How a Thriller Writer Wrote a Cozy Mystery in Four Weeks

What do you do when the story you can't stop thinking about doesn't fit the genre you're known for? Thriller author Dina Marie (Dina Santorelli) took a ghost, a Salem mansion, and a big risk, and ended up with a paranormal cozy mystery series.

She started with zero readers, and her first draft took four weeks. The cost of not knowing how she did it is another year of sitting on an idea that won't leave you alone. Hit play to hear what she learned, and why one very popular ghost is about to get a lot more page time.

In this episode:

• The Salem vacation that was never supposed to be work, and the idea that followed
• Why her first plan (a paranormal romance) changed course
• The "rules" for how ghosts behave in her world
• What starting over with no readers looked like, and why she waited ten months to publish
• What readers told her about the character they wanted more of
• The perfect "if you like X, you'll like this" comparison
• A ghost story swap that went way off topic (in the best way)

Books mentioned:

• Going Ghost (Salem Spirits, Book 1)
• Ghost Rider (Book 2)
• Grateful Ghost (Book 8, released in August)

Find Dina's books: https://www.dinamariebooks.com/

More about this episode and the blog: writerswithwrinkles.net

This is the first Confetti Club, our new segment celebrating authors and their brand-new books. Hit play, follow the show, and grab a little confetti. Then tell us which ghost story of ours creeped you out most.

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