International Thriller Writers is thrilled
to announce that as of this summer, more than five hundred writers have been through the Debut Author Program. This year's Debut Author program chair, Elena Hartwell sat down (well, virtually anyway) in conversation with our first Debut Author and our five hundredth Debut Author, to find out a little bit
about where we started and where we’re headed. Co-hosted this week by The Thrill Begins.
THE AUTHORS
The First ITW Debut Author: Matt Bronleewe is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, and author. His name has appeared on over 500 records, amassing sales of over 25
million. His songs have been used by The Walking Dead, Orange Is The
New Black, as well as various other tv shows, movies and video games. A
founding member of the band Jars of Clay, his credits include producer
of the Sinfonia line of digital instruments, owner of Unsecret Music,
and co-writer of the current country radio hit “Flatliner” with Cole
Swindell & Dierks Bentley. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife
and three children.
For more info on Matt, click on his photo or the links below:
The 500th Debut Author: Lisanne Harrington: Eleven years ago, I left
the legal world behind forever so I could pander to my muse, a sarcastic little
so-and-so. Only copious amounts of Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper and hamburgers will get
him to fill my head with stories of serial killers, werewolves, and the things
that live under your bed. I love to watch reruns of Gilmore Girls, horror movies like Sharknado and Fido, and true crime shows. I like scary clowns, coffee with flavored creamer, and French fries. Lots and lots of French fries.
I live in SoCal with my husband and always-has-to-have-the-last-word Miniature Pinscher, Fiona.
For more information on Lisanne, click on her photo or the links below:
Twitter: @LisaneHarington
Amazon: Author Page
THE INTERVIEW
Matt: I love the
idea of shooting questions back and forth. Lisanne, how did
you get started? And what led to the release of your debut novel?
Lisanne: Well, let's see ... I was a paralegal for nearly
twenty years, until the day an attorney threw a stapler at my head. I knew then
it was time to move on. My aim is a lot better than his....
I can't remember a time when I didn't write stories, but it
wasn't until 2006 that I decided to get serious about it. And Moonspell
was formed.
Elena: Tell us about Moonspell.
Lisanne: Moonspellis the first of the Wolf Creek Mysteries. When townspeople are murdered
during the full moon, James Manarro is confronted by his cousin with her
suspicions about the identity of the killer—a werewolf. At first, James just
laughs it off, but with each vicious murder, he’s forced to admit that she may
be right…and one of them might be its next victim.
The others in the trilogy are called Moon Watch and Moon Shadows.
I'm also under contract with Black Opal Books for a stand-alone murder mystery
called Murder in the Family.
Elena: What about you, Matt? How did you get started?
Matt: My journey started about fifteen years ago. I’d been
doing music for around five years—give or take—and I was feeling the itch to
explore new creative places. Poetry was the first thing that struck me. Writing
poetry was a natural step from writing songs, but while my songs were
succeeding, my poetry was not.
After amassing a battalion of poems—all publishable in my
mind—my manager arranged a meeting with an author who lived here in Nashville.
He declared my poetry a waste of time, and told me to
abandon it before it distracted me from the thing I did best—write and produce
songs. His words were sharp, but he honestly wasn’t trying to do me harm.
Looking back, I’m glad he wasn’t more tactful, because it quickly made me
change my angle. But not in the way he thought.
I began writing fiction in earnest. Every night I tried to
crank out a few pages. I had no idea where the story was going, but it felt SO GREAT
to write. So I just kept writing until one day I realized I’d completed what
amounted to a book. A bit slim, but still, it was more words than I’d ever
dreamed of stringing together.
I was flummoxed at what to do next. I knew I wasn’t going to
go back to the author I’d met with previously. To have him squash me down again
would be unbearable, so I reached out to someone else, another
producer/songwriter who had also authored a few books. This time around, the
meeting went much differently than the time before. This new mentor was
encouraging, even to the point of connecting me with his publisher.
The publisher left his position at the publishing company
and became my agent, with his unbridled enthusiasm and help, he managed to land
a multi book deal.
My first book, Illuminated, was the book that got me into
ITW. It was followed by a sequel, House of Wolves, before I decided to take a
hiatus from the series in order to focus on some other creative goals I had in
mind.
Elena: What a journey you’ve been on, Matt. I see your third novel in the series is Man of Action. Congratulations on a trilogy! What else would
you like to ask Lisanne?
Matt: I'm excited to dig into Moonspell, and it makes me curious about research habits… What
places, whether online or in the real world, are strongholds for you in terms
of information? Do you like to interview people? Dig through old volumes and
libraries? Sift through endless websites? All of the above? I ask because my
stories are often birthed from research.
