Last year, I reached out to Brendan to give me some tips on building tension because he is clearly so good at this. (Really. Read his books.) His answer surprised me. Apparently, the key is in your character’s flaws. Listen up as he explains why.

Brendan Reichs was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, and holds degrees from Wake Forest University and The George Washington University School of Law. After three years as a litigation attorney, he became a full-time writer. He co-wrote the popular six-volume Virals series, then moved on to write the New York Times Bestselling Nemesis trilogy, and recently co-wrote a middle-grade series with Ally Condie called The Darkdeep.