August ’24 News

HAPPY LAST DAYS OF SUMMER!!

Museum of Modern Art (NYC), late summer ’24. Alex Katz’s Seasons.

When I put on a cashmere sweater after dinner the other night, I finally admitted to myself that there were hints of fall in the air! I like autumn, I do (and I just ordered some cute new black boots), but it’s always so hard for me to say goodbye to summer. You, too? Or is there a season you like even better?

All in all, it was a good summer for me. Lots of tomatoes, corn, peaches, meals eaten outdoors, as well as fox, ground hog, raccoon, and bunny sightings. I also finished my 19th suspense novel (it’s with my agent now so please wish me luck!). Plus, I finally wrapped up the very last of my book tour for The Last Time She Saw Him, which book guru Zibby Owens included in her list of the best summer reads.

If you haven’t ordered yet, just tap one of the links below.

SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS

One of my favorite parts of the book tour experience was giving a brand new talk of mine at several locations. I call it “Feeling Stuck? How to Think Like a Suspense Writer to Start a Thrilling New Chapter.” I loved sharing how some of the strategies for writing a page-turning thriller can create momentum in your own life, too. It’s a provocative concept but it really works.

If you have any interest in me giving this talk to a group you know, you can find out more here:

https://www.katewhite.com/speaking/

When you have lunch with fabulous thriller author A.J. Finn, as I did on the last day of July, you also get to be with his precious dog, Ike.	Labor Day weekend for me meant the Bouchercon mystery conference in Nashville. Here I am with my pal, award-winning suspense author, Hank Phillippi Ryan.

A SPECIAL BONUS FOR READERS WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED

From now until September 30, my 2023 psychological thriller, Between Two Strangers is free, yes, FREE, for anyone with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Thank you to Amazon for making this wonderful deal possible.

WHAT I’M READING/WATCHING

The Paris Widow
By Kimberly Belle

It’s such a pleasure for me to read books by my thriller and mystery author pals, not only because these books are generally darn good but because I love picturing my friends writing certain scenes. This week I’ve been tearing through and really enjoying The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle, the story of a woman whose husband goes missing in Paris, leaving his wife to discover that he wasn’t the man she thought he was. There’s plenty of suspense but the book is also chock full of wonderfully vivid descriptions of European sites, and you almost feel like you’re there! Kimberly lives in Amsterdam part of the year, so I know she’s been to each of the incredible spots she mentions.

The Lincoln Lawyer
Rent on Amazon or possibly find elsewhere for free

I’m not talking about the relatively new series, but rather the original 2011 film with Matthew McConaughey, which was based on the excellent book of the same title by Michael Connelly. I’ve found so few recent series or films in the thriller category worth devouring lately that I’ve been rewatching some of my favorite older films, like Witness and Jagged Edge, which led me back to The Lincoln Lawyer. Wow, it really held up for me. McConaughey is great, and so are Ryan Phillippe and Marisa Tomei (as Matthew’s ex-wife), and there are some terrific twists. Yup, the kind you don’t see coming.

3 THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY READERS THIS MONTH

1. You like Hayley Mills as much as I do (FYI, she plays an FBI agent in the new thriller, Trapped).

2. Many of you not only like reading thrillers but one of your goals is to write one! That’s why I had such a big crowd when I gave a talk on how to write a killer thriller at the amazing RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT. (If that’s a dream of yours, a great resource is Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need.)

3. You enjoyed the remake of Presumed Innocent on AppleTV so much more than I did. The cast and new plot twists left me cold, but I’m glad it worked for you.

WHAT I’M MAKING

Have you ever heard of spoon cake? I hadn’t but when I saw a recipe for it lately and realized how easy it was to make, I had to try it. And gosh, it was delicious. They call it spoon cake because it’s super moist, even a little gooey, and you need to serve it with a spoon. I used a perfect recipe from the NY Times, but there are lots of others online. And don’t you love the baking dish I used? It was a gift from my wonderful friend, thriller author Lisa Unger. See, we thriller authors can be normal, too!