A Word Please: Conversations With 24 Authors Read online

  You both have your own novels coming out later this year. For Jordan, it will be his first solo novel (Congratulations!) and for Blake it will be number 1,037 (Okay, I’m exaggerating just a little.). Can you give us a teaser about those novels? And is there any chance you’ll collaborate on another book in the future?

  *Jordan*: I’m not ready to talk about it in detail, but it’s a thriller, set at sea, and will completely different than EERIE.*

  Blake*: My next one will be out in August. It’s called PINES, and here’s a quick run down:

  Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact–he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive. Intense and gripping, Pines is another masterful thriller from the mind of bestselling novelist Blake Crouch.

  *Jordan*: I’ve read it. Get excited. It’s awesome. And we’d love to collaborate again.

  *Blake*: Yep. There’s nothing on the horizon, but I don’t think this is the last time two Crouch names appear on the cover of a novel.

  About the Authors:

  Blake was born near the piedmont town of Statesville, North Carolina in 1978. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated in 2000 with degrees in English and Creative Writing. Learn more on his website: https://www.BlakeCrouch.com

  Jordan Crouch is Blake’s younger brother. He attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and graduated in 2007 with a degree in Creative Writing. Jordan lives in Seattle, Washington. Eerie is his first novel. His website is: https://www.AuthorJordanCrouch.com

  Blake Crouch on Amazon

  Blake Crouch on Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/BlakeCrouch1 or @BlakeCrouch1

  Hide and Seek by Jenny Hilborne

  Halloween. A group of friends gather at a mansion and decide to play a game. When one of them disappears and a large pool of blood is found in the grounds, San Francisco homicide inspector, Mac Jackson, is called out to investigate. Two days later, the body is discovered.

  As Jackson questions the guests, he uncovers old hostilities, secretive pasts, and the victim’s ties to another unusual death. At the center of it all is the lingerie bar, where the victim once worked. Are the girls in some sort of danger? Who is the thug with the scar? His best chance at solving the case hinges on an uncooperative source and Jackson must work fast, before it’s too late and his source disappears.

  Our conversation:

  One of the things I love about your books is the character development. Each has his/her own unique multifaceted personality. You never go for the stereotypical bad or good guy. How do you go about creating such real-life characters?

  I try to give every character at least one redeeming quality and include unexpected quirks in their personalities to make them more unique. I pluck out character traits from interesting real-life people and weave them into my stories.

  The plot for Hide and Seek is complex, with many layers that kept me guessing all the way through. Yet, it’s never confusing. I know from experience that this can be a difficult balance to achieve. Do you spend a lot of time outlining the storyline and various subplots?

  I’m a panster, meaning I don’t outline. I write what comes into my head at each sitting and let each chapter lead me into the next one. I rarely start a novel with more than a title and a motive. The rest comes when my characters all start talking (often at once) and let me know where they want me to go.

  Are you ever surprised at the direction your story takes?

  Yes. I’m always surprised, which is what I love most about being a “panster.” If I’m surprised, I know my readers will be.

  What about the mystery genre attracts you as a writer?

  Like many of my characters, I’m baited by the unknown. I can’t resist a mystery and a puzzle or riddle to solve.

  You’re from the U.K. and now live in the U.S. Not only are many of our words spelled differently, we also have different slang and unique ways of speaking. Has it been difficult for you to make the transition in writing style?

  I struggle with it and get caught out all the time. You may have noticed, all of my novels contain a British character, which helps me disguise my Brit English/US English confusion.

  Any plans on writing a novel set in the U.K.?

  My 4th novel is set in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. I’m 80% through the first draft and love writing about home. Trying to remember my British spelling and terms is a challenge. Maybe I’ll incorporate an American into this novel.

  What scares you the most and why?

  It used to be the fear of failure. I learned it’s okay to fail, but it’s not okay to never try. I’ve always hated the dark and I fear the dentist.

  What inspires you?

  Those who go after their dreams.

  Your favorite…

  a) color? – yellow

  b)food? – I’m not a foodie at all, so I’ll go with chocolate.

  c) TV show? – I don’t have a favorite show, but I watch the Lifetime channel a lot.

  d) song? – Bright Sunshiny Day by Johnny Nash

  Give us one word or phrase that describes your current mood.

  I’m flying high and finding my balance.

  About the Author:

  Jenny Hilborne has worked in a variety of fields, including the retail music industry, residential real estate, commercial real estate and finance. She was born in Wiltshire, South West England, and relocated to Southern California in 1997.

