Accidental Thriller Writers, Part Two

Thrilleresque authors Julie Compton and Carla Buckley met last July at ThrillerFest 2008 and discovered they had more in common than raising teenagers and driving carpool. Below, they continue the discussion from their May 4 post as to what makes a thriller… a thriller.

CARLA: The very first thing I did when I sold my novel (besides jumping up and down and squealing in a high-pitched voice) was to ask: What is a thriller? You know, since I’d apparently sold one. I’d heard the term, of course, and I knew it was supposed to be a really good thing to be a thriller writer, but I didn’t know exactly what distinguished a thriller from, say, a mystery. So I very casually started poking around. The first definition I got was that a mystery is when the reader doesn’t know who committed the crime until the end; a thriller is when the reader knows who the villain is from the start and reads on to find out if the protagonist will stop him (or "it," since the villain doesn't have to be human) in time. In the case of the book I’d just sold, the villain isn’t human; moreover, the reader knows before cracking open the book exactly who the villain is.

JULIE: I think the jumping up and down and high-pitched squealing is a common occurrence among women writers who learn they've sold their first novel. I wonder what the guys do?

CARLA: Rev a Camaro. Buy cigars.

JULIE: I almost guessed "smoke a cigar," too. We think alike, Carla, have you noticed that? Perhaps they emit a low-pitched growl. Anyway, because my first novel was deemed a legal thriller – and I thought I had a pretty good grasp of that term – I really didn't start investigating the difference between a mystery and a thriller until a few reviews and interviewers referred to my book as a mystery. I started wondering, is my book a mystery? Or is it a thriller? And really, what's the difference? The definitions you found at the beginning of your search were the same ones I found, yet my novel didn't fit neatly into either definition. A legal thriller is simply a different beast. We know to expect lawyers, and we know to expect some sort of showdown in the courtroom, but otherwise, there seems to be a lot of leeway in the structure. I've read legal thrillers that have a murder near the start of the story, which would suggest they are mysteries, yet I can think of others that don't have a murder at all, or, if there is a murder, it occurs later in the plot (like mine) or the characters and reader are unaware of it until later. And then there are those legal thrillers that are more akin to a pure thriller, in that the protagonist is in a race against time to stop the "villain" – yet in many of these, even, neither the characters nor the reader know who the villain is until much later in the novel. Are you following, Carla?

CARLA: Completely. It’s a brilliant analysis. You must have been a killer in the courtroom yourself.

So, shortly after I got that definition and confidently bandied it around a few discussion forums (note to newbie authors: post under pseudonyms until you know what the heck you’re talking about), an author whom I respect said, Oh, is that what you think a thriller is? Which naturally made me stop and say, it’s not? She shook her head. A thriller simply is a book that employs a ticking clock, introduced early on, to add that thrilling, non-stop element. Now you have the protagonist racing against time to stop the villain. So I thought, okay. That makes sense.

JULIE: Are you kidding? I never know what I'm talking about. If I waited until I did, I'd never get to post anything using my real name.

Okay, so let me see if I understand. Your author friend considers a thriller to be any novel that employs a "race against time" (which, of course, adds the "thrilling" aspect to the story)? But she doesn't think it's necessary to know who (or what) the villain is right off the bat?

CARLA: Exactly. Think The Da Vinci Code. That clock is ticking so loudly you can hear it from across the room.

JULIE: I think I like that way of looking at it. It allows for a broader spectrum of structures when considering what constitutes a thriller. For example, in my second novel (which is not a legal thriller – I'm sure of that, at least), my protagonist is most definitely in a race against time to save his girlfriend's life, yet he doesn't know until later whom, exactly, he's fighting against. Hmm, I wonder if this makes it a quasi-mystery?

CARLA: Eek. Do NOT throw other terms into the blender. I’m confused enough.

So now I had two definitions, but which one was right? It seemed sort of urgent that I find out. After all, I’d signed a two-book contract. Before I began writing the second one, I thought I’d better have a firm grasp of what it was I was supposed to be writing.

Accordingly, I consulted The Oracle (aka, writer's blogs) and came across yet another definition that sounded pretty good: a mystery has the welfare of one person at stake; in a thriller, many people are threatened. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, because in my book, the entire planet’s at risk.

I have such a great villain. Too bad it comes with mucus.

JULIE: Oh, but it's the mucus that makes it such a great villain!

I've also heard that definition, but I think it's too limiting. Many thrillers are based upon a threat to only one or two people. Most often the threatened are loved ones of the protagonist. Think about Harlan Coben's Tell No One.

