By Isabella Maldonado Last November, I went to Dubai, where I found an amazing oasis in the desert. If you think flowers are just for vases, think again! The Dubai Miracle Garden is flipping the script on floral displays with their jaw-dropping, larger-than-life sculptures made entirely of...
BRAIN SCIENCE FOR WRITERS: BINAURAL BEATS
By Isabella Maldonado As a writer, I often find myself navigating the delicate balance between logical complexity and emotional depth. My stories are filled with intricate codes, riddles, and mysteries, while also delving into deeply emotional themes of betrayal, redemption, and resilience. To...
FLOW AND HYPERFOCUS: Superpower and Achilles’ Heel
By Isabella Maldonado Ah, the elusive flow state—that magical realm where words pour out like a perfectly brewed cup of coffee, smooth and invigorating. It's the writer's equivalent of a unicorn: often discussed, rarely seen, and when you do catch a glimpse, it's nothing short of enchanting. If...
FIVE LESSONS LEARNED FROM RUNNING THE FBI OBSTACLE COURSE AT QUANTICO
By Isabella Maldonado The FBI National Academy is an advanced course for law enforcement executives from around the world. For approximately three months, over 200 men and women move into college-style dorms at the FBI training campus at Quantico. The academic portion of the program is...
CHANNEL YOUR INNER BATMAN
By Isabella Maldonado What do Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Beyoncé Knowles, Steve Jobs, and Kobe Bryant have in common? They all had to overcome shyness, public challenges, or inner struggles to perform at the highest levels—while the world was watching and judging their every move—and conceal...
HOW IGNORING MOM’S ADVICE MADE ME A BETTER COP
By Isabella Maldonado Now that I’m a mom, I find that I routinely dole out advice to my son. I expect—or at least, hope—that he will heed the words of hard-won wisdom garnered from years of…oh, who am I kidding? He’s going to do whatever he does. Just like I did. During their training period,...
LOOKING FOR A REAL-LIFE HERO
By Isabella Maldonado For my most recent novel, I wanted a lead character who was an action hero like Jack Reacher, Jason Bourne, Mitch Rapp, or Scot Horvath. But my hero had to be a woman. And she had to be believable. After some research, I learned such women do exist in real life. They are...
KILLER PUZZLES: 8 Books Featuring Locked Rooms, Deadly Puzzles, or Both
By Isabella Maldonado Imagine you’re trapped in a locked room, forced to use your deductive reasoning, cunning, and wit to escape. Now up the ante with a ticking time bomb set to detonate in less than a minute. To make things worse, each incorrect solution speeds up the countdown clock. Finally,...
ROGUE FLASH: Isabella Maldonado’s new book chosen for Amazon’s First Reads
The Rogues are excited that Isabella's new book A KILLER'S GAME just went live as an editor's pick and is being offered as an Amazon First Reads for the month of May! The editors noted: For fans of Squid Game and Criminal Minds, bestselling author Isabella Maldonado delivers the...
CRACKING CAPTIVATING CODES
By Isabella Maldonado When you see a puzzle, a hidden message, or a secret code, do you have an urge to solve it? Let’s face it, cracking a code is a dopamine hit mixed with an adrenaline rush. From ancient times, humans have been forced to extrapolate from clues in their environment and solve...