Every so often I get questions from readers about writing, about my books, about the twisted things that live rent-free in my head. So today I’m answering a few of the most common (and a few unexpected) ones, all in one place.

Let’s go.

1. What’s the creepiest scene you’ve ever written?

That’s a tough one because honestly, there have been quite a few twisted ass scenes across many of my books. There IS a difference between creepy and twisted, so if we are staying with creepy, I might have to say a scene from my new novelette, Framed in Fiction. There is a scene that involves a severed head that is pretty messed up. That said, there is also a scene in Sleeping Beauties (3rd book in the Casey Norris detective series) involving the antagonist and one of the young victims that still creeps me out and I wrote it! No matter how I look at it, ALL of my books concern my mother!

2. How do you come up with your book ideas?

Literary legend David Baldacci calls this the writer’s prism. Essentially ideas come from anywhere, but most often they come from everyday life. The difference is, as a writer you views things a little differently than most people and you’re always asking ‘what if?’. You see a crash on the highway and you keep on driving and never think about it again. I see a crash on the highway and my mind goes to high speed chases, kidnappings, road rage conflicts, etc. I am thinking about the craziest things that could have happened and often times I get ideas from day to day life events just like that. I also have a bad habit of getting ideas in the middle of the night for no reason at all, so I make good use of emails to myself so I don’t forget!

3. Which of your characters would you most want to have a drink with?

Casey Norris, hands down. He is an old-school detective, not afraid to get his hands dirty and bend the rules if it means doing the right thing. I think he would have some really awesome stories and I have a feeling he is funny as hell after a couple beers.

4. Do you read your reviews?

Absolutely. Some authors choose not to out of fear of the negative ones, and I get it. Some people are just negative, and they will look for anything to criticize. That said, some people give constructive feedback that is actually helpful, which can help you improve as a writer. Of course, it is also nice to read the positive comments and see what is working with readers.

5. What do you want readers to feel when they finish one of your books?

I want my readers to feel surprised. I work very hard on making sure that every story has twists and turns and big reveals that you never see coming. There is no better feeling than when a reader says, ‘I thought I knew exactly where this was going, and then you flipped the script on me! It was right in front of my face the whole time and I didn’t see it!’. Beyond that, though, I want my readers to feel entertained. I want my books to serve as an escape, because I think we all need that now and again. I want them to feel happy that they chose my book as that escape.

Got a question you want me to answer next time? Drop it in the comments or email me at tylerporterbooks@outlook.com.

Until next time,

Tyler