This week on the show we have author Christie Stratos. We did a deep, deep dive on one of her books, Anatomy of a Darkened Heart, which was just a phenomenal work that I loved so much. Here's her bio, straight from her website. 

Christie Stratos is an award-winning writer who holds a degree in English Literature. She is the author of the psychological suspense novels Anatomy of a Darkened Heart and Brotherhood of Secrets, the first two books in the Dark Victoriana Collection. Also a poet and short story writer, Christie has been published in anthologies, literary journals, and magazines. Christie has been featured on the radio, in magazines, and on podcasts, and she has given presentations for writing organizations and at writing conferences.

She owns her own editing company, Proof Positive, where she works one-on-one with authors as well as with small presses as a freelance editor, and she has enjoyed working with a rising press as an acquisitions editor.

Christie hosts the well-received podcast Writers Showcase on the Authors on the Air Radio Network. She has interviewed New York Times bestsellers, publishers, and major award-winning authors, including #1 New York Times bestselling author Peter Straub, Hugo Award winner Robert J. Sawyer, BBC correspondent Humphrey Hawksley, and Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Hank Phillippi Ryan.

I was introduced to Christie from friend of the pod Jennifer Gordon, and reading Anatomy of a Darkened Heart made me realize I just really love Victorian Gothic horror suspense. It's not something I would have ever known about myself until reading both Jennifer and Christie's book, but I really, really do. Christie's work is nuanced and complex, diving into historical traditions while explaining them so even somebody without a history of reading the genre can understand. 

Listen to this episode if you want to learn: 

• How to keep a book from lagging
• How to plot an intimate book without a lot of action while still keeping engagement
• How to make the reader feel a character and root for them

...and much more. 

If you liked this episode, check out Christie's work at: https://christiestratos.com/

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