CARLA: Glad you like the mucus. It’s hard to write good mucus.

Anyway, I know what you mean. If we narrow the scope too much, then it excludes many books that by all accounts are considered thrillers. But I still think it’s a valid observation. When you’re talking about a threat that targets more than a single person, when the welfare of a community, or even the world, hangs in the balance – well, that’s pretty thrilling. It’s definitely not a mystery in that case, right?

JULIE: Agreed. That kind of book is most definitely a thriller. But so many others can also be considered thrillers, I think, that don't fit that particular definition. The more the merrier, I say.

CARLA: And that’s exactly why I like you. You’re like a party waiting to happen. Throw the margarita mix into the blender and throw open the doors. Everyone’s welcome!

JULIE: Just like ThrillerFest!

I think what I've come to decide is that there really is no one-size-fits-all definition for the term "thriller."

CARLA: Maybe determining what constitutes a thriller doesn’t really matter to authors. We write what we write. Maybe what really matters is how the sales teams position the books they are entrusted with and where the bookstores ultimately shelve them. One of my author friends wrote a mystery which she found shelved in the romance section of her local bookstore. She was upset, because she felt her readership wouldn’t be able to find her, but then she ended up winning a RWA award that year.

But that’s a story for another post…

_____________________________________________

Julie Compton is the author of the legal thriller, TELL NO LIES (St. Martin's Minotaur 2008), which is also published in the UK, the Netherlands and Spain. Her second novel, RESCUING OLIVIA, will be released in February 2010.

Carla Buckley is the author of OUT OF THIN AIR, coming from Bantam Dell in 2010. She is currently at work on her second Bantam Dell novel, INVISIBLE. Both books will also be released in Germany and the UK.

You Want Thrills With That?

Whether you're a fan, a yet-to-be-discovered author, or an author with countless novels to your credit, ThrillerFest offers something for everyone, and one of the best ways to be certain you don't miss any of the action is to volunteer.

The International Thriller Writers (ITW) is a volunteer-operated organization. Everything from the website to this blog to ThrillerFest is built on the generosity of those who freely donate a portion of their time. It doesn't matter if you haven't attended a previous TF, in fact, if you are a first-timer, volunteering is a great way to meet people.

My first year to attend was in 2007. ThrillerFest was the largest conference I'd attended at that time and it was coupled with my first ever trip to New York. It may surprise some to know that I'm a shy person by nature. (Pause for the Peanut Gallery snickering to subside.) When I registered for TF07 I marked the little box on the form that said I'd be interesting in volunteering. It was one of the best decisions of my life.

That first year, I met many of the authors in attendance and other yet-to-be-discovered authors. Giving up a total of a few hours over the course of an extended weekend was time well spent because I had a lot of fun. Unsure of how you can contribute? It's easy. Some of the duties regularly preformed by TF volunteers include:

* Filling tote bag with goodies
* Keeping time for panels and Q&A sessions
* Transporting ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) of books
* Acting as greeters for special events such as special guest interviews
and the awards banquet
* "Traffic controllers" for book signings

There are many other ways and areas in which to contribute your time and talents. If you're attending ThrillerFest 2009 and are interested in volunteering, visit the official ThrillerFest website and click on "Contact ThrillerFest" for more information.

Jeannie Holmes
CRIMSON SWAN
http://www.jeannieholmes.com/

Wedneday's Thrill - Preparing to Prepare for ThrillerFest!

Over the next few weeks I’ll be joining the blog on Wednesdays to talk about my own ThrillerFest experiences, share some recommendations and experiences of some other ITW members and talk about how to best prepare for ThrillerFest to get the biggest return for your time, money and effort.

I spent some time with a few ITW members at a book lover’s convention in Orlando. I was lucky enough to get a few of them to find time in their busy schedules to chat with me on video! I'll be posting those on Wednesdays too starting next week.

I attended my first ThrillerFest last year and was so impressed! Very well organized, lots of opportunities for a variety of people and just plain fun. I got to meet one of my favorite authors for the first time, Douglas Clegg and hung out with my friend Barbara Vey who did these great “Drive By Videos” Here’s a video of Barbara from last year at ThrillerFest where she caught up with author David Baldacci.



