Research 101: a.k.a. Learning to Kill (on paper!) by Allison Brennan

Jenn McKinlay: Last week I had the very good fortune to sign books at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore with the extremely talented Allison Brennan. Of course, I asked her to visit us and she very graciously agreed. So here she is to talk about the warm and fuzzy topic of writing what we know or rather what we don't know.

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Allison Brennan: Later this year, I’m presenting a workshop titled How Can I Write What I Know When I Haven’t Killed a Man?

It’s a fair question. Especially when writers are constantly told: “Write what you know.”

Well, if I only wrote what I knew? My books would be mind-numbingly dull. I’m a mom. A daughter. A wife. You know—like millions of women. I once worked in the California State Legislature, which sounds more exciting than it was. (Spoiler: it wasn’t.) I went to a college prep high school, dropped out of college after two years, and my first job was at a bookstore, where I had to prove I could alphabetize and make change. I've also been a bartender, admin, hostess, a waitress for roughly two minutes (I was terrible), and spent a summer at Marine World learning how carnival games work—yet still couldn’t win a single one.

 The truth is: if you're writing crime, thrillers, or suspense, you cannot rely on television for research. Just because a fictional FBI agent tracks a suspect cross-country doesn’t mean the real FBI lets agents hopscotch around the country like Jason Bourne on a road trip. (Yes, I made that mistake once.)

 Some authors do write from specialized experience—doctors writing about doctors, veterans writing military thrillers. It adds a layer of authenticity that’s hard to fake. Tess Gerritsen made Maura Isles come alive with her medical background. John Grisham nails courtroom drama. Tom Clancy practically was a submarine. And Jack Carr? Real-deal Navy SEAL turned bestselling author.

 But here’s the thing: Tess had never been a cop, and she still gave us Jane Rizzoli. Lisa Gardner has never been a man, but writes in the male POV quite well. And I’m reasonably certain Gregg Hurwitz has never moonlighted as a government assassin. (But if he has...I take it back. Great job. Very convincing.)

 So no, I’ve never killed a man. But I have a vivid imagination. And if I can picture it? I can write it.

 And I’ve pictured some very fun, er, interesting, um, diabolical … well, let’s just say my husband definitely doesn’t want to get on my bad side,

 Let me introduce you to my best friend: The Book of Poisons. That book has helped me off more characters than I care to count.

 Back when I was writing my second novel—my debut wasn’t even published yet—I needed to figure out how to sabotage a car so it would break down after only a few miles of driving. This was before Google answered all of life’s weirdest questions. So I called mechanics in my town.

 “Hi, I’m Allison Brennan. I’m writing a novel. What could I put in a car’s gas tank to make it stall a few miles down the road?”

 Shockingly, no one answered my question. Instead, they hung up. I suppose I’m lucky they didn’t call the cops.

 Desperate, I brought it up at my niece’s baptism (as one does), and my brother-in-law said, “Hey, my buddy’s a mechanic. Let me grab him.”

 Five minutes later, I’m pitching this mechanic my scene, explaining that sugar doesn’t quite work unless the gas is low. He nods and says, “You want to clog the fuel filter. That’ll do it.”

 We brainstorm. He suggests molasses—heavy, slow, perfect for settling at the bottom of the tank and causing problems right on cue. Boom. Sabotaged car. Kidnapping scene secured.

 Perfect.

 Since then, I’ve:

 * Observed an autopsy.

* Played both hostage and bad guy during FBI SWAT training.

* Toured Quantico.

* Done countless ride-alongs.

* Interviewed experts about everything from blood spatter to bomb tech.

 All to make my stories more authentic—even if I’m still making stuff up for a living.

 My latest book, Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds, is my 49th novel. It’s a little lighter than my usual thrillers (read: fewer corpses, no blood), but the research was still essential—especially since I’d never been to the Caribbean.

 In the first draft, I had my characters taking a hot air balloon ride. Very romantic. Except... there are no hot air balloons on Caribbean islands. At all. I researched how they work, and realized there’s a very good, very scientific reason they’re not floating around out there. I’ve since forgotten what it is—but the balloons had to go.

