Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer

Mystery and thriller fanatic, Sabrina Thatcher, interviews some of the best thriller, chiller, and mystery writers working today. Go inside the mind of a thriller writer to discover how they tap into the darkness that taps away something animalistic in all of us. Learn about their latest books and recommendations then stick around for tips on how you too can write dangerously.

Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 33 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer, a arts show with 33 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer

  Crafting a Mystery Thriller Horror Mashup with Elizabeth Urso

  Aug 13, 202658 min

  Sabrina Thatcher sits down with Canadian author Elizabeth Urso to talk about her debut novel Hail Mary , a genre-blending thriller about a woman returning to her Northern Ontario hometown, her family’s infamous funeral business, and the disturbing discovery of human remains inside a school time capsule. Elizabeth shares how grief and anger unexpectedly shaped the novel, including a second POV character who became an outlet for emotions she didn’t initially realize she was processing. She also digs into her plot-first writing process, her love of mixing crime, mystery, thriller, and horror, and why she plots in Excel and gives herself permission to edit while drafting.

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  Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer

  Four Thriller Writers go to a Writing Retreat in Italy

  Aug 6, 202647 min

  Sabrina Thatcher, Duke Craig, Renda Knapp, and Chris Wendel unpack their experiences at the Leopardi Writing Conference in Italy. They share the craft lessons that stuck with them—from watching authors line edit in real time and learning how to hook readers in those crucial opening pages to the now-infamous “Finlay Fix”—along with candid advice about receiving feedback, making the most of workshops, and knowing what you want from a conference. They also discuss the importance of finding community in an often-solitary career, stepping outside your comfort zone, and how new places and life experiences can fuel better writing. Check out their websites to learn more: rendaknapp.com dukecraig.com cwendel.com

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  Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer

  Crafting Interiority & Twists in Thrillers with Samantha Skal

  May 28, 202655 min

  In this episode, Sabrina Thatcher talks with thriller writer, book coach, and ThrillerFest executive director Samantha Skal for a deep dive into the mechanics behind compelling suspense. They explore why villains should be treated as the heroes of their own stories, how interiority becomes the “connective tissue” that shapes reader experience, and the art of revealing just enough information to create tension without losing momentum. They discuss writing twists, managing exposition, balancing reader expectations, and building characters whose decisions feel emotionally inevitable—even when they seem irrational.

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  Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer

  Crafting Historical Crime Fiction with Melanie Anagnos

  May 21, 202628 min

  In this episode of Slaying the Craft , host Sabrina Thatcher sits down with crime novelist Melanie Anagnos to talk about her debut novel Night Swimming , a late-1970s police procedural centered on Jamie, a patrol officer unexpectedly stepping into investigative work. Melanie shares her winding path to publication, her decision to write outside her usual genre, and how embracing discomfort became part of her creative process. She shares how the idea for the novel arrived unexpectedly while working on a completely different project, what it was like writing from a male point of view, and how extensive research—including immersing herself in crime fiction and detective interviews—helped her build authenticity.

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  Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer

  Crafting Fiction Through Reality with Adam Plantinga

  May 7, 202658 min

  In this episode, Adam Plantinga joins Sabrina Thatcher for a high-energy deep dive into crafting action-packed, morally grounded thrillers, tracing the evolution of his Kurt Argento series from the over-the-top prison chaos of The Ascent to the mystery-driven expansiveness of Hardtown and Dark Country . Drawing from more than two decades in law enforcement, Plantinga shares how real-world policing, subject-matter expertise, and a commitment to “armoring fiction with reality” shape his stories, while also unpacking the challenges of writing earned twists, balancing violence with moral consequence, and creating a wandering protagonist readers can root for.

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