Suspense May 9, 2011

M.J. Rose

Learning to control fear is a milestone along life’s journey. Educators and psychologists agree that reading scary books actually helps people face and overcome fear. With suspense as our topic of the week, we’ll begin on Monday discussing what makes a suspense novel work, why it’s different from a thriller, and how suspense works to help people through their own personal phobias and fears. On Wednesday, we’ll continue the conversation with discussion of specific suspense novels and the authors who write them. Friday’s guest host, award-winning suspense author M.J. Rose, will complete the week’s topic.

Rose is the international bestselling author of 11 novels, her most recent release being The Hypnotist, the third in her Reincarnationist series which includes The Reincarnationist and The Memorist. Her other novels are Lip Service, In Fidelity, Flesh Tones, Sheet Music, Lying in Bed, The Halo Effect, The Delilah Complex and The Venus Fix.

Getting published has been an adventure for Rose who self-published Lip Service late in 1998 after several traditional publishers turned it down. Editors had loved it, but didn’t know how to position it or market it since it didn’t fit into any one genre.

Frustrated, but curious and convinced that there was a readership for her work, she set up a web site where readers could download her book for $9.95 and began to seriously market the novel on the Internet.

After selling over 2500 copies (in both electronic and trade paper format) Lip Service became the first e-book and the first self-published novel chosen by the LiteraryGuild/Doubleday Book Club.

Rose is also the co-author with Angela Adair Hoy of How to Publish and Promote Online, and with Doug Clegg of Buzz Your Book .

She is a founding member and board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com. She runs two popular blogs; Buzz, Balls & Hype andBackstory.

Follow M.J. Rose on Twitter: @MJRose.