Oh my god Oh my god oh my god—

Eeeeeeeeeeeee!

Says the reader with their books as far from their face as possible and still reading as fast as their little near-sighted eyes can take them.

As a mystery reader, I want those moments.

That means I have a great story—if I am so involved in it that I am reacting WITH the story instead of AT the story.

I have thrown books across the room to get their tension away from me.

I can’t handle the suspense and need a break.

Pacing back in forth in front of the word-riddled paper pile left in a page-fluttered tent in the corner of my living room.

Then snatched it up after I’ve calmed down a smidge enough to move my eyeballs along those encapturing (that’s totally a word…) pages again, dive back into the tension. My arms pulled in close, reset for another extension in tension.

That’s a really good book.

I’ve also thrown a book away from me to never want to touch it again. Sometimes in frustration, mostly in anger. AT the book.

That’s not a really good book.

I am a writer, and I don’t know how to get suspense into my writing. That’s something I will eventually want to learn. But gosh, do I like to read it.

Nerves taught and caught up with the characters. Wanting to know who the murder/stalker/dangerous person is. Feel like I already know but I am not sure. Suspecting everyone and tensed to jump every time I turn the page.

Yes, mystery writer. Well done.

Ya got me.

Sigh.

And when I am done with my suspense adventure, my mystery is solved, the bad guy is identified, the good guys are safe (or are they? *shiver*) I close the book, wipe the sweat from my brow. I (try to) sleep. My dreams filled with a longing for another book that will be so great I’ll want to throw it across the room. So I can rescue it again.

Make sure the bad guy doesn’t win.

I mean, I do it for the good of the people. Because someone’s got to read it.

I’ll take one for the team.