First welcome to JBR!
We are so happy to be visiting with you today.
Thanks very much. I am excited to be here!
We are having a give away going on for Sept. What item are you giving away? (Anyone can win the item by going to the rafflecopter on the right hand side of the pg.)
I thought a $25 Amazon Gift card would be a great item to offer the avid readers who follow you.
First why don't you tell us a little about yourself?
Well, I live in Charlotte, North Carolina. I have had a passion for writing for a very long time but life seemed to get in the way. I had written a few short stories as well as a few full length novels but had always run out of time and enthusiasm when the clean up edits were needed. Finally, I dedicated myself to getting a few projects done. My short story, Detachment Point, is now available on Amazon. Deepest Doors came out September 1 through World Castle Publications.
Newest release?
My debut novel, Deepest Doors, was released on September 1st through World Castle Publications.
Two sets of fugitives...Two sets of enemies...One bizarre encounter... When a chance collision with a beautiful woman in Central Park results in a head injury, international business consultant James McBride’s perfectly structured and rote life suddenly begins to unravel as he learns that every memory he has seems to be false and, in fact, he is not the same person that he thinks he is.
James McBride is a workaholic who thinks his life is almost perfect the way it is. He goes into the office early, stays late, works weekends, travels to exotic locations and has no ambitions of a wife, girlfriend or any type of social life. With a spectacular Park Avenue apartment and all the material goods a person could want, he is content with his seemingly perfectly planned, albeit one-dimensional, existence. All of this changes one afternoon after a collision with Sarah Plummer, a beautiful and free-spirited woman, forces him to ‘break routine’. Injured and dazed by a fall, she helps him to her apartment to rest. He awakens confused, only to be talked into doing something he could not ever recall doing; taking the day off. By the next day, they find themselves being pursued by people from his firm, singularly intent on killing her and capturing him. Only by a bizarre encounter with Bob Eaton, a white-hat computer hacker and security consultant, himself on the run from the mafia, does he begin to unravel the reason for these events, and understand how they can confront their respective enemies.
Deep in the mind, beyond the deepest doors, is the truth
What can we expect from your stories, action, drama, romance,sex, blood and guts?
My stories are action thrillers. There is definitely some blood, but I don’t tend to get too graphic.
Do you have a favorite character in your stories? Who? and Why?
James McBride. I guess because he is my main character in my current novel. He is a man trying to figure out who he really is after discovering his entire past is false. He gets you to like him quickly.
How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you?
Well, the stories have to have bad guys. I like to make them people you would love to hate. That’s just natural. And, it gets you to cheer for the good guys (and girls) even harder.
Has there been any other authors who have inspired your work or helped you out with your stories?
Authors I like to read have naturally inspired me as I study their style of writing. Others have helped me directly. I have corresponded with a number of writers over the years. Some are new like myself and others are New York Times Bestselling authors. Michael Levine, author of Deep Cover and The Big White Lie, has been an inspiration for me since the late 1990s. We have aided each other in research efforts. More recently, I have found help from bestselling authors Warren Adler (The War of the Roses) and John Lescroart (The Ophelia Cut).
What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
Spread the word! New authors don’t get the marketing support of established authors. Anyone who like’s my work can help by letting others know. That could be via email to friends or just a positive shout out using social media. On my website, www.deepestdoors.com, I actually have a link called “Help Promote” where I have already written Twitter and Facebook blurbs that people can easily copy and paste to help get out the news.
Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?
Sure. First, understand that the environment is evolving as we speak. Advice I give now may be dated in a month. Advice you received years ago is certainly dated. First, do not give up of course. Most people want to go the traditional route because it feels more credible. However, the traditional route is closing to many new writers in my opinion. Don’t be afraid to self-publish at first. With ebooks, it is now very inexpensive. Even if you get a traditional contract, you will be expected to do much of the work. I know a few writers that were traditionally published and then went on to self-publish since they get more of the profits and can fully control the content and marketing aspects of their works.
Do you have a favorite author? If yes, what draws you to that person’s work?
No, but there are a number of authors I really enjoy. ) I have always been a fan of Tom Clancy for the details he puts into his thrillers. I love Stephen King for his wild horror novels. I have also always been a fan of Michael Crichton.
Can you remember one of the first things you wrote? What makes it memorable?
I tried writing a book early after college. It was called The Greater Good and I actually finished the first draft. I thought it was pretty good but life in general got in the way and I never got around to finishing it. It uses a lot of technical lingo so, now 20+ years later, it would need to get redone from the ground up if it were ever to get submitted. I guess what makes it memorable was how much research I had put into it. It had DEA agents as main characters and I actually interviewed a few to test my ideas.
Where do you gather most of the inspiration for your works?
That’s hard to say. Many of my stories came from years ago when I was travelling. At nights, alone at the hotel or working out, I would just run ideas through my head. A lot of times, I would go on a long run and, to keep distracted, would play out a storyline in my mind (it seemed better than listening to myself wheeze). Sometimes, I would write out an entire chapter over the course of several miles.
Do you have any other interesting hobbies, pets or stories you would like to share?
Mostly running as I just mentioned. I try to do two half-marathons a week (not organized events; just on my own). We currently have five (yes, 5) dogs which means the house is in a constant state of chaos. I have recently become addicted to the Words With Friends game a lot of people are playing across the internet. I like it because it does not require a set time. I can squeeze in my turns whenever a free minute presents itself.
Favorite places to travel or visit?
I used to live in Istanbul, Turkey. A number of places in that region of Europe became favorite places to me. I got to travel to Cyprus, Greece and Malta; all of which were great. If I had to name a favorite place though, it would be Africa. I have been to many African countries and loved them all.
And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and tantalize us:( Include links to where we can find your work)
When a chance collision with a beautiful woman in Central Park results in a head injury, international business consultant James McBride’s perfectly structured and rote life suddenly begins to unravel as he learns that every memory he has seems to be false and, in fact, he is not the same person that he thinks he is.
James McBride is a workaholic who thinks his life is almost perfect the way it is. He goes into the office early, stays late, works weekends, travels to exotic locations and has no ambitions of a wife, girlfriend or any type of social life. With a spectacular Park Avenue apartment and all the material goods a person could want, he is content with his seemingly perfectly planned, albeit one-dimensional, existence. All of this changes one afternoon after a collision with Sarah Plummer, a beautiful and free-spirited woman, forces him to ‘break routine’.
Injured and dazed by a fall, she helps him to her apartment to rest. He awakens confused, only to be talked into doing something he could not ever recall doing; taking the day off. By the next day, they find themselves being pursued by people from his firm, singularly intent on killing her and capturing him.
Only by a bizarre encounter with Bob Eaton, a white-hat computer hacker and security consultant, himself on the run from the mafia, does he begin to unravel the reason for these events, and understand how they can confront their respective enemies.
My books are available through World Castle Publications or my website, either of which will take you to the appropriate links for your device (or hard copy). My site is www.DeepestDoors.com and my publisher is at http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com/home.html.
Thanks for visiting us here on JBR!
We wish you great success!
Julie Ramsey
ADM JBR
No comments:
Post a Comment