Alaina Urquhart - The Butcher Legacy - Signed | Forensic Files

And we're live. >> We're live. >> Should I Should I wait till people arrive? >> Yeah, just give give us a moment.
>> I'll give you several moments if you'd like. >> Oh my god. Look, you're also on
Instagram. Holy crap. >> Let's go live. >> Am I looking into the camera? >> Yes.
>> Okay. >> You look great. >> You look >> Your arm looks very muscular. You look
great. >> Thank you. >> [ __ ] 27 people are already here. >> Olivia, you were here alone for one
second. >> But Olivia, girl, it was you first. >> It's all you, Olivia. >> Elena, I love you.
>> I love you. >> Oh, I'm just waiting for people to get here. So, what's up, guys?
>> We'll start with questions soon. >> Yeah. >> Yes, we will. And have you heard about
this? >> Have you heard about the Butcher Legacy? >> Tell us. I hope you have because you're
here. It's the third book in the trilogy, the Dr. R. smaller series. It's the it's it's the thickest. I would say
she's a thickum and she's got a lot going on. And on the front cover, we have a Patricia Cornwell quote. So, I
think that's pretty cool. And feel free to ask any questions because I don't know how to write.
[laughter] >> What do you guys want to know about the third book? >> Yeah. What do you want to know about the
third book, The Butcher Legacy? >> Maybe you could start us off by telling us where we're coming back to, cuz the
second book left us off. where thank goodness for Ash invited here because I would be dead in the water. Uh, so the
second book took us to Massachusetts. The third book is bringing us back to New Orleans. We might have a little dip
in Massachusetts. We might dip our toes, but we're really rooted in New Orleans,
Louisiana around Halloween. And we're going to have a Halloween party is involved. A Halloween haunted house is
involved. So, we're getting the full French Quarter Halloween feel. >> Well, Red Witch Natkas wants to know,
does it end in a cliffhanger? >> Let's see. It doesn't really end in a cliffhanger, per se,
>> but but does it really end? >> But I I think you're going to be satisfied with the end. I think you're
going to feel good about it. >> What book so far? Um, Dalia May wants to know, "What has been your favorite to
write?" my favorite one to write so far. Dalia May, it might be The Butcher Legacy actually. I think I I've had so
much fun writing all three books. And I think, you know, The Butcher and the Ren
is like my baby, like my my my baby doll. But that and you know that took so long to write and I was doing it while I
was pregnant and while I had like little little tiny twins and that was a blast to write because it was just my first
endeavor writing a book at all and trying to write in long form and then doing the butcher game I'm looking over
there because the books are over there and I feel like I have to talk to them reading but doing the butcher game I was
like oh this is even more fun because I know these characters all of a sudden I feel like they're part of my family I
feel like they're extension of me. I know what they want to do. I know where they want to go. But then the Butcher
Legacy, I'm like in it now. And I feel like the more books you write for anybody who's like wants to write books
or is thinking about writing books, the more books you write and the more editing processes that you go through,
the more you start realizing how a book becomes a book at the end. Because in the beginning, you're going to be really
precious. I know I'm going off of this question completely, but we're here. the like in the beginning the more like you
know people are going to question like an editor is going to be like I think you should chop this paragraph or I
think you should shorten this for pacing or I think you should take this part out
and at first you're going to be like no it's mine and I wrote it and that flowery pros is supposed to be there
like I read the butcher and the ren and I'm like I love that book still but I'm like wow you are just beginning because
you just let it flow at times and then it slowly becomes where you see your own editing like you start editing as you
go. There's been times and I think that's why I love the Butcher Legacy so much is because during the process of
writing it, I started thinking more like an editor and I started understanding, okay, I know I want to describe this
thing for three pages and so I allowed myself to, but then I pulled it back a little bit and I made sure that the
pacing was right and I was I was thinking of the things that my editors have like kind of helped me understand
better. So, I feel like in The Butcher Legacy, I just like feel more confident in this book. I think that I feel the
most confident in this book. Um, so I and I really love the story. I feel like the story goes to a place where I was
really excited to take it. And I really wanted to see Ren and Jeremy have to talk to each other.
>> So, maybe that happens. >> And I think it was it's a fun one to write and it's a fun one to read.
So, uh, how do they order one of these signed editions? >> You want to pre-order? Is that what you
guys want to do? If you want to pre-order it, you if you're on Talk Shop Live right now, you can click the shop
button and you can pre-order it. Remember, these are signed, too. The ones you're going to get are signed. Um,
and I'm signing them here. Like, I promise they're not like a like a repurposed sticker or something like
they're they're on book plates, but I'm signing them. Uh, if you're on Facebook and Instagram, then you are going to
comment shop and then you're going to be sent links to order it to pre-order it.
