Diane and I had a chance to chat briefly before the upcoming broadcast of our Thriller Radio interview on Wednesday, October 23, 2013. Be sure to tune in, but before then, check out the discussion below:
JG: What do you think are the most important aspects of a great thriller?
DC: For me as a reader and a writer, a thriller should be smart, interesting, clever, exciting, realistic, and fun. I’m less interested in unrelenting heart-pounding fear. Nail-biting suspense is good, though.
JG: As a writer of many books, what are the challenges and rewards of doing a series?
DC: The biggest challenge and biggest reward for me is the same: to keep the story fresh while also keeping the story world familiar but not boring to me or to readers. Readers love the series characters and the world those characters live in. That’s why readers keep coming back.
JG: Things are constantly changing in the publishing industry. How important is it for writers these days to be on social media?
DC: For me, it’s very important to be on social media. I’ve made virtual friends all over the world thanks to Facebook and Twitter. People and readers I’d never have met otherwise. It’s great fun for me to catch up with my new friends in places like Bolivia and Tasmania and Orkney!
JG: Do you find yourself writing one book at a time, or several simultaneously, and why?
DC: Write several books at a time??!! Yikes!! People do that? (Do you think they’d tell me their secrets?)
JG: Thanks for being on the blog, Diane. Looking forward to our live interview on Thriller Radio