Page One, produced by Booxby, celebrates the craft that goes into writing the first sentence, first paragraph and first page of your favorite books. The first page is often the most rewritten page of any book because it has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. We interview master storytellers on the struggles and stories behind the first page of their books.

In Episode 4, we interview bestselling author Tess Gerritsen about all the decisions that went into the first page of her latest suspense thriller, Choose Me, co-authored by Gary Braver, which was published July 1. Tess and Gary courageously take on one of the most controversial subjects of our time—the Me Too movement and deftly craft the male and female points of view in a one-of-a-kind thriller that makes for perfect summer reading. Tess shares some secrets of the craft and approaching this kind of subject matter with honesty and compassion. If you're aspiring to write a suspense or detective series, or just interested as a reader, Tess Gerritsen has a lot to share about the demands of the genre and the painstaking research that she does for all of her books. 

About the host:
Holly Lynn Payne is the CEO and founder of Booxby , a startup helping authors succeed. Holly is also an internationally published novelist in eleven countries whose work has been translated into nine languages. In 2008, she founded Skywriter Books, an award-winning small press, publishing consultancy and writing coaching service. To learn more about her writing coaching services, please visit hollylynnpayne.com.


Thank you for listening to the Page One Podcast, where master storytellers discuss the stories and struggles behind the critical first page of their books. If you liked this episode, please share it on social, leave a review on your favorite podcast players and tell your friends! 

I hope you enjoy this labor of love as much as I love hosting, producing, and editing it. Please keep in touch by signing up to receive my newsletter at www.hollylynnpayne.com with the latest episodes each month. Delivered to your inbox with a smile. 

 

For the love of books and writers,

Holly Lynn Payne
@hollylynnpayne
www.hollylynnpayne.com