If you're on YouTube, you can click on the description and you can pre-order it there. So remember, talk shop live, hit
the shop button. Facebook and Instagram comment shop. YouTube, hit the description, the button in the
description. And if you pre-order the butcher legacy, this is just kind of fun. If you pre-order it and you uh you
can enter a giveaway that we're doing. You can be entered for a chance to win and it's the link is in my bio on
Instagram. If you look at my bio link tree, it's going to be in there to enter to possibly win one of these really cool
books. I'm coming closer to you because these bookmarks are really cool. >> Oh, it's like um QVC. It's like QVC a
little bit. >> The glare is there. Okay. I'm being like an influencer right now. We'll share
pictures on our Instagram as well. It's really cool. It looks like it's dripping.
>> Oh, put it in the book, too. >> Oh, yeah. You got to see how it lines up with the book.
>> It's actually the sickest thing ever. >> So, say, you know, I'm just out here
reading the book and I said, "Oh, I got to go swim." Okay, I'm just going to put
it in the book. And if you line it up, can you see it? >> They can see it. >> The blood drip. How good is that?
>> Follows the blood drip in the book. >> It's so cute. >> I love it so much. Okay, you can be entered to win one of
these if you send in proof of your pre-order in the link in my bio. >> This is a really good question, I think,
especially for this installment. I love that >> um of the Butcher series. Alice uh wants
to know, tell us more about Philillip. I want to know what his true intentions are.
>> Well, I'm not going to give you everything about Philip, but I think Philillip is definitely not who
Philillip seems. Or maybe he is who he seems. Maybe you're sitting there being like, "Wait a minute. I I think I got
some vibes from Philip." Um, Phillip is actually like a really interesting character and he's going to become even
more interesting in the Butcher Legacy. Um, he him and Jeremy have a complicated
relationship and you're going to find out about it in this. They there's more to them than you probably know and
they're maybe they have a little more in common than you think. Who knows? Can't
be sure. I think you'll have to read it maybe. [laughter] >> So, Ugly Voodoo asked, "Do you
[laughter] >> do you have a new favorite um added character to this book?" >> You know, I there's there's a few good
characters in this. I added a few people to this book that I think you're really
going to like. I think you're really going to like a new um police officer. That's what I was just thinking.
>> Maya Rodriguez, I think you're really gonna like her. She's a fun character and I I love like I like when I can
write a character that I'm like, damn, I want to hang out with her. Like I was like, [ __ ] I want to hang out with
Maya. Uh I think you're really going to like her. Um I think you're also going to like a character uh named Sister
Maro, who I think is going to surprise you a little bit. Um and there's a few other characters that I'm really excited
about that I added to this one. And there's a few that I kind of kind of not break, too.
>> All right. I love it. Laura Ann wants to know if this leaves room for a fourth
potentially [laughter] a fourth book in the series. >> Ann, that's a great question. Uh, I
think I will never say that this is completely over. I would say this these three books are a trilogy for sure, but
the Dr. Ren Muller series does not necessarily have to be over and I think there's definitely room to explore
in particular one story that comes out of the butcher legacy a little further and I intend to at some point but these
three definitely stand alone as a trilogy. So this is going to conclude a lot of what you're looking to conclude.
>> Awesome. So, uh, Valyriia G asked, "How was writing this one compared to the others?"
>> Valyriia G, thank you. Well, it was like I was talking about before, it's I feel
like with the Butcher Legacy, I like start you I feel like I became more aware of of my writing and how I write.
