I had the sincere pleasure of interviewing a fellow Cannuck for this month’s Big Thrill.

You can read the full interview here. An excerpt follows. Thanks, Daniel and congratulations!

“From his home in Vancouver, Daniel Kalla has the solution for keeping the Olympic high going: Releasing his next book, Of Flesh and Blood, April 13th.

Although, Daniel Kalla, an ER doc by day, is primarily known for his medical thrillers with favourable comparisons to Robin Cook, Michael Crichton and John Grisham, he tells me that Of Flesh and Blood is a departure for him. But, if you look at his earlier interviews, as early as 2006, you’ll find mention of this novel fighting to come out. And maybe it’s in his blood because the book comes with a century of personal family history, including ancestors escaping the Nazis in Prague and then fleeing the Soviets during the Hungarian Revolution.

Combining his experience of our most intimate ER moments with a deep family inheritance, Of Flesh and Blood promises to be nothing short of an explosive epic.”

It was with real pleasure that I had the opportunity to interview Jonathan Maberry last month for ITW.

Jonathan is as well known in author circles for his commitment to fostering the careers of other writers as he is for his writing. So a real pleasure for me. I confess that I have Patient Zero on my book shelf now and a couple of his comics, but not enough! The man is prolific, and appears to be accelerating.

Here’s the link, check it out!

I’ve been delinquent in my posting and it’s because I’m working on a big project. This hits all the right buttons for me. Socially important. New Media orientated. Includes story in the best sense of the word. It’s artistic and educational.

It’ll rock. Just you wait.

Please wait.

I’ll be back.

My Thriller Writers December assignment was Tom Cain, a UK author, and writer of the Accident Man series.

Here’s an excerpt:
Today we welcome an author from across the pond. Tom Cain is the pseudonym of an award-winning journalist, with 25 years’ experience working for Fleet Street newspapers, as well as major magazines in Britain and the US. During the course of Tom’s career he has conducted in-depth interviews with senior politicians, billionaire entrepreneurs, Olympic athletes, movie stars, supermodels and rock legends. He has investigated financial scandals on Wall Street, studio intrigues in Hollywood and corrupt sports stars in Britain. The first Western journalist to cross the border into Serbia after the US bombing campaign of 1999, he has lived in Moscow, Washington, D.C. and Havana, Cuba. He edited four magazines, published over a dozen books, wrote film-scripts and was translated into some 20 languages, before beginning the ‘Accident Man’ series of thrillers.

Tom’s first novel, The Accident Man, debuted to brilliant reviews:

T”he most audacious and timely thriller in years.” –Daily Mirror.

“A thrill-a-minute debut. . .” –USA Today.

Check out the whole interview here!

Tags: 24 Bones, itw, michael f stewart, No Survivors, Tom Cain

Here’s some notes from class so we can save paper!

As we discussed: The first paragraph is another way you can consider outlining your story. Let me know if you want me to put up the Three Act Structure, or the Hero Structure.

Once upon a time something happened to a man that made him decide to pursue a goal. So he devised a plan of action, but there were many forces trying to stop him. Still, he decided to move forward because there was a lot at stake. And just when things got as bad as it could get, he learned a lesson, and when he was offered the prize he’d so long sought, he made a decision, and in deciding, he satisfied a need created by something in his past.

Here’s as example template for Character Sketching. Remember to focus more on the social, psychological motivations of your character than physical. Physical is easy!

CHARACTER NOTES: Date:
NAME:
JOB:
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
HEIGHT:
WEIGHT:
HAIR (STYLE AND COLOUR):
EYES:
VOICE:
SCARS and HANDICAPS:
[PHYSICAL] :
[EMOTIONAL]:
SORT OF HOME LIVED IN (FEEL OF IT):
AGE:
BORN:
KEY DATES IN CHARACTER’S LIFE:
BACKGROUND
BIRTHPLACE:
BIRTHDAY [STAR SIGN]:
FAVOURITE COLOUR:
CHARACTER’S AURA(?) ANIMAL OR OBJECT?:
PARENTS:
BROTHERS AND SISTERS:
MARRIED/SINGLE:
CHILDREN:
EARLIEST, MOST IMPORTANT INFLUENCES:

