© 2025 J. J. Hanna I had done everything right. The phone was a burner. Amanda was spooked but safe. The Metgov job had been cleaned. I stopped for coffee at a bike cart and paid with cash while waiting for updates on our other jobs. In my opinion, George had flown too close toContinue reading “The Regulars of Amanda Lexie Part 18: Axel”
Tag Archives: fiction
Using The Five Senses in Writing
When you step outside, a bunch of things happen at once. You see your surroundings, you smell the freshness of the air, you feel the sun’s warmth on your face, you hear the birds singing, and when you raise your coffee mug to your lips, you taste the nutty and tangy flavors accompanying your morningContinue reading “Using The Five Senses in Writing”
How to Write a Suspense Novel: Overlapping Motivations
Updated: Oct 18, 2021 This post is part of a continuing discussion on How to Write a Suspense Novel. What you’ll need to write a strong suspense novel: I’ve discussed villain and hero motives before, but as I’ve been editing through my current work in progress and getting feedback from beta readers, I realized another keyContinue reading “How to Write a Suspense Novel: Overlapping Motivations”
How to Write a Suspense Novel: Tips on Differing Points of View
Updated: Oct 18, 2021 This is the third week of a blog series about how to write suspense novels. In the next few weeks I’ll be focusing on one of the aspects below in the “what you’ll need” section. What you’ll need: This week I’ll be discussing how POV can affect your story, and why varyingContinue reading “How to Write a Suspense Novel: Tips on Differing Points of View”
Uncommon Motives for your Antagonist
Updated: Feb 24, 2020 It’s been a little while since I took a moment to talk about villains or antagonists, so for this post, I’m going to suggest some different motivations for your antagonist beyond the typical revenge, money, jealousy options. Curiosity. I haven’t seen this one done very often, but it can be a funContinue reading “Uncommon Motives for your Antagonist”
3 Things to Consider when Writing a Villain
Updated: Feb 24, 2020 As a kid, I was inspired by a commentary on the making of Kung Fu Panda, where Ian McShane, the voice of Tai Lung, says something along the lines of, “I love playing villains. They always have the best lines.” I couldn’t agree with him more. From a writer’s perspective, villains areContinue reading “3 Things to Consider when Writing a Villain”
J. J. Hanna, Author 