Bestselling author Amanda West joins The Thriller Writer Lab to break down The Memory Foundation, a speculative thriller about memory flights, destination travel, and a secret mountain facility where guests can relive the best moments of their lives.

Amanda talks about moving from psychological suspense into a more high-concept thriller, building the idea of memory flights, and finding the right balance between explaining the technology and keeping the story moving. She also discusses why dementia became central to the book, how Natasha’s relationship with her mother shaped the emotional core, and why even the biggest thriller concepts still need to feel human.

Amanda West's book The Memory Foundation: https://www.amazon.com/Memory-Foundation-Novel-Amanda-West/dp/B0FNVWZM5D

Follow Amanda West online: https://www.amandareynoldsauthor.com/

Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon

Mark's Thrillers Psychological tech thrillers from your host, including The Treatment Room: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers

Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/thrillerwriterlab/

Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethrillerwriterlab/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thethrillerwriterlab

What does writing feel like when it's actually working? Not the grinding, forcing, staring at the screen version. The other kind, where you're not even really writing anymore, just trying to keep up with your fingers because something is coming through you.

Jon Lindstrom is a four-time Emmy nominated actor, filmmaker, and USA Today bestselling author of Hollywood Hustle and Hollywood Payback. In this episode, he breaks down how stepping away from the camera and into novels unlocked a freedom that acting and screenwriting never could.

We also get into the real people behind Jake Ferguson in Hollywood Payback, what it took to write the past timeline of the book, why he went to a hotel room in Savannah for five days to dig deeper, and what broken dreams in Hollywood taught him about building a character worth caring about.

Jon Lindstrom's book Hollywood Payback: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/803639/hollywood-payback-by-jon-lindstrom/9798892425094

Follow Jon Lindstrom online: https://www.jonlindstrom.com/writer

Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon

Mark's Thrillers Psychological tech thrillers from your host, including The Treatment Room: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers

Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/thrillerwriterlab/

Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markpjnadon_thrillerauthor/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon

Brittany Butler spent 10 years as a CIA targeting officer running spies in the Middle East and war zones. Now she writes espionage thrillers for Crooked Lane Books and the operational world she lived in shows up on every page.

In this episode Brittany breaks down how she builds characters using goals, motivations, and conflicts before writing a single scene, how she balances three interlocking plot lines without losing the reader, and how she transfers the real psychological cost of espionage work onto the page. She also talks about the moral weight of running sources she couldn't always protect, and the moment she knew it was time to leave the CIA.

Brittany Butler's book The Patriot's Daughter: https://www.amazon.com/Patriots-Daughter-Novel-Brittany-Butler/dp/B0FJDHLKRN

Follow Brittany Butler online: https://www.instagram.com/brittanybutlerbooks/

Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon

Mark's Thrillers Psychological tech thrillers from your host, including The Treatment Room: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers

Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast

Follow on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markpjnadon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markpjnadon_thrillerauthor/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_pj_nadon