A Good Thriller discussion

Top selling international author, and Good Thriller member, will be doing a Q & A on Monday October 13th.

Please do add/ask your questions here.

I would like to welcome Linda to our group, and say thank you for your time top do this for my group.

I love Linda's books. Such a creative young woman. Each book I have read has been sheer enjoyment. I am a big supporter of her.
Thrilled she will be with us on 10/13

Linda, I am such a HUGE fan! You had me with Sworn to Silence and then I just could not stop. What is your writing process like? Do you start out with Point A and Point B and write the twists and turns along the way? Or do you Start with Point A and know the twists and turns and eventually make it to Point B? What made you write about the Amish Community? I find it so fascinating, and am so glad you are providing insights from this community. Also, who are some of your favorite authors? I just want to thank you for your time and providing the books that I feel privileged to read. You and your writings are awesome!

Hi Linda,
Good to see you here. We are such a fun, lively group.
My question is this. What got you started in writing your Amish series???? I've read several other books you have written, but I really perk up when a new Kate B book becomes available.

As I have told you before........write faster. Many of us are hanging on your last words!!!!
:-)

hi. just wanted to add that i also love your 'amish series' and in particular the complexity of Kate. Did you always want to write a series of police novels and which did you come up with first - kate's character or the amish theme? thank you

Linda I so enjoy your books! What I didnt know until I started researching was I had read you as a Harlequins intrigue author!
I had also seen your lifetime movie when it came out and didnt realize it was a series of books!
my question is regarding Lifetime. I think I read there was some talk of a series? (or could of been wishful) If not is there talk of another movie?

Linda, you have a huge fan club in the Thriller group. where I was introduced to your books as well as through out the country. Placing murders in an Amish setting seems so discordant, and maybe that along with a curiosity about the Amish has made your books so popular. How do you do research in such a tight community and has their been any feedback on their part?

Perri,
What a great question!

Thanks Ter'e, I was thinking, though, probably others who have left the community, like Kate, might share their stories. Or maybe they're more open to talking about their teligion and life style to the English than I thought?

I don't know. I, personally, have never known any Amy or Mennonites.
Our dining room furniture was made by a group of Mennonites that reside in the Kansas City area and I remember them being so nice and having a great sense of humor.

I love Perri's question too, and I'm wondering if you have spoken with any former Amish persons to help you form Kate's personality and point of view, because she is certainly respectful and caring about their culture; at the same time, she has a lot of pain and "baggage" about her Amish past. And you seem to have a deep respect for Amish tradition as well, which comes through in your writing. How have you gleaned your knowledge of Amish ways?

I enjoy your Kate Burkholder series very much. Thank you for taking time to answer questions today.

Jean

Sean wrote: "Top selling international author, and Good Thriller member, will be doing a Q & A on Monday October 13th.

Please do add/ask your questions here.

I would like to welcome Linda to our group, and sa..."

Hi Sean and all. (As Kate Burkholder would say: Guder mariya!) Thank you so much for the invitation. I see lots of great questions so I'll get started.

Hi Linda

welcome,

my question is, when you started the Kate Burkholder books, do your start with the whole character/personality, or do you continue to build the character/personality as you write the books.

Second question, when you start a book do you have the main plot, ending, villain etc at the start or add these as you write the book.

Third question, if possible who are your favourite authors that you like to read.

(ps On page 146,Chapter 13 on Pray For Silence) really enjoying the book.

Autumn wrote: "Linda, I am such a HUGE fan! You had me with Sworn to Silence and then I just could not stop. What is your writing process like? Do you start out with Point A and Point B and write t..."

Hi Autumn--I'm so pleased you're enjoying the books--thank you! My writing process tends to be a bit messy. When I'm working on a book, I'm pretty much at it 7 days a wk until it's finished. I write a synopsis first, so I know where I'm going with the plot, but there are times when spontaneous things happen and if I have a better idea along the way, I'll go with it.

About my Amish country setting: I'm originally from a small farming community in Ohio (pop 79), so I knew of the Amish. When Sworn to Silence was little more than a germ of an idea, I made a trip to Amish Country and I loved it. It was in Jan and it was snowy and cold and I knew I had my setting.

Some of my favorite authors (how much space do I have here??) Jennifer McMahon, Tami Hoag, Lisa Unger, Gillian Flynn.

Ter'e wrote: "Hi Linda,
Good to see you here. We are such a fun, lively group.
My question is this. What got you started in writing your Amish series???? I've read several other books you have written, but I r..."

