Once upon a time, I used to present a writing workshop on “Crafting Killers” to new writers.  Why did I focus my talk on killers? It’s because I think the villains in books are just as important as the protagonists.  A “good” villain can make or break a book. After all, a “good” villain will stay with you long after a story has ended. (Looking at you, Hannibal Lecter!) For today’s post, I thought I’d hit on a few key points when it comes to crafting a powerful villain. I have two main guidelines for villains: Good villains must command attention. A good villain will shock, surprise, and keep a reader on the edge of his/her seat. I believe that every character has a backstory. When a writer starts to create the villain, the villain’s origin has to be understood. Is the villain bad because of nature or nurture? Or a combination of both elements? I encourage authors to ask these questions about their villains: How did your villain come to be so wicked? What turned her/him into this being? Is your villain’s “wickedness” due to nature or nurture? What is the level of evil for this character? After all,…

I don’t know how to talk to people if it’s not about dead bodies, murder, and alibis. I just don’t. I don’t pretend otherwise. That’s why Aiden and I get along. After years in law enforcement, he’s like me. Translation: he has no social skills. Date night to us is takeout and a murder file. In other words, why, why, why did I agree to attend a party of any kind, let alone in another city that ensures I’ll have to travel with a friend I haven’t seen in years? My resistance and second thoughts are so extreme that I don’t start packing until thirty minutes before Lana will be at my house. At present, I’m staring into my closet, wondering which of my numerous dresses fit and don’t fit since I’ve worn none of them in far too long. The idea of dressing up is not such a bad thing. I like dresses. I like being a woman. And truth be told, it’s been a long time since I was a woman, not just an FBI agent. And I’m certainly not worried the dresses will soften me up and hurt my job or backbone. There’s no reason I can’t…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WHEN SHE LEFT   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A young couple fleeing a criminal family is chased by an assassin / realtor in this heart-pounding thriller. And, yes, that’s “assassin / realtor.”   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My books almost always take place in the region I live, and I’ve lived at the intersection of DC, Maryland, and Virginia for the past few decades.   4–What are three words that describe your main character? I have three protagonists, but Lucky Wilson is the assassin / realtor, so he’s the one people want to know about. I’d say family, violent, and Christmas.   5–Which side character stole your attention the most from the main storyline? One of the characters in the young couple, Jake Smith, has a troublesome mother named Ruby. I liked writing her, but I’ve been surprised at how much early readers have vibed with her.   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? This book was less violent than my other books and, while violence has always been important for me to capture in crime fiction, it…

1–What is the title of your latest release? RADIANT HEAT 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? After a woman narrowly survives a massive wildfire, she discovers the body of a stranger in her driveway. The dead woman has her name and address but they’ve never met before. Using the tropes and tricks of a classic thriller, Radiant Heat delves into the epidemic of violence against women in Australia, and the ways grief, place and circumstance inform and shape us all. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The setting is a character in this book, so I had a very clear idea of that even before I knew what I was doing in a lot of other respects. Set in a part of Australia that has been devastated by bushfire, but also a region I got to know while working as a journalist in Melbourne, I could never have set it anywhere else. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? For sure! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Stubborn, Strong, Self-destructive 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That no matter how much you think you know…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BLUE RIDGE   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? What would you do if you were planning to kill your brother—but someone beat you to it? After former Olympic contender turned burn-out horse trainer Cillian Clarke is framed for the murder of his identical twin Christopher, a rising-star Virginia politician, Cillian is forced to go on the lam. But when someone from Christopher’s past emerges and offers Cillian the chance to clear his name, Cillian is plunged headfirst into a sinister conspiracy that not only threatens the sanctity of democracy, but also promises to expose the devastating secret intertwining the brothers forever—the truth behind the death of a woman they both loved.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I was born and raised in Northern Virginia, just a short drive away from the mystical, mysterious magic that is the Blue Ridge Mountains. The haunting yet gorgeous scenery of that landscape has always held a special place in my heart. So, naturally, when I decided to write my debut novel, it was only appropriate that I set it there!   4–Would you hang out…