I realized that I [laughter] which I'm not going to totally like take away. I'm not going to like strip away
what I think like my particular writing style is, but I really like flowery pros
and I love long descriptions. I love texture. I love smells and like everything that you can I want you to be
in the scene like fully and I will still continue doing that. But I've learned where it adds to a scene and where it
takes away or where it can, especially in a thriller or in something that's supposed to be scary and like high
tension, where it can slow down the pace and take you a little bit out of that moment and be like, "Okay, well, I don't
feel as stressed anymore." So, I've learned a little bit through writing and through working with editors and like
seeing how they do their job. Like editors are I don't know how they do that job, man. But I think I've just
learned better. It was So, it was a good learning process to write this book because I think I've become more
confident with writing. And I think I've realized how to make the process a little more streamlined for myself
because I'm not leaving it to the editor to tell me that they need to, you know,
like cut out a chunk of of just really descriptive stuff in a scene. I can know to do that already. And I think also
introducing new characters in this book was really fun because when you're working with the same characters, you
know them in and out like you know everything. You start to like know everything about them. Like you start to
feel like you are them or they're just extensions of your brain and which is great. But when you add new characters,
it's almost like hanging out with a new group of friends that you really like and you like get to know them better and
you start seeing the things that you like in them and that you don't like in them and you start um like I brought
this with me so you guys can see it because one of the things is my handy dandy notebook and I fully recommend
that anybody writing a book get themselves like a good notebook that they can just like beat up. They can add
little inserts, too. Like this one has like several little notebooks in it. It has inserts. And this is where I write
all my random like ramblings of things. So, if I'm introducing a new character, I'll just start writing everything about
that character. And I started doing that more with this book. Uh, which was really fun because I think it's helped
me like figure out characters more because like when you get to the third book, you want to make sure that your
characters are like the same characters. You know what I mean? Like Ren can't suddenly have all these new ticks that
she does or new like quirks that she has that she didn't have in the first two books. It's like you want to make sure
you're writing down, okay, this is what she does when she's nervous. This is what she does when she's happy. This is
how she acts when she's sad. She really likes her coffee this way. she moves this way. So if you I started writing
those down and it became so much easier. I think I just like organized myself better with this book. I just everything
about this book's process I think I streamlined a little bit which was nice and that's why I love it so much. I love
her. >> I love her too and I think that everybody else is going to How did they order a signed version of this book?
Elena, >> I love Mikey's way of doing that. So to order a signed version of this, the
butcher legacy, if you're on talk shop live, click the shop button. If you're on Facebook or Instagram, I want you to
comment shop for a link to order. If you're on YouTube, you can click the link in the description. All of those
are ways that you can get a signed copy of The Butcher Legacy. You'll pre-order it. It's coming out August 11th. I'm so
excited. We're like really close, guys. >> Hell yeah, brother. >> Halloween. Let's go.
>> Ashley G made a very good point. Ashley G, what up? >> You just did a Scream Tik Tok. Do the
rules of this new book actually follow those of Scream. >> What's crazy is that that particular uh
Randy Tik Tok, which was so Ash's little like jumping in and saying trilogy, it was so good. Uh, I was shocked at how
like I started the re the way that I came up with that was the other night John and I were sitting on the couch and
we were like flicking through, you know, like one of the streaming services and I
saw a screen too actually and I was like and I think it was just like playing a preview of Randy doing the sequel rules
and I was like, "Oh, I love that." And then I was like, "Wait, he does that in for Scream 3?" Like, wait a minute. I
was like, "He does a trilogy one, right?" So, we put it on. And I went to the part and I'm listening to it and I
looked at John and I'm like this is actually kind of true because it's like the killer is basically superhuman. You
got to cryogenically freeze him, decapitate him or blow him up. Uh any anybody can die. Anyone's fair game,
including Sydney Prescott. Uh the past is going to come back to bite you in the ass. And that's you're going to learn
something in a trilogy in the third installment of a trilogy. maybe you're going to learn something that you
thought was true in the beginning that ends up not being true. And I said, "Oh [ __ ] yeah, that does follow that."
Especially the learning something that you thought was true that isn't true. That's definitely true for this. So, I
would say it does follow those rules. Actually, >> that was a good question. It really was.
Let's look for another one. Let's look for another question. >> Oh, this is just a funny one. And I
actually have the same question. So, thank you, Jessica Van. Jessica Ban, >> should I get therapy for loving Jeremy?
>> Here's the thing. You're my kind of person because no, don't think you need to. He's It's okay. He's fictional and I
get it. We love a fictionally gray, morally gray character. I get it. I love Spike. You know, we all Eric North on
True Blood. What can we do? You know, that's we don't need therapy. We're We're doing it correctly. We're We're
getting it in our fictional men. Okay. So, don't worry about it. Jeremy is charming and attractive. So,
>> yeah. >> So, Laura Ann asked, "How do you come up with how do you come up with the
important side characters personalities? Are they based on people you know?" >> That's a good question. So sometimes
they're based I wouldn't say anyone's like fully based on people that I know except maybe Richard. Uh I think that
and that just kind of happened very organically. Um but most of the time I infuse little traits of people that I
know into characters and then I kind of mold them to become their own thing. Because the cool thing with side
characters is they're like they're It sounds super cliche, but they really are like moldable clay. It's like the more
you play with them and the more you mold them, the more they become what they're
going to become, like something that you don't you didn't realize in the beginning that you were making kind of
thing. So, you start out, at least this is how I do I just start out with kind of like a barebones like scaffolding of
a person and I think of maybe one trait that I need them to have to fit into this world and that I need them to have
to fit in with the rest of these people and then I kind of like build out around
that trait. And a lot of times they become something completely different. Like there was a couple of characters in
the Butcher Legacy that started out as something and then I started tweaking them and they just kind of became their
own thing. And side characters should be like cool. Like you you don't want side
characters to be these like forgettable characters, which is really easy to have
happen because they're not going to maybe be in the whole story or they're going to be kind of periphery, but you
really don't want them to be these forgettable characters that people are like, "Oh, I don't really care what
happens to that person." Or that worse, they don't remember that they were even there in the first place or they forget
about them halfway through the book. So, you want to make sure they have stuff that makes you go, "Oh, like I love that
person." Or, "Fuck, I hate that person." You want these like really intense reactions even to your side characters.