Hi Ter'e--Nice to see you here! So about that Amish series.....I began my career writing romantic suspense. But while I enjoyed writing those books, I felt as if I had a big thriller trapped inside me. I wanted to push the limits and do something I hadn't done before.

Julie wrote: "hi. just wanted to add that i also love your 'amish series' and in particular the complexity of Kate. Did you always want to write a series of police novels and which did you come up with first - k..."

Hi Julie and thank you for the great questions. I love writing Kate Burkholder. I believe my muse was working on Kate long before I had the idea for the series. She evolved a lot over the years--and in the course of the books. When I first conceived the idea for the series, I knew I wanted a female protagonist and I knew I wanted her to be in law enforcement. Once I had my Amish Country setting, I wanted this character to be able to immerse us not only in the world of this small town police chief, but also the sometimes secretive world of the Amish.

Hi Linda! :) A couple of the questions I had for you have already been asked, so I'm just going to sit back and enjoy reading all your answers.. But just wanted to say I'm in love with your books, nearly finished book 3 Breaking Silence, please keep them coming! Kimberley x

Ps, I'm really interested to hear your answer to Perri's question! :)

Wynn wrote: "I’m an audio listener and the Kate Burkholder series is wonderfully narrated by Kathleen McInerney. I love hearing the Pennsylvania Dutch that is spoken. I can’t imagine actually writing it. Do yo..."

Hi Wynn--These are great questions! You are right: Kathleen McInerney is a wonderful narrator. (I've had the pleasure of speaking with her and she is also very nice!) I've listened to the audiobooks and it was such an interesting experience. As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time on the research aspect of the books. Finding information (and the spelling and pronunciation) of Pennsylvania Dutch is difficult. But I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful librarian from Dover Ohio when I was on tour and she's been tremendously helpful. I don't know Pennsylvania Dutch, but I do recognize some of the words and phrases. Interestingly, when I was on tour last summer, a reader from Germany told me she could not understand Pennsylvania Dutch, but the Amish people she'd spoken to understood the German language.

Hi Ms. Castillo,

I'm a huge fan of your books. I finished "The Dead Will Tell" in July and the only thing I was sad about was when I finished it.

I know some authors write characters that are similar to themselves.

How similar is Kate Burkholder to you or vice versa?

Thanks for a great series and for answering my question.

Lavada wrote: "Linda I so enjoy your books! What I didnt know until I started researching was I had read you as a Harlequins intrigue author!
I had also seen your lifetime movie when it came out and didnt realiz..."

Hi Lavada--Yes, I began my career at Harlequin, which was a wonderful experience. I wrote 15 books for them (and 7 books for Berkley) before beginning my Kate Burkholder series.

I so enjoyed seeing SWORN TO SILENCE made into a movie. I think Neve Campbell was terrific as Kate and I particularly loved the way they depicted Painters Mill. It was supposed to be a series, but as you may know Neve was pregnant during filming and had her baby shortly thereafter and, as a new mom, didn't want to put in long days working on a series. I spoke to one of the producers a few months ago and she's still pursuing a series. Fingers crossed!

Perri wrote: "Linda, you have a huge fan club in the Thriller group. where I was introduced to your books as well as through out the country. Placing murders in an Amish setting seems so discordant, and maybe th..."

Hi Perri--I travel to Ohio's Amish Country every year when I go on book tour. I have, indeed, heard back from several Amish and formerly Amish people. Some very much enjoy reading fiction and I know of at least one Amish gentleman who is a member of a book club at the local library. He enjoys my books very much. Another Amish gentleman from Indiana had a completely different reaction. After reading BREAKING SILENCE, he wrote me a letter and informed me he was so offended he burned the book.

Jean wrote: "I love Perri's question too, and I'm wondering if you have spoken with any former Amish persons to help you form Kate's personality and point of view, because she is certainly respectful and caring..."

Hi Jean--Thank you. It's extremely important to me to get my research correct and to depict the Amish culture in a realistic and respectful manner. That said, they are human and, just like the rest of us, imperfect. I wanted to convey that as well. I have befriended two Amish families in Ohio and I was lucky enough to spend some time with them. They were warm and welcoming and I had a terrific time. It was also a learning experience and I think helped me to depict my Amish characters correctly.

Sean wrote: "Hi Linda

welcome,

my question is, when you started the Kate Burkholder books, do your start with the whole character/personality, or do you continue to build the character/personality as you writ..."

