Pamela Statz's Blog
May 14, 2025
My First Year in Thorn City
My debut thriller Thorn City has been in the wild for one year, and it has set the world literally on fire. Dry martinis are now the official drink of Oregon, young party goers everywhere are blotting with disposable toilet seat covers, and artisanal organic cocaine is the new kale.
Clearly, I’m just kidding. Thorn City may not have changed the world, but it certainly has changed mine.
It’s taken me places I never thought I’d go:
🍸 A live TV spot on "Hello! Rose City"
🍸 Showcased on the new releases shelf at Powell’s Books
🍸 A book launch at The Writer’s Block
🍸 Presented at the International Thriller Writers Convention in NYC
🍸 Featured at the University Club’s author’s cocktail hour
And so much more…
That’s all very exciting, but when will the next book be finished, you ask?
Hopefully, this time, it won’t take eight years… I have almost 60,000 words. Ok, it’s only 53,000 and many of them are terrible -- but it’s still progress! I’m staying motivated by taking classes from amazing authors Emily Chenoweth, Chelsea Cain, and Chuck Palahniuk. As proof of my diligence, I'd like to share a chapter from book two of the Thorn City saga. It’s spoiler-light and lightly edited, and it may change in dramatic ways depending on how book two unfolds. Sign up for my mailing list at pamelastatz.com and I'll send you the link.
Cheers,
Pam
Clearly, I’m just kidding. Thorn City may not have changed the world, but it certainly has changed mine.
It’s taken me places I never thought I’d go:
🍸 A live TV spot on "Hello! Rose City"
🍸 Showcased on the new releases shelf at Powell’s Books
🍸 A book launch at The Writer’s Block
🍸 Presented at the International Thriller Writers Convention in NYC
🍸 Featured at the University Club’s author’s cocktail hour
And so much more…
That’s all very exciting, but when will the next book be finished, you ask?
Hopefully, this time, it won’t take eight years… I have almost 60,000 words. Ok, it’s only 53,000 and many of them are terrible -- but it’s still progress! I’m staying motivated by taking classes from amazing authors Emily Chenoweth, Chelsea Cain, and Chuck Palahniuk. As proof of my diligence, I'd like to share a chapter from book two of the Thorn City saga. It’s spoiler-light and lightly edited, and it may change in dramatic ways depending on how book two unfolds. Sign up for my mailing list at pamelastatz.com and I'll send you the link.
Cheers,
Pam
July 11, 2024
THORN CITY Ebook just $3.99 through July 31st
Ooligan Press is running a special on Thorn City's ebook -- just $3.99 through the month of July. It's a great time to download a copy before you hit the beach this summer!
May 23, 2024
THORN CITY: Authors Interviewing Characters
I had so much fun writing this Authors Interviewing Characters piece for Women Writers, Women's Books. I interview my main character from Thorn City, Lisa, and her best friend Jamie pops in a few times too. Enjoy!
Pamela Statz interviews Lisa Salder
PS: Lisa, thanks for chatting with me today. And I love your dress. It’s so sparkly and fun. Are you going to a party tonight?
Lisa: Well, sort of …
[Lisa’s roommate and best friend Jamie steps into the room wearing a bathrobe and towel wrapped around her hair.]
Jamie: It’s not a party for us. We have to work. No drinking, no fun, but we do get to eat all the catering we want!
Lisa: Jamie, why are you still in your bathrobe? Don’t we need to leave in a few minutes?
Jamie: Oh shit! I still need to dry my hair. I’ll be back in five!
PS: Lisa, you’re wearing that to work? A gold sequined mini dress doesn’t seem like very appropriate attire for a business setting.
Lisa: Who are you? My mother?
PS: No, thank god. Though, I am your creator.
[Lisa rolls her eyes.]
PS: So, where do you and Jamie work?
Lisa: We’re party hostesses at events around Portland, like galas, festivals and conventions.
PS: Right on. So, as a party hostess, do you show people to their tables, like for dinner?
Lisa: Do I seriously need to describe my job to you?
PS: Yes. Explain it to me as though I were newly hatched.
Lisa: You are so weird. Anyway, no. It’s not like a restaurant hostess. Maybe the better way to put it is that we’re ‘paid to party girls.’
PS: That sounds semi-illegal.
Lisa: Well it’s not, okay? Jamie and I take our roles very seriously. It’s a really important job and it’s really hard. Like tonight, we’ll make sure the party is fun for everyone by flirting with shy guests, we’ll be first on the dance floor, and we’ll get things rolling in the karaoke tent. Which by the way, I totally hate. Karaoke is so sad.
PS: It is not sad. You’re just singing the wrong songs. Personally, I love karaoke. I own three karaoke microphones and a giant speaker. My neighbors hate me.
Lisa: I kind of hate you.
PS: That’s fine. I’m not here to make friends.
