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About A Shattering Glimpse by Nicole Putter
Title: A Shattering Glimpse
Author: Nicole Putter
Genre: Romance, Thriller
The dreams: For years, Claire Baxter has been haunted by ceaseless dreams of an FBI Agent.
The dilemma: She has no idea who he is or if he even exists.
The death: Right before she’s set to graduate from college, a dream reveals him dying in a brutal explosion.
One touch and not-so-normal Portland girl, Claire Baxter, can get a glimpse of your nearby future. She considers nothing about her clairvoyance a gift, it’s a curse, to say the least. Her parents raised her with the rule that she is to keep the secret at all cost, leaving little room for relationships of any kind. As if the burden isn’t enough, FBI agent Byron Black becomes the phantom of a series of sinister dreams.
The night before her final college exam, she has another dream, except in this one, he dies in a nuclear explosion. Does he exist? Will she find him? If so, can she save the countless lives affected by a blast that can crush steel like it’s a piece of paper, or… is this something her lost, psychic mind conjured up?
Guest Post by Nicole Putter
© 2020
Nicole Putter
Why a romantic thriller?
Is romantic thriller even a genre or is this a meta genre? Romantic suspense seems to be the more accepted term but even that doesn’t have a perfect definition. I have scoured the internet and I couldn’t really find a definitive answer. Most would agree that the plotline should include equal parts love story intertwined with mystery and intrigue.
Iconic romantic suspense writer, Sandra Brown, tells Novel Suspects in an interview that the heroes should be reluctant allies against a common threat or enemy who desire each other, badly. Some underlying truth, such as fireman vs arsonist, should make it impossible for them to act on the desire. She says that the suspense is posed as a question early on which goes unanswered for as long as possible.
This definition from a trained hand in the genre sheds a little more light on the structure. I agree with her, but I have to add that I don’t think romantic thrillers and romantic suspense are necessarily the same thing. Here’s my personal take on it and the reason why I chose this genre.
The romance
I’ll admit, I’m been a sucker for a budding attraction since I can remember. Whether in books, movies or television, I can’t resist. But romance plots can sometimes feel unoriginal when it’s a simple love triangle or forbidden due to classism or emotional unavailability. This is where I like to add the element of surprise and uncertainty. The reader should feel a constant ambiguity due to components other than the norm.
In ‘A Shattering Glimpse’ Claire has been dreaming about this man since she was fourteen years old. Due to her psychic condition she doesn’t pursue many relationships and forms a bit of an obsession with the man from her dreams. She has no idea if he’s real or if it’s something she dreamt up out of utter loneliness and boredom.
A romantic suspense constitutes equal parts romance and suspense while romance takes the passenger seat in a romantic thriller. The romantic plotline should still form an integral part of the story, but the thriller should dominate. Also, a happily ever after is not a certainty.
In many ways I think ‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn could also qualify. A large part of Amy’s diary entries in part I of the story, tells a romantic tale without a definite conclusion. In the 2010 film ‘The Tourist’, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, the romance is seamlessly woven into the thriller plot where spies rope an unsuspecting tourist into their search for a thief.
The thrills
In all the abovementioned examples, the story is told through the eyes of an unreliable narrator that keeps the reader guessing about both plots for as long as possible. Unreliable narrators are remarkable literary tools for grabbing and retaining attention.
As mentioned, I love a good romance, but I can’t deny a twisted and suspenseful thriller that will keep me reading through the night. Whether it’s a whodunnit or the perverse life of a serial killer, there’s nothing more satisfying than getting swept up into shocking twists and turns.
While thrillers come in a wide variety, certain elements should be present to qualify: Danger, excitement, suspense and mystery. In my opinion, this should be the focus of a romantic thriller. As Brown suggested, in romantic suspense novels, the heroes will work together in trying to solve the mystery or defeat the threat. This is not necessarily the case in a romantic thriller, in my opinion.
Love can often be the cause or give rise to the thrilling events as is the case in the novel ‘Verity’ by Colleen Hoover. ‘A Shattering Glimpse’ follows somewhat of the same recipe but I can’t say too much without giving anything away.
This testimonial from award-winning thriller author, Andrew Salomon will give you more or less of an idea: “The novel deftly manages to combine both thriller and fantastical genres, along with a good dollop of romance, and without resorting to clichés and sentimentality. This is a significant achievement, and the reader is skilfully drawn into a love story intertwined with murder, interwoven with a special agent thriller.”
Deviating from the norm
To create something a little more original, I had to deviate slightly from the norm of romantic suspense and fast paced FBI thrillers. It was a risk but so far, the response has only been positive. I tried to combine both genres in way that could fulfill both readerships without overcompensating. I enjoy romance and thrillers and I felt a lack of stories that effortlessly merge the two. As Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
Nicole Putter is the author of the Shattering Series and several short stories. She completed four creative writing and journalism courses with honours between a successful career in finance. When she’s not writing fiction, she blogs about her passion for books and writing. She’s also happily married, and a proud mom of one son and a Jack Russel Terrier named Striker.
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