Hi Sean--Such a great question (and I hope you are enjoying PRAY FOR SILENCE--I think that's probably one of the darkest books in the series.) To answer your questions: When I began the series, I had a pretty good idea of who Kate Burkholder was and what made her tick. But in writing the books and having spent so much time inside her head, I have a much deeper understanding of her and I think she has evolved and grown as a character.

As I mentioned in another post I do write a synopsis before I write the book, so I have a pretty good idea where I'm going with the story. In writing circles, a person who writes "by the seat of their pants" is called a "Panster." A writer who plots everything (or almost everything) out before beginning the book is a plotter. I'm a plotter....unless I get a better idea in the course of writing the book, which has happened!

I mentioned some of my favorite authors earlier (somehow I had missed your post--sorry!) But I thought of two more: Tana French and John Sandford. Love them!

Kimberley wrote: "Hi Linda! :) A couple of the questions I had for you have already been asked, so I'm just going to sit back and enjoy reading all your answers.. But just wanted to say I'm in love with your books, ..."

Thank you, Kimberley. Yes, loads of great questions so far. I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying the books. Hope you enjoy BREAKING SILENCE as well!

Elaine wrote: "Hi Ms. Castillo,

I'm a huge fan of your books. I finished "The Dead Will Tell" in July and the only thing I was sad about was when I finished it.

I know some authors write characters that are sim..."

Hi Elaine--

Kate Burkholder is so much braver than me. She is part imagination, part some of the things I'd like to be, and partly some of the amazing women I've known in my lifetime. I've very much enjoyed creating and building her, watching her stumble and grow and evolve. I just finished book #7 and there are times when she (and Tomasetti) still surprise me.

I've read all of the Kate Burkholder books and loved them. Love all the police force and staff. Her boyfriend with all his issues. Can't wait for the next one in the series.

Paula wrote: "I've read all of the Kate Burkholder books and loved them. Love all the police force and staff. Her boyfriend with all his issues. Can't wait for the next one in the series."

Thank you, Paula. I really enjoy the police procedural aspect of the series, and her quirky officers have been a blast to write. I've graduated from two citizen's police academies, which was great fun and provided much fodder for fiction.

The next Kate Burkholder book, btw, is titled AFTER THE STORM and will be out in July 2015. I'm working on some revisions now and my editor just made my day when he told me it's the best one yet.

hi linda, just read the first kate burkholder book, could not put it down,i enjoyed it very much. i love kate! now for the rest of the series.

Hi Linda,
I have very much enjoyed Kate's series so far, and am delighted that another one is coming :) Is it challenging for you to write the more graphic elements of your books? As a reader, I squirm reading about the bad things people can do, but I imagine you have to live with them.

Hi, Linda,
I hate to ask this because so many of us absolutely love Kate and her crew, but because Painters Mill is such a small town, do you foresee running out of material? I mean, Karin Slaughter felt it was not realistic to continue her Grant County series because, realistically, how many murders happen in a small community? Do you share that belief, or do you plan to continue the series for a while? Sorry - maybe I don't really want to know the answer to this!

Hi Linda, I am a new reader to your books. I am on page 192 of Sworn to Silence. You hooked me in the prologue and I have been totally engrossed 100% since that moment. I have read around 45 books this year and Sworn to Silence is looking like my favorite of all! I am pleased I have 6 more to go.

Linda, my question is are you afraid of running out of plot ideas? In regards to having lots of murders in the small town of Painters Mill, please don't let that stop you as this is fiction, after all. So I hope there are more Kate stories swimming around in your head. Tell me it's true!!

Your new fan,
Chris

P.S. A significant population of Amish live here in southeast Minnesota.

Ah Linda........
The group has great questions! We all love you. I have not heard one negative about your books. THAT speaks volumes!!!!

Kate has traveled to other areas...........let's hope that she and John T start working cases together "away from home". Perhaps Kate needs a bit of a promotion.........with the rights to work outside her county.

With that creatively crafty mind of yours ---- I know you will find a way to branch out! I have total faith in you.

BTW, I am curious. Have you and Karin Slaughter ever met???? Can you just imagine the audience the two of you could draw, putting on some sort of luncheon, for a worthy cause.

Thank you so much for entertaining our group today. We will have smiles on our faces, for weeks!!!!

Linda, after I finish the Kate series, I would like to try some of your earlier books. Which one would you recommend I start with? Do you have a favorite? Thank you so much for coming to talk with us. A Good Thriller (aka The Castilloholics Club) has a love affair with you!!!

