I don't know about you, but when I hear voices in my sleep, I listen. 

Last night I crawled into bed but couldn't shut my mind off. I tried meditating, turning on my Rain Rain app, aromatherapy, but Mrs. Wurtzel—the NYC across-the-hall neighbor of the protagonist in my new WIP (work in progress)—had a story to tell and there was no way to shut her up. Midnight turned into 1 am, which turned into 2 am, which turned into 6:10 am, as I'd finish one scene, put the pen down, tell myself it was time to sleep, only to have another conversation, plot twist, confrontation pop into my head. I used to remember scenes that would appear in the middle of the night, but not anymore. In order to fall back asleep, I need to write them down otherwise in my attempt to not forget them, I unwittingly force myself to stay awake. (Yes, it's screwed up in my head.😜) I grabbed the pen on my nightstand, and because my note pad wasn't in its usual spot, I grabbed an old magazine off the floor and started writing in the dark. And hoped I'd be able to read my notes in the morning. 😂🤣

Welcome new subscribers! 

To all of you who recently subscribed from the BookSweeps Thriller Giveaway—welcome! I'm so glad you're here. I know a little bit about you (you love to read thrillers, obviously) so now you'll learn a little bit about me. If there's something you'd like to know about my books, writing process, characters, book inspiration—reach out. I'd be happy to answer your questions in future newsletters. 

This week I'll be in beautiful Spring Lake, NJ 

The Woman's Club of Spring Lake, NJ has invited me to speak about my books and the author's life. They've just read THE MEMORY BOX, my debut psychological thriller about a woman who Googles her name and discovers the shocking details of a past she doesn't remember😳 so we'll discuss the crazy antics Caroline gets involved in to suss out the truth of what she reads on her Google searches. It promises to be a lively discussion! While I'm in Spring Lake I plan to stop by the brand new independent bookstore, Thunder Road Books—I'm a sucker for a good bookstore! Aaaaand, to round things out, I'll stop by the beach and take in the last licks of "summer" before the chill of fall sweeps into NJ. Can you blame me?

Later this month, I'll be speaking at the JCC of Northern NJ as part of their arts and culture programming. If you're a member of a group looking for a speaker or conversation with an author, reach out! 

In the News

Have you been following the tragic story of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie? I've been absolutely glued to it. It's kind of crazy how vested I am and how often I refresh the Twitter page of Dog the Bounty Hunter! I don't typically do this. 

But the other day it dawned on me. This story is getting enormous public attention because we are living a real-life crime thriller in real time. One of the things I find fascinating about the public's interest is that so many people are sure about Brian Laundrie being responsible for the death of Gabby Petito but they are still at the edge of their seat, anxious and captivated. 

It got me thinking about thriller novels that are written as a "whydunit" as opposed to a "whodunit". In the latter we don't know who the antagonist is and we continue to read to find out. In the former, we know the antagonist from the start but want to find out why he/she did it. 

I'm now considering restructuring my WIP to be a "whydunit" — whereby I reveal early on who the evil-doer is. Then, I'll take the reader through this person's thoughts, decisions, actions (creepy and bizarre of course) all while he/she's getting away with . . . well, I can't really tell you! In this structure, the reader keeps reading to find out what goes through the mind of someone like this and if he'll/she'll be found out, and if so, by whom. What do you think about mystery/thrillers told that way? Please weigh in and take this quick poll! 

I just finished reading FOR YOUR OWN GOOD by the amazing Samantha Downing and let me just say WOW, WOW, WOW! I love stories set on a university campus, or like this one, a private high school. There are many characters who are "guilty" of "something" and that is just part of what makes this a fun read. Pick it up asap! 

Speaking of stories set at universities, have you seen The Chair on Netflix? I gobbled up the complete first season in about three days. Now I'll need to wait a year for season two, ugh. Sandra Oh plays the newly appointed chair of the English Department at this prestigious New England university. She is so excited and proud of herself but things go badly fast. It's funny, heart-warming, of the moment and great story telling. If you watch it, let me know what you think. 

Gotta get back to the writing, so until next month, 

Eva