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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Simon Says... Hide?

Two years ago, at a professional writer’s conference, I was visiting with two friends. I’d been looking for a new series to start, something that married the psychics of my Psychic Visions with the action and crime fiction of some of my other popular series. The Simon Says… series was the result.  

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Simon Says... Hide, what would they be?

The theme song from CSI played over and over again in my head while I was writing this first book, so Who are you… by The Who would be my choice. A second would be the theme song from Medium- Sigla. This song was written by Mychael Danna.  

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre to read is romantic suspense! I write multiple variations on this same theme.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write Simon Says... Hide?

My writing pattern is eclectic at best. I sometimes write outside, lying on the grass. I usually work in the mornings and work on my edits after lunch but this book caught hold of me and wouldn’t let go, so I often wrote in the evenings and weekends, completely blowing my ‘normal’ writing schedule out of the water.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

Advice is one of those things that people love to give, but it’s hard sometimes to find anything that’s really a nugget to take home with you. The one I’ve hung onto all this time is: Be true to the story...

Dale Mayer is the author of the new book Simon Says... Hide (Kate Morgan Thrillers Book 1)

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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write A Perfect Victim?

A Perfect Victim is the second novel of a planned 5 novel series. I had the idea of turning my first novel, Unholy Shepherd, into a series about a third of the way into writing it. I realized pretty quickly that Maureen's (my main character) story would not be resolved in one book. A Perfect Victim is a hard reset of sorts for Maureen after the events of Unholy Shepherd set her on her path. The characters that brought her out of her isolation are gone (for now...spoilers) and replaced with new ones that she may or may not have a great rapport with. In every book of the series, I try to take a segment of society and examine the ways that it can be twisted and perverted by the worst of its adherents. In Unholy Shepherd (without going into spoilers), I took a look at religion. In A Perfect Victim, I'm tackling, well, telling everyone now would kind of spoil the reveal, but it does involve taking a hard look at how we value human life. I'll also say, that an early draft had a lot of kooky conspiracies surrounding the bodies at the beginning of the book. Things like alien abduction and mutilation and the like, that go hand in hand with the location of the story, The Rockies, and its reputation for bizarre disappearances of people. I scrapped it relatively quickly, however, when I decided it wasn't in keeping with the tone that I wanted.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of A Perfect Victim, what would they be?

Funny, I've never really thought of what kind of music would define Maureen. Prior to the beginning of the novels, she was a bit of a nomad, driving around the country in one old, beat-up POS car or another, so she would have had to have had a collection of old cassettes from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, right? I'm going to say something by Joan Jett would probably be right for her. Something like Bad Reputation or (I'm Gonna) Run Away. She's also loosely based on my step-mom, at least in terms of how I picture a 30-something-year-old version of her would have looked, so we'd have to consider some Judas Priest as well (people who've read Unholy Shepherd will find that amusing). You could summarize her journey thus far (and actually on to the end of the series, now that I think about it) with two Priest songs, one from their early years and one recent release: Breaking the Law and Never The Heroes. For the other main characters in the book, I'll keep it to Agent Owen Samuelson (the FBI's lead investigator and secondary POV character) and Alec Tyce (the local ranger and Army veteran who helps with the investigation and the closest thing Maureen has to a friend in this book). For Samuelson, given some of his demons that we discover later in the book and his slower, methodical nature, I'd say Hurt. The Johnny Cash version, of course. For Tyce, I think it's pretty easy: Simple Man, the classic Skynyrd version.

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

In point of fact, I just wrote a blurb for another author under my current publisher, J.P. Jordan. I wrote, "Everyone loves a good heist story. This is a great heist story. Jordan never fails to make me believe that I've got everything figured out before taking me on another twist. Overall, a fun read that expands the world Jordan began in Men of God" for his latest book, All In. I'm not sure if they used it for the cover or not...

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I actually do not read many thrillers or mystery novels anymore, unless I'm asked to do so as a beta reader/reviewer. I live in a constant state of panic that I'll inadvertently lift something from them and be accused of not having my own ideas. My favorite genre to read is and always has been fantasy. I'm rereading Wheel of Time right now in preparation for the Amazon series. I also like historical fiction. I have a long-term goal of writing a low-fantasy series set in an agrarian, medieval(ish) version of this planet's own future if all technology progressed to the point of mutually assured destruction. That's, like, a decade away, though. I have a long way to go in my world-building skills before then.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write A Perfect Victim?

I don't write in order, so to speak. I come into a book with an idea (even a full outline doesn't usually materialize until I've got several chapters already written) and I write the "tentpole" scenes which are most vivid in my mind first and then fill in the rest. That's just how my mind works. I have a young son, so where and when I write is wherever and whenever I get a few minutes. Fun story for A Perfect Victim, though: I finished writing the big climax scene with him asleep on the couch next to me. (He was 5 months old at the time).

What's the best advice you've ever received?

My father, to whom I dedicated this book, always told me growing up that the first rule in life (at least as far as he was concerned) was: "...And be thankful." And no, that's not a typo, the "...and" is right where it's supposed to be. Because if you tack that phrase onto the end of anything and everything, it keeps some semblance of positivity going in your life even (or especially) when things may not be going the way you want them to. It doesn't take much to just be thankful that you're alive and remember your life in and of itself is the most precious gift you're ever going to receive. It's unique. It's yours and yours alone. And that makes it special. And it's not cynical either, to be thankful for your successes just as much as the obstacles life throws your way and your failures to overcome them immediately. I think it's an important thing to carry with you.

Robert W. Christian is the author of the new book A Perfect Victim (The Demon Sight Series Book 2)

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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Betrayal at the Border?

As with my past books, Betrayal at the Border was “ripped from the headlines.” Daily, it seems the news is filled with stories of people, especially those coming from South American countries currently experiencing political upheaval and engaging in tyranny and oppression to its citizens. We also continue to have dangerous and deteriorating interactions and relationships with Middle Eastern countries and terrorist groups. These stories are quite common and commonly dangerous and, there seems to be no end in sight. So, my goal was to write realistic fiction; a realistic account of what immigrants and citizens might experience in our broken immigration system and our dysfunctional foreign policy.  

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Betrayal at the Border, what would they be?

Coming to America by Neil Diamond  

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

A compelling and engaging look at the broad impact of teenage mental illness and suicide. This might be the most important book of the year. All The Things We Didn’t See By D. A. Reed.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I like many genres—I certainly love legal thrillers, which is why I like to write in that genre. “Historical” epics, like Ken Follet’s recent Century Trilogy or George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, are a close second.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? 

No, I really don’t—I’m boring! I do write in fits and spurts, though. I can go a long while without writing a thing, or I can write a substantial portion of a full-length novel in a short time. It depends on how the “juices” flow.

Where did you write Betrayal at the Border?

I wrote Betrayal at the Border in my home office and in my backyard lounge chair on a laptop. I really admire the writers of yesterday who had to write and edit "longhand." 

What's the best advice you've ever received?

“A good education is your ticket to success.”  - Julius C. Bello, my dad.  

Mark M. Bello is the author of the new book Betrayal at the Border (A Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Book 7)

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