 

  Madness and Murder is her first novel, a thriller set mostly in San Francisco and the first in the Inspector Mac Jackson series. Her second suspense novel, No Alibi, is also set in San Francisco featuring betrayed spouse, Isabelle Kingsley. Mac Jackson returns in Jenny’s third novel, Hide and Seek, another San Francisco thriller, which takes place over Halloween.

  Jenny is working on her fourth suspense novel; this one a break from the previous settings and set in Oxfordshire, England.

 

  On the rare occasions Jenny is not writing or working, she catches up with family and friends and enjoys reading, travel, and a good movie – usually a mystery.

  Jenny Hilborne on Amazon

  Website: https://jfhilborne.com

  Blog: https://jfhilborne.wordpress.com

  Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/profile.php?id=1641377034

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/JFHilborne or @JFHilborne

  Recall! Return of the IRR by Doug DePew

  There hadn’t been a full-scale recall of the Individual Ready Reserves since the Korean War. In January of 1991, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, many people believed it would take World War III to trigger a recall of the IRR. Many people were wrong.

  They came from cities and farms and towns in every corner of the country. With only a few days’ notice, they quit their jobs, dropped out of college, kissed their girlfriends or wives, and got on planes to Atlanta, Georgia with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They had long hair, beards, and bad attitudes. They descended by the thousands on Fort Benning, Georgia, and they were not happy about it at all.

  In this entertaining, true story, the author relates his own experiences as one of twenty-thousand IRR recalls who w
ere ordered back to active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm. In a story reminiscent of “The Dirty Dozen” times ten thousand, the author takes you through the entire experience from beginning to end. He carries you along for the ride and explains exactly what it was like to be a recall. With the many IRR recalls over the last ten years of warfare, this first hand account could shed some light on how the current era of recalls began.

  Our conversation:

  What inspired you to write a memoir?

  A lot of people through the years enjoyed my stories of when I was in the military. I kept having co-workers tell me,”You should write a book!” I finally took their advice and wrote my first book “SAT & BAF!” about my years in Germany. There were still some stories in my head, so I wrote “Recall!” last summer. I lived through some historic events and had the ability to record them, so I did.

  Many people don’t realize that military men and women can be recalled for a certain period of time if needed. In your book, you replay the conversation between yourself and some other men regarding what everyone was doing in their lives at the time of the recall. How difficult was it for you to literally drop everything you’d been doing and step back into military life?

  It was extremely difficult. I was completely acclimated back to civilian life and looking forward to moving to Nashville. To switch gears like that was extraordinarily hard. It was like a lightning bolt. Everything happened so fast that it’s still hard to comprehend.

  Before you were recalled, you were studying to be a recording engineer. During that time, you met Adrian Belew, whom I remember from way back in his King Crimson days. You also did some work for the incredibly talented Dweezil Zappa. So now I feel a little closer to some rock gods! Tell us about that experience. What was it like to have a working relationship with people famous in the rock world?

  It was incredible! We had a lot of fun hanging out with them and sharing stories with so many others. Nearly everyone I met down there was pretty down to earth, and each visitor taught us a lot. Adrian Belew in particular was a really cool guy. He hung out for a long time just playing with his guitar and giving us tips. We had staff who’d worked with nearly everybody in the industry. It was probably a once in a lifetime experience.

  The people recalled are older and, of course, more experienced than the young recruits first coming in. How did that impact your behavior and feelings during (re)training?

  I think most of us just wanted to get to the war. If we had to put on uniforms again, we’d just as soon get through the in-processing and get on with the fighting. We’d already spent years preparing for a war and felt little need to prepare any more. There was a generally low tolerance for much of the silliness associated with the peacetime military. We reminded me a lot of the draftees of earlier generations. We just wanted to get the war over and get back home.

  What are your thoughts on the recall program in general?

  It’s an important part of the military. It’s been in place since at least World War II. A lot of WW-II vets were recalled for Korea. I think the way we were used is probably more effective than what’s been done since with single replacements or using IRR to fill out units. Putting us all together gave us a special bond that I think would have been quite effective in combat. I think we were the first (and maybe last) time that’s been done.

  You now teach in a federal prison. Do you think your military background helps in your position? If so, how?

  My military background helps in everything I do. It gives me a confidence that can only be gained by pushing your mind and body farther than it can go and surviving. Confidence is the greatest gift I got from the military. It’s been vital in my job.