Book Title: WHAT WAITS IN THE WOODS Character Name: Esmé Foster   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Complicated. My mom and dad were complete opposites. My dad was a solid, hard-working man, while Mom was something of a glamor girl who seemed stuck in our rural community on the edge of suburbia. When I was little, I didn’t see that they were completely incompatible. Dad worshiped Mom and tried to make her happy, but she always seemed to be looking elsewhere for fulfillment. She loved me and my brother in her own way, and eventually I became the center of her world, or so I thought.   What was your greatest talent? Without a doubt, dance. When Mom enrolled me in ballet lessons, I found my passion and I excelled. And Mom was thrilled too.   Significant other? In high school, I had a close group of friends but not a serious boyfriend. When I moved away to pursue my dance career, I started seeing Kevin and eventually moved in with him.   Biggest challenge in relationship? At first, things were great with Kevin. My career was going well, and I LOVED his family. They took…

CHAPTER 2 Marin Shaw would never forget the sound of prison doors locking behind her—the whoosh and heavy thud, the dungeon scrape, the almost medieval clunk of the metal workings, or the slow slide of the impenetrable barrier, its opening preceded by a warning blare, a Klaxon cry, when a prisoner was on the move. She knew those sounds, as desolate as a catacomb, as devoid of life as death itself, would wake her in the night in a cold, hard sweat for as long as she lived. The sound of the cell door had already nested in her gut like a watchful raven with twitchy eyes, taunting her, not letting her forget for even a second how she’d thrown her life away for $5,000, a two-martini lunch, and a lie. “Sign here,” the incurious clerk at the prison-release window said, her blank expression proof that she had become inured to the routine of the turnout process. Prisoners came and went like trains on a track, like loaves of bread down a conveyor belt. The only things that changed were the day and the time and the signature on the form. The clerk pushed a large plastic bag toward Marin….

Maybe I drank a lot last night. Or maybe I had a mini stroke or something. The only thing she knew for sure was that her first name was Celia. She stood up again and walked into the dining room. At one side of the room there was a large cabinet with glass doors on top and drawers on the bottom. The cabinet matched the dining set, and she crinkled her nose at it. I hate that matchy‑matchy thing. I bet all the dishes are in a matching pattern, too. When she opened the glass doors, she confirmed that her prediction was accurate. All the tableware and serving plates were in a matching pattern, a kind of country floral that made her think of wedding registries. On the wall opposite the cabinet there was a large, posed photograph of three people. The background was soft gray, like they’d been in a photo studio. There was Celia, sitting next to the tall dark-haired man. They both wore white-cabled fisherman-style sweaters. The lunch-demanding little girl stood in front of them, positioned so that she was halfway between them. She, too, wore a cabled sweater, this one in pink. All three of them…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WHEN THEY BECKON 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A con artist must navigate the schemes of a criminal organization and burgeoning dark magic while facing demons, witches, and love. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I love fantasy stories and I love stories with characters and settings beyond the plethora of European-inspired ones. But as the child of immigrants, I ached for a character I could relate to. Someone who was born and raised away from their family’s homeland and has to navigate a place where she doesn’t fully belong, while longing for the homeland as some far-off place that exists in her dreams. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Probably not. Salome is a big rule-breaker while I am more of a rule follower. She’s trouble, and I’m cozy at home. She’s… so much that I’m not and that’s why I love writing her. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Bold, adventurous, passionate. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned just how much I longed to see the diaspora experience in a fantasy…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s basically millennial Scream! If you’re into 90s slashers with a twist, then this is for you … it follows a late-night radio show host, Tinsel Munroe, who finds herself reluctantly drawn into a murder mystery. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Well, the story is set in and around pop culture – largely film – and Melbourne, Australia was one of the birthplaces of cinema. The very first full-length movie – The Story Of The Kelly Gang (1906) – came from here, so the location really selected itself. I also liked the idea of a film centric story not being set in Los Angeles/Hollywood, which is the immediate assumption. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Final Girl. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned how to run an overnight radio show. As a former journalist, I’ve had a lot of media experience in the past but Tinsel – my main character – hosts a program called The Graveyard…