So, I think as long as you start with one little little piece and maybe it's something from someone that you know and
you just start building on that, you're going to make really cool side characters. And that's basically what I
do. >> I love that. >> Thanks. Uh, EJ Lavy wants to know, "I've been listening to the audio and the
narrators are amazing." Shout out to Sophie and Joe. >> Sophie and Joe. >> What was it like to hear the embodiment
of your characters? And maybe I would give a little tease. >> Yeah, maybe. So, EJ, that's amazing. And
I love that you love the narrator. Sophie and Joe are phenomenal. When I first got to hear
people reading the lines that I wrote and like embodying characters that I made, it's the most surreal thing you
will ever experience. It's so far it's never gotten to the point where I'm like, "Oh yeah, just
like read Ren's lines to me." Like, and when I get the line reads, it's And Sophie has the most perfect Ren voice.
Jeremy nailed is nailed by Joe. like it's everyone loves to hear their voices and I think they really killed them. And
then I have to say maybe those won't be the only two voices >> in the next one. I don't know.
>> Who can be sure? Maybe there's another character that deserves a voice and maybe we found a perfect voice for it. I
don't know who who could be sure. Like that's maybe I'm just saying things. I don't. But yeah, it's cool to hear their
voices. [laughter] Well, Allison M asks, "What's the weirdest rabbit hole you fell into while
researching the third book?" >> Because we know you fall into weird rabbit holes. Yeah. Okay. So, there's
there's a couple. Um, one of them was the angel's trumpet flower. That was a wild rabbit hole. Uh, finding out that
that's like a hallucinogenic I think it's or like it has some kind of like hallucinogenic qualities to it. Uh, it's
not great when ingested. Uh, and I also fell down this rabbit hole of um red wolves in Louisiana and where when they
were in Louisiana and when they weren't and if there are any possible like remnants of the red wolves now. Um, I
also fell down I'm trying to think of all the different rabbit holes without giving too much. Those are two big ones.
Um, I fell down a Latin rabbit rabbit hole. Like it like phrases in Latin. Um, I f I fell down a ra a lot of Bible
rabbit holes. >> Oh, preachers. You l you watched a lot of preacher videos. >> I watched a lot of preacher like lots of
sermons. Um, lots of different denominations of sermons. Uh that was an experience that was a big one. I fell
into a lot of religious rabbit holes with this one. Just studying different parts of different religions and
different pieces of it. >> Well, in between the rabbit holes people might be going down right now, if they
do want to buy your book and they are watching here, where can they get this book?
>> This book? You mean the Butcher Legacy? >> That's the one. >> I knew it. Uh, if you're on talk shop
live, you can click the shop button to pre-order a signed version of the Butcher Legacy. I thought there was a
spider on me and I thought we were going to have a meltdown, but it was my hair.
Uh, Facebook or Instagram, if you're on there, you can comment shop for links to
order. They'll be sent to you. Um, on YouTube, you can click the link in the description and you'll be pre-ordering.
It's coming out August 11th. They will be signed by me. Um, and also if you want after you pre-order, you can go to
the link in my bio and you can um send in for like a receipt for your pre-order, like proof of your pre-order,
and you will be entered into a chance to win some pretty cool prizes. And one of
those prizes, just one of them, is this cool bookmark. >> It's bleeding. >> It is bleeding. It's so fun. I hope the
glare is not >> No, you can see it. It looks good. [laughter] And again, in case you didn't see it the
first time, if you happen to be reading The Butcher Legacy, which you should, especially if you pre-order it and you
want to, you have something to do and you're like, I got to put this down for a second. You put your bookmark in
there. Look at that. It looks like it's just bleeding off the page. >> Iconic. Like, that's cool. And they're
shiny. They're also They're very thick. They're a nice thick bookmark. I I love these things. So, you'll be entered into
a chance to win this and maybe something else. Who knows? >> Uh, so it's worth it. Face reorder.
