Lessons Learned From #6

By Steve Bradshaw, Author of Terminal Breach

How many authors can open one of their published novels and see the story they had in mind back when they pounded out their first sentence? If you can say your novel is as you had planned from day one, then I am truly impressed with your ability to grasp and commit to an abstract notion. I laud your outlining and organizational skills and admire your control of settings, scenes, and characters. As my sixth international thriller TERMINAL BREACH released on August 28^th, I can say I do not possess that astounding level of discipline. As a matter of fact I am just beginning to understand where my stories come from and who is really in control of key parts of the process.

“The President of the United States is awakened by the two words he prayed he would never hear—terminal breach.” This abstract notion floated around in my head for several years before I sat down to write TERMINAL BREACH. The concept competed with many others that did not make the cut—this time. For me, selecting the right thing to write about is the most important hurdle to clear, and it is totally in my control. The story concept must be strong enough to hold my interest, and to keep my creative juices flowing for months of alone time. It must carry me through hundreds of hours of research, rewrites, and the weaving together of 100,000+ perfect words. If the story concept I select can do all these things, I know the finished product will matter, and it will earn an audience.

Because we come into writing with different skills, knowledge bases, life experiences, and interests, we each find the genre (or two or three) that best stages our creations—the place where we want to live. Because I live in the suspense/thriller genre, before I type my first word I know I will be writing a heart-pounding page turner. I knew TERMINAL BREACH would be a chilling international forensic story based on an abundance of mesmerizing facts and a plausible mega-dilemma (or two). I knew my reader’s ride would be tumultuous, spellbinding, edgy, and real with a touch of the surreal. And I knew the climax would be unexpected and resolution thought provoking. These defining parts of my story creation process are in my being. It is the skeleton I breathe life into. It decides what stays and what goes!

One of my most profound discoveries as a writer has been to find many of the best parts of my stories are written by my characters. Once I create and position them in an environment with a set of situations and dilemmas, they always rise to the occasion to take my story places I never planned nor could have predicted. The dialogue and behavior of characters opens a new dimension in my writing process. For me this creative stream is not a conscious operation. When I write I look for that moment when my characters start talking and doing on their own. When I get there, I close the doors to my study, turn down the lights, and hold on tight. My best writing flows naturally.

When an unknown entity—code name GRAY WOLF—commandeers a nuclear missile silo in North Dakota and threatens to launch a Minuteman III ICBM into the world, the President of the United States is faced with a mega-dilemma. Containment options would decimate a third of the country and kill millions. Can the macabre forensic pieces of an insane international puzzle provide the POTUS with more options? Can a nuclear Armageddon triggered by a rogue U.S. missile be averted, or is World War III the only outcome for a TERMINAL BREACH?   

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Steve Bradshaw draws upon his experiences as the youngest forensic investigator in Texas history, an innovative biotech entrepreneur, and a founder-president/CEO. Now dedicated to writing his unique brand of mystery/thrillers, Steve takes readers into fascinating worlds of fringe science, chilling forensics, and captivating mysteries. His book TITLES: TERMINAL BREACH • SERIAL INTENT • EVIL LIKE ME • BLUFF CITY BUTCHER, free today on Amazon • THE SKIES ROARED • BLOOD LIONS Social Media links: stevebradshawBOOKS.com, steve@stevebradshawBOOKS.com, facebook.com/steve.bradshaw.9400, Twitter twitter.com/sbauthor, Linkedin.com/pub/steve-bradshaw/18/246/660

 

I Want to Giveaway 100,000 eBooks

By Steve Bradshaw

I am pleased to offer the first book of my forensic mystery/thriller trilogy free on Amazon. The BLUFF CITY BUTCHER.

Yes, the above statement grabs attention. And it is now my gateway marketing tool to introduce my brand of suspense and intrigue to my target market.

