Author Interview: Jamie Freveletti and Big-Time Thrillers

From lawyer to best-selling author and now she's hitting Hollywood

Thrillers are jam-packed with tension, suspense, and plot twists. As readers, we know this genre regularly tops the New York Times bestseller list and accounts for a considerable chunk of TV and movie programs.

Thriller author Jamie Freveletti began her career as a lawyer, focusing on food, drug, and medical device law, mass tort litigation, and international law. When she decided to transition to a full-time author, she did so with gusto. Jamie is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author of seven novels, four short stories, and is published in four languages.

Her Emma Caldridge series (Running From The Devil, Running Dark, The Ninth Day, Dead Asleep, and Blood Run) has won an International Thriller Writers Best First Novel award, a Barry award, and was a VOX media pick in Germany. In addition to her novels, she’s written The Janus Reprisal and The Geneva Strategy for Robert Ludlum’s Covert One series.

She is an avid distance runner and a black belt in the Japanese martial art Aikido.

Tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be an author.

I was on vacation and reading a book with a twist ending, and I was really disappointed because I loved the rest of the story. (The protagonist woke up, and in the last few pages, you learned that the entire story was just a dream.) I thought to myself, “Give the guy some credit, at least he wrote a book. If you think you can write one, maybe you should try, because it must be really hard to do.”

I was an avid reader, starting as a child, and rode my bike to the library whenever I could. I remember reading Edgar Allen Poe’s stories and loving them. I published a law review and short non-fiction articles in my legal field, but never considered writing a novel. It seemed like something other people did, and unattainable.

How did you get started as an author?

I worked part-time as a lawyer when I had my two kids. My routine was to work, be with the kids, put them to bed, and then write from 8 o’clock until midnight. It was a fun way to unwind after a long day and something I could do for myself.

I began writing my first manuscript, called Black Money, and finished it. As we say in the writing business, I put it in a drawer and it’s never to be seen again. If you’re an aspiring author reading this, know that this is not unusual. Many writers put their first manuscript in the drawer and start writing the next one.

Before I put it away, I wanted to get it published, but I had no connections.

How did you figure out the publishing process?

I went to Bouchercon, my very first writing conference. I was just starting out as a writer, and I had a rule that I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on the project. Bouchercon was in downtown Chicago that year, my hometown, so attending didn’t require travel or hotel costs. I walked around the conference and attended panels.

I also made an important beginner’s mistake. I’m a coffee addict, and at every break in the conference, I was at the Starbucks nearby. But all the writers, editors, and agents making deals were at the hotel bar. It took me a while to realize that I wasn’t going to meet anyone in the industry at Starbucks. That’s when I went to the bar.

What do you consider your big break as an author?

I realized that Black Money was getting some traction, but not a lot, and it was getting rejections. I put it away and decided I needed to write something else.

My husband was running ultramarathons and I was his handler. At one race, there was a freak snowstorm at 2 am, and one of the runners went down and passed out with hypothermia. I rode with him in the ambulance and thought, “This is a story. You’re down, disoriented.”

So, I changed the setting to a jungle and started writing a manuscript called Bogota. It became Running from the Devil, and that was my breakout book.

The main character in your series is Emma Caldridge. Where did she come from?

I wanted the protagonist to be female, an ultra-runner, and with a brain. I made her a chemist with knowledge of plants, so when she was in the jungle, she would know how to survive.

Some of that came from my day job as a lawyer. I worked in the food and drug area and loved the science of it. I made Emma an expert scientist.

Can you describe your style as an author?

I tend to write about average people in unusual circumstances. I like the concept that there’s something in all of us that’s strong and resilient and, if called upon, we could all rise to the occasion. Then there are some topics I won’t write about. I don’t write about rape or children in peril.

You write in the thriller genre. In your opinion, what’s a thriller?

In my mind, the classic thriller is when events start to take over a person’s life and they have incredible pressure on them to solve a problem and stay alive while they do it.

What advice do you have for new writers?

There’s a lot of standard advice out there, such as “write what you know.” I don’t agree with that. You write whatever the heck you want. My thrillers average 94,000 words, give or take, and when you get to the middle of the story, we call that Death Valley. It’s when the fun turns into a bit of a slog. When you get past it and to the ending, it’ll be fun again. That’s why I think you should write what you find enchanting, and that will get you through the middle to the end.

Avoid fake publishers that ask you for large sums of money to publish your book. I understand there are a lot of scammers out there right now. Be careful.

Be prepared to rewrite. If you start to get a sense that there’s truly something wrong with your manuscript, be prepared to rewrite it or start fresh, as I did with Black Money. There’s no need to beat the same manuscript to death; if you decide it can’t be fixed, put it aside and start another.

Be prepared to get some bad advice, but coming from very reputable people. It’s such a subjective industry that all of us at some time will get it wrong.

There’s that famous line that a literary agent wrote to JK Rowling, rejecting her work: “The world is not ready for a boy wizard.” These things happen because this industry is so subjective.

There is a lot of talk about the importance of an author’s platform. What are your thoughts on platform?

This is another slippery slope. I built up a strong following in one social media area and then later deleted my account when the platform became filled with bots. Some people have huge Facebook followings, but I don’t. The numbers can be important when you’re breaking in, though. If you want a big five marketing department to feel comfortable when you’re starting out, those numbers really help.

That said, everybody needs some sort of platform, because a lot of marketing will be pushed onto the author. Be cautious. You can spend a lot of effort on Facebook or Instagram, but these social media companies are always changing their algorithms, sometimes in a way that hurts visibility. Then there’s TikTok, with the looming threat of cancellation. But honestly, if you’re great on any social media, go for it! Especially if you like doing it.

Personally, I think a lot of effort should go to libraries, book clubs, book stores, and your network. Libraries and book clubs, and stores have their own networks of dedicated readers who would love to hear about your book. If you start with there and add your own newsletter, you can build your platform.

As an author, where do you continue to find inspiration?

Oddly, I’ve never had writer’s block. The whole world is fascinating to me, and whenever I find an interesting subject, my mind starts creating a story around it. My bigger problem is hitting that “death valley” section in a manuscript, when I’m tempted to work on something different. I force myself not to waver through the middle and keep going to finish.

Tell me about your current project.

My current project is an immersive manuscript incorporating music. I decided it was better pitched in Los Angeles, because of the music aspect. I’m currently pitching it as a television or streaming show, and it’s getting traction. I also have an editor interested in seeing the manuscript, so that’s nice. My goal is to get this project packaged this year on both the television side and the publishing side.

Funny story: When I decided that this latest manuscript works really well on the West Coast, I realized that I needed to brush up on my screenwriting and television writing skills. I got a few books, but thought the quickest way would be to go back to school, something I swore I’d never do. I love learning, but I spent a whole lot of time in school in the past. But there I was in Los Angeles and enrolling at UCLA with the twenty-year-olds. I felt a bit self-conscious, but they were all so nice.

All the screenwriting classes were booked, so I enrolled in a show running class. I absolutely loved it. I learned how a show gets put together. After that class, I began taking screenwriting and television writing classes, and in the summer, I continued my studies at Second City.

Now I feel really well-versed in what I need to do in this part of the industry. It has also been a great way to meet people while learning the nuts and bolts of the business. I’m glad I dove back into school, and I’m having a blast meeting writers of all genres. One thing about writing, it never gets boring!

Learn more about Jamie at her website, www.jamiefreveletti.com. Her books are available for purchase here.

A Note of Thanks: It’s a gift when established novelists like Jamie take the time to mentor and talk with newer and aspiring authors. Jamie is a pay-it-forward type of person, and for that, I am truly grateful.