 Then there’s the fictional island of St. Claire, where my protagonist Mia Crawford is sent on a mandatory vacation. I made a rough map to help with continuity. Then midway through the book, I hit a problem: a scene required Mia to hike from point A to point B, but there was no path. I panicked. My entire mountain-trekking sequence was ruined.

 Until I remembered: St. Claire isn’t real. I made it up. I can put a path anywhere I want.

 Waterfall too far north? Slide it south. Boom. Problem solved. Magic of fiction.

 Now, I have made mistakes. Some on purpose, for the sake of the story. Others? Honest goofs. Like the nurse who emailed me to say she threw my book across the room because I miscalculated a Valium dose by about... 500%. Whoops.

 The thing is, we don’t know what we don’t know. That’s why research matters. But I try not to let my research show. It should be invisible. Seamless. If readers are too busy noticing my fun and clever facts, they’re not fully immersed in my story.

 My rule of thumb? Willing suspension of disbelief.

 If the characters are compelling and the story is gripping, readers will go along for the ride—even if a detail is a little off.

 That said… if I were to plan a murder, I’d want to do it right.

 I mean, I’d want my characters to get away with it. Definitely just my characters. Wink wink. (Ha! Just kidding! In case the NSA or someone is reading this …)

So tell me: Do you appreciate when authors get the research right? And are you willing to overlook a few missteps if the story's too good to put down?

 

Allison Brennan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author best known for her Quinn & Costa FBI thrillers and the Lucy Kincaid series. She lives in Arizona with her family and assorted pets. Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds is her 49th novel.

Research 101 by Allison Brennan

LUCY BURDETTE: I'm delighted to have Allison Brennan back as our guest today--she's got some wonderful stories about the research she does for her books. This post has me yearning for another citizens police academy...Welcome Allison!

ALLISON BRENNAN: I love my job.

I can work in my pajamas.

I can take a break in the middle of the day to go for a walk, or take the kids on a field trip, or go to a ball game. I just make up the writing time late at night.

I love writing, and my job is 90% writing. It doesn’t get much better than that … well, sometimes it does. Like the annual Regional SWAT Training put on by Sacramento FBI.

For me, research is not only important, it’s an essential part of writing. I want to get the details right. At the minimum, I need to understand what I’m writing about—not just the technical details, but the people. Every detail, personality, backstory are part of the “big picture” story.

I didn’t do much, if any, hands on research while writing my first seven books. Most of the details came from my love affair with true crime books and television shows; from my avid reading background and talking to a few people in the know—like a friend of mine who’s a retired cop. It wasn’t until I was a New York Times bestselling author that I started taking research seriously … and I’m glad I did.

My research journey landed me in the FBI Citizens Academy in 2008 where I was lucky enough to meet a variety of law enforcement types in all areas of the business, from analysts to special agents to special agents in charge to the assistant US attorney for my region. I’m invited to quarterly briefings about contemporary topics in law enforcement — such as a presentation by the lead agent in charge of the Unabomber investigation. This case was particularly interesting because I worked in the California State Capitol at the time when Theodore Kaczynski killed a lobbyist up the street.

How I got into the Citizens Academy is kind of a funny story. I had written my eighth book, TEMPTING EVIL, and the copyeditor had a couple of questions I didn’t have answers to. I contacted my local FBI media resource officer and, after I went through a background check and phone interview with national headquarters, he was authorized to speak to me. In my story, my FBI agent character was pursuing a fugitive who’d escaped during an earthquake in San Quentin (California) to Montana. My question didn’t have anything to do with that – it was more technical. But immediately, my FBI contact said, “He wouldn’t.”

I learned that if my FBI agent from Sacramento had learned the whereabouts of a fugitive, he would contact the local FBI office to follow-up – he wouldn’t pursue the fugitive himself. (File this under: Things I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know.) Yikes! My book was done. I was only going over copyedits. I began to panic because Mitch was an important character and I couldn’t just change him into another person.

Do I asked, “What if he went after the guy anyway? Against orders?”

