Inside Outside by Faye Arcand
TPP EP 04

TPP Episode 4 with Faye Arcand

Mark: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the Thriller Pitch Podcast, where you come for the pitch and stay for the story behind the story. I’m your host, Mark PJ Nadon, and you’re listening to episode number four. There is no plot twist on today’s sponsor. It’s me. If you’re an author and you wanna sponsor a future episode, just head to markpjnadon.ca

Links are in the show notes.

In my novella, Monsoon Rendezvous, Clara Gaines access to the Genesis Project Technology, which plunges her into a dream 20 years in the past to a monsoon ravaged village in Bangladesh where her relationship with her husband Blake first began. As the monsoon unleashes chaos and rising waters threaten everything, Clara has to navigate the storm and rediscover what brought them together in the first place.

Monsoon [00:01:00] Rendezvous is an environmental romance thriller. Today’s guest is Faye Arcon. Faye has a background in criminal justice and has witnessed a wide range of behaviors and situations that peak the interest of her creative brain. Having lived with a twisted writer brain her entire adult life, she allows stories and personalities to emerge that are unique, disturbing, relatable, and even a tad bit perplexing.

Inside, outside is her debut novel.

Mark: Hello Faye.

Thank you for coming.

Faye: Hi,

Mark: Welcome to the show.

Faye: Thank you so much.

Mark: I’m very excited to get into this. I have your book here Inside Outside. I have read the book. Really enjoyed it. So I’m very excited to get into this, but for those who haven’t, haven’t had the chance to read the book or don’t know about it, let’s start with our two minute pitch.

Faye: Inside Outside is what we call a domestic psychological suspense.

So with this [00:02:00] particular story. What happens is we start with Leslie, who is, she’s a broken woman. She has had a heck of a ride so far. She’s in her thirties and she’s a writer. And she’s starts, or the book starts in a grocery store where she sees her ex-husband. And instead of just going with the flow she hides.

And I don’t know about you, Mark, but I know I’ve done that, you know, walking through Walmart and it’s like, oh my God, you know, I don’t want to talk to that person. You know, like, you know, there’s, I got no makeup on. You know, it’s like, ah. So, you know, you, you, you dive behind the, dive behind the pillar in the store, and you, you, you.

You know, sneak your way out. So she’s a, she’s a real person and I think we can all relate to her. And what she does is she likes to sit [00:03:00] at her window and watch a little park across the street and in that park is the pickup for the local high school, the bus pickup. So the bus stops there every morning and on this one morning, she sees a young girl who reminds her so much of herself that she gets a little obsessed, shall we say. So that’s it in a nutshell. It’s the story of her inserting herself into, this young girl’s life and how these two people’s stories parallel each other and yet are so divergent, they heal each other even though they’re both so broken. Now it’s under the thriller genre, but leans more towards our own backyards. If that makes any sense.

Very often we’ll read, [00:04:00] we’ll read thrillers and there’ll be something so big and, and you know, there’ll be guns and mystery and chases and things like that. So, but domestic thrillers are something that can happen in your own backyard, and that’s what this story is about. And we don’t know what happens behind closed doors ever doesn’t make any difference who it is.

Like there is an inside person and there’s an outside person. Every time we go in and out of our door we change our persona and which one is the real one? And do you really want the world seeing what that inside persona is? Because it can be a little sick and twisted without even realizing it.

Mark: Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, that’s great. I’m glad you brought up domestic thrillers and explained that because I used to also think that every thriller labeled thriller was high [00:05:00] action, like high octane, high stakes. So now that I read even more thrillers from broad sub genres, I guess you could say, it really helps to have an understanding of, there’s lots of types of thrillers that it’s not just spy or crime thrillers.

There’s lots of really good books out there, so thanks for mentioning that.

Faye: Oh, you’re welcome. And, and you know, what kind of gets me though is when people hear the word domestic, they think domestic violence, domestic thrillers are not about domestic violence. Domestic thrillers are stories that can happen in your own world, it could be your own school, it could be at work, in your church, wherever. But the, it’s, it’s not about violence. It’s usually more psychologically based. As we explore all of those feelings and tensions and things that come up every single day.

Mark: Yeah. So what, what inspired this story?

Faye: What inspired this story? To tell you the truth, this story fell out of the end of my [00:06:00] fingers, onto on the keyboard. There was no, I did not set out to, to say, okay, I am going to write a domestic thriller today. It just, the story itself actually just kind of fell out. If I look back on things that I’ve read Girl On A Train I think was probably an inspiration simply because that was one of the first domestic thrillers that came out that discussed this whole thing of kind of like distant observation, the watching of the things that go on around us and how they affect us without us even realizing it. And in that particular book. It started with, you know, she was a girl on a train and she saw an incident happen and she acted on it. So I, that would probably be a jumping off point for my inspiration.

