In the Did'ja Know Department
cj Sez: CLASSIC PIECES RETOLD is available for
pre-order!
In this sixth installment of the Mobile Writers Guild Pieces anthology series, members pay homage to some
of their favorite classic works in the public domain. Inside the pages of this
book are tributes to the authors’ favorite novels, short stories, and poems. (I have
retold two Agatha Christie short mysteries.)
And wait, there’s more! Mark your calendars for the
book signing by multiple authors at The Haunted Bookshop during Mobile’s April
14 LoDa Art Walk.
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FYI readers and writers, your lesson for the day
Do you know the difference between a thriller and a suspense
novel? Here's what I found . . .
“Thrillers are about the push and pull between the
protagonist and the antagonist.
David Morrell says, “Thrillers strive for heightened emotions
and emphasize the sensations of what might be called an obstacle race and a
scavenger hunt.” Will Jack be able to save the bus passengers before the
villain detonates the bomb (Speed)? Will Nick prove Amy framed him for her
disappearance (Gone Girl)?
“In a thriller, a reader usually asks the question ‘How?’
and is propelled through the story by action.” Joel Goldman contends. “Both the
reader and the hero of a thriller novel already know who’s responsible for the
crime, and both are waiting to see how that criminal will be brought to
justice.”
Suspense is about tension and what may happen, and can be
present in any genre.
Writer’s Digest’s Writer’s Encyclopedia says, “Suspense
is the element of both fiction and some nonfiction that makes the reader
uncertain about the outcome. While most obvious in mystery stories such as
those published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine or Alfred
Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, suspense is present in all good fiction.”
Best Selling Crime Writer, Libby Fischer Hellman, writes,
“Suspense is not so much what is happening, as what may happen. It’s
about anticipation, often anticipating the worst.
Award winning author Steven James believes thriller writing,
mystery writing, and literary fiction are all the same. “Simply put, if you
don’t hook your readers, they won’t get into the story. If you don’t drive the
story forward by making readers worry about your main character, they won’t
have a reason to keep reading.”
cj’s question is: When
so many novels have some of both of these genres (and more) in them, do the
labels really matter?
New York Times Bestselling Author Allison Brennan says
“The difference between thrillers and suspense in fiction is primarily
marketing. They can be used interchangeably for many books.” (Source: Excepts from
https://diymfa.com/reading/mystery-thriller-suspense-label-matter
)
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cj Sez: That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on,
and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for your health and safety.
cj
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