Chris

I love that you agreed to this q&a! thank you so much!

Gerard wrote: "hi linda, just read the first kate burkholder book, could not put it down,i enjoyed it very much. i love kate! now for the rest of the series."

Thank you, Gerard! I hope you enjoy the rest of the series, too!

Joy wrote: "Hi Linda,
I have very much enjoyed Kate's series so far, and am delighted that another one is coming :) Is it challenging for you to write the more graphic elements of your books? As a reader, I sq..."

That's such a terrific question, Joy. To tell you the truth, I love the dark stuff, the scarier the better. (I know, that's kind of twisted...) I have to admit, though, there have been a few times when I've read something in the course of research that has disturbed me (esp if it involves kids or animals!) When I'm writing a violent or scary scene, I always keep it forefront in my mind that I write fiction and I can step away from it at the end of the day.

Jean wrote: "Hi, Linda,
I hate to ask this because so many of us absolutely love Kate and her crew, but because Painters Mill is such a small town, do you foresee running out of material? I mean, Karin Slaughte..."

I have considered that problem, Jean. I've heard from a few readers and I do have some thoughts on that matter. One thing I did (in GONE MISSING) is I changed the locale of the story, which I think worked wonderfully. And as I writer...I'm wondering if that's something a reader who is enjoying the series can suspend their disbelief. I'd love to pose that question to the group. What do you guys think? Thanks again for the thought provoking question!

Well, I find that I often do suspend my disbelief in much of my fiction reading, as long as the characters and situations are not too incredible. It's when the characters start to lose their appeal and the plots become predictable and boring that maybe it's time to hang up the series...and I know many in the group can identify some authors who are way past that point. Certainly you are not! Having just finished Breaking Silence, I hope we see much more of Kate Burkholder in the future. Thanks again. You've put in a long day!

Christine wrote: "Hi Linda, I am a new reader to your books. I am on page 192 of Sworn to Silence. You hooked me in the prologue and I have been totally engrossed 100% since that moment. I have read around 45 boo..."

Hi Christine and thank you! So far, I've not run out of plot ideas, even though the books are set in a small town (and my victims are somewhat limited!) But I try very hard to keep each book fresh and different from the others. I try to reveal some new tidbit of information about the characters. Tough to do sometimes, but that is my job as a writer. I wish I could talk about book 8, but I don't want to give anything away. The story is so fresh and different and I'm excited to get started. For now, I'm okay on the plot ideas. I hope you guys will let me know when I get stale!

And great to know about the Amish population in southeast MN. Thanks!

Ter'e wrote: "Ah Linda........
The group has great questions! We all love you. I have not heard one negative about your books. THAT speaks volumes!!!!

Kate has traveled to other areas...........let's hope th..."
Hi Ter'e--I haven't met Karin, but I'd love to! I love her work and it would be such a pleasure to hang out for a couple of hours (or more!) Perhaps one of these days we could get together and do something for charity or just for our wonderful readers. Thanks for the suggestion.

Christine wrote: "Linda, after I finish the Kate series, I would like to try some of your earlier books. Which one would you recommend I start with? Do you have a favorite? Thank you so much for coming to talk wi..."

Thanks for asking about the older books, Christine. If you're looking for something really dark and slightly twisted, I'd read FADE TO RED. If you want something a little more "romantic suspense" I'd go for The Perfect Victim. I also really enjoyed writing THE SHADOW SIDE, which has a petty high concept plot. All of these books are romantic suspense. I've heard a couple of the books have some scanning problems and "typos" which really aren't typos but happened when I formatted them from print to ebook format. They are minor and I hired an editor to correct, but I think there are still a few errors in some of the books. Not too many, but I've heard some complaints from readers. As soon as I get some time, I'm going to check it out and get them corrected. I hope you enjoy. Let me know!

Hi everyone. I just wanted to say thanks for the really great questions and comments. I turned in the book this afternoon and while I wasn't writing, hanging out here with you was a lot of fun and a nice break. I also wanted to thank Sean for inviting me. I really appreciate the opportunity to talk about the books. Thanks again and happy reading!!

Linda wrote: "Christine wrote: "Linda, after I finish the Kate series, I would like to try some of your earlier books. Which one would you recommend I start with? Do you have a favorite? Thank you so much for..."

Thank you so much for coming and answering all our questions, Linda. You're the best!

Hi Linda,

Thanks so much for your time and great answers.

So many great questions.

regards

Sean