Lisanne: I have a touch of social anxiety, so interviewing
people is fairly difficult for me. What I did for Moonspell was to visit
places where teens congregate: MickeyD's, Starbucks, the Mall, *shudders* to
listen for current slang terms and issues. I did online research on werewolf
legends, including the first recorded appearance. Research also included serial
killers (their mindset, nurture vs. nature, etc.), the difference between
psychopaths and sociopaths (one uses charm and normally has above-average
intelligence while the other tends to be uneducated, highly volatile and
easily agitated.)
I do rely heavily on the internet for my research, although
sometimes, it can be very satisfying to go old school and go to the library to
pour through actual books.
I have a few friends in law enforcement, so I did contact
them with certain questions on police procedures, weapons,
cruisers, and such.
The way I work, a character usually appears to me and
we chat until they feel comfortable enough to tell me their story. That's when
I start my research. I can't start before that because I don't know what the
story elements might be.
Matt: So interesting to hear your story and your writing
methodology. The way you described your conversation with your character,
getting comfortable enough for them to tell their story, is fascinating. My
encounters with my characters are more “observational,” if I had to try and
describe it. Rather than interacting with them in some imagined way, I tend to
daydream in “scenes,” seeing my character in action, whether he or she is
escaping a burning building or talking his or her way out of a sticky
situation. This is probably rooted in my love of movies, and I’ve often been
told that my chapters feel quite cinematic—which I’ve taken as a complement ;-)
Elena: I love hearing about both your processes. What about
space, do either of you have dedicated writing spots?
Lisanne: I normally sit in a big recliner in front of the TV.
That seems to work best for me when writing or researching. When cleaning up
the manuscripts, though, I hide in my room at my desk (TV still blaring!), door
closed, with strict instructions to the rest of the house to not bother me
unless they are on fire. Everyone but Fiona, my rowdy min pin, respects this.
But even though I have a dog bed right next to my desk for her, which she
sometimes lays in when she's looking out the slider and surveying her Fifedom,
most of the time she either wants to play ball or sit in my lap. Not always the
easiest thing to have a 12-pound fireball sitting in your lap as you're trying
to write...
Are you a pantser or do you outline?
Matt: I’m usually somewhere in-between. Outlining, or at
least just sitting down and beginning to write ABOUT the story, helps me think
through the tale in greater detail. I usually discover some stumbling blocks
during that process, which helps me avoid them during the actual writing. (Of
course, other problems crop up later haha!) Inevitably, even when I’ve sketched
out a point-by-point outline, I somehow loose control of the characters once I
sit down to write. Characters don’t behave! (Do you find this to be true?) I
think this is something we as creatives understand that is difficult to relate
to those who aren’t active in the arts: YOU DON’T HAVE FULL CONTROL. I don’t
know if I’ve found a worthy analogy—riding a wild horse, etc.—but it’s
certainly not a mechanical exercise. Have you found that to be true for
yourself?
Lisanne: I NEVER have control over them. They just won't let
me!
Elena: (Laughing because she knows just how these two feel...) I think we have space for one more question from each
of you. What are you working on now?
Lisanne: I’m
actually working on two stories at the same time. One is a paranormal mystery
called Gravelings, and the other is a
murder mystery, as yet untitled, that is the first in the Robbie Macfarlane
Mysteries. Gravelings is about
critters who terrorize a young girl with anxiety and depression issues. Because
she is on medication, no one believes her until it is too late.
The
Robbie Macfarlane story is about a writer and her son, who suffers from OCD,
who move into a new house in a new town and soon find the body of their
next-door neighbor. Everything points to Robbie as the killer. She and her son
set about trying to solve the murder.
I also have ideas for six or eight other stories clamoring
to be told. Sometimes my brain really hurts!
Matt: On the music side, I’m continuing to write and produce music for artists
in just about every category. From the outside that might
seem unfocused, but I’ve discovered that underneath all the genre
differences, there’s a thread running through it all – STORY. Whether
that story is represented by a musical theme, or literally described in
the lyrics of a three-minute song, it cuts through everything else and
grabs the listener’s attention. Writing fiction was a HUGE HELP in
discovering that, and I believe it’s given me a unique point of view in
the music world.
On the writing side, I’ve just finished a tv pilot script called PILGRIM – think “Mad Max” meets “Lost.” We’re still in the pitching phase, but my co-writer and I are excited about the momentum the project is gaining, and we’re planning to develop the concept into a book series too! Speaking of books, I’m finally writing the first draft for a new August Adams thriller called THE SHAKESPEARE CIPHER. This story focuses on a centuries-old literary mystery – the Shakespeare authorship conspiracy. The stakes are global, the secrets are deadly … needless to say I’m having a ton of fun! I’m planning to self-publish, but I’m still open to talking with agents and publishers (wink wink!)
Elena: So much creativity in both your lives, it's been great chatting with you about your careers. I'm looking forward to staying in touch. Thanks for being members of ITW Debut Authors Program!
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