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What can thriller writers learn from the horror genre? Join this week's ITW panel discussion at the link below. Or read my entry here:
In both novels, a lonely girl with a disastrous home life snaps at a cruel act of school bullying and her response has a devastating effect on her life and others. But rather than using telekinetic powers to flip a bike, or burn down a school, Crystal uses matches to set fire to her apartment which injures her grandmother and lands her in juvenile hall.
I did not recall Carrie when I wrote Crystal’s backstory. In fact, I’d forgotten the early scenes. But when the movie debuted I must have been so impressed that the story was forever imprinted on my brain. In the 1970’s and ‘80’s, there was seldom an official response to school bullying; if you were unlucky enough to become bully’s target, you were on your own. So, when a young Sissy Spacek appeared on the movie screen - a much more sympathetic character than the Carrie White portrayed in the novel - I and thousands of other young women rooted for the awkward girl with the broken home life even though we were horrified by her destructiveness – couldn’t the kindly Miss Collins (film version) have been saved?
Carrie's timeless story has stayed with me over the decades, tucked between scenes I’ve inhaled from The Shining, Halloween, The Exorcist, A Nightmare on Elm Street and the countless other tales, fictional and not, from which I’m able to pick and choose. I suppose it all comes down to Stephen King’s top advice for writers, READ, and my humble addition to his wisdom – watch a few good movies, too.
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I planned to write and post this article prior to summer turning to fall but was bogged down in the final edits of my latest thriller and couldn’t spare the time. So now that the leaves are turning an
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A Thrifty Summer Read
During the month of July, What She Never Said is available on Kindle for $.99 USD. The uberwealthy can afford designer clothes, expensive cars, and an extravagant retirement, but even the richest amo
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Seven Crime Novels Where Vengeance is Completely Justified: Honored to have bestselling author T.R. Ragan include my 2018 novel What She Gave Away among a handful of notable “vengeance” thrillers in h