Author: Nicola

Nicola Martin is an award-winning author of psychological thrillers, short stories, and non-fiction books
Catherine Cooper, author of The Lake

Grilling Thriller Authors: Q&A with Catherine Cooper

In this series, I carry out hard-hitting interviews with psychological thriller authors, where I ask them… just a bunch of silly questions, actually. This month, it’s Catherine Cooper’s turn in the hot seat. 1. Which emoji do you use most often? Eyeroll, probably by quite a long way. 2. If your writing muse were an…

Read more books!

8 easy tips for reading more books (and spending less time staring vacantly at a screen)

We’re all trying to cut down on our screentime, aren’t we? Most of us would like to read more books, whether to boost our depth of knowledge or as a way to unplug and relax. I’m as guilty as anyone of spending too much time on screens (I say, as I cue up yet another…

Thriller author Nicola Martin sits at her desk writing

My 10-step process for planning unputdownable mystery-thriller novels

Writing a novel is a bit like sighting Everest on the horizon and saying, “Sure, OK, I’ll climb that.” The struggle to reach the summit can be so overwhelming that I’ve learned to do a lot of preparatory work up front. Here’s what my novel planning process looks like: Step 1. Brainstorming When I start…

5 thrillers to read on the beach

5 thrillers to read on the beach (or at home under a blanket)

It’s holiday season and perhaps you’re jetting off somewhere exotic. Alternatively, you may be trudging to work as normal through the drizzle. Regardless, it’s a good time to pick up a beach-read to pass the time. Here are five of my recommendations for fast-paced, fun, and crime-y reads. The Kind Worth Killing – Peter Swanson…

The Baths, Virgin Gorda

3 Real Caribbean Destinations Featured in The Getaway

Grab a painkiller and settle back for a virtual vacation to some of the dreamy locations featured in my mystery-thriller The Getaway. 1. Virgin Gorda Virgin Gorda is the third-largest and second-most populous island in the British Virgin Islands, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean. It doesn’t have an airport, so you get there…

What is your story?

How to Use Storytelling To Improve Your Presentations and Pitches

Whether you’re giving a work presentation, delivering a training session, or pitching your business, you need your audience to actually listen to you! The solution to a boring, unmemorable presentation lies in using your own personal stories. You are a storyteller, whether you realise it or not. For example, when someone asks what you did…

5 tips to make your novel more cinematic

Lights, Camera, Keyboard! 5 Tips to Make Your Novel More Cinematic

A couple of years ago, when I was battling through yet another draft of The Getaway, my forthcoming mystery-thriller, my literary agent gave me a piece of feedback: “Make it more cinematic.” My heart sank. I thought my novel was cinematic. It was set on a private island in the Caribbean, for God’s sake. There…

Almost time for The Getaway by Nicola Martin

Almost Time for The Getaway: publication date, description, early reviews

In a few short months, my newest mystery-thriller, The Getaway, is going to be published by Raven Books. Here are some of the key details. What’s it about? The official description: Welcome to Keeper Island, the private Caribbean paradise where the cocktails are chilled, the guests are not, and new manager Lola is hoping nothing…

Killing your darlings

Killing Your Darlings is Hell. Here’s How I Edited My Novel.

I’ve been suffering some body dysmorphia recently – not for my own body, but for the size of my novel. A year ago, it was a voluptuous 120,000 words (440 pages); now it’s a skinny 90,000 words (350 pages). The Getaway, a murder-mystery set in the Caribbean, comes out in November 2024 and I’ve been…