Date: July 1, 2025
Time: 4:00PM PT
Location: Live on Zoom (link will be emailed before event)
Think about the words you see in a rave book review. Pacey. Propulsive. Riveting. Compelling. Page-turner. And those are all shorthand for “fun to read,” and for “something happens.” And also for "I cannot wait to find out what happens next." Problem is, it’s textbook-easy to begin a novel and have something happen: that’s why there’s a story. But to keep your story going, to keep it pacey and propulsive, things must keep happening. And at every moment, the reader must be compelled to turn the page.
Every writer knows it can be daunting to keep the engine of your book running. But suspense is the fuel that makes it accelerate. How can you create suspense in very sentence? And how can you pack your pages with so much suspense that it becomes a coveted one-sitting read?
USA Today best-selling author and Emmy-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan will show you how each element of your story can be tightened, twisted, and focused to intrigue, surprise and delight your readers--and have them turning the pages as fast as they can. With practical advice and specific tips, Hank will guide you through the secrets of suspense.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the USA Today bestselling author of 15 psychological thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in the genre: five Agathas, five Anthonys, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, with 37 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors. National book critics call her “a superb and gifted storyteller.” Her current novel is the page-turning standalone THE HOUSE GUEST, a story of psychological manipulation exploring the dark heart of marriage and friendship. Publishers Weekly says “Ryan is a master of suspense!” and Library Journal says "Ryan is has a gift for writing superb suspense." Hank is the co-host and founder of THE BACK ROOM, host of CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze, and co-host of FIRST CHAPTER FUN. Watch for her newest thriller ONE WRONG WORD, coming February 2024.
https://hankphillippiryan.com/