She also got one of Douglas Clegg in her shower, but perhaps we should move on to something else? You can see more of Barbara’s videos from last year (including the Clegg video) at http://www.youtube.com/barbaravey

Next Wednesday I’ll have a video up of Alexandra Sokoloff, author of The Unseen which will be out this month. She talks about being a new author and the benefits of attending ThrillerFest. We will also look at establishing ThrillerFest goals and other points of interest for your ThrillerFest experience. In the meantime please do join us on MySpace, Twitter @thrillerwriters and Facebook under International Thriller Writers Organization!


Sheila English
ITW Social Networking Chair

Definitions

I haven't been around that long (I was an ITW Debut Author just last year, and my second novel comes out next February ... yeah, I know the Indiana Jones line about mileage. ;) )

Anyway, though it seems light years and all time-warpy, I'm still a relative neophyte in many ways. This is a career and a profession and a community in which you learn all the time--one of the most wonderful things about being a writer!

One lesson I have earned, though--and would like to share--is about definitions. I am occasionally told by other writers or pre-published folks: "But I can't join ITW! I don't write thrillers!"

Now, I want to put this idea to rest once and for all, so let's talk a little. And we'll try to get beyond the "I know it when I see it" approach. :)

The mystery is considered puzzle-oriented, from the British locked-room classics of the '20s and Agatha Christie to today's craft-and-murder bestsellers.You might think of a mystery as being plot-driven, the "whodunnit" something many authors want to give their readers a chance to figure out.

Thrillers are generally thought of as suspenseful, high-octane, big-stakes books, where the reader gets taken for a roller-coaster ride. You might think of a thriller as driven by emotional engagement.

But what about straight suspense? Police procedurals? Espionage tales? PI novels? Noir? And where, in the name of Dorothy L. Sayers, does paranormal fit in?

Hammett, Cain and Chandler were referred to as thriller writers when they first hit the scene. And writers like Patricia Highsmith--high-priestess of what we may now call noir--was a suspense writer on par with lesser-known Chandler favorite Elizabeth Sanxay Holding. And how can we classify Shirley Jackson? Is she suspense? Is she horror? Is she a thriller writer?

Here's my point: authors write the best books they can by blending all of these elements. No mystery writer wants a book without emotional engagement; no thriller writer wants a novel without intellectual plausibility. The truth is that genres exist to help readers find our books, and our beloved libraries and booksellers to organize them--and in today's market, we have genres and subgenres and crossgenres and new genres--I even coined one ("Roman noir") for my first novel.

One of the most important lessons I've learned in my career thus far is that not only do you learn all the time, but you learn from everyone. ALL good writing--be it mystery, thriller, horror, classical fiction, comic books, poetry, or a non-fiction expose--all of it can help shape you as a writer, can help inform you about ways of doing things you may not have considered.

When I first joined the ITW Debut gang when it was initially formed, I admit it--I was trepidatious. Should I be a member? I thought of myself as a mystery writer. Then I realized I was a mystery-thriller-noir-PI-historical writer. These days, I just think of myself as ... a writer. :)

So please--don't let genre considerations hold you back from joining ITW. If you go to Craftfest, you can see first hand how thriller-writing techniques can help put sparkle in your next novel--no matter what its predominate genre. You will be welcomed with open arms, whatever you write ... because, ultimately, ITW is about supporting writers. And the community. Not just about supporting genres.

See you in New York!

Kelli Stanley's debut novel, NOX DORMIENDA, won the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award and is nominated for a Macavity. Her next book, tentatively titled RICE BOWL, will release in February, 2010, from St. Martin's.

What Makes Authors Tick

I’m always so curious about what makes authors tick. My family and friends often wonder about me. How can such an outwardly calm, gentle, happy, laid back individual such as me write an horrific thriller such as Worst Nightmares yet not be hiding a very dark side to his nature - one they’ve never been aware of before?

I know that those who have read my novel now look at me in a new way. Perhaps their opinion of my nature has changed; they now view me as some kind of a Hannibal Lector?

What’s interesting is that usually serial killers look very normal. Almost kind. Ted Bundy for example. Yet what do we really expect in such deviants? Someone with fangs, dripping blood? Killers with strong hands and a demented look in their eyes? No.

So, why does my sister-in-law as well us her mother harbor thoughts that I am morally twisted in some fundamental way? Because I am able think up the most devilish and delicious way of terrifying my characters, and putting them to death in unusual and intriguing ways? (According to their worst nightmares, it goes without saying!)

