Kaye George
My guest today is Terry Ambrose. His own life has been colorful enough for a thriller autobiography, I think. But he's turned to fiction to tell his stories. Here's a bit about him:
Terry Ambrose started out skip tracing and
collecting money from deadbeats and quickly learned that liars come from all
walks of life. He never actually stole a car, but sometimes hired big guys with
tow trucks and a penchant for working in the dark when “negotiations” failed.
You can learn more about Terry on his website at terryambrose.com.
Terry’s latest book, License to Lie, is about a con artist and a
criminologist who join forces and learn that with $5,000,000 and their lives on
the line, they can’t trust a soul—even their own.
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“License to Lie is fast and well written, almost
sure to satisfy discerning readers of thrillers. There’s a verve to
Ambrose’s language and the story moves with assurance, defying easy
predictions.” — T. Jefferson Parker, Author of “The Jaguar” and “The Border
Lords”
And here is Terry's post!
The scam—it’s all about stimulus and response. A
good con artist creates a world that makes you believe what she’s telling you.
Wait…isn’t that what writers do? Create worlds where our readers can escape? Is
there a difference?
In a mystery, the story typically focuses on a
murder, but could also begin with a kidnapping, a theft, or any other act that
garners the protagonist’s interest. Once
that hook has been set, our protagonist, and probably the reader, must see the
story through to the end. Again, such similarity, but also a difference. A good
con appeals to the basest of human emotions, greed. The con artist might offer
quick riches, or maybe just the promise of easy money. Either way, the mark
wants something so badly he’ll take risks he knows he shouldn’t. He is, pure
and simple, caught on the hook and can’t let go.
Con artists know that scams typically succeed or
fail because of the emotional responses they evoke, not the logic. Even the
most ridiculous and farfetched scam will succeed if that’s what the mark wants
most. In fiction, I’m drawn to stories with complex characters and sharp
dialog. Does there need to be a murder to get things started? Maybe, maybe not.
If the characters are strong and have captured my interest, the crime doesn’t
need to be that severe. What’s important for me as a reader is that the crime
is something that captures the main character’s interest. Because I’m
interested in that character, I’m also hooked.
A scam that involves huge sums of money grabs
everyone’s interest. Why? Not because it’s complex. Not because it’s ingenious.
It gains attention because of scope. Madoff’s scheme operated on exactly the
same principles as the smaller ones: establish rapport, provide a stimulus, and
evoke a response. He just thought bigger than most. But, he also gave us a
model for stories.
When you think about the last book you read that
you really liked, did it not draw you in by establishing rapport in some way? I
just started reading T. Jefferson Parker’s “LA Outlaws.” I’m very grateful to
Mr. Parker for reading (and writing a blurb for) my latest novel, but that’s
not why I’ve included him here. The truth is that I didn’t read “LA Outlaws”
when it first came out. However, I’d heard about it many times and when it cropped
up (again) in another discussion, I decided that it was high time I read it.
The book begins, not with us meeting the hero of the story, Charlie Hood, but
in the mind of a thief. She’s smart, sexy, and despite the fact that she’s an
outlaw, we like her. I’ve only finished four chapters, but I’m absolutely
hooked and will have to finish this one. There are no maybe’s here, Parker
immediately established rapport with his character’s voice and provided the
stimulus of putting her into a situation that can only lead to more trouble. In
essence, he triggered the basest of my reading responses, the desire to bask in
the joy of being reeled in by a master.
What do you like in your fiction? Are you a
character person? Do you prefer the plot? For you, what’s the stimulus that
creates that “must read” response?
Some links:
13 comments:
Oh Kaye, that's FUNNY! I burst out laughing when I saw the title of the post! Thanks for having me here!
Terry
Hi Terry, Welcome to MMM. I'm a character driven writer. The plot comes later. I know who I want to write much faster than what.
I'm late to the party because of my ISP, but glad you made it, Terry! Glad you liked the title. :)
Hi Lynn, nice to meet you! I agree, once the character is established, all I really need is a situation or a problem. The rest then falls into place (at least, the big picture) pretty easily.
Kaye, those ISP's can be pesky little guys! But where would we be without them?
Terry, A book will hold my interest because of both the characters and the plot. I'm disappointed if I don't find both to be interesting. I agree that the problem doesn't always have to be a murder. Terrific post!
Marja McGraw
What grabs me and keeps me reading is engagement and it can be either with the character or the plot, but the emotional empathy with a character works better. If the writer doesn't pull me along with good story telling skills, I usually don't finish. Too many books, so little time. . .
Engaging characters draw me into a novel but a strong plot is just as important.
Terry, I agree with you about con artists, they appeal to human greed. People want that easy buck. But generally speaking, there is no free lunch. Best wishes for your continued writing success!
Lynn, Marja, Cora, and Jacqueline, thanks for stopping in today!
Hi Marja, Cora, and Jacqueline! Thanks for stopping by! I'm of the opinion that if there's not conflict or tension, the book's not going to appeal to me for very long. I have to find the characters interesting, but if the plot doesn't move, I'll get bored, too. By the way, I'm now about halfway through LA Outlaws and am still riveted! I wish I could just sit down and read for a few hours to get through it!!!
An Jacqueline! You are so right, there's no free lunch, but so many people still think they might find it someday!
I'm definitely a character person. As a reader, I'm drawn in by the characters -- and the same is true of me as a writer. Yeah, there needs to be a compelling plot, but I like to be able to identify with the protagonist and be compelled to keep reading by the others.
Hi Helen, thanks for stopping by. Another vote for characters as the primary reason for being caught up in a book!
Thanks to Helen and everyone who stopped by today! I'm unplugging in a few minutes so we can move to TN this week, so I'll look in here in a few days when I'm reconnected in Tennessee. Thanks for such a thoughtful blogs post, Terry! It was a pleasure hosting you.
Thanks Kaye, I'll hold down the fort while you're gone!
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