My contact essentially said, anything. Nothing might happen. Or he’d be reprimanded. Or he’d be sent up for discipline to the Office of Professional Responsibility. Or he could be fired. Nothing? To termination? I had a big canvas to play with. As long as I kept to the reality that an FBI agent would not normally be sent to track a fugitive cross-country, I could do anything I want. And it actually worked so much better for the trilogy because in the last book, Mitch is pulled from the case and reprimanded and that created far more conflict organic to the story and the characters – because he did in TEMPTING EVIL what he felt was right. And I only had to add a brief scene in the copyedits.

The Citizens Academy opened up many other doors for me, including two trips to Quantico which were invaluable in helping me write two books set at the FBI Academy. I was able to interview a new agent in Sacramento who helped me understand what it was like being an agent-in-training now … not ten or twenty years ago.

But my favorite … FAVORITE … research trips involve role playing with SWAT.

I’m often asked what I do at these training events. Role players are either bad guys, hostages, or injured victims (during medical/triage drills.) We are live bodies who are given a role in a variety of scenarios to help SWAT teams work together to develop the mental muscle necessary to deal with high-stress situations. The same team will go through a drill multiple times, often with slight variations so they never know exactly what they’ll encounter. Having people to play the parts makes the drills more realistic, as they have to deal with us as well as take down the bad guy.

I’ve done many of these all-day training drills—as a role player and as an observer—and they’re all a little different. They use simunition (paint bullets, essentially) which hurt, but aren’t deadly. Still, they can cause serious injury to sensitive parts of the body, which is why we role players wear protective head gear.

Drills may involve hostage negotiation, serving warrants, and active shooter scenarios. These can be the most fun—and scary!—because a SWAT team will come in to deal with the wounded, the witnesses, and try to find and stop the bad guy. They have to quickly separate the threat, handle triage, and secure the scene. This can happen fast, and intel is the single most important factor in knowing where the bad guy(s) are hiding. I have a great respect and admiration of law enforcement who risk their lives to save others, and have a better understanding of how fast these situations can occur—and how fast they can escalate.

I’ve watched live ammo drills, which are as intense and suspenseful as any movie. I’ve played the part of a non-ambulatory victim, a hostage, and one of my most fun roles — the wife of a wanted fugitive. We ran through this drill in a variety of ways to help train agents. For example, they will first drill on gaining access to the house when they didn’t have a warrant. I, the wife, was first told to make it easy—let them come in and arrest my no-good husband. Then I was told to make them work for it—they had to convince me to open the door. I was told to be “real” – think the COPS show – and swear at them, push all their buttons, be belligerent. Then the final drill they had a warrant and had to break down the door and detain me and search for my fugitive husband. I was told be become part of the “problem” and get in their face—but unarmed. They had to deal with me bitching and screaming at them while also knowing there could be weapons in the house as well as a violent felon.

I learned that handcuffs are NOT fun. When SWAT really gets into the drills, they will cuff, search, and secure — and make sure I’m down on my knees or prone and not moving. The training teams don’t always know what the supervisors are looking for in the drills. Once a team was criticized for not searching one of us who had been told to hide a weapon under our shirt, as part of the drill.

I have a lot of respect for law enforcement, especially the guys in the trenches. My ride-a-long with a Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff reminded me that they go into every situation not knowing what they’re going to face; few people are happy to see them; they have people swearing at them and flipping them off for no reason except that they are cops. My deputy said once he went to a call and a five year old kid answered the door, looked up at him, and said, “I hate cops.”

Well, I don’t. The stress and pressure that they’re under while trying to protect and serve is intense, and they’re required to do more with less resources and less officers in an era where every call could end in violence. Where cops are getting ambushed simply because they are wearing a uniform.

For me, as a writer, the best part of these scenarios is not the actual drill — it’s what happens after the drill. When the team goes through what they did and why, step by step. I get to listen and absorb how these men (and a few women) process a scene, how they communicate and trust each other, what they’re thinking and why they do what they do. They share experiences with all the collected teams (all over northern California) that they’ve had in real life scenarios. They learn from their mistakes (another important part of the drills) and because of the time they spend training, they are more effective on the street when we really need them.

