Thriller Genre Forum

The description of violence acts within thrillers covers a wide range from physical abuse to huge mass killings, and genocide. Part of the thriller genre is the ability of the author to create circumstances in which readers are put on edge anticipating that at any moment the characters are capable of perpetrating acts of violence without knowing the outcome. The artful use of words to construct reader anticipation and expectation in many cases is much more powerful than the authors actual description of the violent acts or the gruesome follow-up details. In The Master of Deception, I attempted to set the circumstances in motion by giving the reader an insight into the terrorist and at the same time embellishing the plot story line by both describing the violent acts and the horrendous aftermath. What makes for a great description of violence in a thriller?

At some point in writing a novel, the author is faced with the decision on whether to include a avoid a sexual encounter or to open the Pandora's box and entering into a number of complexities. Clearly the easiest path is to forgo any mention which appeals to a segment of thriller readers, but in my deliberations I chose to be more realistic and include scenes in my series. The next decision was to create the scene without become too graphic. What constitutes a realistic description of a sexual event without crossing the line between enhancing the relationship between the two partners and describing a sex scene with no real relationship to the development of the story? I would love to hear authors and readers on how best to deal wioth this issue.

I believe that a good author has well researched information embedded within his or her writing that helps readers understand the complexities of politics; government policies; laws and regulations; governemtn protocols; varied national governmental structural organizations and agencies; and the societal issues of the time pertiod and geographical locale presented over the pages. Did that intent become clear in The Master of Deception?