In Season 3, Episode 6 of Talk Spicy to Me, bestselling authors Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner are joined by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Cowles to talk all things romantic suspense - from crafting believable villains and planting red herrings to using suspense to push the romance forward. Catherine also gets candid about career milestones, setting boundaries as a woman in publishing, and the reality of going from indie to traditional publishing. Plus: true crime research, romance adaptations, murderous book boyfriends, and whether a cold-blooded killer is actually a red flag.
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Welcome to Talk Spicy to Me
00:58 - Life updates & author signings
07:49 - Meet Catherine Cowles
10:45 - The Spice Report
19:07 - Romance adaptations & dream casting
23:16 - Why Catherine writes romantic suspense
24:29 - Balancing romance & suspense
25:40 - Catherine's plotting process
26:27 - Red herrings & tricking readers
28:51 - Finding inspiration for suspense plots
30:37 - Planting clues & creating believable villains
36:22 - Career goals & author milestones
38:44 - Learning to celebrate success
44:54 - Writing from the villain's
POV 51:05 - When true crime research gets TOO real
53:19 - Balancing darkness, emotion & hope
57:03 - Using setting to build suspense
1:03:00 - People pleasing, boundaries & business
1:05:03 - Catherine's advice for romantic suspense writers
1:08:24 - Red Flag or Green Flag
1:13:46 - Indie vs. traditional publishing
1:21:27 - What's coming on After Dark
FOLLOW CATHERINE COWLES:
Website: https://catherinecowles.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinecowlesauthor/?hl=en SPONSORS:
This season of Talk Spicy to Me is brought to you by Lauren Blakely and Kat Singleton! Lauren Blakely is the bestselling author of sexy, funny, feel-good romance, including Just Playing for Keeps, a grumpy-sunshine hockey romance with fake dating, viral heartbreak, and a broody tattooed hockey hero.
Follow Lauren Blakely:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenblakelybooks/
Website: https://laurenblakely.com/
Kat Singleton is the author of In Good Company, a forbidden billionaire romance featuring an ex's brother, private chef, age gap tension, and a dreamy Hamptons setting.
Follow Kat Singleton:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkatsingleton/?hl=en
Website: https://authorkatsingleton.com
BOOK CLUB: We're reading The Hot Shot by Piper Rayne! Join us for the September 9th episode when Giana and Kandi break it all down.
AFTER DARK (Patreon Exclusive) Want the extended, unfiltered conversation? Each week's After Dark mini-episode dives deeper into topics we don't cover on the main feed. Join the Patreon for early access and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/c/TalkSpicytoMePodcast
