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Mary Eason | The Dark Side of Writing Dark, Romantic Suspense
April 15, 2010
Do you ever wonder what it would be like to look into the mind of a killer?
What would you do if a killer were hunting you? What if you’re child was the
target? What if the killer was someone you knew? To quote Friedrich Nietzsche: He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.
And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.  In SILENT WITNESS, my
Cerridwen Press release, the killer was someone who loved the story’s
heroine, Faith McKenzie obsessively, and was willing to do anything to make her
his, even if it meant killing her to keep her from belonging to anyone else.
Ask any author who writes dark romantic suspense and they’ll tell you, it ain’t
no walk in the park at times. I think even for writers who create fictitious killers it’s still disturbing to
consider that there are really such depraved people living in the world amongst
us. To make a believable killer you have to do your homework. For me, I love to watch Forensic Files and 48 Hours Mystery on TV. You can gain
a great deal of knowledge simply by studying old case files. So why do people
kill? Well, most psychologists will tell you there are two fundamental reasons
someone will take another life. Love and money. Both truly are the root of all evil. But there is another type of killer that is
far more evil and cunning than all others. He’s extremely intelligent, he can
blend into society well enough to be the neighbor next door, the unassuming man
at work, the grocery delivery boy, and he lacks anything resembling a
conscience. He’s a sociopath known as the serial killer. He kills for the thrill
of it.  In DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES, my
first release from Cerridwen Press, my
heroine, Megan Beaumont's psychic powers allowed her to witness the unimaginable
pain inflicted by the Angel of Death serial killer on his victims, and it almost
cost Megan her life when she became the Angel's final victim.
The FBI estimates that today there are some 50 active serial killers working
among us in the US alone. That’s a frightening statistic to consider.  In ROOT OF ALL EVIL, my
latest release from Cerridwen Press, my heroine, Anna Sorenson comes face
to face with a serial killer like none other. Anna tries to escape his deadly
trap. She walks from everything to gain redemption. But she doesn’t quite leave
the past behind and as Anna soon learns, even in paradise evil still exists.
But I think I would be remiss if I left out another type of killer. The one who
kills not for money, not for the love of another human, but for the love of a
cause. I’m talking about the terrorist who justifies killing innocent victims in
the name of patriotism. In SHADOW GAMES. my
latest release through Champagne Books, my heroine, Rachel Weiss, thought
she’d left the shadowy world of espionage behind three years earlier until she
received a text message from a stranger asking her if she knows where her former
partner and lover Booth Tanner is. In an instant, Rachel is unwillingly plunged
back into the murky world of danger an intrigue. For me, writing about the dark side of romance is both rewarding and
challenging. The characters leave their mark on you and make it hard to move on
to the next story. And if they’re really chilling, they make it hard to sleep
with the lights off at night.
All the best... Mary Eason writes both
contemporary romances and dark, romantic suspense. Her latest release, Shadow Games, is available
through Champagne Books.
Mary's website
Mary's
Blog.
Comments
24 comments posted.
Re: Mary Eason | The Dark Side of Writing Dark, Romantic Suspense
I also love the shows like 48 hours, CSI's Criminal Minds and there is also one called most wicked. These shows may not be fully factual but...they try to give the lay-person some idea of what makes a killer do what they do. As you stated there are so many types from manslaughter to seriel to terrorist killers. I like the way an author can take you on an imaginary thrill of discovering who the killer in their book is.
(Cindy Olp 1:31am April 15, 2010)
Mary, I admire anyone who can create romantic suspense.Even if I watched the real life shows, I'm not sure I would have the talent to get the detail on paper.Shadow Games sounds like a fascinating read and I wish you lots of sales.
(Megan Rose 5:41am April 15, 2010)
I really enjoy reading your books. Romance, suspense what else could you want.
(Pat Wilson 9:16am April 15, 2010)
Can't wait to read Shadow Games. sounds good.
(Sherry Russell 9:25am April 15, 2010)
I enjoy reading romantic suspense, even when it frightens me. It is always disturbing to see how the mind of a madman works. Good luck on your new release. It sounds great!