[Lisa’s phone dings.]
PS: Do you need to take that?
Lisa: No. It’s just Patrick.
PS: Who’s Patrick?
Lisa: My boyfriend. Which you already know, because you created him too.
PS: Just humor me. So, you’ve been together a long time?
Lisa: Yeah, since I was sixteen.
PS: You should break up with him and try meeting someone new. You’re still young. Sow your wild oats.
Lisa: Are you fucking kidding me?
PS: Language, Lisa.
Lisa: I do not need this from you right now.
PS: Sorry! So, what’s going on with you and Patrick?
Lisa: It’s nothing. He wants to know what I’m doing tonight. He doesn’t like this party hostess thing. I don’t think he trusts me, which is totally unfair. I’ve been nothing but the perfect girl friend for years and I’m getting sick of his jealousy. I’ll always love him, but…
PS: But what?
Lisa: It’s just he doesn’t have a lot in his life other than me and Jamie, and being his girlfriend is a little exhausting at times. I wish that he’d connect with his family again.
PS: Have you met his parents?
Lisa: No. He never talks about them. I know there’s some bad blood between them which I can totally understand. I mean, my mom had me kidnapped.
PS: Ellen Salder. Mother of the Year.
Lisa: Right? So I can only imagine that what Patrick’s parents did to him was even worse. I’ve tried asking him about it, but he always changes the subject. He thinks of me as his family, but I don’t want all of that responsibility. I have too many problems of my own. I think I need to make a big change. But I don’t want to hurt him. [She gives me a hard stare.] You aren’t going to tell him about this conversation, are you?
PS: Of course not. Though, I might write about it…
Lisa: That’s the same thing!
PS: Let’s move on. So, tell me, what was it like being kidnapped?
Lisa: Nope. Next question.
PS: It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. People will find out when they read the book.
Lisa: You wrote about the kidnapping?
PS: Obviously. It’s a crucial scene with lots of cinematic juice. When this book gets made into a movie, or a series, it’s going to be the opening scene.
Lisa: That is a clear violation of my privacy.
PS: I literally invented you. You have no privacy.
[Jamie returns, now dressed in a tight green cocktail dress that’s even more sparkly than Lisa’s.]
Jamie: Dude, we need to get going or we’ll miss the bus.
Lisa: Jamie, I’ve been ready for an hour. Anyway, who cares if we’re late.
Jamie: I do. I want that sweet cash money. Now let’s get a move on, missy.
Lisa: Can’t we just go to the corner bar and have a couple martinis? [She looks at me.] You can come too, I suppose.
PS: Sorry Lisa, I have to agree with Jamie. You need to go to that party. If you don’t, I don’t have a book.
Lisa: Fine.
PS: Thanks for chatting Lisa. Have fun and make bad choices!
Pamela Statz interviews Lisa Salder
PS: Lisa, thanks for chatting with me today. And I love your dress. It’s so sparkly and fun. Are you going to a party tonight?
Lisa: Well, sort of …
[Lisa’s roommate and best friend Jamie steps into the room wearing a bathrobe and towel wrapped around her hair.]
Jamie: It’s not a party for us. We have to work. No drinking, no fun, but we do get to eat all the catering we want!
Lisa: Jamie, why are you still in your bathrobe? Don’t we need to leave in a few minutes?
Jamie: Oh shit! I still need to dry my hair. I’ll be back in five!
PS: Lisa, you’re wearing that to work? A gold sequined mini dress doesn’t seem like very appropriate attire for a business setting.
Lisa: Who are you? My mother?
PS: No, thank god. Though, I am your creator.
[Lisa rolls her eyes.]
PS: So, where do you and Jamie work?
Lisa: We’re party hostesses at events around Portland, like galas, festivals and conventions.
PS: Right on. So, as a party hostess, do you show people to their tables, like for dinner?
Lisa: Do I seriously need to describe my job to you?
PS: Yes. Explain it to me as though I were newly hatched.
Lisa: You are so weird. Anyway, no. It’s not like a restaurant hostess. Maybe the better way to put it is that we’re ‘paid to party girls.’
PS: That sounds semi-illegal.
Lisa: Well it’s not, okay? Jamie and I take our roles very seriously. It’s a really important job and it’s really hard. Like tonight, we’ll make sure the party is fun for everyone by flirting with shy guests, we’ll be first on the dance floor, and we’ll get things rolling in the karaoke tent. Which by the way, I totally hate. Karaoke is so sad.
PS: It is not sad. You’re just singing the wrong songs. Personally, I love karaoke. I own three karaoke microphones and a giant speaker. My neighbors hate me.
Lisa: I kind of hate you.
PS: That’s fine. I’m not here to make friends.
[Lisa’s phone dings.]
PS: Do you need to take that?
Lisa: No. It’s just Patrick.
