Magic Thursday: Writing Crime Thrillers with D.K. Hood!

 

I always look at writing a crime thriller as an adventure. As a Pantser, the story must move along at a fast pace to keep my imagination turning over to add the twists and turns in the mystery to find the killer. 

I’m often asked why crime thrillers. I think at times authors get too comfortable in a genre or believe they can’t experiment with something different. For me moving from fantasy to crime was a big step and I’d never intended submitting a book for publication. The story for the first book in the Kane and Alton series came to me as Kane’s story. An ex-special forces sniper, injured in the line of duty, and carrying the pain of losing his wife is sent to Black Rock Falls, Montana USA, to live a quiet life as the local deputy.  The second character and main character was Jenna Alton, living in witness protection with a new name and face is a determined woman who fought her way to become the sheriff of the town.  Over the series, of now 27 books, 25 series books and 2 prequels, I have a running subplot of Kane and Alton’s relationship.

I wrote the first book, Don’t Tell  A Soul and decided to submit it. I was very fortunate to have it picked up by Bookouture (Hachette UK).

It all sounds so simple, doesn’t it? The drawbacks for writing crime thrillers are substantial. All the details involving police procedure, forensics, local laws and customs must be correct.  I write about serial killers, so whatever type of killer you choose, you must  discover what makes them tick. Look into the psychology of the killer you wish to portray. Do they kill for the thrill or is it a crime of passion, revenge or something else? This takes a great deal of research and time. 

The benefits for me have been a growing reader base and sales of over 1.6 million English versions to date. Nine of the books, made the USA Today Bestsellers List, and one The Wall Street Journal Best Sellers List.  The series is an Amazon bestseller and 80% of my sales  in the US. My books are translated into German, French and Russian.

If you plan on embarking on a thrill ride of a story, a few things you must consider:

1. Setting- create a place where many murders can occur for a character limited to a jurisdiction. I chose the backwoods of Montana, I have a vast area, which includes, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, mines, lowlands, industrial and domestic areas. All varied places where murders can take place and criminals can hide.

2. Relatable characters- readers must associate with the continuing cast of  characters, each one I introduce has a purpose to keep the series moving forward. Each one has their own interesting story. There should be nice people and people readers will hate.

3. Accuracy in police procedure, forensics, local law, weapons etc.

4. Know the  local jargon.

5. If you decide on a fictional place, set wherever. Make sure you are aware of the weather, sunset and sunrise times, local fauna, local wildlife, customs etc.

6. Use your imagination, as in creating murders and mysteries with any number of potential endings. Only in the end will the reader discover what actually happened.

7. Tell the story from many points of view.

8. Run two or more stories along the same timeline, what is happening to the main characters, the murderer, the victims.

9. Avoid information dumps.

10. Have a satisfying conclusion. 

My journey has been an interesting one. I’ve been running two series alongside each other. FBI Agent Beth Katz is up to book 4 and to move once again out of my comfort zone, I’m writing a domestic psych thriller. 

I like to keep my mind active and moving across genres works for me. I hope my journey will encourage others to try something new. A change is as good as a holiday. Happy writing!

~ D.K. Hood
Sign up to my Bookouture new release mailing list and receive a free book, In the Dead of the Night.

Upcoming release

Tears On Her Grave

Book 24, Detectives Kane and Alton

Expected Release: 14 December

Stepping into the dark cave just a short distance from the safety of her college friends, the blonde-haired girl immediately senses danger. A tall figure steps out of the shadows, and she knows there’s no time to run…

When a heavy storm hits Black Rock Falls, it brings a trail of destruction. Sheriff Jenna Alton is more than prepared, but she never expects to find college sweethearts Abby Jaye and Cole Peters floating among the wreckage in the river. Missing for twelve years following an end-of-school party, no clues were ever found and the couple’s devastated parents gave up hope that their beloved children would ever come home. Could the fraternity pin clutched tightly in Abby’s hand be the key to finding out what really happened that night?

As Jenna and her deputy David Kane speak to the pair’s classmates, they’re struck by how startlingly similar their stories are. They all say that nothing suspicious happened that night—they describe the open fire, the cans of cheap beer and the way Abby and Cole seemed totally in love before they disappeared. Their accounts are word-for-word identical, Jenna suspects the friends are keeping a deadly secret, and she’s determined to find out what it is.

Days later, Marissa, who still lives in town with her husband and young children, is found dead at a remote farm miles from her cozy family home just hours after answering Jenna’s questions. Jenna’s pulse races as she realizes the killer could be one of the group, and so could their next victim…

As Jenna inspects the isolated barn, gun shots ring out nearby. Heart pounding, she receives a panicked phone call from the youngest member of her team. She races to the forest, praying that her friend is still alive. But with a deadly storm brewing overhead, and a twisted killer on the loose, will she make it in time to save another life from being taken?

Pre-Order

D.K Hood

D.K. Hood is THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY and AMAZON bestselling author of the Detective Kane and Alton Series. Her spine chilling, fast-paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex-special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K.’s imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title "Queen of Suspense" by her reviewers, D.K.’s writing style offers her readers a movie style, sizzling fast thrill ride.

dkhood.com