One of the drills we did last time involved an officer down situation — the first officer through the door was shot and incapacitated, and the team has to handle the man down while there were also hostages and an active shooter.  It was probably the most intense drill of the day, but one where I learned the most.

While these drills and research trips are fun for me on the one hand, they are also very serious for those who participate. The retired SWAT leader of Sacramento FBI (who’s a big fan of my books—just saying!) had in his email signature line, “Failure to train means training to fail.” He took his role seriously, like most of these men and women do.

I take what I learn in these drills—mostly about the people I get to meet who all have their own stories and experiences and backstories—to help create believable stories for my own fictional characters. To me, that’s the best part of research—the human factor.

But as a writer, the most important part of the story is that I get it right (and believe me, sometimes I have gotten it very, very wrong ...) while making my research “disappear” in the story. I never want the research to “show” on the page, so to speak. I want my reader to be immersed in the story so deeply that the research I’ve done is simply part of the story and doesn’t stand out. I’m not an expert on anything ... my job is to entertain. And if the research points stand out and are not organic to the story, then I have failed.

What authors do you think have successfully incorporated their research? Have you ever cringed when you saw something that you are an expert about but the writer got it all wrong? 

New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan has two books out this summer, TWO TO DIE FOR and SHATTERED. You can read more and follow her here:

facebook: http://facebook.com/AllisonBrennan

twitter http://twitter.com/Allison_Brennan

To Plot or not to Plot by Allison Brennan

LUCY BURDETTE: I was skimming over the Sisters in Crime listserv a couple of weeks ago, and the discussion turned to plotting versus writing by the seat of your pants. I was absolutely blown away by Allison Brennan's response, and knew instantly that you would want to read about her writing process. Welcome Allison!

ALLISON BRENNAN: At my first ever writer’s conference in 2005--after I sold my first book but before it hit the shelves--my friend Patti Berg and I came up with a workshop called “No Plotters Allowed: Solutions to writer’s block for those who can’t, won’t, or don’t plot.” 

One of the reasons Patti and I came up with this idea was our mutual frustration at being told that we were “doing it wrong.” That there was an established way to write and those of us who didn’t plot were somehow inferior to those who did.

There is no one right way to write a book. Some people plot. Some people don’t. And there are many people who combine plotting and pantsing. (I prefer “organic writing” to “pantsing.”)

The most important thing is that the writer finish the book. How is almost irrelevant, as long as we reach THE END.

Books by authors who heavily outline (Andrew Gross, Suzanne Brockmann, James Patterson) are no better than books by authors who write organically (Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Lee Child.) And vice versa. 

I’ve had writer friends insist that I must plot because I write mystery/thrillers. I say I don’t. I often don’t even know who the killer is. I sometimes write a great scene and have no idea how my characters are going to get out alive. Sometimes they don’t all survive. My characters often surprise me, and that’s one of the most fun things about writing organically.

Usually I start with nothing but a premise. What if a killer used a crime fiction writer’s books as blueprints for murder? (That idea became my debut novel, THE PREY.) I started writing and my main character took shape as she woke up and I wrote what I saw – how she felt, what she did, what she learned in that all-important first chapter. It set the stage for the entire book.

Sometimes I start with a character. Obviously, if you write a series you already have a core character or two. But the plot itself? That comes as my character goes to work. I want to challenge them as well as provide an interesting and exciting story for my readers. What if Sean and Lucy are camping and come across a couple who are acting suspicious? What if Lucy’s mentor is killed at Quantico? What if a crime in Sean’s past is used against him? What if Sean learns he has a son – but his son’s step-father is a criminal?

Almost always I write one or two paragraphs that summarize the core story, so in a sense I know the basics. I know what kind of mystery I’m writing—a thriller, a whodunit, a psychological suspense. I know the main character and the launch point of the story (a murder, a kidnapping, a prison break, etc.) Beyond that? Nothing. I often don't know who the killer is until my hero figures it out. And sometimes, what I think is the main crime in the first chapter is minor compared to what happens later!