EDUCATION
SCHOOL: COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY:

OTHER:

WORK EXPERIENCE

FIRST JOB:
OTHERS:
PRESENT JOB:

OTHER NOTES

PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE:
AMBITIONS:
FANTASIES/DAYDREAMS:
CLOSEST FRIEND(S):
ACQUAINTANCES:
ENEMIES:
AFRAID OF:
PSYCH. PROFILE
SEES SELF AS:
IS SEEN AS:
BEST CHARACTER TRAITS:
WORST CHARACTER TRAITS:
MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT CHARACTER:
DESCRIPTIVE WORD OR PHRASE ON SEEING CHARACTER FOR FIRST TIME:
HOW DOES CHARACTER REACT TO PEER VIEWS:
HOW FAR WILL CHARACTER GO TO GET WHAT THEY WANT:

PROBLEMS STORY’S BEGINNING:

PRESENT PROBLEM:

HOW WILL IT GET WORSE:

BIO

Tags: hopewell

I promised some folks over at Goodreads that I’d blog a bit on my current graphic novel project. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words (or at least that’s what we hope in this business!) so here’s a sketch of my protagonist. Christine Kurzow. I’m teamed with Mike Rooth - fantastic illustrator - and am very excited to get this project under way. Alright, so the bottom right sketch is a bit much, but trust me, it doesn’t reflect her character. I’ll put up more character sketches as we move on.

Tags: graphic novel, michael f stewart

So, as voted on SF Crowsnest, 24 Bones has made the list of Top 100 Sci Fi Fantasy or Horror of 2009.

I am, quite frankly, surprised!

I’ve had 548 votes. Charles de Lint, a hero, has a book at #72 and I’m at #71.

I can’t thank enough those who voted.

If you don’t believe me (I needed to check four times), see it here: http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/charts/zoo/home_chartsbooks.php

Too weird.

Tags: 24 Bones, drollerie, michael f stewart, SF Crowsnest, top 100

In this month’s Big Thrill, I had the pleasure of interviewing Richard Doetsch, best selling thriller author. He’s got movies coming out, he wrote a Vook, he’s a big deal in publishing.

Here’s an excerpt, and if it seems a little strange it’s because we did the interview backwards! You’ll figure out why, if you check it out.

“Author’s Note:

You are not mistaken as you scroll down to the first answer.

The questions and answers of this interview are in reverse order and are to be read that way for reasons that will become evident upon your journey.

the-13th-hour.JPGRichard Doetsch lives in New York with Virginia his wife and three children.

The 13th Hour will be released on December 29 2009. A major motion picture from New Line Cinema is in the works and book rights have been sold worldwide. Check out the excerpt on Richard’s website www.richarddoetsch.com.

“What an innovative concept — a thriller in reverse. Brilliantly conceived, perfectly executed. Fresh, exciting, bristling with originality. I only wish I had thought of it first.” — Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Charlemagne Pursuit

“The 13th Hour explodes out of the box with pace, verve, intrigue, and an ingenious premise — a breathless race to stop a murder that has already taken place.” — Andrew Gross, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Look Twice

Here’s what a couple of America’s top authors have said:”

Read the full interview here:

Go to Richard’s site for an excerpt here:

Thanks Richard!

Tags: 13th hour, Big Thrill, Interview, itw, michael f stewart, Richard Doetsch

The November Big Thrill is up and in it you can will a copy of Derek Gunn’s new novel.

“Not just vampires appear on the rise in Derek Gunn’s world, but his writing career as well. His sixth novel and third in the Vampire Apocalypse series was released this October by Black Death Books. It’s titled, Vampire Apocalypse: Fallout.

The series, optioned for a film and a graphic novel, is awaited by fans as hungrily as a zombie watching a fat man waddle out of a fast food joint. I’d stake my heart on it.”

Check out the rest here.

Thanks for a great talk, Derek!

Tags: Big Thrill, Derek Gunn, michael f stewart, Vampire Apocalypse