Don't Spoil the Twists in Your Suspense Novel with Samantha Skal

In the final episode of The Write Approach, Barbara Hinske and J. W. Judge talk about what they've learned over the previous 74 episodes and what is next for each of them.

For the last several years, Angela Redden has been the owner of Reading Rock Books in Dickson, Tennessee. In that time, she has had lots of experiences with authors peddling their books to her. As it concerns indie authors, more of those experiences have been bad than good. In Episode 74 of The Write Approach, there are some hard truths about the business of bookselling and information that will help authors when they consider approaching booksellers about selling their books.Reading Rock Books' website: https://readingrockbookstn.com/ Barbara Hinske's website: https://barbarahinske.com/J. W. Judge's website: https://jwjudge.com

As a lifelong selective rule follower, J. W. Judge was overjoyed to come across an article written by Randall Silvis about writing rules that beg to be broken. In Episode 73, we discuss "rules" about writing that function more as guidelines and should only be considered if they work for you. We also talk about Silvis' writing path that in which he has traditionally published his fiction and is now indie publishing his non-fiction works.Randall Silvis' website: https://www.randallsilvis.com/Barbara Hinske's website: https://barbarahinske.com/J. W. Judge's website: https://jwjudge.com

In Episode 72, Jeanne Blasberg talks about how farming helps fill her creative well. She also discusses her trilogy of novels that are modern retellings of biblical stories, capturing their themes while putting them in a modern context. Jeanne Blasberg's website: https://jeanneblasberg.com/Barbara Hinske's website: https://barbarahinske.com/J. W. Judge's website: https://jwjudge.com

In her return episode, Tiffany Yates Martin talks with us about finding joy and satisfaction in the writing and creative processes. You are going to encounter plenty of obstacles along the way, both internal and external. You can't control the outcome of what happens to your work once you release into the world. But if you can be determined to find satisfaction in the process of creating, you spark will remain steadfast.You can also hear Tiffany Yates Martin in Episode 36 about writing effective dialogue.Tiffany Yates Martin's website: https://foxprinteditorial.com/Barbara Hinske's website: https://barbarahinske.com/J. W. Judge's website: https://jwjudge.com

Whether you sketch out your characters and know everything about them before you begin writing or learn about your characters as you write, it's important that they be compelling and individualistic. Prolific crime writer Vicki Delany joins us for Episode 70 to discuss things we can do to ensure that the casts of characters with tell our stories through are interesting and help us achieve our story goals.Vicki Delany's website: http://vickidelany.com/Barbara Hinske's website: https://barbarahinske.com/J. W. Judge's website: https://jwjudge.com

 We all carry with us the wounds and trauma and scars that are, along with the good things we've experienced, integral to the people we've become. The same is true for your characters. While their story begins with the first words you put on the page, their backstory precedes your novel . Janet S. Fox joins us to talk about how to use your characters' backstories to develop and shape them into the person your readers experience. Janet S. Fox's website: https://janetsfox.com/Barbara Hinske's website: https://barbarahinske.com/J. W. Judge's website: https://jwjudge.com

You work really hard to make sure you suspense and mystery novels have enough twists and turns to keep your reader guessing about how things will turn out. Samantha Skal joins us this week to talk about things you need to do to make sure you have twists that work, and don't fall into traps.Samantha Skal's website: https://www.samanthaskal.com/Barbara Hinske's website: https://barbarahinske.com/J. W. Judge's website: https://jwjudge.com

Kyla Zhao wrote her debut novel, The Fraud Squad (link), with no expectations and no pressure. But as it came out with media attention and fanfare, she was writing her second novel in the midst of promoting the first and had to learn to juggle the dueling responsibilities of introducing one novel to the world while writing the next, Valley Verified (link).Kyla also talks about how the pandemic lockdown in 2020 directly resulted in her authoring her first book, and how she manages her author career alongside a burgeoning job in the tech industry.Kyla Zhao's website: https://kylazhao.com/Barbara Hinske's website: https://barbarahinske.com/J. W. Judge's website: https://jwjudge.com

For Episode 66, intellectual property lawyer Jodé Millman joins us to talk about what legal right we have for the written works we create. She helps distinguish between copyright and trademark laws, and what kinds of works fall under each category. She also takes about steps you can take to protect your work.Jodé Millman's website: https://jodemillman.com/Barbara Hinske's website: https://barbarahinske.com/J. W. Judge's website: https://jwjudge.com/