When you write organically you can't be afraid to edit. I cut and rewrite tens of thousands of words. My books usually exceed 100K words, but I often completely rewrite scenes, cut scenes—sometimes dozens of pages—and I’ve also been known to write completely new endings. The editor of my first 17 books at Ballantine told me she loved my revisions because it was like reading a completely new book and she never knew what was going to happen. 

Because writing is rewriting, I don't stress over word choice, scene blocking, or description in my first draft. I layer that in on the second draft. If I get stuck, I reread from the beginning or just skip to the next logical scene. I always ask, what would my character do in this situation? I try to avoid getting distracted by research unless it's plot critical. Meaning, if my character finds a dead body buried for 10 years I don't describe it in the first draft. When I'm done I'll figure out what they saw and set the scene. However if there is a critical clue where I need to know exactly how the body looks because that's important to the plot, then I'll pull out my forensic books, use Google, or call an expert. Since I edit as I go, my first drafts are fairly clean. Each morning, I re-read what I wrote the day before to make sure that it’s free of major mistakes and it makes sense. That process jumpstarts my creativity.

I've published more than 30 books and haven't plotted or outlined any of them. My way is not the best way. It’s the best way for me.

Writers write. It’s what we do. Find the best process for you, the way you can get from beginning through the middle and type THE END. Anyone who says you’re doing it wrong? Ignore them. I’m glad I did.

So I’m going to ask you what Patti and I asked our workshops: what do you do when you’re stuck? Or, do you need help getting unstuck? Let me know and I’ll see if I can help! 

For the readers out there, can you tell the difference between books from plotters and books from people who don't plot?

New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan has two books out this summer, TWO TO DIE FOR and SHATTERED. You can read more and follow her here:

facebook: http://facebook.com/AllisonBrennan

twitter http://twitter.com/Allison_Brennan

Allison Brennan on Storytelling

I love dark, epic storytelling with happy endings.

 

It probably started when I was thirteen and read THE STAND by Stephen King. After 99% of the world is killed by a deadly virus, our survivors are faced with an even deadlier battle, in the name of evil Randall Flagg. Most of the people we grew to love and hate in the 1200 page tome (yes, I read the unabridged version) also die. The ending is happy(ish.) Bittersweet, but Stu and Frannie (and Frannie’s baby) survive. They defeat evil and begin to rebuild. 

Hugely satisfying.

 
Epic storytelling generally involves high fantasy, but after reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy in high school, I haven’t been a fan of fantasy. I loved the story, but there was a lot of other stuff that made me skim lots and lots of pages. My 17 year old daughter read the first two books of the Game of Thrones series and she enjoyed them, but said she was finding herself skimming a lot as well, even though she was worried she’d miss something. So we are watching the Games of Throne series this summer to get caught up because from what my daughter has heard, it’s as good as the books without the boring parts.

I understand the need for storytellers who have to build a world to incorporate scenes, chapters and even hundreds of pages of histories and events, and there is a large groups of readers who love that level of detail.

I’m not one of them.

Epic storytelling works amazingly in film, especially when there’s a franchise and storytellers can world build over time, adding layers with each movie while still making each movie a solid story. 

STAR WARS came out when I was eight. I saw it in the theater and was completely in awe. This was 1977, and we hadn’t seen anything as vivid and epic and fast-paced as STAR WARS. It opened my mind to possibilities I hadn’t even known existed, let alone thought about. Not just the world of science fiction, fantasy, or alternative worlds, but the breadth of storytelling. When I was eight, I was reading Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. STAR WARS blew me away. 

Even though George Lucas always said he had seven stories planned for the Star Wars franchise, I was disappointed when he sold the rights to Disney. I was disappointed in the second trilogy because they didn’t hold true to some of the details in the original trilogy which, to me, is perfect storytelling. The second trilogy was less than perfect. I didn’t buy into some of the characters actions and decisions. The only thing I really loved about the second trilogy was Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. (But who doesn’t love Yoda?)

 Yet … JJ Abrams is set to direct the seventh Star Wars movie, and I am cautiously optimistic. It’s like when I know Joss Whedon is involved in a project, I am already on board because he’s an amazing storyteller. And in the end, it’s always about the story.

