Just One More Chapter! by Patty Blount

 Hey there! It's October! This means it's my first self-published book's birthday! 

THE SMELL OF SMOKE AND ASH is now available on Amazon in paperback with Kindle edition following on Halloween.

And, as luck would have it, it's also a thriller, which is a sub-category of Suspense. 

So...you're probably wondering -- what's the difference? And while we're at, how does mystery fit into the category? 

Mysteries are all about a puzzle to solve. They're usually done quietly, with very little action. When I think of mystery, I think of Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple. They're cerebral stories. That puzzle is almost always about solving the crime puzzle. 

Thrillers tend to have more personally at stake for the main characters. There's always that element of danger and risk, where each step closer to solving the puzzle can also put the main character's life in jeopardy. Thrillers are also a cat and mouse game, where antagonists try to outwit protagonists. Protogonists usually have some sort of moral imperative to 'win' -- that could be a personal connection to the crime being investigated or perhaps an emotional wound reopened by it. Key distinction between Thriller and Mystery? It's the protag's motive. It's not so much about solving the crime as it is about stopping the person from committing it (or another one) and bringing about some form of justice. 

So...where does Suspense fit it? Well, all of these are aspects of Suspense but Suspense is generally all about the tension -- raising it, getting the heart to pump, compelling readers to stay up late just to read one more chapter. Thrillers certainly have Suspense baked in. Suspense tends to be the bookshelf where retailers place these books. 

In SMOKE AND ASH, a crime was most definitely committed and that's what draws main character Riley into the story. But as the plot progresses, he discovers that everything he thought he knew about this crime was wrong. 

A cover-up.

A lie. 

But why? 

In addition to this main story question, there is a paranormal element that raises the stakes. Now, Riley is battling against a great unknown. 

If I've done my job as author well, readers will be compelled to keep reading chapter after chapter to see what else is going to happen and how Riley prevails. 

This novel is a sort of home-coming for me. My earliest reading memories are mysteries, supense and thrillers and now, I've written one. 

Tell me in the comments what you like about these stories. Is it the tension? The puzzle? The good vs. evil battle?