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BEHIND THE BESTSELLERS considers the art and craft of popular and bestselling novels–and what writers can learn from their authors.

How Jeff Lindsay Introduced Dexter To The World Considering pacing, plot, and story setup in the first 50 pages

[by Ross Browne]

Flap Copy: He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likable: He only kills bad people.

Ross’s Take: Though Darkly Dreaming Dexter was a book […]

By |2024-01-06T20:17:52+00:00January 16th, 2021|Behind The Bestsellers|Comments Off on How Jeff Lindsay Introduced Dexter To The World Considering pacing, plot, and story setup in the first 50 pages
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Editor’s Eavesdrop: An Intimate Conversation with Ken Follett and Lee Child Considering writing and publishing perspectives from two masters of their genres

[by Ross Browne]

One silver lining to the challenges of the writing life in 2020 is the growing number of popular authors doing online events with their fans. This gives us the opportunity to get up close and personal (if only virtually) with some of the biggest names in publishing, and in many cases pose questions to […]

By |2024-01-06T20:20:16+00:00December 13th, 2020|Behind The Bestsellers|Comments Off on Editor’s Eavesdrop: An Intimate Conversation with Ken Follett and Lee Child Considering writing and publishing perspectives from two masters of their genres
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How Dean Koontz Creates Dramatic Character Arc (and Convincingly Humanizes a Golden Retriever) in His Best-Loved Novel

[by Ross Browne]

Dean Koontz is a very funny guy who while contemplating his future as a geriatric (bunny slippers are involved) says he expects to feel then as he does now: that Watchers is the most satisfying book he’s ever written. He also believes many readers will think it to be his best, no matter how […]

By |2024-01-18T17:28:27+00:00June 19th, 2020|Behind The Bestsellers|Comments Off on How Dean Koontz Creates Dramatic Character Arc (and Convincingly Humanizes a Golden Retriever) in His Best-Loved Novel
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How Stephen King and Alexandra Sokoloff Cultivate Willing Suspension of Disbelief in Crime Fiction Tips and techniques based on two hit novels

[by Ross Browne]

A recent article in The New Yorker defines the willing suspension of disbelief as “the reader’s decision to put the argumentative, quibbling part of his mind into neutral and go along for the narrative ride.”

Stephen King is a master at this, and I’m sure I’m not alone in admiring how easy he makes it […]

By |2024-01-22T17:18:16+00:00June 19th, 2020|Behind The Bestsellers|Comments Off on How Stephen King and Alexandra Sokoloff Cultivate Willing Suspension of Disbelief in Crime Fiction Tips and techniques based on two hit novels
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GRISHAM vs. GRISHAM: How a Master Storyteller Honors (and Flaunts) Convention Within the Confines of Genre Fiction

[by Ross Browne]

Did a bestselling master of his genre write the same novel twice?

On first glance, it might look that way. The premise and plot setups of John Grisham’s 1999 release The Testament and his 2013 release Sycamore Row are remarkably similar. Both novels feature:

  • The suicide of a wealthy man with a terminal disease, right […]
By |2024-02-08T19:09:03+00:00September 10th, 2019|Behind The Bestsellers|Comments Off on GRISHAM vs. GRISHAM: How a Master Storyteller Honors (and Flaunts) Convention Within the Confines of Genre Fiction
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How Susie Steiner Handles Characterization, Craft, and the Conventions of Mystery Writing in a Stunning Series Debut

[by Ross Browne with Susie Steiner]

One thing the editor in me loves about mysteries is seeing how successful authors navigate the challenge of writing entertainingly in a style of novel that’s inherently formulaic. For all its boundless appeal, mystery is a genre whose stories can be very similar in plot and structure, […]

By |2024-01-06T20:52:50+00:00June 14th, 2018|Behind The Bestsellers|Comments Off on How Susie Steiner Handles Characterization, Craft, and the Conventions of Mystery Writing in a Stunning Series Debut
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