True Fiction Project: "Crime Thriller Mashup" (Season 6 Highlight)

Host: Renita Hora
Guests: Rhonda Taylor Parker, Armand Rosamilia, Ed Moser
Release Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

This special episode of the True Fiction Project showcases highlights from host Renita Hora’s interviews with three standout crime thriller authors from Season 6. Renita explores how each author transforms real-life inspiration into gripping, unpredictable fiction, blending true experiences, dark imagination, and sharp characterization. Each segment includes an author interview followed by a dramatic excerpt from their work—demonstrating the process of turning “nonfiction to fiction.”

Key Discussion Points & Notable Moments

1. Rhonda Taylor Parker: Crime, Trauma, and Second Chances

[01:03–07:02]

Discussion Highlights

• Personal Tragedy as Inspiration:
  Rhonda discusses her debut novel Crossroads, rooted in her painful experience with the loss of her adopted son and navigating professional and personal setbacks.
• Spiritual Mirror:
  She shares her view that fiction acts as a "spiritual mirror," prompting readers to reflect on their own choices.
• An Unexpected Champion:
  Crossroads caught the attention of Muriel Hemingway—Ernest Hemingway’s granddaughter.

Notable Quote

“My hope for the reader is that they realize it's not just the entertainment of the suspense thriller, but it's also to get people to think about the choices that they're making in their lives and the ability for them to make changes before something happens.”
– Rhonda Taylor Parker [02:14]

Fiction Excerpt: Aftermath of a Fatal Choice

[02:35–07:02]

• Follows Billy, a young man haunted by a night gone wrong, suffused with guilt, fear, and regret after the death of a girl.
• Vivid depiction of trauma:

  “He hadn’t even been prepared for the screams, the gushing of the blood, the sudden quietness after she died. The pictures reeling in his head were like a horror movie.”
  – Rhonda Taylor Parker (reading excerpt) [03:36]

• Intimate struggle with self-blame and thoughts of suicide, tempered with the instinct to seek help:

  “He looked around the small room in search of a way to leave the pain behind. As he looked, he knew he wouldn't end his life. He didn't have the courage to hurt a fly, let alone kill himself. He'd call his mother. She would know what to do next.”
  – Rhonda Taylor Parker (reading excerpt) [06:36]

2. Armand Rosamilia: The Business and Art of Crime and Horror

[07:02–14:57]

Discussion Highlights

• Genre Reflections:
  Armand examines the market realities of horror vs. crime thrillers, describing horror as a “rabid but small” market compared to the larger, more lucrative world of crime fiction.
• Commitment to Storytelling:
  Although driven by market forces, Armand emphasizes that storytelling and finding his true voice remain his priority.

Notable Quotes

“I've kind of found my voice over the last few years and... found my readership. A lot of them will read the horror stuff, but they're all reading the crime thriller stuff.”
– Armand Rosamilia [08:54]

“I'm not going to start writing romance because I want to make millions of dollars. But as a full-time writer who has to make a living doing this, you got to look at it and it’s a business.”
– Armand Rosamilia [08:12]

Fiction Excerpt: Final Reckoning in ‘Shakedown’

[09:15–14:57]

• Walt, a low-level crew member, wakes to a pounding at his door—his fate hanging in the balance.
• Tension builds as his boss confronts him over a costly mistake:

  “Do you know what happens when you mess up? It makes all of us look bad. Especially me.”
  – Boss, as read by Armand Rosamilia [11:26]

• Walt’s desperate final pleas:

  “I’ll do whatever you want. I swear. No more screw ups. I'll clean toilets. I'll kill for you free of charge. I'll take out the garbage. Anything, boss. Anything.”
  – Armand Rosamilia (reading as Walt) [13:51]

• The grim lesson for the crew:

  “You’re going to be a lesson to the rest of the crew...”
  – Boss, as read by Armand Rosamilia [14:21]

3. Ed Moser: Real-Life Scandal and Ghosts of Washington, DC

[15:27–21:38]

Discussion Highlights

• From Comedy to History’s Dark Side:
  Ed’s journey from comedy writing and speechwriting to retelling the scandal-soaked history of Washington, DC’s Lafayette Square.
• Truth Stranger than Fiction:
  His tours and fiction imply that the city’s history is riddled with crime, from espionage to murder—a tradition that continues, he jokes, with a wink.
• Research as Adventure:
  Personalizes the history by embedding his own commentary and sense of wonder.

Notable Quote

“I tell the guests on my tours that any scandal or misbehavior I mention… occurred in the distant past… There hasn't been a hint, a scintilla of impropriety or scandal in recent Washington history. I tell them that joke and they usually laugh…”
– Ed Moser [16:15]

Fiction Excerpt: The Haunted Carlisle Mansion

[17:07–21:38]

• Investigators Ted and Harmony navigate the ominous grounds of the Carlisle Mansion, blending real historical elements with fictional suspense.
• Inventive historical details (the black cat walled alive in the mansion’s foundation):

  “It was Carlisle's belief that the angry spirit of the killed cat would forever haunt the house and scare away any other evil spirits attempting to approach.”
  – Ed Moser (reading) [20:35]

• Touches on espionage, murder, and the blending of American myth and fact.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:03] Introduction to crime thriller mashup theme & Rhonda Taylor Parker
• [02:14] Rhonda Taylor Parker interview & reading (Crossroads)
• [07:02] Introduction to Armand Rosamilia
• [07:46] Armand Rosamilia interview & reading (Shakedown)
• [15:27] Introduction to Ed Moser
• [16:15] Ed Moser interview & reading (Old Town Horror)
• [21:38] Episode wrap-up

Summary & Takeaways

• Each author demonstrates how crime fiction can serve as more than entertainment—it becomes a mirror for personal reflection, a business, and a way to bring history alive.
• The fiction excerpts showcase the emotional aftershocks of bad choices, the harsh rules of underworld business, and the enduring magnetism of haunted places.
• Memorable quotes and dramatized readings illustrate the authors’ approaches to tension and morality in crime fiction.

This episode is essential for lovers of crime thrillers, aspiring writers, and anyone fascinated by the way real experience is woven into compelling fictional narratives.