I've been told that what I write is lodged somewhere between the romance genre and the crime fiction genre. It's the romantic thriller.
Of course, my hero and heroine will fall in love. That's the romance part of romantic thriller. They will have lots of romantic tension between them. In my current historical romantic thriller, GOODBYE NOEL, the story starts with a strong attraction between Detective Ian Daltry and pediatric nurse Katrina Lenart. But there's also antipathy. The sparks fly. Boy do they.
My stories deal with crime (particularly murder), intrigue, scandal, and revenge. The pace is such that, hopefully, it keeps the reader on the edge of her/his seat. The two co-protagonists engage in a battle with the villain, fight for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Their intelligence and talents save them repeatedly. My heroes and heroines are engaged in the business of hunting down a killer. None of my heroines are shrinking violets. In my GOODBYE NOEL, Katrina is put at risk a few times and either saves herself, or Ian saves her. In the process of struggling with a cunning villain, Ian and Katrina are falling deeper and deeper in love.
I like to write romantic thrillers because there's double suspense. Will the guy get the girl? That's the romantic suspense part. The thriller part pushes the suspense to the max. Will the hero and heroine save themselves, each other, and those they love in time? There's usually time pressure in a thriller. The killer is one-step ahead of them and has a lethal agenda. Or the killer has an unrelenting time table and the hero and heroine must beat the clock.
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Nike always delivers. Her novels are riveting and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a good read!
ReplyDeleteDon't sit too close to the edge of your chair when you read one of Nike's suspense stories. If you do, you'll for sure topple over. Nike writes about love and suspense with a talent undeniable.
ReplyDeleteI tried posting this earlier, but it wouldn't go. I hope it doesn't show up twice, but if it does, Nike Chillemi's praise deservs to be read twice.
Marcy, Jean, I'll try to keep the suspense coming...also the action and romance.
ReplyDeleteThx so much.
Nike,
ReplyDeleteDo you find that some Christian readers don't like your romantic suspense because they don't consider it "Christian" to have such evil people? I've entered contests where I could tell if someone was a reader of sweet romance because they would pan my manuscript. Those that like edgy, give good marks. Just curious.
Kathryn, That's a really good question. Excellent. I haven't entered a contest in a while. But I did get that when I entered from 50% of the judges. The other 50% loved my entries. I think entering contests is part of the process for a writer, but not the end all and be all. One thing writers get from contests is a thicker skin, which you need in this business, and it's a business.
ReplyDeleteI've found that about 50% of the Christian readers will like my novels. So, the contests were representative in that. But, hey, that's a lot of readers.
If you write a great story, they will come. Maybe not as fast as you like. But if you keep at it and pay attention to the care and feeding of your readers, it will start building momentum.