>> So, Hannah asked, "The Butcher Legacy picks up after the events of the Butcher
Game. What was the biggest challenge in bringing Ren back after everything she's
been through?" >> That is a great question. Uh, Hannah, right? Okay. I want to make sure I said
the same name. Um, Hannah, that's a really good question because a lot happened in the butcher game. And one of
the things that was difficult but also important to get through is that Ren couldn't just come back from those
events months later and just go straight back into Ren mode. Like she had to she
had to have changed after the events of the Butcher Game. There had to have been
some kind of significant change to how she was acting, how her regular routine was going. uh without giving too many
spoilers. Um and that was the thing that I I found the most difficult but also like almost therapeutic to write was
like her becoming Ren but Ren dealing with what she's dealing with. And then I needed Ren to be able to confront
everything that scared her and everything that traumatized her. And I wanted her to have that moment of being
able to like be badass Ren. And I think you'll definitely see that in the butcher legacy.
>> Love. >> Love. >> Chris wants to know, "Who would you have star in this trilogy if the books were
made into movies?" This is always such a hard question. >> I feel like I mean, is this too I mean,
>> shoot for the moon. >> I'm coming. So, >> Alexander Scarsgard could play Jeremy. I feel uh that's
that's always been my feeling on that one. And Ren is always the part the one that's difficult cuz I see her as like
an Amy Adamsish kind of gal. Um but I don't know that she's a hard one to pin down I think. Um and I kind of see
John Laroo and again I'm shooting for the stars here. I see John Laroo as Ida Silva. Oh, I see that 100%.
>> Just see him like that. And I think he would be amazing. So, like if you guys
are free, let me know because you guys are obviously on this live. >> Scarcely. [laughter]
Uh, girl in Ohio wants to know if you could hold all three books side by side because they really want to see them
together. Oh, >> I'd love that. >> They're also behind Elena. These are so these there's two soft covers here.
>> See if I can actually hold them. >> No, >> it has tiny hands. >> Oh, no. >> Oh. Oh, this is like British American.
>> Oh, sorry. >> Isn't that cool? >> That's British peperio. >> Peperio. Um, oh, and also I don't know if there's
there's probably no UK people here. There's something cool coming with that. So,
hold on to that. Thank you, Mikey. Um, so one of them is paper, but let's see. Am I in the shot? Yes, you
look great. >> Look at that. They look pretty good, right? And again, this is a paperback. That's why it's
slightly off size. But I think they look kind of nice together. And one of the things that I
love about The Butcher Game or The Butcher Legacy, I love The Butcher Game as well. Um, is I'm obsessed with this
cover. [laughter and snorts] This cover was the easiest cover process to go through because I loved it
immediately. Like it was the easiest collaboration ever. Um, and again, Patricia Cornwall's on so
>> casual casual casual >> humble brag. [laughter] It's just >> so T-Rex asks, "Did you have the ending
of the book in mind when writing the first book?" >> I had So, I definitely had the ending of
each book in mind as I went to the book. I didn't have the full ending of the trilogy in mind when I started the first
book. Um cuz to be honest, I had no idea that it was going to be a trilogy. I knew there would be more, but I just
didn't know what that would look like. Um, but when when I began the second book, I knew how I wanted this one to
end, if that makes sense. And it got a little tweaked as I went, which I think is important. Be open to that if you're
writing that like sometimes it's just not going to make sense or it's just or you're going to get to that point and
you're going to be like, you know what, I don't want it to end that way. So, you
can it's okay to tweak it, you know? So, that's kind of what happened here and I'm very happy I did. Nice. Uh, Lisa J.
Straight wants to know, "What do you do to get out of your head after a particularly dark or heavy writing
session?" >> That's a great question. Um, I think honestly it's it's probably easier for
me because I have three young children that I think especially like my youngest is an absolute cook and she's like a
comedian. So, I can't stay in that mode for very long. even when I emerge from a
writing hole, like she's doing something insane that's going to make me laugh and
it's like immediately I'm out of it and I'm just in mom mode. And I think that's
helped me a lot. I just immediately go back into parent mode. And I think also like the writing sessions, they can be
like really heavy. Um like especially writing The Butcher Game was there was some rough rough moments during that,
but I think it's therapeutic to write it out. So I think I it's almost a catharsis to write it out. So then when
I come out of the writing hole, it almost feels like I went through a therapy session. So I feel a little like
renewed coming out of it. Because sometimes like these ideas will come into my head and I'll write them in my
trusty notebook. And that's when it will kind of sit and feel a little heavy is when it's not flushed out yet and when I
haven't let it breathe yet. So, I feel like once I get it down and once it's like in the scene, it almost feels like
it's gone. It's out of my head now, if that makes sense. >> So, Finn's fan asked, "Where do they
send the receipt for those special pre-order uh opportunities?" >> I love that you're asking that because
again, this bookmark is pretty cool. So, there's a link in my bio on Instagram. It's in the link tree. Um, and you will
see in the link tree it'll say, um, I think it says, in fact, I'll look it up right now to make sure I can give you
the exact wording that it says. Um, because there's other cool things. There might be some other fun little things
with that. Um, see, so it's the bottom link in my link tree and it says bookmark gift giveaway. If
you click that link and you will be able to upload your proof that you pre-order
the book and then you will be automatically entered to possibly win a bookmark and maybe something else.