I investigated gruesome homicides, interrogated heinous killers, and navigated the macabre. My life-unedited experiences as a forensic sleuth now live in my novels. My Amazon 5-star Bell Trilogy has had success, but still only reaches a small sliver of the thriller market. Because there are a million new titles each year, it is easy to become lost in the shuffle. Therefore, it is time to try something new.

Alluring book covers, gripping titles, and tantalizing bullets on back covers may not be enough today. A steady dose of marketing on social media, creative websites and blogs, newsletters, book reviews, awards, and selected paid advertising reaches a small fraction of my audience. In the morass of titles flooding the literary world, I need something more for new readers to take a look at my novels. I have decided to change the playing field and now offer a FREE eBook on Amazon. But not just any eBook. I am giving away the first book in my Bell Trilogy.

All writers want their words read. If we did not, we would put our manuscripts in bottles and bury them in the backyard. Few of us would go through the demanding creative process to be ignored completely. No! We write to be read. We believe in ourselves—our writing. With five novels in the marketplace and number six releasing in the summer, I have built a following. I get feedback and know my books are devoured and readers want more. Therefore, if I can find a way to reach new readers, I know they will do the same thing.

Offering the first book of a trilogy free, makes sense for several reasons. First, it is not a lost sale. It is a catalyst for new sales. I am wagering once they read one free book they will purchase the next books in the trilogy and more. Second, if my current readers want to share me with their friends and families, gifting a free eBook is an excellent way. Third, new readers surfing the market can download me free and in an instant. It gives me a chance to gain a new reader I otherwise would not have. And fourth, a free eBook will improve my rankings on Amazon. That increases your visibility.  

My goal is to give away 100,000 eBooks over the next six months. I am confident this promotion will allow me to reach more of my target market, and at no cost. Offering a free eBook could be my most valuable marketing tool in today’s world. I will let you know!

Tell your mystery/thriller lovers to visit Amazon and download a free BLUFF CITY BUTCHER eBook today at https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Bradshaw/e/B001LHKXAS. And visit my website to read excerpts from books two and three, THE SKIES ROARED and BLOOD LIONS, at https://www.stevebradshawauthor.com  

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Steve Bradshaw is a forensic mystery/thriller author drawing on life experiences as forensic investigator and biotech entrepreneur. He received a BA from University of Texas and trained at the Institute of Forensic Sciences where he investigated over 3,000 traumatic deaths for the Medical Examiner Office. After raising $30 million and serving as the founder-president/CEO of an innovative biomed company developing a leading-edge knee meniscus implant now under FDA clinical review, Steve stepped down and now writes his unique brand of forensic mystery/thrillers. His latest novel is Evil Like Me.

Writing a Trilogy-Hook, Hold and Satisfy

By Steve Bradshaw

When the first book of The Bell Trilogy published in 2012, it launched my journey as a mystery/thriller writer. At that time I did not realize writing a trilogy was tantamount to catching a sixty-foot wave the first day I picked up a surfboard. Writing the next two books of the trilogy proved a daunting task. Now, the trilogy doing well and the release of my forth novel in November—EVIL LIKE ME—and well into writing fifth thriller for a May 2017 release, I have a few lessons learned to share that may help the trilogy writers out there.

The typical novel length ranges from 80,000 to 120,000 words. For most writers, managing a “story arc” over that amount of “word acreage” is enough of a challenge. If you subscribe to Nigel Watts (Writing a Novel) philosophy, there are eight elements of the story arc that must be addressed—stasis, trigger, quest, surprise, choice, climax, reversal, and resolution. Each element must be well crafted to successfully hook, hold, and satisfy the reader. Writing a trilogy significantly amplifies that writing challenge.

By definition a trilogy is three connected works with a combined length between 250,000 and 400,000 words. Not only must the “story arc” be well crafted for each novel, it must also be firmly in place for the trilogy as an entity. Just as each book must have a beginning, middle, and end, the trilogy (as a connected body of work) must too.