But as we, as I got further into the story and [00:07:00] into the characters it definitely took on a life of its own.

Mark: So would you say you’re sort of like a pantser, I guess? I think Stephen King coined the term pantser where you just sat down and just started typing story and then everything came to life and you went from there.

Faye: Yeah. Yeah. For, for any writer that doesn’t know you’ve, you’ve got a pantser and a plotter and so a plotter is somebody who, you know drafts every little chapter, every little scene. I can’t do that I need to be more organic in my writing. And so I have a very good idea in my head as to who the characters are, and I let the characters lead me.

And, so I kind of fly by the seat of my pants. But, the, it’s, it’s very, it’s almost cathartic because these characters like Leslie and Selena, they live in my head. They talk to me at night, [00:08:00] you know, we’ll be driving and we’ll be driving, I’ll be driving. They’re not allowed to drive, so I’ll be driving and, you know, they’re chattering away.

So these particular characters lived a long time prior to reaching the page.

Mark: Okay. And was there a mo,

Faye: was there a moment? Sorry, I’m just gonna say sense. Was there a moment in my life

Mark: That influenced the, writing of the story? As you wrote, did you, was there a moment where you thought this kind of paralleled experiences you have as a like for the character or the plot?

Faye: Hmm. That’s an interesting question. Thanks for that. I think what I need, it would. My background is criminal justice. So for several years after I, I have a degree in criminology, I entered into the correction system of Canada as a, as an officer. So there I was 22 years old, sling in a, [00:09:00] you know, AR 15 on my back.

It is like, okay. I, I can now look back and see why my parents were a little bit concerned.

Mark: Yeah.

Faye: It was like, ah, but I got this, and then, you know, that led me into investigations and into a lot of different, different positions where there was a lot of discussion and a lot of awareness of, for example, family violence and which Leslie does experience.

So as far as inspiration or personal, it’s, I think, I think any author who writes a book and puts words on pages, puts a piece of themselves on the page every single time.

Mark: Yeah.

Faye: So where I can’t pinpoint, like a particular instance that this happened to me. So, so this is what I wrote.

It’s not, it’s all intertwined with [00:10:00] just who I am.

Mark: Okay.

Faye: Which is a little sick and twisted. Yes.

Mark: Yeah. So did you have to do research for this story?

Faye: I didn’t do any research for this story. That’s, well, that’s not true. There was, there was a few things in, there’s a scene that takes place in a hospital and there was some research done there and I, I talked to a medical professional, um, to make sure that I was on track with where I was taking that story.

And if. Just, just to make sure that it was plausible, right? Mm-hmm. Uh, but other than that, you know, it’s just experience observation. Yeah. It’s, it’s that little muse that sits on my shoulder saying, write this, write this.

Mark: So I know pantsers are I won’t generalize necessarily, but to say like I have talked to pantsers that, I’m a kind of in between myself, but who, write until they kind of run out of inspiration. It’s kind of like they, ’cause they don’t know where the [00:11:00] story’s going, so they just write their way into a corner and they don’t know how to get out kind of thing.

Did you have any of those moments where, in this story you were writing and you were like, I don’t know where this is going, and you had to readjust.

Faye: In this particular, I, I have had that experience for sure, but in this particular experience of writing this book , it just came, in fact, there was a point where in my head. I had it going this way, and all of a sudden something else came on the page. I was like, oh, oh, is that what’s gonna happen? Oh my God. And, and, and I can’t, I can’t take well, though it came through me it’s, it’s like stepping back and allowing the muse to just work its magic. It’s really quite incredible to have that happen.

Now, on the other hand, I have painted myself into a corner and I know in one situation I got to about 40,000 words and I thought, oh my God, this is [00:12:00] like, you know, like, where in the world am I going with this? And I ended up tossing it and I have started now. In my old age, I guess, putting together some loose, loose, outlines.

Okay. So, yeah. Okay. And it helps or not,

Mark: yeah. It’s hard to say, right? Because the characters do what they’re gonna do.

Faye: They are, they take on a life of their own. They really do. Yeah.

Mark: I’ve done, I’ve done both. pantsing didn’t work very well for me. That’s why I’m kind of in between. But I’ve done the outline where I worked and worked and worked and then a couple hundred pages into writing the story, everything just went out the window because it was like, these people are gonna do something completely different and this is where I have to go ’cause that’s where they wanted me to go, essentially.

