How to Increase Suspense in Romantic Thrillers

One of my favourite romantic suspense stories is Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks.  Katie plots a life-saving escape from a violent and abusive husband and builds a new life for herself in a seaside town in North Carolina.

While Katie is trying not to fall in love with a kind and handsome storekeeper in North Carolina, the wicked husband is slowly but surely hunting her down.The reader is compelled by the fragile love story unfolding, as well as fear of what will happen if the husband finds Katie.

Merriam Webster defines a thriller as a “work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense.”  Suspense is defined as the “pleasant excitement as to a decision or outcome.”

So when we write love stories that include a thriller element, we suspend some of the facts from our readers knowledge, in order to fuel excitement about the outcome. We insert a mystery, an adventure or a dash of intrigue into the story by leaving clues that raise questions in the reader’s mind, over and above the will they won’t they of the romance.

 1.     A Hook

If suspense can be described as anxious uncertainty about what will happen, then in a romantic suspense novel, we need a hook that will grab the reader’s attention early to raise questions about what will happen next.  The hook should be uncomfortable enough to it give our reader some anxiety.

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In the first chapter of Safe Haven, we find Katie waiting tables in a casual family restaurant in North Carolina, surrounded by dating couples and nice, friendly people. But in that safe environment we learn she can’t sleep, her hands shake, and she refuses a date because of a bad past experience.  She thinks back to when, for just a moment she was happy, like the dating couples.

And we’re hooked. We like Katie, but we’re worried about her.  Why do her hands shake and why can’t she sleep? Is her trauma over?  What will happen next?

2.      Plot Twists

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As we go along, we insert plot twists or more surprising information that must either shock our readers or be unexpected. This keeps the momentum of the initial question going.  

In Safe Haven we are surprised to learn that Katie’s ex is a policeman, someone who should keep others safe.  Instead he is abusive, we know he is trained to kill and are terrified when he uses his police connections and resources to hunt Katie down.

It is preferable in romantic suspense to find the balance between the thriller twists and the love story.  Rather keep the suspense plot simple and have one good plot twist, surrounded by the ebb and flow of the romance. If you end up with multiple not-so-shocking plot twists, the thriller side could descend into melodrama.

 3.      Setting

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A chilling setting is another way we can increase the suspense in a story.   Think about the setting of a dark and stormy night. It is a well-known trope for a reason. Storms and darkness create the kind of mood that feeds suspense. There are many other settings that create a mood in which suspense will flourish: old castles, windswept beaches, quiet parking garages, forests, desolate mausoleums.

4.     Character Vulnerability

When it comes to your characters, think of the worst thing you can do to them, and then make it worse.  This will give your readers the anxiety you need for them to feel the suspense.

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Expose vulnerabilities in a character so the character becomes real and worth worrying about. For example, in Safe Haven, the handsome storekeeper is also a struggling single Dad. He tries so hard and we love him for it. We really don’t want the evil husband to come and take revenge on the storekeeper and especially not his children. They are part of the storekeeper’s vulnerability and make the reader root for him. We keep reading to make sure the children are going to be fine.  The character of the storekeeper grows as he has to deal with the fact that the threat to his children’s safety comes from the jealous ex of the woman he loves.

 5.      Time limits

Another way to increase  suspense is by setting a time limit. Give your characters a limited time frame to accomplish something.  In Safe Haven, Katie has to get the storekeeper’s children out of the house before her ex-husband burns it down.  You can imagine the suspense is pretty intense.

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Romantic Suspense author, Sandra Brown has the following extra tips on writing romantic suspense on The Novel Suspects 

“The four elements of romance that I incorporate into every book:
1. The hero and heroine must share time and space.
2. They are co-dependent, needing each other in order to survive a common threat or to overcome a shared enemy. Neither is happy about requiring the other. They’re reluctant allies.
3. Nevertheless, they desire each other. Badly.
4. They’re forbidden to each other. Something built into the plot makes it impossible for them to submit to their desire. If he’s a fireman, she needs to be an arsonist.

The Suspense

I plant a question in the reader’s mind early on. If not in the first sentence, then certainly by the end of the prologue and first chapter. I continue to plant questions and if I do it correctly, the reader isn’t even aware of the questions. But I withhold the answers for as long as possible. The first question asked is the last question answered. That “aha” is the reason for the story. It’s what makes the point of telling it.”

Making SAPS Sexy

With the Oscar Pistorius trial shining new light on the frequent failings of SAPS's homicide detectives, what better time to read about another, better aspect of South African law enforcement?

Yesterday my first release from Samhain Publishing hit digital shelves! SECURE TARGET is a romantic suspense featuring a sexy South African super-cop, a member of the Special Task Force, SAPS's elite tactical unit. Hailing from the Western Cape, Afrikaans-speaking Sergeant Bronnik Mason finds himself halfway around the world as he pursues an evasive serial killer. He’s sworn to bring him down at any cost, but when it comes to safeguarding the killer’s next target – beautiful Lacey Cross – Bronnik realizes this case could put his professional boundaries to the test.

