Romance, Murder & Plot Twists: Writing Romantic Suspense w/ Catherine Cowles | Talk Spicy To Me

In Season 3, Episode 6 of Talk Spicy to Me, bestselling authors Giana Darling and Kandi Steiner are joined by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Cowles to talk all things romantic suspense - from crafting believable villains and planting red herrings to using suspense to push the romance forward. Catherine also gets candid about career milestones, setting boundaries as a woman in publishing, and the reality of going from indie to traditional publishing. Plus: true crime research, romance adaptations, murderous book boyfriends, and whether a cold-blooded killer is actually a red flag.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Welcome to Talk Spicy to Me

00:58 - Life updates & author signings

07:49 - Meet Catherine Cowles

10:45 - The Spice Report

19:07 - Romance adaptations & dream casting

23:16 - Why Catherine writes romantic suspense

24:29 - Balancing romance & suspense

25:40 - Catherine's plotting process

26:27 - Red herrings & tricking readers

28:51 - Finding inspiration for suspense plots

30:37 - Planting clues & creating believable villains

36:22 - Career goals & author milestones

38:44 - Learning to celebrate success

44:54 - Writing from the villain's

POV 51:05 - When true crime research gets TOO real

53:19 - Balancing darkness, emotion & hope

57:03 - Using setting to build suspense

1:03:00 - People pleasing, boundaries & business

1:05:03 - Catherine's advice for romantic suspense writers

1:08:24 - Red Flag or Green Flag

1:13:46 - Indie vs. traditional publishing

1:21:27 - What's coming on After Dark

FOLLOW CATHERINE COWLES:

Website: https://catherinecowles.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinecowlesauthor/?hl=en SPONSORS:

This season of Talk Spicy to Me is brought to you by Lauren Blakely and Kat Singleton! Lauren Blakely is the bestselling author of sexy, funny, feel-good romance, including Just Playing for Keeps, a grumpy-sunshine hockey romance with fake dating, viral heartbreak, and a broody tattooed hockey hero.

Follow Lauren Blakely:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenblakelybooks/

Website: https://laurenblakely.com/

Kat Singleton is the author of In Good Company, a forbidden billionaire romance featuring an ex's brother, private chef, age gap tension, and a dreamy Hamptons setting.

Follow Kat Singleton:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkatsingleton/?hl=en

Website: https://authorkatsingleton.com

BOOK CLUB: We're reading The Hot Shot by Piper Rayne! Join us for the September 9th episode when Giana and Kandi break it all down.

AFTER DARK (Patreon Exclusive) Want the extended, unfiltered conversation? Each week's After Dark mini-episode dives deeper into topics we don't cover on the main feed. Join the Patreon for early access and bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/c/TalkSpicytoMePodcast