have come together to shelter during a pandemic and then discover that the greater threat comes from within seemed to me the perfect creepy turn.  I also just want to say that I love cozies, too, and one of the things I like best about them is the way an entire world gets built to contain the characters.  My world just happens to trend toward the darker.   Because this story seems like a psychological suspense novel, can you say if there are answers and resolution at the end, or if things are left more open ended? I think…

April 2022 marked the thirty-year anniversary of the Rodney King Riots. The thirty-year-old grainy news footage doesn’t nearly do justice to the chaos of the time. It was a horrific time in law enforcement. In 1992 I had been a uniformed Long Beach police officer for five years. I was at the point where I had my feet under me as an officer in patrol. I was assigned to day patrol on the west side of downtown Long Beach. I was working by myself the day the King verdicts came down. The morning was quiet and uneventful, and I had no idea what was brewing. There was no indication that anything would happen. The first sign of trouble came when, just before school ended, fights broke out at a high school in North Long Beach. Then there were reports of groups of high school kids charging into stores and looting. Word came down that a large crowd of teenagers planned on looting the Long Beach mall. All downtown personnel were ordered to the mall to provide security until the mall could be locked down and the employees could get out safely. When I arrived, there were 10 or 12 of…

What inspired you to write this THE DEADLY SHALLOWS? Since it includes a mass shooting, was that in part inspired by real life events? I didn’t base The Deadly Shallows on a specific tragedy, but the mass shootings our country has endured over the last two decades certainly inspired the horrific event Noah and Brooke face. Watching the emotional aftermath of the tragedy ripple through their lives and the lives of those present was really difficult to write. Researching was heart breaking but seeing how Noah and Brooke not just survive but, in a way, overcome its effects on them was inspiring.   How would you describe CGIS Agent Noah Rowley to readers? Noah is the head special agent of CGIS Wilmington. He takes his leadership role gravely, knowing a mistake on his part can lead to tragedy for his team. Couple that intensity with his devotion for his family, friends, and the woman he falls hard for, and you see the heart of Noah Rowley.   How would you describe the dynamic between Noah and Coast Guard flight medic Brooke Kesler? Do you tell the story using alternating perspectives? I do write alternating perspectives. I find it helps me…

1–What is the title of your latest release? CAMBION’S BLOOD, book 2 in the Cambion series. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Down on her luck and haunted by guilt, a half-succubus attorney takes a government contract to investigate the supernatural murders of prominent men—and finds herself tracking an ancient bloodthirsty goddess bent on revenge. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My series is set in San Francisco, California, a few dozen miles from where I grew up. It’s grounded in the environment, history, and culture of the SF Bay Area. I chose it because of my familiarity with the area, but also because SF as a city commands a mythic quality. It’s set apart on its peninsula, even isolated in a way. When you look across the Bay at it, it seems to rise out of the water like Atlantis or Avalon, or like a rock covered in barnacles, a natural or supernatural formation. It’s beautiful and magical and dirty and harsh, and that makes it a perfect setting for urban fantasy, which thrives in those contrasts. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Once we broke the…

1–What is the title of your latest release? RAGING SEAS – Warriors of the Stone Circles. It’s the second in what will be a 4-book paranormal/fantasy historical romance series. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When the ultimate evil threatens humanity, an ancient bloodline of warriors returns to defend them. Ran and Soren must put past betrayals behind them and accept their destiny – and their new powers. Will love be enough to save them all? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? When I planned out this series – a first time for me since I usually plan book by book! The locations of the 4 books are all set near standing stone circles all over the British Isles. My guide to where to find the circles was a book about circles with a map that showed four areas of concentrated circles, so I chose one in each of those! I looked for lesser-known circles OR made up my own in Southern Scotland, Orkney, southwestern England and Ireland. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes! Ran is a strong woman, molded by love and betrayal, who knows her…

Hi! I’m Lindsey Frydman, author of PROJECT A.I.D.E.N. I’m excited to be here today to share more about my newest YA release. Aiden is being hunted, and the people chasing him will only stop when he’s dead. When Elena hits him with her car – and he doesn’t die – she knows she should just keep driving, but there’s something vulnerable in his voice, in his crooked smile, that makes her want to help him…even if it means leaving “good” behind.     P is for passion. A passionate, romantic, fast-paced sci-fi story. R is for reality. Our characters live in a slightly futuristic future where everyone owns a ComPad and subway systems are reinvented so that they’re streamlined, free, and everywhere. O is for origin. Since Aiden only has memories of the past year, his origin story is a mystery. J is for jail. When Elena agrees to help Aiden, she risks everything, including massive jail time. E is for Elena. The smart, easy-going heroine who loves working with her hands, especially on her car! C is for Carter. He’s the one who wants Aiden dead. He’s also Elena’s father. T is for time. From the moment Aiden becomes…