249: Thrillers, Cozies, and Everything in Between - Interview with Jon Land

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the absolute pleasure of hosting Jon Land on the show! You may remember Jon from a previous episode where he took part in a round table interview  live from last year's ThrillerFest along with two other bestselling thriller authors: Lisa Gardner and Karin Slaughter. Today though he's here solo to let me pick his brain and give you his own nuggets of writing wisdom. Jon is the USA Today bestselling author of over 44 books, including the critically acclaimed and award-winning Caitlin Strong series, whose ninth installment, Strong to the Bone, won the 2017 American Book Fest Award for Mystery/Suspense. Also in the mystery genre, Jon took over writing the Murder She Wrote series in 2018 with A Date with Murder as his first entry. His latest novel, the most recent installment of his Caitlin Strong series, Strong as Steel, is available now, and his next entry in the beloved Murder She Wrote series, Murder in Red, will be released in May of 2019. So listen in as Jon and I chat about these two amazing books and the ways in which cozies and thrillers converge. In this episode Jon and I discuss: How to juggle writing two very different series at the same time. The structural elements of the thriller vs. the cozy mystery. How the scope of your world supports the character's quest. The mechanisms used to craft a cozy thriller. Being genuine and honest with your readers. Plus, Jon's #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/249