John Gilstrap Jul 07, 2019

Writers, John Gilstrap thinks you should cut yourself a bit of slack. Let the story flow. Get comfortable in your own writer’s skin. Stop copying the style of other writers. Sure, learn the so-called rules, but don’t let them hold you back. Gilstrap, one of the keynote speakers at the 2019 edition of RMFW’s big, annual three-day Colorado Gold conference, coming up in September, thinks are writers are “beaten down” by the rules and that they need to kick back and let the joy come through on the page. On the podcast, John also talks about his very unusual start in the thriller-writing business and about his latest novel, Total Mayhem, released last month. John Gilstrap is the New York Times bestselling and Thriller Award-winning author of Final Target, Friendly Fire, Nick of Time, Against All Enemies and many more including, way back when, the rocket-to-stardom title Nathan's Run. John has written four screenplays for Hollywood, adapting the works of Nelson DeMille, Norman McLean and Thomas Harris. He will write and co-produce the film adaptation of his book, Six Minutes to Freedom. A frequent speaker at literary events, John also teaches seminars on suspense writing techniques at a wide variety of venues, from local libraries to The Smithsonian Institution. Outside of his writing life, John is a renowned safety expert with extensive knowledge of explosives, hazardous materials, and fire behavior.