Let’s face it: attending an in-person writing conference is expensive. That’s why it’s crucial to choose the right conference. After my debut thriller, MULTO, was acquired, ThrillerFest was at the top of my short list of conferences to attend.

A good thriller is like a layer cake—stack upon stack of delicious goodness that infuses social meaning apart from the plot. I learned to write my debut thriller, MULTO, like a layer cake the hard way.

Ian McEwan wrote in Atonement that “in a story, you only had to wish, you only had to write it down and could have the world.” The quote has never been truer than in the case of E.P. Tuazon’s story collection. Tuazon turns even the most ordinary scenario into something surreal, if not magical.

Writing short stories offers many advantages to the budding novelist. It can help build your credentials as a fiction writer and establish a readership. For me, there was an unexpected benefit – experimentation that led to publication.