The Thriller Writer Lab

When the Reader Decides Who the Villain Is | The Summer House Murder Dissected with Ava Roberts

Ava Roberts spent years as a clinical psychologist before leaving to write thrillers full time. In The Summer House Murder, that background shapes a cast where every character's motivation is psychologically grounded, morally complex, and impossible to judge cleanly. In this episode, Mark and Ava pull apart how the book was actually constructed: the structural choices, character architecture, and revision decisions that shaped the final draft. For writers, this is a masterclass in how expertise outside fiction can directly drive plot design and character dynamics. * Intuitive plot architecture: How Roberts builds a three-POV rotating structure without an outline, planting threads before knowing where they resolve. * Distributed antagonism: How she spread moral culpability across the full cast so the reader cannot assign a clean verdict to any one character. * Character differentiation: How she kept three sisters distinct enough that neither she nor the reader needs a reference document to track them. * Revision process: The structural changes her editor introduced, including a mid-novel scene rewrite and a complete ending overhaul. * Beta reader strategy: How she uses early readers for internal consistency and reader orientation rather than story direction.   Ava Roberts's book The Summer House Murder: https://a.co/d/07hmlxBG [https://a.co/d/07hmlxBG] Follow Ava Roberts online: https://authoravaroberts.com/ [https://authoravaroberts.com/] Want to be part of the conversation? Join the live recordings on Patreon and ask your questions during the guest Q&A. You’ll also get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. Your support helps keep The Thriller Writer Lab going and brings more great thriller authors into the Lab. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon [https://patreon.com/markpjnadon] Mark's Thrillers Psychological tech thrillers from your host, including The Treatment Room: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers [https://mybook.to/marksthrillers] Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon [https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethrillerwriterlab/ [https://www.instagram.com/thethrillerwriterlab/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thethrillerwriterlab [https://www.tiktok.com/@thethrillerwriterlab]

Amanda West Breaks Down The Memory Foundation from Memory Flights to High-Concept Balance

Bestselling author Amanda West joins The Thriller Writer Lab to break down The Memory Foundation, a speculative thriller about memory flights, destination travel, and a secret mountain facility where guests can relive the best moments of their lives. Amanda talks about moving from psychological suspense into a more high-concept thriller, building the idea of memory flights, and finding the right balance between explaining the technology and keeping the story moving. She also discusses why dementia became central to the book, how Natasha’s relationship with her mother shaped the emotional core, and why even the biggest thriller concepts still need to feel human. Amanda West's book The Memory Foundation: https://www.amazon.com/Memory-Foundation-Novel-Amanda-West/dp/B0FNVWZM5D [https://www.amazon.com/Memory-Foundation-Novel-Amanda-West/dp/B0FNVWZM5D] Follow Amanda West online: https://www.amandareynoldsauthor.com/ [https://www.amandareynoldsauthor.com/] Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon [https://patreon.com/markpjnadon] Mark's Thrillers Psychological tech thrillers from your host, including The Treatment Room: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers [https://mybook.to/marksthrillers] Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/thrillerwriterlab/ [https://markpjnadon.ca/thrillerwriterlab/] Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon [https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethrillerwriterlab/ [https://www.instagram.com/thethrillerwriterlab/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thethrillerwriterlab [https://www.tiktok.com/@thethrillerwriterlab]

How Jon Lindstrom Turned Hollywood's Broken Dreams Into a Thriller

What does writing feel like when it's actually working? Not the grinding, forcing, staring at the screen version. The other kind, where you're not even really writing anymore, just trying to keep up with your fingers because something is coming through you. Jon Lindstrom is a four-time Emmy nominated actor, filmmaker, and USA Today bestselling author of Hollywood Hustle and Hollywood Payback. In this episode, he breaks down how stepping away from the camera and into novels unlocked a freedom that acting and screenwriting never could. We also get into the real people behind Jake Ferguson in Hollywood Payback, what it took to write the past timeline of the book, why he went to a hotel room in Savannah for five days to dig deeper, and what broken dreams in Hollywood taught him about building a character worth caring about. Jon Lindstrom's book Hollywood Payback: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/803639/hollywood-payback-by-jon-lindstrom/9798892425094 [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/803639/hollywood-payback-by-jon-lindstrom/9798892425094] Follow Jon Lindstrom online: https://www.jonlindstrom.com/writer [https://www.jonlindstrom.com/writer] Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon [https://patreon.com/markpjnadon] Mark's Thrillers Psychological tech thrillers from your host, including The Treatment Room: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers [https://mybook.to/marksthrillers] Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/thrillerwriterlab/ [https://markpjnadon.ca/thrillerwriterlab/] Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon [https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markpjnadon_thrillerauthor/ [https://www.instagram.com/markpjnadon_thrillerauthor/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon [https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon]

Writing an espionage thriller as a former CIA officer | Brittany Butler

Brittany Butler spent 10 years as a CIA targeting officer running spies in the Middle East and war zones. Now she writes espionage thrillers for Crooked Lane Books and the operational world she lived in shows up on every page. In this episode Brittany breaks down how she builds characters using goals, motivations, and conflicts before writing a single scene, how she balances three interlocking plot lines without losing the reader, and how she transfers the real psychological cost of espionage work onto the page. She also talks about the moral weight of running sources she couldn't always protect, and the moment she knew it was time to leave the CIA. Brittany Butler's book The Patriot's Daughter: https://www.amazon.com/Patriots-Daughter-Novel-Brittany-Butler/dp/B0FJDHLKRN [https://www.amazon.com/Patriots-Daughter-Novel-Brittany-Butler/dp/B0FJDHLKRN] Follow Brittany Butler online: https://www.instagram.com/brittanybutlerbooks/ [https://www.instagram.com/brittanybutlerbooks/] Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon [https://patreon.com/markpjnadon] Mark's Thrillers Psychological tech thrillers from your host, including The Treatment Room: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers [https://mybook.to/marksthrillers] Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast [https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast] Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon [https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markpjnadon_thrillerauthor/ [https://www.instagram.com/markpjnadon_thrillerauthor/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon [https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon]

Writing a War Your Heroes Don't Know They're Losing | Michael J. Lalonde

Michael J. Lalonde spent 23 years as a Canadian Army intelligence officer before writing The Quiet War: Canadian Front, a modern military thriller built around Canada's tier one special forces unit, JTF Two. In this episode we get into how he built a story where the heroes are winning every engagement and losing the war without knowing it, why the villain targets Canada before the United States, what the "every day is selection" culture of special forces does to the people inside it, and where realism and story collide and why story has to win. Michael J. Lalonde's book Canadian Front: https://books2read.com/u/3kJk2N [https://books2read.com/u/3kJk2N] Follow Michael J. Lalonde online: https://www.michaeljlalonde.com/ [https://www.michaeljlalonde.com/] Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon [https://patreon.com/markpjnadon] Mark's Thrillers Psychological tech thrillers from your host, including The Treatment Room: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers [https://mybook.to/marksthrillers] Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast [https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast] Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon [https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markpjnadon_thrillerauthor/ [https://www.instagram.com/markpjnadon_thrillerauthor/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon [https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon]