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 35 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 35 episodes published.

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  Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer

  Crafting Cozies Wrapped in Leather Jackets with Mindy Carlson

  Sep 4, 20261h 9m

  Sabrina Thatcher sits down with Anthony Award–nominated mystery author Mindy Carlson for a lively conversation about writing mysteries that are dark, funny, and distinctly human. Carlson discusses the Reddit inspiration behind her short story Am I the Asshole for Using My Husband’s Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson? , her love of mysteries as puzzles with satisfying solutions, and the process behind what she calls her “leather jacket cozies”—stories that retain the relatable characters and community of a cozy while embracing more violence, swearing, and darker subject matter. She breaks down her highly visual plotting process using color-coded Post-it notes for scenes, clues, and B-plots, explains how character emotions and motivations drive her story decisions, and shares why humor acts as a “release valve” that allows her to push the darker moments even further.

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  Slaying the Craft: Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer

  Crafting the Dark and Twisted with Brianna Labuskes

  Aug 21, 20261h 1m

  Sabrina Thatcher sits down with bestselling author Brianna Labuskes to talk about her new thriller Clean Slate , which follows crime-scene cleaner Olive Hunt as she becomes unexpectedly entangled in a murder investigation. Brianna discusses the research behind Olive’s childhood with a mother who has contamination OCD, the importance of portraying mental illness responsibly, and the book’s larger themes of friendship, community, and learning to accept help. The conversation then moves deep into craft: writing multiple POVs and timelines, recognizing when a beloved scene or character isn’t serving the story, maintaining momentum in a thriller, switching between psychological thrillers and historical fiction, and finding a writing process that works for you rather than following rigid rules. Brianna emphasizes curiosity, purposeful storytelling, trusting experience, and continuing to write even on the days when every word feels difficult.

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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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