>> But what if they haven't pre-ordered their book? Where can they do that right
this moment? >> That's such a good question. Where can you pre-order the Butcher Legacy right
at this moment? So, if you're on Talk Shop Live, you can click the shop button. If you're on Facebook and
Instagram, you can comment shop and you'll get links sent to you to pre-order. If you're on YouTube, you can
click the link in the description. You're pre-ordering the Butcher Legacy. It's going to be signed by me. Um, so,
so go ahead and pre-order. It's coming out August 11th because it's slasher summer, y'all. Let's get on it.
>> Period. >> Period. Lauren wants to know, "As an autopsy technician, how do you decide
what forensic details to include and what to leave out?" That's a great question actually. Um, so there's a lot
of details during an autopsy or during like this kind of investigation that would are very interesting in life like
when you are actually in it and like seeing it. Um, but I don't know if they would translate to written word cuz
sometimes things are very very interesting when you're there because you can look at it, you can see it, you
can touch it, you can smell it, you can do all those things, but if you're reading it on the page, it might not
translate the same way and it might not give the same kind of impact that you're
going to get. That was really if I wrote if something was part of the autopsy that I felt like, you know what, this is
kind of slowing it down and I don't think people are really going to be even able to picture this in their head
because that was the other thing. I didn't want people to feel like they had to keep Googling things or like just
being like, I can't picture this. I don't know what that is. That kind of takes you out of it. So, I wanted to
make sure it was things that felt really interesting and felt really dynamic, like all those parts, you know, and
obviously I kept some of the more mundane parts, but I think it it I wanted to stay with more of like the
dynamic things that you could really visualize in your mind. And actually, during an autopsy scene in The Witcher
Legacy, there's a really um and I can tell you this because it's just a name um but it was a funny backstory with it.
I was trying to name someone in an autopsy scene and in my head I could I could not come up with a name. I it was
like I was like why am I not coming up with a name for this person? So I looked at John and I said hey like can you help
me with a name for this person in this scene? And he sat there for a second and in my head all of the sudden I said
Cheyenne. And John looked at me and goes, "Sheyenne, Cheyenne." Like, where did that pop?
Like in my head I said Cheyenne. And then John just comes out and says Cheyenne. And I was like, "Where did you
come up with that?" And he's like, "I don't know." It just popped in my head. And I was like, "Well, that's the name
of the character now." Like there was no denying that. Weirdest thing to happen in the entire world. I still have no no
idea how that happened. like no idea how because I don't know why it popped into
my head either, but John apparently we were linked in that moment. It was weird.
>> So, Trend Whezezy asks, "Do you think you'll always write horror or explore other genres as you continue writing?"
>> So, I love horror and I love thriller. That's like my genre of choice. And I do
want to write more thrillers, but I really want to write some horror books, like straight up horror. Um, I have
something in mind right now. And I also though I have this like I feel like I want to someday dabble into like like
fantasy like like dark fantasy kind of thing. I love fantasy. I love fantasy worlds. I love world building and all
that, but I've always been like really intimidated by the idea of building like a magic system or like building like a
whole world. So, it's so intimidating to me, but I really want to someday. And I
feel like someday I'm going to try it. I'm going to try it someday. But right now, I'm very very focused on like
horror next. I really want to go fully into a horror for sure. >> She's a very spooky girl.
Uh, Colorado Wallace wants to know, "What inspired you to write the book or the series?"
