The Thriller Pitch Podcast

Mark P.J. Nadon

The Thriller Pitch Podcast is the director’s cut of the thriller book world. Here, we answer what makes a great thriller tick and what it really takes to write one. On this show, bestselling, award-winning, and emerging thriller authors share the craft, psychology, and real-world experience behind today’s most gripping stories. Whether you’re writing thrillers or devouring them, you’ll go inside the minds behind the twists, the characters, and the moments that keep readers turning the page. Each episode begins with a two-minute pitch, then dives into the decisions that shaped the book — the risks taken, the rewrites that didn’t work, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs that made it stronger. If you write thrillers or just love knowing what's really behind the stories you can't put down, this is the conversation for you.

  1. The Machine Will Forget You: The Reality of Writing 4 Thrillers a Year | Brian Drake

    FEB 3

    The Machine Will Forget You: The Reality of Writing 4 Thrillers a Year | Brian Drake

    35-book veteran Brian Drake joins Mark P.J. Nadon to reveal a brutal industry truth: If you aren't publishing fast, the algorithm will forget you. In this episode, we deconstruct how Brian maintains a prolific pace and why he uses a manual typewriter for his first draft.   Inside the Episode: The 90-Day Churn: The modern algorithm requires high-volume production to stay visible to readers. The Typewriter Strategy: How Brian uses a manual typewriter to write his first draft Character Mastery: Moving past "flat" characters to create stakes that actually make readers care. Technical Research: How Brian researched nuclear security for The Murder Mind. Featured Book: The Murder Mind (Sam Raven Book 11). Brian Drake's book The Murder Mind: https://a.co/d/8nPvNqG Follow Brian Drake online: https://briandrakebooks.com/about/ Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon Today's Sponsor Mark P.J. Nadon's novels including his psychological action tech thriller, The Genesis Project: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast Explore thrillers by Mark P.J. Nadon: • https://markpjnadon.ca/novels/ Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markpjnadon_thrillerauthor/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon

    48 min
  2. BONUS: 10 Lessons I Learned from Interviewing 27 Thriller Authors (2025)

    JAN 1 · BONUS

    BONUS: 10 Lessons I Learned from Interviewing 27 Thriller Authors (2025)

    To kick off Season Two of The Thriller Pitch Podcast, host Mark P.J. Nadon shares ten lessons he learned in 2025 after reading more than 45 thriller novels and interviewing 27 thriller authors. In this bonus episode, Mark reflects on the patterns that came up again and again across conversations with writers, including the importance of support networks, consistency, flexibility in the writing process, letting go of book one, embracing imperfect first drafts, and why relying on luck is not a sustainable strategy. The episode also outlines a few changes coming in Season Two, including a new biweekly release schedule and the addition of a clearly marked spoiler-full section at the end of future interviews. This episode is for writers thinking long-term about their craft and what it really takes to keep writing thrillers over time. Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon Today's Sponsor Mark P.J. Nadon's novels including his psychological action tech thriller, The Genesis Project: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast Explore thrillers by Mark P.J. Nadon: • https://markpjnadon.ca/novels/ Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark_pj_nadon/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon

    12 min
  3. Why We Tell Dark Stories — and What They Cost | Westley Smith

    12/30/2025

    Why We Tell Dark Stories — and What They Cost | Westley Smith

    In this episode of The Thriller Pitch Podcast, I’m joined by Westley Smith, author of They Came at Night, to talk about blending psychological thriller and action, and how lived experience shaped the emotional core of the novel. We talk about writing characters shaped by trauma, balancing tension with restraint, and why some stories aren’t built from research alone. Westley shares how personal loss influenced his approach to story, and what he hopes readers carry with them after the final page. This conversation explores endurance, resilience, and the ways dark fiction can become a form of processing rather than escape. Westley Smith's book They Came At Night: https://a.co/d/aGFreg3 Follow Westley Smith online: https://westleysmithbooks.com/ Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon Today's Sponsor Mark P.J. Nadon's novels including his psychological action tech thriller, The Genesis Project: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast Explore thrillers by Mark P.J. Nadon: • https://markpjnadon.ca/novels/ Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark_pj_nadon/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon

    36 min
  4. Karen E. Osborne on Building Characters from Real Life and Writing Across Dual Timelines

    12/23/2025

    Karen E. Osborne on Building Characters from Real Life and Writing Across Dual Timelines

    In this episode of The Thriller Pitch Podcast, I’m joined by Karen E. Osborne to talk about how she builds characters from real life and structures stories across dual timelines. We discuss Justice for Emerson, how observing people in everyday moments helps her capture physical detail and voice, and the way characters become so real to her that she rarely loses track of who they are. Karen also talks about writing across timelines without losing clarity, and how personal history and lived experience quietly shape the emotional core of a story. This conversation focuses on character, structure, and the small, human details that make fiction feel alive. Karen E Osborne's book Justice for Emerson: https://a.co/d/9P7NHXj Follow Karen E. Osborne online: https://www.kareneosborne.com/ Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon Today's Sponsor Mark P.J. Nadon's novels including his psychological action tech thriller, The Genesis Project: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast Explore thrillers by Mark P.J. Nadon: • https://markpjnadon.ca/novels/ Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark_pj_nadon/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon

    40 min
  5. How Adam Roach Turned a 100-Word Flash Fiction into a Thriller Series

    12/16/2025

    How Adam Roach Turned a 100-Word Flash Fiction into a Thriller Series

    In this episode of The Thriller Pitch Podcast, I’m joined by Adam Roach, author of The Ritualist. Adam talks about how a 100-word flash fiction piece he wrote for a horror contest became the starting point for his thriller series. We discuss the original flash fiction, what judges said about expanding it, and how that idea eventually became a full-length novel. Adam also talks about writing scenes by visualizing them like a movie, how his approach to outlining changes depending on the project, and why he doesn’t focus heavily on detailed police procedural research. The conversation also touches on writing villains, long-running antagonists, and how Adam thinks about continuing a story across multiple books. Adam Roach's book The Ritualist: https://a.co/d/2hovKOO Follow Adam Roach online: https://www.adamroachbooks.com/ Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon Today's Sponsor Mark P.J. Nadon's novels including his psychological action tech thriller, The Genesis Project: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast Explore thrillers by Mark P.J. Nadon: • https://markpjnadon.ca/novels/ Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark_pj_nadon/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon

    30 min

About

The Thriller Pitch Podcast is the director’s cut of the thriller book world. Here, we answer what makes a great thriller tick and what it really takes to write one. On this show, bestselling, award-winning, and emerging thriller authors share the craft, psychology, and real-world experience behind today’s most gripping stories. Whether you’re writing thrillers or devouring them, you’ll go inside the minds behind the twists, the characters, and the moments that keep readers turning the page. Each episode begins with a two-minute pitch, then dives into the decisions that shaped the book — the risks taken, the rewrites that didn’t work, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs that made it stronger. If you write thrillers or just love knowing what's really behind the stories you can't put down, this is the conversation for you.