(Rosemary Krejsa 12:05pm April 15, 2010)
I am in the process of reading my first book of yours Silent Witness and am loving it as a new fan i am enjoying your style of wrighting and look forward to reading more of your work. Keep the books coming.
(Vickie Hightower 12:26pm April 15, 2010)
A bit of mystery and suspense makes great reading... :)I love trying to solve things and figure out what is going to happen
next!
(Colleen Conklin 4:05pm April 15, 2010)
I used to watch shows like 48 hours and Cold Case Files but,I enjoy reading romantic suspense more. The shows and books capture my attention because I want to know what happens next.
(Leni Kaye 5:21pm April 15, 2010)
I like to fall asleep to those "Husband Kills Wife" shows, even though they give me strange dreams. I think it's because I always know who did it. When HASN'T it been the ex/boyfriend/husband of the victim? Almost never. I like that kind of closure in a program.
(Nicole W 5:47pm April 15, 2010)
Root of All Evil looks great, kind of like an espisode of Criminal Minds (my guilty pleasure)
(Vikki Parman 7:28pm April 15, 2010)
My very first favorite books were historical romances, but recently I have fell in love with more of todays romance/mistery books. I'm very much looking forward to checking this book out. I'm sure I'll love it!
(Jeri Daniel 7:29pm April 15, 2010)
I'm also a big fan of Crime shows both true life and fiction and I sometimes find it scary how easily some of them justify their crimes. My husband is convinced I'm doing research!
(Deirdre Thornton 7:29pm April 15, 2010)
I love romantic suspense and these books look wonderful..
(Martha Lawson 8:14pm April 15, 2010)
Criminal Minds tries to show not only the mind of the criminal, but how it affects the profilers!
(Karin Tillotson 8:27pm April 15, 2010)
I love romantic suspense books! I adore mysteries & what could be better than mystery & romance in the same book?
(Cheryl Bradley 8:28pm April 15, 2010)
Bones and Castle are among my favorite shows.
(Marlene Breakfield 9:36pm April 15, 2010)
Shadow Games sounds like the Profiler TV series. Your villian sounds like the "Jack of All Trade" in the Profiler. Loves those crime TV series and books.
(Kai Wong 10:03pm April 15, 2010)
I want to read all of your books. You are new author for me and I love the mystery, suspense, intrigue, romance..I love Medium, CSI, Criminal Minds and lots of mystery and who done it.
I read Patricia Cornwell, Catherine Coulter, James Patterson etc. I would love to win your book and begin my journey into your books.
(Brenda Hill 10:34pm April 15, 2010)
Hello Mary, Please enter me in your fantastic contest. I love entering and winning contests from FreshFiction.com
God bless everyone, Cecilia
(Cecilia Dunbar Hernandez 11:18pm April 15, 2010)
Yesterday on the Internet I saw a question about the young actress in the new movie Kick-Ass. The question was whether she was too young for the part, that it may affect her. In the light of the Nietzsche quote I wonder even more. Though I have never much liked "horror" movies, I am generally more at ease with books--unless they are too bloody and gruesome. I can't even bear to watch hospital shows.
(Sigrun Schulz 11:40pm April 15, 2010)
I like a little fright in my reading.
(Mary Preston 11:54pm April 15, 2010)
Thank you for your post, Mary.
I remember watching a psychologist/crime expert interviewed on TV some years back. He made an observation that has stayed with me: "When someone creates a villain, he does so out of his own experience."
I wonder how this applies to writers of romantic suspense and other genres of thrillers. What's been happening an author's life that caused her to create her kinds of villains and their deeds?
I've heard of cases in which authors draw their inspiration from real-life criminals. But I wonder what caused this particular author to draw inspiration from this particular criminal.
Maybe the author doesn't know. Or doesn't want to. And that just adds to the mystery.
(Mary Anne Landers 3:36am April 16, 2010)
Thank God for our Shadow Operators.
Blessings,
Marjorie
(Marjorie Carmony 7:33am April 16, 2010)
Missed out on this one. Found it one day late it seems.
(Gladys Paradowski 6:40pm April 16, 2010)
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