>> So, that's a good question. I was pregnant at the time with twins and I was having the craziest vivid dreams in
the entire world. Um, this is before the butcher and the run and uh, one of them
and I used to have this like pad of paper next to my uh, bed because I would tell John in the morning like, "Oh, I
had this crazy dream." And then I just kind of like forget what it was and I was like, "It was so vivid though and I
can't remember it." And he was like, "H, I want to know." So I started like when
I could. It wasn't like every night I could sit there and write down what I was dreaming. But if I woke up and I had
the wherewithal, I'd be like, "Oh." And I'd like quickly write like a word just so it would like jog my memory in the
morning. And one night I had a weird, very disjointed dream of like running away from some guy who was chasing me. I
felt like I was running through like really thick sand or something. It felt like marshy and swampy and gross. And it
was dark and I didn't know why I was running from him, but I was like, I'm gonna keep running. And there was like
music blasting in the background, which I don't know now. I'm Whenever I tell this story, I'm like, I wonder if that
was my alarm. And I just don't remember. It might have been my alarm that was blasting music, but it's it fit the vibe
in the dream. And when I woke up, I like wrote it, you know, little bits and pieces of it down. I have the the little
piece of paper somewhere. And I told John about it and he was like, "That's gross and horrifying." And I was like,
"Yeah, it is." And I really wanted to know more. I was like, "That was scary." And like that would be a scary story to
tell. So I was like, "I wonder who that guy was. Like why was I even running from him? Like who was he?" And I was
like, "I'm going to start writing who he is." And that's kind of where it began.
I was like, "I'm just going to write a short story just to like get this out of my head." And then it turned into not a
short story. >> And that was it. That was the beginning. And then I just I've always loved
writing. So it just took off from there. >> Now it's three books. >> And now it's three books. [laughter] The
third book being The Butcher Legacy that you can pre-order. >> Well, how do they do that?
>> And the way you can pre-order is if you're on Topshop Live, you can click that shop button. Remember, they're
going to be signed. You're pre-ordering signed copies. And on Facebook and Instagram, you can comment shop and a
link will be sent to you to pre-order a signed copy of The Butcher Legacy. If you are on YouTube, you can click the
link in the description and you can pre-order a signed copy of The Butcher Legacy that's out August 11th.
>> Period. >> Period. >> Let's go. All right. So, Marlo 383, um, speaking about what you just spoke about
short stories becoming longer stories. >> Um, she wants they want to know if you
have any advice for aspiring writers. I love writing and have some short stories.
>> Yes. Okay. So, first of all, take those short stories and see what you can expand in them. You might surprise
yourself and be like, "Oh, this has legs." And and you'll just start running with it. And also the like I say to any
aspiring writer, read as much as you possibly can, especially in the genre that you want to read in. not to get
obviously ideas from other writers or anything like that, but to when I read a good like I read, you know, um, Chasing
the Boogeyman by Richard Chismar while I was writing, I believe, The Butcher Game
and I love that book. I love Richard Chismar. He's a great author if you're looking for a great thriller author
author. And um I was so because that book was so well written and because the way he wrote it was so unique. It was a
very unique way to write a thriller book where it felt almost like you were watching a true crime documentary kind
of. Um I was so inspired just to write my own thing and to make it better. Like it's again you're not like being like oh
I'm going to write it like that. You're like no that's just so good that now I want to make mine even better than what
it was. So definitely read in your genre that you want to write in. Um, and I think find the things that get like
anytime you're alone, be thinking about the book and thinking about the world. Anytime you're taking a walk, be
thinking about it. What you can pull from certain things. And the other thing, like I've said it a couple times
on here, having a notebook that you will keep because I know like sometimes we get notebooks, we all do it and we use
it for like a second and then it's just gone. The get a notebook and if you can get like a good notebook like this is
like, you know, it's it's sturdy. It can hold a lot of stuff. It allows me to like have a little insert for like pens
and, you know, pencils and different things that I want to stick in here. And it has different inserts of notebooks
where I can do different ideas. So like because you you're never going to remember the thing that you thought of
like, oh, this would be a good idea for a story or this would be a good idea to put in my story. I've done that a
million times before where I've been like, oh, I got to remember that. And then I don't I go to write it and I'm
like, what was that thing that I was thinking of? But if you have something like this that you can carry with you, I
stick it in my purse everywhere I go. Like Ash and Mikey could tell you this thing comes with me everywhere.
>> Can confirm. >> Can confirm. Then I can just bust it out really quick and write down something.
Uh and then you have it all in one place. So when you go to sit down and write, you can open your crazy ass
notebook and all your crazy ramblings are in here. I like I'll glue like um pictures in here that inspire me. That's
a really big thing that's helped me. Um, I've written down like little, you know,
uh, world maps in here. It's just a notebook, I think, is one of the best things that you can have to organize
yourself, especially if you're more, and I think a lot of writers are, I think, at heart more like analog based people.
Even though you have to write on like, you know, computers and use technology, I don't do well with like organizing my
stuff on a computer. I have to have it with me all the time. So, I think this is one of my biggest things that I've
learned has helped is having my book and having my worlds and my ideas and my research and my inspiration with me all
the time. So, that's a big one for sure. And just do it. You can do it. >> Just do it.