When considering the construction of the “trilogy story arc”, the writer must think in broad terms. For example, the first paragraph in the first book must have some relevance to the last paragraph in the last book—if not, why a trilogy? The characters throughout the trilogy must be introduced, develop or fade, or drop out for reasons that support the individual book story arcs and the trilogy arc. There must be good reasons for each character and event or the reader will not invest the extra time and attention to read “three novels”. A trilogy asks a lot of a reader. Therefore the reader asks a lot of the writer. Everything must connect and be relevant to the trilogy experience or it must be eliminated. There is no room for tangents and dead ends.   

Some authors just write. Others have outlines and plans. To write a trilogy, I believe a plan is necessary because there are a lot of details to manage over the course of its creation that can take two to three years. I kept track of each character and story event on a master timeline (on and EXCEL spreadsheet). The Bell Trilogy had roots a century old.

If you decide to write a trilogy, you will benefit by laying out the key elements of your story arc that you believe will hook, hold, and satisfy your readers over the duration of a quarter-million or more words. Be sure the story merits three books? If it does, grab your surfboard and take that sixty-foot wave. 

It is an incredible ride.

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Steve Bradshaw is a forensic mystery/thriller author drawing on life experiences as forensic investigator and biotech entrepreneur. He received a BA from University of Texas and trained at the Institute of Forensic Sciences. Steve investigated 3,000+ unexplained deaths for the Medical Examiner Office. As founder-president/CEO of an innovative biomed company, he led development of an innovative meniscus implant now under FDA clinical review. Today, Steve puts his readers on the front row in fascinating worlds of fringe science, forensic investigation, and the chilling pursuit of real monsters. Visit his website and read the first chapters of second edition of The Bell Trilogy—BLUFF CITY BUTCHER, THE SKIES ROARED, and BLOOD LIONS. His new novel EVIL LIKE ME just released. Social media links are: Website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Buicks, Book Sales and Your Bread and Butter

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine    

When selling your books, what is your “Bread and Butter”?  In the world of sales your “Bread and Butter” could be a particular product or a particular practice that sells your product.

A particular product example may be General Motors worldwide sales of Buick over the sale of other automobile lines. In the case of a writer it may be the sale of one of their books over the other at any particular time. You must go with the popularity of the book at the moment which as you know can change as popularity, genre or focus groups change.

A particular practice for selling your book/books may be your book signing events. Steve Bradshaw author of the The Bell Trilogy, shared with me he sells more books at book signings or when he speaks to groups. His goal is to sell even more of the trilogy, Bluff City Butcher, The Skies Roared and Blood Lions, by continuing this method because it works.

Steve and I discussed the possibilities of other methods one could use as well without abandoning what is working, what is your “Bread and Butter”.  Never leave that but build on it. It is similar to baseball. You can win a game hitting singles but there is nothing like a home run or even better a grand slam. This is what can be referred to as a quantum leap, a move that moves you rapidly forward and puts you ahead in the game. The list of moves is endless but here are a few that have worked:

·         Media interviews – TV, Radio, etc. Being introduced by a reliable source as well as connecting a name with a face can be a valuable asset to you as a writer.

·         Newspaper - feature articles or as a guest columnist. Erma Bombeck developed a following as a columnist and propelled that into book sales with her book The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank. Nice springboard I’d say.

·         Proper placement – getting your book into the hands of trend setters or people who can propel your book sales. Andy Andrew was able to get The Butterfly Effect into the hands of Robin Roberts of Good Morning America. Robin brought his book to light and sales took off. Jack Canfield was able to get his book Chicken Soup for the Soul into the hands of the sequestered jury of the O. J. Simpson Trial. The worldwide coverage included the jury members coming and going from their hotel to court with his book in their arms.  

·         Screenwriter – getting your books into the hands of a screenwriter or better yet you become the screenwriter or partner with one to get your book on film. A movie is one of the most effective ways to get your book out there in front of people. If you notice the movie promotions which note “from the book” and the name of your book follows. Your book being promoted along with the movie is a big plus. Also the money you received from the sale of your script, working with or better yet being recognized as a screenwriter and the experience and knowledge you have gained are priceless.