PS: Who’s Patrick?
Lisa: My boyfriend. Which you already know, because you created him too.
PS: Just humor me. So, you’ve been together a long time?
Lisa: Yeah, since I was sixteen.
PS: You should break up with him and try meeting someone new. You’re still young. Sow your wild oats.
Lisa: Are you fucking kidding me?
PS: Language, Lisa.
Lisa: I do not need this from you right now.
PS: Sorry! So, what’s going on with you and Patrick?
Lisa: It’s nothing. He wants to know what I’m doing tonight. He doesn’t like this party hostess thing. I don’t think he trusts me, which is totally unfair. I’ve been nothing but the perfect girl friend for years and I’m getting sick of his jealousy. I’ll always love him, but…
PS: But what?
Lisa: It’s just he doesn’t have a lot in his life other than me and Jamie, and being his girlfriend is a little exhausting at times. I wish that he’d connect with his family again.
PS: Have you met his parents?
Lisa: No. He never talks about them. I know there’s some bad blood between them which I can totally understand. I mean, my mom had me kidnapped.
PS: Ellen Salder. Mother of the Year.
Lisa: Right? So I can only imagine that what Patrick’s parents did to him was even worse. I’ve tried asking him about it, but he always changes the subject. He thinks of me as his family, but I don’t want all of that responsibility. I have too many problems of my own. I think I need to make a big change. But I don’t want to hurt him. [She gives me a hard stare.] You aren’t going to tell him about this conversation, are you?
PS: Of course not. Though, I might write about it…
Lisa: That’s the same thing!
PS: Let’s move on. So, tell me, what was it like being kidnapped?
Lisa: Nope. Next question.
PS: It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. People will find out when they read the book.
Lisa: You wrote about the kidnapping?
PS: Obviously. It’s a crucial scene with lots of cinematic juice. When this book gets made into a movie, or a series, it’s going to be the opening scene.
Lisa: That is a clear violation of my privacy.
PS: I literally invented you. You have no privacy.
[Jamie returns, now dressed in a tight green cocktail dress that’s even more sparkly than Lisa’s.]
Jamie: Dude, we need to get going or we’ll miss the bus.
Lisa: Jamie, I’ve been ready for an hour. Anyway, who cares if we’re late.
Jamie: I do. I want that sweet cash money. Now let’s get a move on, missy.
Lisa: Can’t we just go to the corner bar and have a couple martinis? [She looks at me.] You can come too, I suppose.
PS: Sorry Lisa, I have to agree with Jamie. You need to go to that party. If you don’t, I don’t have a book.
Lisa: Fine.
PS: Thanks for chatting Lisa. Have fun and make bad choices!
May 21, 2024
Thorn City featured on the Mystery of Writing
I'm thrilled that Thorn City was featured on Elena Hartwell's blog The Mystery of Writing.
Learn more about Thorn City from character research, to how I combine humor and the twists and turns of a thriller, and the book's deep dive into Portland culture.
Plus, meet Hooper, my giant doodle!
The Mystery of Writing - Thorn City: Debut Suspense
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner!
Learn more about Thorn City from character research, to how I combine humor and the twists and turns of a thriller, and the book's deep dive into Portland culture.
Plus, meet Hooper, my giant doodle!
The Mystery of Writing - Thorn City: Debut Suspense
Author Interview + Book & Author Info + Author Pet Corner!
April 29, 2024
THORN CITY's Perfect Dry Martini
Thorn City features Portland, Oregon's cocktail culture, particularly icy cold vodka martinis. My characters Lisa and Jamie have perfected their technique for a dry vodka martini.
THORN CITY's Perfect Dry Martini
Cracked ice
2½ ounces Vodka (or Gin, if you must)
A drop of dry vermouth, such as Noilly Prat
Green olive or lemon twist for garnish
Pour a drop of vermouth into a martini glass.
Swirl to coat and dump excess.
Pour vodka into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake until your hand is freezing cold, then strain into coated glass.
Garnish with olive or lemon twist and serve.
Enjoy!
View the recipe.
THORN CITY's Perfect Dry Martini
Cracked ice
2½ ounces Vodka (or Gin, if you must)
A drop of dry vermouth, such as Noilly Prat
Green olive or lemon twist for garnish
Pour a drop of vermouth into a martini glass.
Swirl to coat and dump excess.
Pour vodka into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake until your hand is freezing cold, then strain into coated glass.
Garnish with olive or lemon twist and serve.
Enjoy!
View the recipe.
April 8, 2024
Excited to share my THORN CITY unboxing video!
I'm excited to share my unboxing video for Thorn City, available in print, ebook and audiobook on May 14, 2024. It was such a thrill to see the book in person, and to have an opportunity to thank the amazing team at Ooligan Press for making it happen. View the video on Instagram.
