Marilyn Brant

Marilyn Brant is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of contemporary women’s fiction, romantic comedy, and mystery/suspense. Her debut novel, According to Jane, won the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart® Award, and she was named the 2013 Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. She's a lifelong Jane Austen fan, has a passion for spies and secret codes, loves travel, music, chocolate, and analyzing novels for Save the Cat! Her latest release is the romantic spy comedy The Secret Life of Maggie Blake (May 2022). Marilyn lives in the northern Chicago suburbs with her family, daydreaming new plot ideas for her next novel. For more about her writing, please visit her website.

Beat Sheets, Novel Writing, Whydunit

The Thursday Murder Club Novel Beat Sheet Analysis

See how The Thursday Murder Club—optioned by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment—hits the 15 Save the Cat! story beats.

Marilyn Brant, August 31, 2023 0 11 min read

partial image of front cover of The Hotel Nantucket

Beat Sheets, Buddy Love, Novel Writing

The Hotel Nantucket Novel Beat Sheet Analysis

See how the perfect summertime novel, The Hotel Nantucket, hits the 15 Save the Cat! story beats.

Marilyn Brant, July 27, 2023 0 13 min read

illustration from the front cover of Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Beat Sheets, Buddy Love, Novel Writing

Book Lovers Novel Beat Sheet Analysis

See how the utterly delightful New York Times bestseller Book Lovers by Emily Henry hits Blake Snyder's 15 beats.

Marilyn Brant, April 13, 2023 0 13 min read

The 2 lovers on the cover of The Love Hypothesis novel

Beat Sheets, Buddy Love, Novel Writing

The Love Hypothesis Novel Beat Sheet Analysis

See the 15 Blake Snyder story beats of the novel The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Marilyn Brant, February 16, 2023 0 13 min read

Beat Sheets, Novel Writing, Out Of The Bottle

This Time Tomorrow Novel Beat Sheet Analysis

See the 15 Blake Snyder story beats of Emma Straub's This Time Tomorrow.

Marilyn Brant, January 19, 2023 0 13 min read

Beat Sheets, Buddy Love, Novel Writing

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Novel Beat Sheet Analysis

See the Blake Snyder story beats for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Marilyn Brant, August 18, 2022 0 13 min read

Beat Sheets, Novel Writing, Whydunit

The Last Thing He Told Me Novel Beat Sheet Analysis

See the 15 Blake Snyder story beats of the bestseller, The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.

Marilyn Brant, April 7, 2022 0 13 min read

Beat Sheets, Fool Triumphant, Novel Writing, Whydunit

The Maid Novel Beat Sheet Analysis

See the 15 Blake Snyder story beats of The New York Times bestseller The Maid by Nita Prose.

Marilyn Brant, February 10, 2022 0 14 min read

Five Tuesdays in inter book covers

Beat Sheets, Buddy Love, Novel Writing

“Five Tuesdays in Winter” Short Story Beat Sheet

See the 15 Blake Snyder story beats in the Five Tuesdays in Winter short story by Lily King.

Marilyn Brant, December 16, 2021 10 min read

front cover of Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Beat Sheets, Novel Writing, Out Of The Bottle

Practical Magic Novel Beat Sheet

See the 15 Blake Snyder story beats of Alice Hoffman's novel, Practical Magic.

Marilyn Brant, October 14, 2021 0 12 min read

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