Yes there are other ways that can propel your sales. You should always be looking for them and open to opportunities because you never know what will take you to the next level. Continue to seek out that “out of the park hit” but it isn’t necessary to leave your bread and butter while you do so.      

                    

Writing a Forensic, Paranormal Mystery/Thriller

By Steve Bradshaw

Can a forensic, mystery/thriller author write in the paranormal world without going too fantasy or Sci/Fi? After completing The Bell Trilogy, I had several writing projects to consider. When I came across a bizarre, secret government program, I asked myself that question.

The more I researched, the deeper I moved into the fringe of human understanding. When I was up to my neck in the murky waters between mainstream science and paranormal phenomena, my creative juices were flowing. I was motivated. A story was taking shape. But was this a novel I could write?

My forensic training forever changed the way I looked at the world. The processing of a crime scene required discipline. Precise identification, collection, preservation, and analysis of evidence mattered. Done right, a complex and often illusive story would be told—all insights based on empirical observation or scientific research. In my world, if something was not a provable (reproducible) fact, it was hearsay, circumstantial, and had minimal value.

The definition of paranormal is (claimed) occurrences and phenomena described as beyond normal experience and scientific explanation. It is outside my world. It is something I would reject, unprovable based on scientific method. In fact, paranormal activity and abilities are diametrically opposed to the forensic discipline. How can the two coexist in a heart-pounding mystery/thriller, and who is the audience?  

The Star Gate Project was brought to my attention by a friend. I had heard about psychic-weaponry before, but did not know the details or of our government’s involvement. On the surface I was intrigued and began my research. First, I focused on undisputable facts, the essential building blocks of a plausible mystery/thriller. Then I focused on the logic of it all—the participants, events, motives, and outcomes. Although the quantity of facts was less than I liked, there were enough to support a robust storyline. But that was not enough. My ultimate decision to write this forensic/paranormal novel came from the key questions that emerged. I knew the answers would be devoured by my readers.

1.     Why would the United States Government spend millions of dollars over twenty-five years on any secret intelligence project the CIA cancels with no explanation?

2.     Why were declassified documents woefully incomplete and redacted?

3.     Why was a highly publicized government psychic-weaponry research project taken undergrown months after launch and congressional oversight restricted?

4.     Why did the government contracted remote viewers (clairvoyants) disappear?

5.     Do psychic-weapons exist today and how are they used?

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Steve is a mystery/thriller author drawing on life experiences as a forensic investigator and biotechnology entrepreneur. He received a BA from the University of Texas and trained at the Institute of Forensic Sciences where he investigated over 3,000 unexplained deaths for the Medical Examiner’s Office. Later Steve joined FORTUNE 500 medical companies to advance healthcare worldwide. As the founder-president/CEO of Active Implants Corporation, he raised over $25 million and led development of a minimal-invasive meniscus implant. Today Steve puts his readers in a front row seat in the fascinating worlds of fringe science, chilling forensics, and the pursuit of real monsters. Steve is available to speak at companies, organizations, book clubs and groups about modern forensic investigation, fringe science, entrepreneurism, and the writing of mystery/thriller novels. His books include The Bell Trilogy; BLUFF CITY BUTCHER, THE SKIES ROARED and BLOOD LIONS

Jurassic World to an Author

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writers Magazine

I’ve read a number of views on the Internet about this movie. Some liked this one better than the first, Jurassic Park; some liked the first one better. Every writer wants to write a great book that sells like hotcakes and then do it again with a sequel/series.

However, many times, a sequel doesn’t make it. It leaves us the reader or the moviegoer flat.

When a writer carries the story forward into another book or movie they sometimes miss the important part that the creation should be good enough to stand alone to be a hit with their readers and moviegoers.

