Comments on: Thriller Novels: 7 Lessons Learned From Thriller Writer Matthew Reilly

By: Writing Thrillers: Lessons Learned From James Rollins | The Creative Penn

Writing Thrillers: Lessons Learned From James Rollins | The Creative Penn — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:28:16 +0000

[...] plot, less character. Thrillers seem to be more plot based than character based. Thriller author Matthew Reilly in particular seems to kill off his characters regularly, Rollins less so. This is also key in [...]

By: Gary Val Tenuta

Gary Val Tenuta — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:21:54 +0000

Joanna -
Thanks for the kind words. But I hope you didn’t misunderstand my comment and thus be disappointed in the sample you downloaded. The reference to Crowley pertains to my current work-in-progress. It’s unfinished at this point. The sample you downloaded is from my debut novel, The Ezekiel Code, which is as described in the previous comment but it doesn’t have anything to do with Crowley. I apologize if that wasn’t clear.

Also, I’m not sure how much of The Ezekiel Code is actually contained in the Kindle sample. However, if you go to my website, http://www.ezekielcode.com, you’ll see a little widget called “BookBuzr”. If you click on it you will be able to read the first 12 chapters of the book.

Warm regards on a cold and blustery Monday in Seattle,
Gary

By: Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:11:56 +0000

Hi Gary – you hooked me with Aleister Crowley – I’ve downloaded a sample to my Kindle.

This is a fantastic example of internet marketing in action – proactive search by author, hooking avid reader with personalised comment… resulting in download and view of book sample and (potentially) a book sale.

Thanks so much! Joanna

By: Gary Val Tenuta

Gary Val Tenuta — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:31:21 +0000

Hi Joanna -
Thanks for posting these 7 lessons. They are excellent pointers for those of us attempting to write a thriller. I’m incorporating all of these ideas into my current work-in-progress, an occult crime thriller, based on a little known fact about the death of Aleister Crowley, the notorious 19th century occultist (http://www.ezekielcode.com/ashteaser.html).

I think my debut novel, The Ezekiel Code, fits the “thriller” genre although it doesn’t have the lightening fast pace aspect, except for the final few chapters with a dramatic ending. But I wanted to mention it to you because you mentioned that you “love to read about locations or books or artefacts that have some truth to them, but then are often exaggerated into the fiction story”. That’s a huge part of The Ezekiel Code. It’s loaded with esoteric information, a mysterious code, conspiracy, secret societies (real and fictional) and historically intriguing locations where the main characters go in search of an ancient artifact that holds the key to the survival of the planet prior to 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar. If you check out the 3 video trailers at my website you’ll get a pretty good idea of whether or not it’s your cup o’ tea.