  Music was a big part of your life before the recall. What are some of the songs rotating on your playlist?

  Desperado by the Eagles has always been one of my theme songs. Once in a while, Silver Tongued Devil And I by Kris Kristofferson creeps in there. I love a very wide variety of music from traditional to contemporary country to blues to classic rock to acid rock. I like some punk, too. I go through phases of listening to Pink Floyd on repeat. My favorite song by them is Wot’s…Uh…the Deal off Obscured By Clouds. Now everybody will have to go hit Youtube. Almost nobody knows that song.

  Since you were a history major, I have to ask: If you could go back to any time and place in history, where would you go and why?

  I’d like to be an independent fur trader in the 1820s to 1840s. Somewhere around Montana, Wyoming, or Colorado would suit me just fine. I like freedom.

  About the Author:

  The author spent four years, one month, and seventeen days as an active duty US Army Infantryman. After his time in C 2/4 Infantry (Pershing), he spent the balance of his four year enlistment in the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado leaving active duty with an honorable discharge in 1990. He was recalled to active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm in 1991. After the Army, he spent an additional five years in the USNR as a Storekeeper and Master at Arms. He earned a BSEd in history from Southwest Missouri State University, taught public school, was a corrections officer, taught juvenile delinquents for the state, and now teaches in a prison for the federal government. He lives in the country in southwest Missouri with his wonderful wife on a beautiful piece of the world.

  Doug DePew on Amazon

  Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/home.php#!/DougDePewAuthor

  Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/DougDepew or @DougDePew

  Blog: https://towerratmaintango.blogspot.com

  Corpse Days by Jonathon Kane

  Is this the end of the world? Is the Rapture upon us? Has a Zombie Apocalypse arrived? That’s a matter of opinion, but it doesn’t hurt to be a licensed Shooter in these uncertain times.

 

  Meet Stan Norton – a middle-aged Shooter with a haunting past. He wants little to do with the living dead, and less to do with the living, until that is, a mysterious young woman with an affinity for guns and martial arts enters his life. An adventure begins, and the hunt is on for a reclusive enemy, as the clock ticks down toward a full-blown resurgence of the Corpse Days.

  Our conversation:

  Corpse Days is your first novel and would be classified as horror. What is it about the horror genre that drew you in as an author?

  To start with, I’m a Halloween fanatic. It’s my favorite time of the year. I’ve always been attracted to anything that triggers the dark side of the imagination. Also, I feel that one of the great things about horror is that there are different types or styles within the genre – and I love them all. A good friend of mine told me he thought one of the character’s lines in the story (one of Stan’s lines) was cheesy. He said no one in real life would ever say that. I thought – you really just don’t get it, do you?

  I read that this story was born on a drunken night out, though I might be embellishing a bit. Tell us how the concept for this story originated.

  The best ideas (and the worst) often come from an altered state of mind. Can I just leave it at that? Seriously though, I suppose I had been thinking about cult religions at the time. It’s not a big leap from there to horror.

  Did you outline the plot and spend time on character development prior to writing anything? Or did you dive into the story relatively blind, letting the details form along the way?

  The characters developed mostly on the fly. The plot was a combination of diving in and outlining. When I first started writing the story, I had the basic overall concept, and I had a good idea of how it could begin. So, I sat down and wrote the first chapter, and then it was like – okay, let’s see if this thing has legs. Fortunately, it did. As the story progressed, and especially as it got closer to the end, I did some outlining because it was becoming difficult to keep it all straight in my head.

  Corpse Days ends with the possibility of more. Do you plan on writing a sequel? Or turning this into a series?

  Yes, the story will continue. As of right now, I’m writi
ng Chapter Nine of the sequel to Corpse Days. I’m hoping to have it ready for release within the next few months.

  What did you find most difficult about the writing process?

  I found the re-writing part of it a little difficult. There’s a certain amount of humility involved. You have to be able to admit that something you spent so much time working on has some problems, and then be willing to fix them.

  And what was easiest for you?

  It was easy for me during those times when the story seemed to write itself. Honestly, there were a few parts I couldn’t write fast enough.

  Describe your writing environment. Neat or messy? Silent or noisy?

  Mostly noisy, and less than clean. Sometimes I write while slouching on the couch with the television on. Other times, I’m at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and headphones on. Once in a while, it’s completely silent, and that works too.

  When you’re not reading or writing, what might we find you doing?

  I play guitar in an alt/rock band with a few of my friends. All original stuff. Not saying it’s any good… just saying it’s original.