“Thrilling and Killing”

Thrilling and Killing, on one level, refers to my manuscript for The Killer Trail. KT is a psychological thriller about a social worker, Chris Ryder, who accidentally becomes involved in the aftermath of a murder and must come to terms with his emotional, personal and work relationship with the killer, Ray Owens, before his own life (personal and professional) spirals out of control. As much as Chris despises Ray and everything Ray stands for, he struggles with the fact that he shares more in common with him than he would like to admit.

Thrilling and Killing, on another level, could also describe the publishing world, which appears to be in a state of flux. Many writers, myself included, are faced with the dilemma of deciding whether to continue pursuing traditional publishing companies or taking a chance on publishing independently. Going the indie route provides substantial freedom for the writer, but also comes with the daunting responsibility of managing every aspect of the business associated with the writing industry, including cover art design, marketing, promotion and so on.

In some ways, the challenge that many new writers face in getting published is similar to the challenge new workers face in securing that elusive first job. Employers talk about their preference for hiring experienced employees just as publishers talk about their preference for writers with previous publishing experience. Which begs the question: How does one get that ground-breaking first experience?

In my opinion, after everything else is said and done, it comes down to quality: Quality performance from the employee, and quality writing from the writer. And in the case of my manuscript, that means making sure that it is a killer of a thriller!