>> Just do it. That's the biggest piece of advice is just do it. You'll do it. You're going to write You're going to
write a book. >> Congratulations. You're going to write a book. Well, Estee Lee0415
wants to know, "Do you have any ideas in your notebook that you've already planned on expanding into a book?"
>> Yes, I have two ideas in here that one is is already on its way. She she's she's moving and grooving. Um, in fact,
it's in this one in this piece part of the notebook is where the the really the big one is. Uh, and then is it this
one? Yep. And then this little little notebook right here has another one. Um, so those two are already already in
there. And again, this is really cool because you can add different inserts of notebooks so I can have as many story
ideas as possible. But yeah, right now there's two pretty fleshy ones in there, which I'm excited about. And they are
very horror tilted. >> Twin Whezzey says, "Two ideas." Oh, mama. [laughter] >> All right.
>> Excited for them. >> Before we ask our very last question of the night, Miss Big Red yourself, where
can the people buy your creations? So, you can get a pre-order signed copy of The Butcher Legacy, which I'm telling
you, she's a thicky and she's great. I love her. She's probably I I feel weird saying it, but she might be my favorite.
She might be I hate to say it because they're all my babies, but like this really right now it's my favorite. Um,
if you're on Talk Shop Live, you can click the shop button. If you're on Facebook and Instagram, comment shop and
we will send you a link so you can pre-order a signed copy. on YouTube, you can click the link in the description to
pre-order a signed copy of The Butcher Legacy, which is out August 11th. And again, if you pre-order, you can go to
the link in my bio on Instagram, my link tree. on the bottom, you're going to see
a bookmark giveaway. And if you um upload your proof that you pre-ordered the book, The L, The Butcher Legacy,
then you can be entered for a chance to win this really cool bookmark, which is like she's a picky. Uh and she's really
cool. She goes with the book and um you might be pre you might be able to get some other cool stuff. So, and look,
again, I will never get over that it just continues bleeding. So that's really cool. So do it.
>> Okay. Ashke Kell from Massachusetts wants to know, "If you could leave us with one thing to urge us to order this
book, what would it be? What one part or one thing that happens that you can kind
of give us some info on?" >> That's a great one. Ashkell out there. >> Yeah, she sounds cool.
>> She does. She sounds She sounds gorgeous. >> It's funny. I don't know. [laughter] But
dear Ashtell, uh I would say the one thing that I will leave you with is maybe maybe finally we're going to see Ren and
Jeremy face to face and maybe we're going to finally see a lot more of who they were before they were this. So
>> maybe >> Ashel looks forward to that. >> All right, >> you did it. >> I think we reached we reached the end of
our live. So guys, this was really fun and you guys are awesome and thank you so much for all the great questions and
it's always fun hanging out with you guys. I will do this whenever I can because this is just a blast and you
guys are so great. Um, and pre-order the Butcher Legacy. I promise you're I really think you're going to like it.
I'm very proud of this one. I feel really good about this one and I think it has a lot of stuff that's gonna
really get you going. So, pre-order The Butcher Legacy. It's out August. >> Huzzah.
>> Huzzah. >> I do this first. I think >> I think off yet, but just keeping >> Good job.
I bet

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Click the link above to order Alaina Urquhart's new book, The Butcher Legacy, with a signed bookplate! She's back! Join Alaina Urquhart on TalkShopLive to discuss her new book, The Butcher Legacy: A Dr. Wren Muller Novel. The thrilling third novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dr. Wren Muller series from Alaina Urquhart.

Two months after the life-altering events of The Butcher Game, Wren is back in the place she knows best: the New Orleans morgue. She buries herself in routine, surrounded by both familiar and new company, John Leroux and Maya Rodriguez, trying to convince herself that normalcy can be rebuilt. But in the weeks leading up to Halloween, shadows begin to move again as young girls vanish in both cities where Jeremy Rose once ran rampant.

Brief Summary

Dr. R. Smaller discusses her upcoming book The Butcher Legacy, character development, and the writing process in this engaging episode.

Key points

The Butcher Legacy Revealed. The third book in the Dr. R. smaller series is set in New Orleans around Halloween.
Cliffhanger Question. Will the third book end in a cliffhanger?
New Characters Introduced. Meet exciting new characters like Maya Rodriguez and Sister Maro in The Butcher Legacy.
Exploring Rabbit Holes. The author shares bizarre rabbit holes encountered while researching for the book, including hallucinogenic flowers.
Pre-Order The Butcher Legacy. Details on how to pre-order the signed copy of the upcoming book.
Character Development Challenges. The author discusses the challenges of bringing back a character after traumatic events.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I think you're going to feel good about it.

2:10WatchJun 12, 2026

Tension

40/ 100Low tension

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