The fact is, I find conjuring up horrific fantasy images fun! I admit – I enjoy it. Quite often it makes me laugh aloud when I come face to face with my extreme dark humor. And in case you now think I am barking mad, let me assure you that I find actual violence anathema. I’m the first to be shocked when I see people involved in any ‘biffo’ at all.

Before I start reading a new novel I always look for a snapshot of the author. It’s important to me to look into the eyes of the creator and imagine his mindset. More often than not, authors look quite normal. Occasionally they don’t—for instance, there’s something about a hugely celebrated bestselling novelist’s hair that I find just a tad disturbing. Maybe it’s the eyes—like the Mona Lisa’s, they follow you around the room. I’m sure he’s a gentle man, and he certainly writes superlative thrillers, but.... it’s that look....

That’s most probably what my sister-in-law sees in me now. Is it possible that Worst Nightmares, the novel, is a clue to my innate madness?

Which brings me to another point. Why did I choose to write what my wonderful agent referred to as ‘the most cruel and brutal novel’ she had ever read? The answer to that one isn’t so easy. I’ve though about it quite a lot recently. Worst Nightmares is not the catharthic experience of a would-be homicidal maniac. I’m simply attempting to write a gripping thriller that’ll keep readers turning pages way into the night, while reaching for strong liquor.

Readers love being scared. I know I did as a child reading Edgar Allan Poe, Dennis Wheatley, Steven King and Truman Capote. I was transported from castles in Transylvania to fields of horror and bloodshed in Texas; yet the moment I closed the cover I was back in my safe world.

Now I feel like a starving man looking forward to dinner at Cipriani’s! The thought of meeting all my favorite authors at Thrillerfesr, those who’s books I’ve been reading all my life is mind-boggling! And to be debuting my first book in America, with all the hype Vanguard have given it, is massively exciting.

Just yesterday I received an email from a blogger in Boston. “Are you sure your novel Worst Nightmares is not autobiographical?” he asked; somewhat rudely, I thought. “You write of an author who plagiarizes the grizzly diary of a brutally sick serial killer. Did you, in fact, receive such a diary from a real killer? Are there bodies out there?”

I took great pleasure in replying to this man. “Of course! You found me out. There are bodies....lots of them...everywhere. And strange as it may seem, I live only a block from your home. Let’s go find them. What do you say?”

Shane Briant
Worst Nightmares
Available May 12, 2009

Accidental Thriller Writers

Authors Julie Compton and Carla Buckley went along for years, thinking they were misunderstood. Knowing there was something missing. And then they bumped into each other at ThrillerFest 2008 and found out there was something else just as unusual as they were: their novels. Here they talk about that fateful meeting and what it meant for their writing careers.

Julie: I began to have creeping doubts about whether I belonged at ThrillerFest as soon as I checked in and was on the way to my room. Badge around my neck so others could identify me as a fellow conference-goer, I stepped onto the elevator at the same time as several other attendees. (I knew this because they, too, had ITW badges around their necks.) As I would later learn, thriller writers are a friendly bunch, and in keeping with this tradition, the group began to introduce themselves to one another. A gentleman near the back wall of the elevator extended his hand and said, "Hi, I'm David Morrell. I'm one of the founders of International Thriller Writers." I, in turn, introduced myself and explained that I was a debut author and it was my first time at the conference. In other words, I gave him a pleasant response as I would any person I'd just met.

So you can imagine my horror when I got up to my room, started flipping through the conference brochure, and discovered that the man I'd just met in the elevator was none other than the David Morrell, author of FIRST BLOOD (the novel in which Rambo was created) and many, many other novels. He is often referred to as the father of modern action novels.

But I didn't know this, because until my publisher categorized my novel as a legal thriller, I hadn't read many thrillers, or even many mysteries. (Unless you count the Nancy Drew books, of which I've read all, many times over.) Sure, I'm a lawyer, so I'd read Turow and Grisham and the like, but I simply wasn't familiar with some of the big names as most thriller writers are.

Now, I'm sure Mr. Morrell doesn't even remember this encounter (at least I hope he doesn't), but after a long weekend spent schmoozing with both chart-topping authors and debut authors like myself, I'm convinced that even if he reads this now, he'll forgive me my ignorance for not realizing just who it was I was meeting in that elevator. Why? Because above everything else I learned at ThrillerFest – and I learned a lot – I learned that no matter who you are, what you read, what you write, how many books you've written, how many books you've sold, and how well-known you are (or aren't), you're still welcomed with open arms into the ITW family.