One of the reasons I’m cautiously optimistic is because JJ Abrams directed the reboot of the STAR TREK franchise. (Okay, yes, I’m a nerd. Kind of obvious, isn’t it?) The first movie was good, but INTO THE DARKNESS was amazing. It was the exact kind of epic storytelling I love—action, suspense, battles (both internal and external), moral conflict, and a multi-dimensional villain. (And I didn’t love it just because Benedict Cumberbatch was the villain. Though I loved him, too!)

Much of great epic storytelling is dependent on the actors being IN character, and I think Abrams brought in an amazing cast (particularly Zachary Quinto who plays Spock—I love him in everything he does.) But because the story was there, and the actors became the characters, and I went along with the ride. J

Epic storytelling isn’t just on the big screen; quieter versions exist in television. The first season of HEROES, for example, was an epic storyline that, like King’s THE STAND, brought together disparate characters in a final battle where some became heroes, and some became villains.

I also consider the recently completed first season of THE FOLLOWING starring starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy to be an epic storyline. I think it was one of the best written shows on television this year—dark, suspenseful, and very well-written. There is a happy(ish) ending to the season, but then wham! The writers give us a twist. This isn’t a series you can watch just one episode—you have to go from beginning to end. It’s an over-arcing epic story told for the small screen. It gives you the depth of character that you rarely get in two hour movies – the same depth of character I see in novels like THE STAND.

 

What do you think? Is there a different formula for epic storytelling in books than in the movies? Do you like all the high-level detail in fantasy novels, or prefer the movies? Did you see Star Trek? Iron Man? The Avengers? Or are these high-speed adventures not your cup of tea?

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Allison Brennan is the author of twenty novels and several short stories. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, she lives in Northern California with her husband Dan and their five children. Allison's latest Lucy Kincaid thriller, STOLEN, will be out this coming Tuesday, June 4th. You can find out more about her books, and get a printable list of her series, at her website. 

Allison Brennan takes us to Quantico in STALKED

HALLIE EPHRON: Allison Brennan writes about something much scarier than serial killers and stalkers -- her suspense thrillers are also about romance. As in: there's s-e-x. The result is to humanize her tough-as-nails female characters.

In her newest, "Stalked," FBI trainee Lucy Kincaid gets drawn into an investigation that she'd just as soon stay out of -- the murder of a writer who was researching a serial killer whom Lucy had a hand in taking down. The case cuts too close to Lucy's own past trauma, and besides, Lucy would much rather keep her head down and survive her training at Quantico. But then... not to give anything away, but soon there doesn't seem to be anywhere that she's truly safe.

I personally find it so tricky to blend romance with hard-edged suspense. How DO you do it?


AND... Kimberley Titlebaum! You are yesterday's winner for your thoughtful post from the heart. To claim your copy of "The Twelve Clues of Christmas" contact Rhys off list at authorrhysbowen "at" gmail dot com. She's looking forward to hearing from you!

ALLISON BRNNAN: Any romance has to be organic to the characters and the story. If you force it, it doesn’t work.

Some of my books have more romance than others. I don’t plan it out—it comes naturally from the characters. I’ve actually found it easier to blend in a realistic romantic relationship in the Lucy Kincaid series because I can build her relationship with PI Sean Rogan over time.

In the romantic thrillers I wrote for Ballantine, I had to create a relationship AND a full suspense plot and wrap everything up in a neat bow by the end of the book. With Lucy, her relationship with Sean fits her character—both how they interact, the pace, and the place it has in her life. I don’t write prolonged love scenes. While they’re explicit, they focus on emotion and how the challenges and changes in the relationship affect the suspense storyline.

In a nutshell? The story comes first. Always.
HALLIE: I completely agree!

Of course I've never been inside Quantico, but your setting feels so real. How did you achieve that authenticity?

ALLISON BRENNAN: I went to Quantico.

I love research. In 2009, I had sold the Lucy Kincaid series and then took my first trip to the FBI Academy. I went with the FBI Citizen’s Academy from Sacramento – great program and opportunity for me.