Faye: And that’s what we have to remember is these characters are the ones that are in charge and [00:13:00] because my, because I deal with domestic suspense or domestic situations and setting those characters are the strengths that push the for the story forward. So I just got back from New York. I was at Thriller Fest. Which is a huge beast of a festival. I, it was fantastic. And there was a thousand people and one of the keynote speakers was James Patterson. James Patterson has been, has probably written 50 million books and you know, but he is a deep exacting plotter.

Like he will, he will take a chapter and break down every little thing, every little word, and plot it out. So it’s um, interesting to see that.

Mark: Yeah, I couldn’t do that. That must have been very [00:14:00] cool to be in the room though.

Faye: It it, it was very cool to be in. Grisham was there too. Oh, nice. So it was nice.

It, it was, it was quite the event, but it was, I think every writer is individual and I think they grow in their craft as to which way they’re going to go and you know, whether it be Pat or pantsing or plotting, it doesn’t matter, or a hybrid of both. And you have to do what works for you for sure.

Mark: Yeah. So one of the things that stuck with me in this book was Leslie was, I felt for Leslie throughout this book because I connected with her. And I’m curious if, when you are, when you’re writing a character, are you looking for these moments of connection? Like to establish connection?

I know you’re saying you’re pantsing, so it’s kind of just, just coming off. But do you notice like, oh, that’s a great moment where I know people will connect with this personality

Faye: there’s no, for [00:15:00] myself, there’s no real conscious thought as because I’m just presenting a character and she is who she is and, you know, she’s very flawed. She’s very very sympathetic character as well as we learn as we go along.

Yeah, it’s, that’s such an interesting question Mark, because I don’t really sit and think about it as far as connection. I think I have, I always have a question in the back of my mind as to whether this, whether this particular character is likable. Mm-hmm. You know, like, because sometimes it can be very hard to connect with someone that is really nasty, but she’s not nasty. She’s got her moments. But yeah. Sorry, that doesn’t, that doesn’t really answer your question, but it’s, she just [00:16:00] presented herself as who she was.

Take it. Take it or leave. That was, that works. Yeah, that was, that was who she was, is, yeah,

Mark: yeah, yeah. And I took it. Yeah, it was, it was good. Yeah.

Faye: How did you connect with her? What, on, on what level or where?

Mark: It was almost right from the get go. It was like the trauma that she had been through. And even though I wouldn’t have reacted in the way that she did with how she behaved necessarily, and her responses to it, I could feel for what she was going through and what it felt like for like, the betrayal of that relationship that she was in and all those struggles that she went through.

So immediately that I was like, yeah, I know, anything could happen at that point. ’cause I know what, I know what that feels like. So that’s why I really connected with her. Yeah,

Faye: that’s so through that makes me happy. It makes me happy. You were so traumatized. Yeah. No, no, no. No, that’s that’s great to hear because, um, because that’s

I guess as a writer, I think we set out with our characters to connect [00:17:00] without even realizing it. Mm-hmm. Because I think we are as, just as, as human beings, very connected in so many ways that we don’t even really consider.

Mark: Yeah. And do you have a character that was the favorite to write? Did you have one that you were writing and just loved this personality?

Faye: Mama. Yeah. So yeah, it’s a, she wasn’t my favorite, but she was kind of fun to write because she was so evil and such a bitch.

Mark: Yeah.

Faye: And, and I have no idea where that came from. I don’t know anybody like that. Um. And it, and it’s interesting that this whole character persona emerged. I don’t know where she came from.

Oh, yeah, it was interesting. But there, she was a character. A couple. She was a character [00:18:00] for sure. But you know, I did both of the, the main characters, Selena and Leslie were a part of my heart. And they were you know, they were both strong and independent in their own way and became even more so I hope.

Mark: Yeah. Was there anything you cut from the book? Any scenes or anything that you had to cut out that maybe you wish you had put back in there? Well,

Faye: Not that I wish that I had put back in. No, there was nothing. I mean, there was, there was obviously edits. There was, there was huge hunks that I take out when I, and when I edit, what I do is

I have a separate file called Dead Darlings, and so I put all of my, my work there just in case I wanna get it back. Those, like all of those words that we write that end up on the floor, I like to have ’em in a nice little file, but those particular cuts [00:19:00] I, I think, make the story tighter. Yeah.

Mark: Awesome. So we’re gonna get into the final wrap up here. A couple of other questions. What advice would you give someone who had just published their first or maybe second book,

Faye: and what kind of publishing are we talking?

Mark: Either let’s say, yeah, I can say either.