Carla: Now, see, practically all I read are thrillers. I have to be force-fed anything that doesn’t have blood or death or a kidnapping by the end of chapter one. I blame this on Nancy Drew. She just dove right in. She didn’t listen to her dad, and she certainly didn’t listen to her boyfriend. By the time I was eleven, I was ready for the hardcore stuff – Ngaio Marsh. People died in her novels. Fortunes were stolen. Crimes were committed. I was a goner.

When it came time for me to write my own books, it made perfect sense to write what I’d always read. And of course I had to go to writers’ conventions, schmooze with my idols, suck up to every editor and agent who had the misfortune to cross my path.

Along the way, I found the agent of my dreams and stalked her until she gave up and sent me a contract. Back then, you could get away with a little stalking. Now they lock you up. She submitted my novel, then my next. And the one after that. The fifth one sold (or was it the tenth?) and the first words out of her mouth were, “You should join ITW, and if you can, go to ThrillerFest.”

Well, of course I could. Thriller writers are My People. We understand you have to have a lot of scary to make a person really feel alive. The scarier the better, and just I’d written a scary book. In fact, it was so scary, some editors were afraid to touch it. Seriously. They were.

So I registered for ThrillerFest, figured out which airport to land in, and practiced hailing a cab (no small feat in cornfield, Ohio.) I had my list of authors I wanted to ogle. I was meeting my editor for the first time. I was reuniting with my agent. It was going to be great.

Until my editor told me she wasn’t certain that what I’d written was a thriller.

Julie: So you thought you'd written a thriller, and your editor said you might not have, and I thought I'd written a "relationship-y" book about love, lawyers, and betrayal, and my editor said I'd written a legal thriller. Hmm . . .

Carla: Well, I should’ve seen it coming. My agent had said the same thing when she first read the manuscript, but I just clapped my hands over my ears. I’m not listening. But then we started getting feedback about how scary it was. Doesn’t that say thriller to you? And it sold and apparently it wasn’t a thriller. Very confusing.

Julie: Scary? Yes, that does say thriller to me. But it was exactly this "confusion" that sparked our friendship, I think, don't you?

Carla: That, and our winning personalities.

Julie: Well, of course, that too. It was the second night of the conference, and the debut authors had dinner together at . . . do you remember the name of the restaurant?

Carla: All I remember was I paid twenty bucks for a diet Coke.

Julie: I think I shared my appetizer with you, didn't I? Anyway, I had the good fortune to plop myself down right next to you, and I'll never forget your first words to me after telling me your name: "I'm not really supposed to be here."

Carla: You didn’t plop. You slid very gracefully onto the hard vinyl bench. And I wasn’t supposed to be there. I was party-crashing. Just minutes before, I bumped into Karen Dionne outside the Random House opening reception and she immediately invited me to join the debut authors that evening. I was next year’s class, which is actually now this year’s class, but since my publication date’s been moved into 2010, I had to move, too, and I’m now in next year’s class. Stay with me, Julie. You haven’t dozed off, have you?

So when you appeared beside me, looking so friendly and totally together and genuine, I thought I’d better let you know I was an imposter.

Julie: I'm not so sure about that "totally together" part, but I immediately identified with the sentiment, because like I said, I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to be there, either. We began to talk, and we discovered we had much more in common than an "author identity crisis." We're both stay at home moms with two kids . . .

Carla: Actually, I have three kids. It’s hard for me to keep count of them, too.

And, please. You are totally together.

Once we started talking about our kids and the fact that we both used to do something other than drive carpool and make cupcakes for the bake sale, we definitely clicked. Plus we had both moved away from the places we considered home: me from the East Coast to the Midwest, and you from the Midwest to the East coast. So we knew a little bit about making homes away from home, and feeling like outsiders. But when I confided to you that I’d been told my book might have more in common with Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve, than the thriller writers I’d been worshiping, you lit up. Christmas had come to Times Square (which was actually ten blocks away, but you get the idea.)

Julie: Three kids? Really? I knew that. I meant to say, we have two kids the same age . . .

But yes, it's true. I did light up, and I don't even smoke. After all, my publisher described my novel as part Scott Turow, part Jodi Picoult. For the first time I started to think, hey, maybe I do belong here. Maybe a novel doesn't have to have explosions and car chases and Bruce Willis waiting to play the lead in the screenplay in order to qualify as a thriller. (Because I've been told Patrick Dempsey aka McDreamy would make a much better Jack – the protagonist of my novel.)

Carla: See what I mean about her being so together? She’s already talking McDreamy for the movie.