Steve Bradshaw, author of Bluff City Butcher, book one of his Bell Trilogy, created a great thriller with memorable characters and a terrific storyline. The kind you don’t want to let go. The other two books, The Skies Roared and Blood Lions were equally as thrilling and you didn’t want to put those down either. I didn’t want to give up the characters when I finished the last book.

All three were what I consider a good stand-alone even though main characters and story lines were carried forward.

So which one of the movies did I like best? The fourth one, just released, Jurassic World. What about you?

Anytime a story is carried forward into another book, it would be smart to make sure that book is as exciting as the first…in fact, perhaps we should strive for that book to be a little better than the first.

What do you think? What is the hardest part for a writer when they are writing a series?

Supporting Local Writers like Steve Bradshaw at his Book Signing

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine

Steve Bradshaw unveiled his latest book, the third in The Bell Trilogy. Bluff City Butcher, The Skies Roared and Blood Lions complete the set. The scene was The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis, TN. All three books have a Memphis connection so the location was indeed appropriate.

Steve had an agenda which I feel accomplished everything he intended to accomplish and met the expectations of the readers. There were authors as well as readers attending and most were familiar with Steve’s works. They wanted to hear about the latest offering in this trilogy. Steve brought this and more.

Steve began with an overall view of his trilogy and how all the parts fit. He gave an insight of the characters and locations he used and he mentioned people and places that are referenced from one book to the other. Clues are important in a forensic mystery thriller. Steve, having been a forensic scientist in real life, investigated over 3000 unexplained deaths and over 300 homicides. He knows how to carefully place a clue in his story. The readers enjoyed this section and were well pleased.

Steve then talked about what I like to call the business of getting published. He took us through his journey to find an agent and publisher. Steve, a Biotechnology Founder-President/CEO, is familiar with business and how it done so he was better equipped than most to meet the challenges of the business. Steve happened to have his business partner along that night shared that the two raised $25 million to start a new company. He explained his experience in this field had prepared him for the trilogy because locations in the book are actually places he had traveled to while in the biotech business. At this point Steve had spent about a half hour with these two portions of the agenda and the reading from his latest in the trilogy series. The time involved was well planned and well received.  

I believe fans enjoy the final segment the most. That is the personal meetings, discussions and book signing with the author. Although Steve had signed the available copies in the bookstore, he was ready and willing to personalize their copy. Open and welcoming to his readers Steve made each individual meeting a memorable one for the fan.

To have the opportunity to get the insight of one of your favorite authors is a real treat. To hear their account of how they put their story or in this case stories together, their challenge to get it out to the readers and a personal glimpse inside their background and experiences that led them to this story is a real unusual opportunity. Then there is always that treat for the fan in each of us, to meet the author. Steve had a great format and one that others would be wise to mirror.

You can also catch his interview in the November/December 2014 issue of Southern Writers Magazine by our very own Annette Cole Mastron.

        

CLUES and PLANTING CLUES in Your Writing

By Steve Bradshaw

Before one can plant them, one needs to know clues are the seeds in a story that lead to truth. Whether you’re writing a mystery, romance, or an action adventure, clues are the vital building blocks to telling a story. When properly selected and purposefully placed, they make a story come alive. I’m going to limit my definition of clues to three kinds: physical, verbal, and thematic.

The physical clue is the easiest to understand and recognize in a story. The blood drop on the wall is a physical clue. DNA convicts. A photograph of Mary kissing John is a physical clue. Fingerprints, the bullet, a glove left behind, the knife with the serrated blade, a black ballpoint pen, a lipstick smudge on a shirt, all are physical clues. They can be seen and touched. They can be in front of your nose or artfully missing.

The verbal clue seems to be an easy concept to understand. But is it? Verbal clues can be found in dialogue, or not. They appear a number of ways; what is said or not said that should have been said or should not have been said. Who said what, when, and how, and to whom, and why. That mouthful of qualifiers represents just a few on the list.

