Hi.
Welcome to Craft. I’m a traditionally published writer who writes upmarket genre and literary fiction. The purpose of this Substack is to have in-depth discussions of the craft of writing and the business of publishing—specifically, I write longform. I noticed that after doing in person events that a lot of audience members were excited and interested in specific advice and hands-on examples and exercises that I would suggest about craft, so I set up this here thing. I think about the practicality of writing very analytically because of my background in statistics and social psychology. I find a lot of writing advice to be bad or tired (write every day?) or too esoteric (find your muse!) and I want to give people concrete things to do or think about. I also want to talk about navigating the world of publishing, and the broader world of books from the perspective of an insider.
Who even are you?
I am Vera Kurian, author of the Edgar-nominated thriller Never Saw Me Coming, which has sold over 100,000 copies, has been translated into 13 languages, and was named one of the New York Times Best Thrillers of 2021. My second novel, A Step Past Darkness was published on 2/20/24. My short fiction has been published by Glimmer Train, The Pinch, Day One, Radix Media, and others. I write mysteries, literary fiction, and speculative fiction. I have two published novellas, Guava Summer (speculative semi-noirish political fiction) and Twelve Years, Eight-hundred and Seventy-two Miles (tragic-comic literary fiction).
What’s paywalled?
Free subscribers have access to everything from the past two months, the full archive of booklists and miscellany, and one or two archived craft or publishing articles. Paid subscribers get everything and the full archive. I do this because the craft and publishing posts are really time intensive. I’m still in the beginning phases of this Substack—do I want to have special events for paid subscribers and founding members.
What people say about my writing
“I devoured this riveting book through a day of travel...My desire to rush to the end clashed with my desire to savor every word.” — New York Times
“Fun, entertaining, and hard to put down, a twisty whodunit with a satisfying conclusion.” –New York Journal of Books
“Utterly gripping.” — The Telegraph
“Excellent pacing, sprightly narrative voices, and judicious dabs of wry humor make this a highly entertaining tale. Kurian’s refreshingly different slant on psychopathy marks her as a writer to watch.”— Publisher’s Weekly
“…a jet-black comedy…a very impressive debut.”—Daily Express
“This bar-raising debut exposes the gray areas in an often misunderstood disorder and defies readers to root against psychopathic antiheroes. Kurian’s highly anticipated thriller will undoubtedly lead fans of Gone Girl, Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series, and Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley novels to hope for Chloe’s return.” –Booklist, Starred Review
