Carter Wilson | Thriller Author

First things first: my Halloween theme this year is pirates. Usually my October newsletter is all about my Halloween theme, but I’m running late this year and it’s not even in good-enough shape to take pictures of my decorating progress. If I get some good screams, there will be a highlight reel next month.

So last month I told you how to piss off writers. This month I’m going the other direction, and letting you know how you can help us. Writers are delicate creatures, full of caffeine and insecurity. We need your help, more than you may think. It’s easy to think published authors have it made—and about .005% do—but for most of us getting published is just the start. It’s a grind. Years of building up a backlist. Decades of getting an audience. And nothing happens without you, the reader. So this is what you can do.

  1. Consume the book. Yes, ideally you buy a copy, or maybe several.  But you can borrow one from the library. Listen on audible. Get an early free copy on NetGalley. Even borrow one from a friend or neighborhood little library. More important than sales—initially—is word of mouth. Yes, it’s on the author to write a book worth talking about, but if they do and you read it, spread the word.
  2. Don’t pirate. My one exception for ways to consume a book is pirating. Don’t get a free copy from some shady Russian website. And if you do, I hope the book stinks and your computer gets infected.
  3. Leave a review. So important. Take one minute out of your day to leave an honest review, even if it’s just one sentence. Good places for reviews are Amazon, BN.com, Goodreads, and anywhere on social media. Ideally, you’ll leave a good review, but if you didn’t like the book that’s okay to write about as well. Note: if you leave me a one-star review, make sure to include your address, phone number, and social-security number.
  4. Pre-order. Pre-orders make a difference when it comes to buyers like Barnes & Noble deciding how many copies they want for for their stores. So if there’s a book you’re looking forward to, don’t wait until it releases, pre-order as soon as you can. And you can pre-order from anywhere, not just the big booksellers. Oh, and did I mention my next thriller is available for pre-order?
  5. Support independent bookstores. So many of these stores are in a daily struggle for survival. Yes, of course, authors also want their books in B&N, Target, and Costco, but indie bookstores are the pillars supporting the entire publishing industry. Stop in, buy a book, get a latte.  You’ll be happy you did.
  6. Go to a book event. Events are great ways to support authors, and sales at those stores get reported for any potential bestseller lists. Remember how I said authors are insecure? Just think about when a book is launched and three people show up at the main launch event. Do your favorite author a favor and go see them when they’re in town—chances are there won’t be as many people there as you’d expect.
  7. Follow authors. Not literally, unless you want to give them a good stalker idea for a story. But if you have a favorite author, follow them on social media, share posts, and subscribe to their newsletter (thank you!)
  8. Be patient. We live in a short-attention-span world, and authors aren’t competing with each other as much as we are with everything else vying for your attention (phones, Netflix, Wordle, children, etc). When you crack a book open, reserve judgment for at least 50 pages.  Chances are you’re reading something that sold to a publisher from an agent, and went through months of edits and rewrites. Chances are that book took at least one-to-two years to write, rewrite, sell, and edit, and a lot of thought went into every page. It might not be the right book for you, but let it develop long enough to see if it surprises you. If it still stinks after 50 pages, chuck it against the wall and leave a crappy review.  
  9. Support free speech. This is really the most important thing you can do. Support libraries, donate to free-speech initiatives, fight back against anyone ignorant enough to think ANY book should be banned. And, of course, make sure to vote for folks who rightly think books change lives. After all, literacy is damn sexy.


New episodes of Making It Up are out! Over the past month I chatted with:

  • Elka Ray, novelist, journalist, and travel writer
  • Lauren Thoman, novelist and pop-culture writer
  • J.D. Barker, international bestselling novelist
  • Erin E. Adams, novelist, actor, and award-winning playwright

All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.


What’s Entertaining Me

On the Page

What Remains of Teague House (Stacy Johns, Poisoned Pen Press, April 2025)

I was asked to take a look at this book for a possible blurb, so this title isn’t coming out until April 2025. But put it on your pre-order list!

An impressive first novel from Stacy Johns, What Remains of Teague House is a sinister mystery wrapped within layers of secrets harbored by the members of the dysfunctional Rawlins family. Effectively told from multiple points-of-view, the story follows a sombre gathering of three siblings for their mother’s funeral at their gloomy childhood home. The home has enough sordid history—including the father’s suicide—but nothing that compares to the chance unearthing of multiple corpses in the woods located on residence grounds. Every character is delightfully gray, each with their own secrets, and it’s up to private detective Maddie Reed to solve a mystery decades in the making. A powerful debut, and one that will keep you guessing. 


On the Screen

The Perfect Couple(Netflix, 2024)

Summary review:

It sucked.

Full review:

This had so much potential. It’s based on a book I didn’t read, so I have no idea how true it was to the story, but Jess and I were pulled in by the premise and the cast (Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber are both excellent).  It’s a fairly basic murder mystery surrounding a very fancy wedding set in Nantucket. And the first few episodes were great, because we all got to watch rich white people be miserable and obnoxious until they get their collective comeuppances. You could tell the show was playing it a bit tongue-in-cheek, which was just right for a plot that might otherwise feel cliched.

But by the fourth episode, the show started taking itself seriously, which was a major problem. It suddenly wanted us to care about the characters and their relationships without bothering to lay the foundation for that to happen. If the writers had just played to the absurd—like in Knives Out—this show would have been great. But once they started trying to become a real, you know, drama, all the flaws became achingly obvious.

Anyway, if you like wealth porn, still could be worth a watch. But otherwise, I’d say skip this one. 


Photo(s) of the Month

I’ve discussed this before, but I’m a huge fan of the band James, an English alt-rock group  that’s been playing for 40 years and whose new album Yummy hit #1 on the UK charts earlier this year. I’ve gotten to know the lead singer and lyricist Tim Booth a bit over the past ten years as I’ve asked him for permission to use their lyrics in a number of my books. Tim recently released his debut novel When I Died For The First Time, and in September James came for a US/Canada tour for the first time in seven years.

Not only did they come to Denver, but I was able to set up a book event for Tim where I interviewed him about his novel, and the next night Jess and I went to the show. Then we decided to fly to New Orleans to catch another show a couple of weeks later, and I was able to bring my kids. We even got a chance to head backstage and spend some time chatting with Tim in his dressing room. So, yeah, it’s been all about James the past month, and that’s all right with me.


Update from my Kids
Sawyer goes to school just an hour and a half from New Orleans, and Ili flew from her school in Michigan for the concert-weekend. Which means we got to spend a day touring Sawyer’s campus and apartment, neither of which Ili had seen. She approved. 


Update from my Pets

Somebody’s ready for fall.


Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend


That’s it for now!

Just a reminder to subscribe to my newsletter for more content and access to contests and giveaways. Oh, and if you follow me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

 me on social media you’ll see a lot more pictures of my goddamn pets. Until next month…

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