Faye: Okay, so, or traditionally, okay, so when you publish that first book, after you publish that first book, you need to make a decision. The writer, author, creator, needs to make a decision as to whether it is a passion. And something that you’re going to continue or is this just a hobby? Because what happens is after you publish that first book, it is now a business and [00:20:00] your, the author’s mindset needs to change.

And it needs to, if, if you want any semblance of, of success, it is a lot of work. So I, with, with Inside Outside, I had, I went through two different agents. So I had an agent pick it up pretty much right away, soon as I put it out into the world. And it was just before COVID. Yeah. Oh, yay. Right. And then the agent would come back and say, well, you know, I want this changed, I want that changed.

And then. You know, there’s a, there’s a saying and it says no agent is better than the wrong agent, and she was not the right fit for me. So we parted ways and then I went with another agency. And they ended up going outta business. And so it was like, you know, like, is the writing on the wall here?

Is [00:21:00] somebody trying to tell me something? What’s going on? So I got a publisher and I decided to go with a small indie press. And, um, it, it was a bit of a challenge because that particular publisher, one of the things he said to me was, don’t worry about your cover because you’re only gonna sell 30 or 40 copies and the copy and the cover doesn’t matter.

And I was like, what? You know, like, wow. I like, like this is my cover.

Mark: Yeah.

Faye: Like. That’s a powerful cover. And, and I’ve had, many, many compliments on it. And so anyway, so I left that publisher and decided to go on my own and self-publish. But when you do self-publish, it is a lot of, you, you [00:22:00] are your own marketer. You are your own everything. So it’s, um, it’s a lot of work.

Mark: Yeah.

Faye: I’ve enjoyed it though. I, I already have a I have a blog called My Twisted Writer Brain that’s been going for years and that afforded me uh, a platform. So that was, that was good. And I also ran a festival for five years, so that also allowed me a platform.

So advice, know what you’re getting yourself into. It’s nobody’s, nobody’s gonna come bang down your door, you know? And, and if you’re, and if you’re serious about moving forward with the business get that second book written and published.

Mark: Awesome. Thank you. I love that advice. You’re welcome. Yeah.

Decide if you’re, if you’re doing a, if you’re gonna be a hobbyist or a business ’cause this, the moment [00:23:00] you wanna make money off this, this business, you have to become a business.

Faye: You have to become a business. Exactly. And you have to, and you have to, you know, switch that mindset a little bit. So, yeah.

Mark: So where can people find your book?

Faye: My book is in Amazon and both, right now it’s just print and ebook. Hope to get the audiobook out soon and you can request it at the library. You can also request it through Indigo, through the Okanagan, which is where I live in central BC, south Central.

It’s in most libraries here, so yeah. And go to my web page, fayarcand.com. Easy as that. You can just get it right from there.

Mark: Awesome. I’ll link that in the show notes for you.

Faye: Thank you.

Mark: Thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate you taking the time outta your schedule.

Faye: I really, I really appreciate this opportunity [00:24:00] to talk about the book, talk about domestic thrillers or psychological.

I will say that I’ve won a couple of awards already for this book, and one of them, it was, it was quite interesting because what they did, I had entered in a suspense category, I think, and the people who ran the uh, the contest wanted the book to be number one. So what they did was they moved it into a different category because there was already somebody in suspense that was that, that they had chosen.

And, and the category that it won in, which I found interesting was mental health. And fiction mental health. And it was like, wow. Like, like I felt for sure. Yeah. I felt like the writer really got it, or not the writer, the reader, whoever read it for this particular, um, contest or the um, event [00:25:00] really understood Leslie, for sure.

Mark: Yeah. Yeah, I agree. Yeah.

Yeah. So, yeah.

Awesome. Thank you. So if you don’t mind sticking around after the show, we’ve got a couple of questions for our newsletter subscribers. A couple of questions that only they get when they subscribe. Okay.

Faye: The secret stuff?

Mark: Yes. Okay. Thanks so much,

Faye: mark.

Bye-Bye.

Mark: And thank you for listening to today’s show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can support the podcast and get early access to future episodes on Patreon. Links are in the show notes. Some guests are also sharing bonus content on our Patreon, like short stories behind the scenes extras, novellas. Even if you are just joining now, you can still get access to all the stuff that has been posted there prior to, so jump into that opportunity.

If you’re into environmental thrillers with a stormy romance twist, check out the Novella Monsoon Rendezvous. If you like the show, please follow, [00:26:00] rate and share it with another Thriller fan. It really helps make a difference, and I’ll see you in the next episode where I sit down with Sara Ennis, author of the Psychological Horror Thriller, the Dollhouse.