Twenty-one years ago, it was my brand-new agent who told me I had written a thriller. Cool! I thought. Followed by, what’s a thriller?
I had no business writing a book. I had no training. No English degree. Knew nothing about books other than I enjoyed reading them. All I knew is I had a story to tell, and that story was apparently a thriller. Now, ten published books later, I have a better idea what a thriller is, at least as well as anyone does. But the details are still murky, the definition opaque at best (non-existent at worst). So when I set out to write a new book, I don’t think I’m going to write another thriller. I think about the mood of the story. The conflict. The stakes, both real and imagined. I think about what I would do in the situations my characters find themselves in, then add in about fifty percent more courage and twenty percent more fear.
The mood of my 10th thriller, Tell Me What You Did, is angry. I didn’t know the story when I started writing (my brain is incapable of outlining), but I knew this was going to be an unforgiving, in-your-face kind of book. Short chapters, propulsive narrative. I knew it was going to feature a female protagonist. Knew there was going to be a dog. Figured there would be some violence, perhaps of the vengeful variety. I promised myself the dog would make it through okay.
My buddy Blake told me about a podcast he’d listened to where folks could call a voicemail line and anonymously leave an apology to whomever in the world they had wronged. I was immediately intrigued, but my imagination took the premise a step further. What if it wasn’t an apology, I thought, but a confession? That was the moment I had the loosest of ideas for what my angry book was going to be about. I never did listen to that podcast.
When I crafted my protagonist, Poe Webb, I knew she was just right. Smart and foolish, broken and strong. She’s as morally gray as they come, and that’s what I love most about her. I love characters who are certain they’re doing the right thing, whether or not society at large would agree with that assessment. Heroic heroes and villainous villains are boring as hell. Instead, heroes and villains should have way more in common than not, and that thin line separating the two is what makes a story interesting.
My primary hope is that Tell Me What You Did will make you ask the same questions of yourself that Poe is forced to ask. My secondary hope is that you get a little surprised by your answers.
Happy reading.
Barnes & Noble Monthly Pick!
I’m over the moon to announce Tell Me What You Did has been selected as the Barnes & Noble Monthly Pick for February in the Mystery/Suspense category. What does that mean? Of all mystery/thrillers launching this month, B&N selected my title to showcase in every one of their 600+ stores.
If you happen to stop by a Barnes & Noble store in February, please keep an eye out for the display with my book, and if you want to send me a photo I’d love to hear from you!
New episodes of my podcast Making It Up are out! Over the past month I chatted with:
- Pamela Statz, debut thriller novelist
- Emily Jon Tobias, Pushcart Prize nominee
- Sandra Block, crime writer and ITW award finalist
- Barbara Nickless, #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author
- Midge Raymond and John Yunker, married co-authors of Devil’s Island
All episodes are available on my website, my YouTube channel, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
REVIEWS
On the Page
No Lie Lasts Forever, Mark Stevens (Thomas & Mercer, June 2025)
Oh, I love a sneak peek at a great thriller! This one releases in June and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an early review copy.
Mark Stevens’s powerful thriller No Lie Lasts Forever has all the right ingredients for an emotional, suspenseful read. It has a beautifully fleshed-out and flawed protagonist in Flynn Martin, whose professional curiosity and personal need-to-help often lead to her dark and dangerous places. It has bodies—both old and fresh—with questions around the connections between them. It has lots of cops, and Stevens is very careful in making the reader uncertain which ones to trust. And, to the reader’s delight, it has Harry Kugel, a serial killer who prides himself on having “gotten better” without help, this declaration one of many wonderful examples of Kugel’s sociopathic narcissism. In Harry, Stevens has crafted a bad guy for the ages, and the chapters from the killer’s viewpoint will have you checking the locks on your door. NO LIE LASTS FOREVER is a brilliant, compelling read, which is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Mark Stevens.
On the Screen
Heretic (A24, 2024)
Hugh Grant as the boogeyman? Sign me up.
In short, the story follows two 20ish Mormon women on a mission in Boulder, Colorado, and they knock on Grant’s door because he’d signed up to learn more about the Latter Day Saints. The story is predictable—you know immediately those girls aren’t getting out of that house, much less converting Grant. But the beauty of the film is Hugh Grant playing Hugh Grant, and all those stutters, self-effacing jabs, and quirky apologies that work so well in a rom-com simply shine in a thriller/horror movie. You want to like him. You want to believe he’s just a simple lost soul looking for direction. You want to eat the blueberry pie his supposed wife made off-camera.
Yes, the writing on religion can be a bit preachy and reductive, and the last twenty minutes devolves in the way you expect but hope it doesn’t. But this is worth a watch for Grant.
Photo of the Month
Jess and I did a driving tour of Barnes & Noble stores in the Denver metro area—eight in all—to sign stock copies of Tell Me What You Did. So exciting to see the book on its own display in every store, even with a cool little “monthly pick” poster. Just wish February had more than 28 days.
Update from my Kids
My son is a sophomore at Louisiana State University. One of the reasons he chose a southern school was to get away from the Colorado cold. Well, Baton Rouge got 8 inches of snow in a freak storm, and it was the most exciting thing that ever happened to him.
Update from my Pets
Scully doesn’t much care for football, but the Puppy Bowl certainly caught her attention.
Humor of the Month sent to me by a friend
Well, this is more of a fun fact. And a Colorado one!
All you writers!
My company Unbound Writer offers one-on-one writing coaching with me, online classes, retreats, and seminars. I offer free consultations to answer your questions and to see if Unbound Writer is right for you—head to the website to sign up.
Later this spring I’m offering two classes, one online and in-person in Denver, called Commit to Your Novel. This four-hour workshop focuses not just on the craft of writing, but the commitment to it. Writing a novel is hard, but not impossible, and the more you write the easier it becomes. It takes consistency, a vulnerable mind, and being willing not just to fail, but to embrace those failures.
Topics covered in the workshop include:
- Finding time to write
- Overcoming fear of failure
- Being perfectly imperfect
- Ignoring the muse and writing every day
- Writing craft (style, pacing, story structure, character development, and editing)
- Understanding the publishing industry
- Navigating non-writing essentials (social media, newsletters, public speaking)
- Take four hours out of your life and learn how to get and stay on the path you were meant to be on.
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…
