Isabella Maldonado: On the Importance of Improving Your Skills as a Writer
Wall Street Journal bestselling author Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in the Fairfax County Police Department just outside DC, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander.
She uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing, which includes the bestselling FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera series (soon to be a Netflix feature film starring Jennifer Lopez), the award-winning Detective Veranda Cruz series, and the Agent Daniela “Dani” Vega series. Her books have been translated into 22 languages.
She can be found at www.isabellamaldonado.com. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Isabella Maldonado
In this post, Isabella explains how escape rooms inspired her latest thriller, what writers should do to improve their craft, and more.
Name: Isabella Maldonado
Literary agent: Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency
Book title: A Killer’s Game
Publisher: Thomas and Mercer
Release date: June 1, 2023
Genre/category: Thriller
Previous titles: The Cipher, The Falcon, A Different Dawn, Blood’s Echo, Phoenix Burning, Death Blow
Elevator pitch for the book: Described as Criminal Minds meets Squid Game, former military codebreaker turned FBI agent Dani Vega goes undercover to infiltrate a group of contract killers when they’re all trapped in a subterranean labyrinth. She must survive deadly puzzles in a real-life escape room long enough to unravel the conspiracy driving a brilliant game maker bent on revenge, but only one person can make it out alive.
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What prompted you to write this book?
The explosion in popularity of escape rooms in cities around the world fascinated me. I’ve also loved puzzles, riddles, codes, and ciphers for years. Combining these elements with my background in law enforcement brought a fresh and unique spin to the escape room concept.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The idea occurred to me last summer (June 2022) when my teenage son went to an escape room in Manhattan while we were visiting on business. When he described seeking clues and solving puzzles while racing against a ticking clock, I was hooked.
For me, the foundational idea always evolves during the writing process, and this time was no exception. I had originally considered having random people kidnapped and forced into the “game,” but decided it would be better to have a group of professional killers-for-hire fighting for their lives. That way, I could make them truly ruthless, as well as worthy adversaries for my hero, who is a former Army Ranger turned FBI agent.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
While I have a substantial background in law enforcement, I’ve never been in the military. I was thrilled to learn that a small but incredibly talented group of women have been members of the Army’s elite 75th Ranger Regiment since in 2017. I wanted to celebrate the accomplishments of these women by creating a strong but relatable character. To do that, I read books by Rangers, watched videos of their tactics, and even purchased a copy of the Ranger training manual from the US Army.
I’m also not a native New Yorker, so setting the book in the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force in lower Manhattan required a great deal of research. I traveled all around the city to various locations mentioned in the story, making sure to get the details right.
All this took time, so the publishing process became hectic as the deadline loomed. Fortunately, my editor was very understanding. She knew I was writing something unique and special that required a lot of world-building, and gave me the time to do it.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
At first, I wasn’t sure where to set the escape room portion of the story (which takes up two thirds of the book). Where could the criminal mastermind trap all the players so the FBI with all its vast resources couldn’t find them? The answer came to me late into the first draft, and it was a doozy! The idea was sound but required a metric ton of research to pull off.
The other major surprise was the difficulty of creating a wide variety of challenging puzzles, riddles, and codes written in such a way that readers could try to solve them along with Dani Vega before the correct answers are provided.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
One of the themes running through all my books is resilience in the face of adversity. It’s a quality I admire greatly and want to showcase. Readers have written to tell me how much they are inspired by the characters in my stories, which humbles and touches me profoundly.
I also hope readers experience the cathartic release of an adrenaline-fueled ride with lots of thrills involving characters they come to love and, finally, I always learn so much when researching a book that I want to share the knowledge with others.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Attend conferences for writers. It’s expensive. It’s time consuming. It’s difficult for introverts. But it’s an investment in your future.
I’ll provide an alternate piece of advice for those who have no way to travel (this was me when I had a newborn baby): Study the art and craft of writing any way you can, including books, podcasts, YouTube videos, and virtual classes. I spent five years doing exactly that before attempting my first novel.
It paid off when I got a three-book deal on my first submission, and I’ve been published ever since. There are a lot of brilliant authors out there sharing their hard-won skills. Take advantage of any opportunity to improve.
While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.
