D is for Death

Last year was my first crack at the A-Z Blogging Challenge, a blogging phenomenon created by the amazing Arlee Bird. The object is to blog every day of the month of April (except Sundays), and to increase the challenge, to blog thematically from A to Z. No sweat, right? Last year, I blogged about music with Jessica Bell. This year, I'm heading back to my roots and blogging about all things thriller. Join me?

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When I first started writing, I thought you could tell how "thrilling" a story was based on the number of dead people at the end. 

But, after reading a number of thrillers by a few of my favorite authors, I began to realize it's not the number of deaths I should be worried about, but rather, the way the deaths occur. In fact, some of the best "thriller" books I've read have nary a murder. Killing a character isn't the only way to make a reader's pulse race or give them a thrill.  

The death count in my first book, ABSOLUTION is quite low - but they matter, including the live burial in the opening scene. I still remember writing those words, questioning how, having never killed anyone (obviously!) I'd be able to fake authenticity. The scene didn't come easy and required considerable research into things that I erased from my Google history almost immediately.

I've since killed off a dozen or more characters, and I'm still unnerved when I sit down to write the words. But I'd by lying if I didn't admit to loving the research a little. There are some fascinating ways to die...

What are the more difficult scenes for you to write? Not a writer? What's your favorite thriller - and is the death count high?

- Dawn