As it turned out, it wasn’t until the fifth Lucy story (Stalked) that I actually set the book at Quantico. So I went back in early 2012 as I was writing Stalked for a private tour with the media representative, who also answered all my arcane questions. While not everything is 100% accurate, I tried to keep all the major facts true-to-life. (Writers sometimes have to take minor liberties for the sake of the story), I hope I captured the basic feeling of being a new agent at the FBI Academy. For example, I used a construction site in one of the scenes—when I was there in March, there was a lot of construction going on, and they assured me it would take them several years to complete all the projects.

I’m also lucky in that I’ve made a lot of friends who are in the FBI and they help me with some of the details. For example, while writing the next Lucy book ("Stolen") I thought I’d written myself into a corner in a previous book. Sean, Lucy’s boyfriend, has a statute of limitations hanging over his head for a crime nearly ten years old. I did some research and couldn’t find a crime that had a ten year statute of limitations. I lamented this fact to my FBI contact and another agent I was interviewing (a recent graduate) and they said simultaneously, “Bank fraud.” Ironically, it fit Sean’s character and the storyline. Needless to say, I was thrilled I didn’t have to fudge on this detail.

HALLIE: I've heard writers advised to get in touch with their own greatest fear, and channel that into their own writing. Would you agree, or do you have some other advice for writers trying to write your kind of suspense-filled page turners?

ALLISON: Yes and no. My greatest fear is that one of my kids will be in danger and I will be able to do nothing to stop it. For example, I had a recurring nightmare after my second child was born that I drove off a bridge and had to choose between saving my newborn or my toddler as the car was sinking.

I haven’t written that scene yet, but I do write about loss, grief, and the frustration of many (particularly in law enforcement) that they can’t stop all the bad guys. I also recognize that there are split decisions that must be made during action scenes and like us, characters may question whether they made the right choice. I also touch on the universal themes of good versus evil, as many of us do who write crime fiction, and have been digging more into the gray areas of the law, when the lines become blurred. I’m having a lot more fun with that!

I also take to heart the advice of Elmore Leonard. “Don’t be boring.” If I’m bored with what I’m writing, my readers will be bored. I’m a ruthless self-editor.

HALLIE: This is your nineteenth suspense thriller published since 2006. Wow! Any tips on how to be that productive?

ALLISON: Write every day. Even if it’s crap, write every day. I can count on my fingers the number of days I’ve completely taken off in the last ten years. This isn’t to say I write 12 hours a day every day, but I write 8-12 hours a day 5 days a week, and 3-4 hours over the weekend.

But I think people shouldn’t focus on what other writers do. They should find a system that works for them. Maybe it’s writing one day a week, but all day long. Or one hour every morning before work. Or not setting a time limit, but writing 2,000 words a day.

When I had a full-time day job, before I was published, I wrote only at night after the kids went to bed—I had to give up television. (Believe me, this was a huge sacrifice for me because I love TV!) I wrote 3 hours every night, 7 days a week, and wrote 5 books in 2 years. Four of the books were garbage. The fifth sold.

HALLIE: What are you working on now?

ALLISON: I’m very excited to start a new series in early 2014. Maxine Revere, an investigative crime reporter, is unlike any of my other heroines and I’m working on her first book, which will be out in hardcover (my first!) She has been so much fun to write because she is different. First, she’s not a cop or in law enforcement and tends to butt heads with those who are, especially if she thinks they’re not doing their job.

As soon as I finished Lucy #6 Stolen (June 2013), I dove into Max’s story. There will still be more Lucy Kincaid books, but I like to stretch and challenge myself and I think Max and Lucy will both be better series because I can alternate between them. I think many authors struggle with boredom, especially if they have a long-running series, and I never want to get to that point.

Thank you Reds for hosting me today! I am seriously thrilled to be here, as I am a huge fan of your blog and your books. You could give a master class in mysteries and suspense!

I’m happy to answer any questions or just chat. I love talking. In fact, I was voted Most Talkative in both middle school and high school, LOL.