This book was inspired by my first-ever trip to South Africa, and is set partially in Cape Town! I hope it paints a slightly more optimistic picture of South African law enforcement than we usually see in the news. Read on for an excerpt and all the links you need to find Bronnik and Lacey on the web!

SECURE TARGET is available now! From Samhain * Amazon * Amazon UK * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iTunes


Excerpt:

Lacey wasn’t particularly tall—maybe about five-five, Bronnik estimated—but when she emerged from the bathroom in her running shorts, he suspected at least half of that must be leg. With her thick, shiny hair pulled up high and a tight tank top completing the outfit, he briefly wished Hardy would choose a victim who was less likely to give him inappropriate dreams.

“Let’s go,” he said gruffly, preceding Lacey into the corridor. The Beretta was strapped to the inside of the windbreaker he’d worn over his T-shirt, and he touched it lightly as he checked the hallway.

“We’ll take the back stairs.” He put his hand on her elbow, moving in near enough that her hip brushed his thigh. Keeping her close to his side was an essential safety measure, but he found the intoxicating, fruity scent of her shampoo irritatingly distracting.

When they turned a corner in the hallway, a stout, older woman in a blouse and long skirt came trudging toward them. Bronnik slid his left arm across Lacey’s back, pulling her tightly against him.

His right hand tensed in readiness to draw his weapon as they approached the woman, at whom he smiled broadly.

She returned his smile and continued past them.

“What are you doing?” Lacey whispered hotly, wriggling at his side. Satisfied there was no threat, he let her go.

“Hardy loves a disguise. In Italy he dressed as an office cleaning woman.”

Lacey’s expression was indignant. “I could feel your gun,” she spat.

“My apologies,” he replied dryly. “Next time just let me know which weapon you’d prefer I use to defend you against a serial killer. I could ask the front desk for a free toothbrush?”

Lacey crossed her arms sulkily, which he chose to ignore.

The hotel’s fitness center was a small room at the top of the tall building, with a handful of cardio machines and a single rack of weights. One wall was composed of floor-to-ceiling windows, which the treadmills faced, however the view was only of the roof of the low-rise strip mall across the street.

Lacey hopped on one of the treadmills and plugged in her earphones. Within seconds she’d cranked the machine up to a speed he had to admit was impressive, and he could just make out the sound of the music pumping from her iPod.

Bronnik slipped off his windbreaker and arranged it on the treadmill’s control panel so the Beretta was concealed by the jacket, but its butt emerged slightly into easy reach. The gym was empty, and the combination of the darkness outside and the fluorescent lighting inside gave the window in front of him a degree of reflection, so he could see if anyone came in the door behind them.

As satisfied as he was going to be, he punched a brisk speed into the machine and began to jog. Although the doctor had cleared him to return to exercise two months earlier, he still felt a slight tugging at the scar on his left side. He cursed inwardly—it seemed like there was no aspect of his life Hardy wasn’t intent on screwing up.

He rolled his shoulders, willing himself to loosen up, to step away from the tension and paranoia for just a minute. He thought about the ocean-side path where he ran in Cape Town, a strip of pavement between the road and the sea. Luxury sea-view high-rise apartment buildings lined the far side of the road, but on the path there was only a railing between the sidewalk and the rocky coast. Outside the snow had finally stopped falling, and he focused on remembering the salty sea air that often gusted over that railing. Waves crashing against the rocks, flocks of birds alighting from the scrubby trees, the muted tap of his footfalls in the early hours of the morning, the hours when all of the crime and violence that marred his beloved homeland weren’t yet his responsibility, and he was free to run, to revel in the raw, unapologetic beauty of South Africa.

He was so consumed by his thoughts, he almost didn’t notice the slight movement on the roof of one of the stores in the strip mall—but just as on his morning runs, on some level he was always alert to danger. He squinted into the darkness, one hand resting on his weapon, when the glint of metal in the dim light of a distant streetlight set alarm bells clanging through his mind.

“Down, down!” he shouted, and tackled Lacey to the floor just as the bullet hit the window.

Entangled Press wants Romantic Suspense

Entangled Publishing has a compelling new imprint and are calling all romantic suspense authors to step up and wow them. Another great opportunity to break out this year. It’s called Dead Sexy and is being edited by bestselling author Nina Bruhns.

Harlequin invites you to pitch!

One page, one opportunity ... One Chance

Harlequin Mills and Boon has thrown down an exciting challenge – a chance to get your Romantic Suspense manuscript noticed by the editor. Talk about a fast track to getting noticed.
All you have to do is give a one page synopsis of your novel and really sell your story of romance and suspense. For more details and competition rules check out this link!