The Thematic clues are settings and descriptions and everything else that may not be verbal or physical. A thematic clue creates a feeling or mood. If the story begins on a stormy night in Transylvania, the seed leading to truth says a vampire will make an appearance. If a clown parade breaks out, they better be vampires. Thematic clues can be as simple as the man dressed in black or the girl with the halo or the rolling waves of golden wheat. Thematic clues set the stage and carry the story from beginning to end.

Clues lead to truth. They can grow into questions and provide answers and point readers in directions. The clues a writer selects and how they are planted can affect the strength of a story because clues are intended to capture and hold readers on a journey.

There are three ways to plant clues. One way is when an author works out their story in advance and plants their clues then. Another way is when the author writes their story and then goes back to plant clues. The third way, and probably most popular, is when the writer does both.

Red herrings. they do not lead to truth. They are tools to bait the reader and draw attention away from truth. They are intended to mislead, confuse, delay, and/or setup. Red herrings appear just like clues when done well, but they have the exact opposite purpose. The use of red herrings is an art and can backfire. Readers expect to work for truth but they do not like to be tricked. Everything must be worthy of the journey.

To master the art of selecting and planting clues, a writer should beware of the traps that can weaken their story.

The NEON SIGN clue: If a ballpoint pen is the key clue leading to the killer, talk about more than one ballpoint pen. If you don’t, you are likely to draw undue attention to the one ballpoint pen and your reader will pick up on it early and get ahead of your story.

The OBSCURE or complicated clue: Know your audience. Try to avoid planting clues that may not be within the realm of your reader’s knowledge base. For example, unless you’re writing for people in the medical profession, do not say the cause of death is idiopathic cardiomyopathy. Tell your audience the heart stopped for unknown reasons.

The OVERDONE clue: If you’ve seen something a hundred times before, don’t use it. Don’t set a scene with...it all began one stormy night. Refrain from saying...the butler did it? Do not write... it was Colonel Mustard with a candlestick in the study. If your clues involve a military man, candleholder, and a room say... it was General Smith with a candelabra in the dining room.

The LIE clue: Remember clues lead to truth. Don’t say a pen is just a pen and then make it a laser gun at the end of the story. There was no reason for the reader to think the pen was a laser gun unless you did your job early. The reader trusts the author to tell the truth.

The UNFAIR clue: The volume of clues can be unfair. If only one clue in a dozen is relevant, the reader may feel abused. Meaningless information in a story is clutter and the best way to lose reader interest. Unfair clues mislead and confound. Building a story with well framed and perfectly placed clues is a key to a good experience and book sales.

The LEAP of faith clue: When a character in the background of a story has not been developed, and is asked why he killed the person, stuttering does not mean automatic guilt. If the author hangs his hat on that he loses readers. People that stutter are not necessarily killers. Clues must have a reasonable foundation to work.

As a writer, I treat clues the same way I did as a forensic investigator. I use them in my stories to guide my readers to a meaningful truth. I plant them like I found them in the real world, but there is a difference. When investigating a homicide, I did not know the ending. I was like the reader of a story. Often there were death investigations I would have dropped if I could: too many bad clues, too many red herrings—overwhelming confusion. Now, as a writer, I know the ending to my stories. I don’t need to confuse and irritate and overwhelm my readers. I want to give them an experience that brings them back for more. 

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Steve Bradshaw has been a forensic investigator, biotechnology entrepreneur, and suspense thriller author—received his BA degree from the University of Texas and trained at the Institute of Forensic Sciences where he investigated 3,000+ unexplained deaths for the Medical Examiner’s Office. His career with FORTUNE 500 medical companies, and as the founder President/CEO of an innovative biomedical company, led to the introduction of new medical technology advancing healthcare around the world. Today Steve draws upon his experience in the fascinating worlds of leading edge biotechnology breakthroughs and chilling forensic investigation. Author of The Bell Trilogy, Steve’s debut novel, BLUFF CITY BUTCHER, is a 2013 Darrell Award finalist—best science fiction, suspense thriller in the MidSouth. Book II of the trilogy, THESKIES ROARED, was named 2014 Darrell Award finalist. Book III, Blood Lions, releases nationally, today, October 31, 2014. You can read excerpts from his first two books at his website http://www.stevebradshawauthor.com/ View Steve’s YouTube trailer by clicking on the book titles THE SKIES ROARED and on his first book, BLUFF CITY BUTCHER. 

