I’m preparing for my RWA workshop: Thrills & Chills. Writing Romantic Suspense and Thrillers. Normally, I don’t do a lot of preparation for workshops because I only give a few of them, and I’ve given them multiple times so I can practically do it in my sleep. However, T&C is new. I presented it at the Arizona Dreams RWA conference and realized I had far too much information to share in a one hour time slot. So I’m focusing on the one thing that truly separates suspense from all other genres: stakes. There are three things that work in tandem… Read More

As you all might remember, I’d never watched BONES until the end of last year when I spent four months watching the first six seasons, one show every night except for President’s Day weekend where I watched the entire truncated season three when I was sick for three days. (You can read more about my thoughts on this show over at Heroes & Heartbreakers, where I blogged about how they screwed up Booth and Brennan’s relationship.) I’d become so accustomed my new schedule of late night television, that when I was all caught up on my series, I needed something… Read More

In January, I wrote a blog called SPEAR THE MONSTER where I cut open a vein or two and shared my struggle writing SILENCED. It was difficult on multiple levels. But then I got these yesterday: Even though SILENCED is my 18th novel, I was just as thrilled as when I held the first copy of my debut novel. Maybe even more excited, and relieved, because this book was so hard for me. Holding the book I stressed over was cathartic. SILENCED received a top pick from RT Book Reviews, another validation that the sweat and tears poured out while… Read More

As I think many of us agree, film and television often screw up our favorite books. Often, this is because they mess with the characters. The characters we’ve grown to admire develop different traits or, worse, act out of character! The first Kathy Reichs book I read was her debut novel, DEJA DEAD, and I’ve been a fan ever since. So when the television show BONES came on, I had no desire to watch it. I was certain they were going to ruin the books. Everyone told me I should watch the show. Maybe because everyone said I should watch… Read More