Julie: Well, when people first suggested him, I wasn't sure. After all, Jack is fair-haired. But if accepting Jack as tall, dark and handsome instead of tall, fair and handsome is the price for seeing my story on the big screen, I'm willing to pay.

Carla: Smart girl. Anyway, I was hugely relieved to find someone who not only knew what the Picoult/Shreve reference meant, but actually thought that it was a good thing. All of sudden, I began to think that maybe it was okay my novel didn’t have car chases and explosions in it (it does have some mucus, but I suppose that doesn’t count.) Maybe it was cool to be Thrilleresque. That was us: we were Thrilleresque.

Julie: Thrilleresque! I love it! I think we're starting a new sub-genre. If David Morrell is the father of modern action novels, maybe Carla Buckley and Julie Compton can be the mothers of modern chick-thrillers.

Carla: I like how you put my name first. See why I like this girl…chick, I mean. Julie is definitely chick material. She has a motorcycle. I have a minivan. I long to be a chick. Chicks read thrillers and Picoult; they write thrillers a la Shreve. They go to ThrillerFest and start a little something.

Julie: Some say write what you know, but I prefer to know what I write. When I started my second novel and decided to make my protagonist a biker, I figured I'd better learn how to ride. And then, once I learned how to ride, I figured I needed a bike. You see where this is going . . .

But I think what we're trying to say is, you can't always be sure what you've written. And when that's the case, listen to your agent and your editor when they tell you that your novel is – if not a pure thriller – Thrilleresque. Otherwise, you might not have the opportunity to attend ThrillerFest and strike up a friendship with a cool chick like Carla. (And yes, Carla, you most definitely qualify as a cool chick.)

Check back when Thrilleresque writers Carla and Julie return to discuss: What IS a thriller, anyway? Stay tuned.


UPDATE: For those who'd like to post a comment and want to maintain a little anonymity (we're thrilleresque writers--we like a little scary), you don't have to sign in. Simply select OPEN ID and type in the name you'd like to appear as (this could be your pet's name and we'd never know...)

Julie Compton is the author of the legal thriller, TELL NO LIES (St. Martin's Minotaur 2008). Her second novel, tentatively titled RESCUING OLIVIA, will be released by St. Martin's in February 2010. TELL NO LIES is also published in the UK, the Netherlands and Spain.

Carla Buckley is the author of OUT OF THIN AIR, coming from Bantam Dell in May 2010. She is currently at work on her second Bantam Dell novel, INVISIBLE. Both books will also be released in Germany and the UK.

A Great Week in the Life of A Debut Author

I think this week ranks as one of my great weeks. Three wonderful things happened to me.

First, the Independent Booksellers of America voted Running from the Devil a “Notable Book” for May! Although I’d been informed about this earlier, I admit I didn’t quite believe it until I was able to check the link at Indiebound.org. http://www.indiebound.org/indie-next-list?edition=200905
And there it was.
I immediately wanted to throw a big kiss out to every one, because I know just how dedicated they are to all things literary. What a thrill. On May 1st, in honor of “Buy Indie” day, I went to my local independent, the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square, Chicago, to attend a signing and buy a book. (Free Range Kids, Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry). Had a great time and Lenore Skenazy is a riot.

Second, the running apparel company, Sugoi, offered to provide running apparel and to host a book trailer on their site! I’m an avid runner, and wear running clothes of all shapes and sizes, but the piece of clothing by Sugoi that I loved before the trailer was actually not for running at all, but for biking. It’s a biking skirt, with the padded seat needed for cycling hidden under the perfect skirt. You can bike all day and not have to look like Lance Armstrong preparing for the Tour de France. Excellent.

When their running clothes came I soon found two new favorites. The book trailer shoot was grueling, but the clothes hung in there. I spent part of today looking at a final edit, and I am struck by how well everything looked on camera.

The third wonderful thing was the ability to work with creative people in other mediums. The director of my shoot worked tirelessly to get just the right shots, the photographer managed to capture the highlights of the shoot in candid behind the scenes shots, and the musician and I discussed the soundtrack today. I can’t wait to see the finished product. You can find a blog about Day 1 of the shoot on my website, http://www.jamiefreveletti.com/blog/book-trailer-shoot-day-1 as well as photos on my HarperCollins author page http://www.Harpercollins.com/authors/34458/index.aspx I’ll blog about Day 2 shortly.

What a week!

Jamie Freveletti
Running from the Devil
May 5, 2009