Leverage Our Writing Assets

By Steve Bradshaw

Writers are born—at all ages. We come from every part of the planet with our unique knowledge base, skillsets and perceptions that forever influence our view of all the universe has to offer. Although we are different in many ways, we are connected by the insatiable desire to tell a meaningful and worthwhile story—sooner or later. Although there are numerous factors that come into play, I believe a big part of our writing success is determined by how we leverage our unique assets.

Each day I pound my keyboard alone with my thoughts and dreams and objectives. I make huge withdrawals from my private-world depository and attempt to find the perfect words to create the perfect sentence to build the perfect paragraph that grows into the perfect chapter. I strive to erect the perfect plot, produce the perfect characters, forge the perfect conflicts, hatch the perfect cliffhangers, and bring into existence the perfect resolutions to give rise to the perfect novel. I gather my ideas like a man chasing a thousand butterflies with a tiny net. Most are never caught. Some flutter away for another day. Many die in my net or are horribly damaged in the process. But when I’m lucky, I find the perfect specimens that become the miracles from which my stories are born.

Leveraging one’s assets is like catching perfect butterflies. We all have them, but before we can leverage them we must know those relevant to our writing career. For example, my road to writing traversed fascinating worlds I now draw upon. I was the youngest forensic field agent in Texas history to investigate over three-thousand unexplained deaths. I also developed new medical technology with FORTUNE 500 companies advancing healthcare around the world. And I was a founder-president/CEO of a game-changing biotech company. I raised millions of dollars and developed new age medical devices. Just these life experiences alone provide an unlimited supply of butterflies relevant to my mystery/thriller writing career.

When I leverage my assets correctly, I write stories that draw upon my life experiences that will take my audience to places where I am the profound expert. With me they have a unique opportunity to go where they’ve never been, to see and feel what they would never experience. Because I personally controlled horrific death scenes and was on teams hunting real monsters, I have mountains of information to weave into the stories I create.

Because I controlled powerful boardrooms shaping business plans and futures in our modern world, I have intimate knowledge of people, technology, and business dynamics. I leverage these knowledge-assets when I create fascinating characters and define ground breaking science, and when I shine light on world changing concepts moving from theory to practice at great risk, and when opportunity for enormous success turns into a horrible catastrophe.  

Knowing our assets and using them effectively in our writing can increase the value of our stories because people listen to experts. They lose interest when we don’t know what we are talking about. We must know our fields of expertise. We must leverage the abounding assets that create unique experiences within our stories. If we do it well, we attract and build audience.  

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Steve Bradshaw—Forensic Investigator, Biotechnology Entrepreneur, Author—received his BA at the University of Texas, trained at the Institute of Forensic Sciences, and investigated 3,000 unexplained deaths. His career with FORTUNE 500s, and as founder-president/CEO of an innovative biomedical company, introduced advanced medical technology improving healthcare around the world. Now, Steve draws upon his experiences in fascinating worlds of biotechnology breakthroughs and the forensic pursuit of real monsters. Steve’s debut novel BLUFF CITY BUTCHER is a 2013 Darrell Award finalist—best science fiction, mystery/thriller in MidSouth. The second book of the Bell Trilogy, THE SKIES ROARED, releases July 2013 is a Darrell Award finalist for 2014. WEBSITES & BLOG www.stevebradshawauthor.com http://blog.stevebradshawauthor.com www.stevebradshawshow.com  SOCIAL NETWORK LINKS https://www.facebook.com/steve.bradshaw.9400   https://twitter.com/sbauthor 

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