poisonedpeeps

Diana Gabaldon and The Poisoned Pen present our first joint Writers in Residence Program
Charles Finch February 21-28
Charles Finch will spend a week in Scottsdale hosting author events (Laurie R. King, Priscilla Royal, Tessa Arlen), do an event for his own work in Peoria February 26 6:30 PM, and teach two Writer’s Workshops: call 480 947 2074 or 888 560 9919 to register.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 22 2:00-5:00 PM at The Pen

$50. Registration required.Limited to 30 participants

Getting Your Novel Off the Ground

Charles Finch will offer an introduction to getting a novel started – the basic elements of story, character, and planning that are necessary to take a book from your mind to the page. A sample of between 500 and 1200 words, preferably from a first chapter; a one-page synopsis.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 28 10 AM-1:00 PM

With a follow up from 3:30-4:30 PM after the scheduled author event with Jeffery Deaver and Francine Mathews

$50. Registration required. Limited to 30 participants

Story Structure Masterclass

Drawing on the proven techniques of the novel and the screenplay, this three-hour workshop from author Charles Finch will offer an in-depth examination on the mechanics of storytelling, and how they can improve your novel.

Charles Finch is the bestselling author of the Charles Lenox mystery novels, set in Victorian England and nominated for the Nero and Agatha Awards-the latest is The Laws of Murder(St Martins $25.99)-as well as a standalone literary novel about a group of students at Oxford, The Last Enchantments (St Martins $24.99). He regularly writes about books for The New York Times, Slate, USA Today, and the Chicago Tribune, his hometown newspaper.

The Jewish News of Greater Phoenix just published this interesting piece on the Kellermens and their upcoming appearance here at the Poisoned Pen at 7 PM next Tuesday, the 16th of September. Take a minute and check it out. The link is below.

https://www.jewishaz.com/arts_features/arts_culture/the-family-business-of-crime/article_8ad3cae4-3879-11e4-9304-001a4bcf6878.html

Author Interview Questions

Kira Peikoff author, NO TIME TO DIE

www.kirapeikoff.com

 

 

1. NO TIME TO DIE focuses on a 20 year-old woman who stopped aging at 14 years-old ““ where did you get this idea?

A few years back, I saw a documentary on Discovery Health about a young woman who had inexplicably stopped aging. She was almost 20 years old but had stayed frozen as a toddler her whole life, baffling doctors and scientists alike. The case caught my attention because I’ve always been interested in medical mysteries, and like many people, I’m also fixated on the promise of eternal youth. Yet staying young forever, as welcome as it might be, could also be a curse. I decided to explore it further in a novel, but I didn’t want my protagonist stuck as a toddler without much mental or emotional capacity.  So I decided to trap her in the worst possible page for maximum drama and frustration. What could be worse than 14?

2. Do you think scientists will find a cure for aging?

Some leading researchers believe the end of aging is within reach–perhaps in the next century. One respected scientist, Aubrey de Gray, thinks that the first person who will live to age 1,000 is already alive now.

3. How did you choose the thriller genre?

I feel into it by accident. When I started writing fiction, I gravitated toward stories with high stakes, increasing tension, cliffhanger chapters, and a fast pace. I didn’t actually intend to write in any genre, but after I wrote my first book, I realized I’d written a thriller.

4. NO TIME TO DIE offers some great surprises, twist and turns. Who are your biggest influences in the thrillers and suspense genre?

Michael Crichton, Michael Palmer, Lisa Unger, Gillian Flynn. If you want to get old-school, I would add O. Henry and one of my favorite books as a teen: The Scarlet Pimpernel.

5. As a writer, how can you explore differently in your works of fiction vs. your non-fiction articles for publications?

The threshold for exactness is much looser in fiction. In non-fiction, I am careful to be extremely accurate in my reporting. Accuracy to a journalist is like steadiness to a surgeon. You’re useless without it. (You won’t accidentally kill anyone–one nice thing about being a writer–but you might damage someone’s reputation by misrepresenting a source.) In fiction, there’s greater freedom to stray without that kind of accountability. I try to stay as true-to-life still as I can, but I do have to stretch and imagine a lot, which makes it more fun and also a hundred times harder.

6. NO TIME TO DIE ““ how was the book title chosen?

 My wonderful late mentor, Michael Palmer, suggested the title to me when I told him I was stuck on a title. (Titles are impossible.) Everyone at the publishing house immediately liked it, so we went with it. It’s extra meaningful because Michael died shortly after I turned in the final manuscript. It was one of the last novels he read.

7. In NO TIME TO DIE, one of the main reasons scientists are busy researching defying aging is because: they have a back story. Many have a loved one they wish could have lived longer  ““ it’s a very human side to all the scientific lab work involved ““ was your writing process different when explaining the scientific lab work vs. the human and emotional side of your characters?

Yes, writing about the lab work was more of an intellectual challenge, because I had to figure out how to incorporate real-life details with fictional ones. It was like a puzzle. Writing about the human side came more naturally. I tried to tap into how I might feel in their place, and why I might do what they were doing, so I could access that yearning and vulnerability.

8. What do you hope readers will gain from reading NO TIME TO DIE?

First and foremost, that they will be transported on a thrilling and satisfying journey with characters they’ve become invested in. Then: that they’ll possibly think about their own positions on the controversial subjects the book raises, and finally that they will be shocked by the big twist ending.