There’s a crazy big giveaway going on that you all need to know about! Bestselling thriller writers J.A. Konrath, Blake Crouch, J. Carson Black, Lee Goldberg, and Scott Nicholson team up to give away 10 Kindle Fires, 75 ebooks, $300 in gift cards, and a $500 library donation. Here’s the info:
Entries for 10 free Kindle Fires are already underway at http://bigkindleboogie.blogspot.com and gift cards are being randomly awarded on Twitter for those who tweet about the Big Kindle Boogie.
Three easy ways to enter:
* Use the entry counters at http://bigkindleboogie.blogspot.com
* You can also enter manually by tweeting to be eligible for Kindle Fires and Amazon gift cards: 10 free Kindle Fires. 75 free ebooks. http://bit.ly/xWOoKN #bigkindleboogie RT to enter for a Fire!
* You can email bigkindleboogie@yahoo.com ONCE PER DAY with “Boogie entry” as subject line
But don’t wait to see if you’ve won the Fire before you grab all the free ebook! They will only be free through the end of tomorrow, February 2. So enter the contest, then spend some time on Amazon, grabbing all the freebies! You’ll find them all listed here: http://bigkindleboogie.blogspot.com/p/free-kindle-thrillers-feb-1-2.html
I have exciting news! My guests today are two of my favorite thriller/suspense authors – Blake Crouch and J.A. Konrath! I was fortunate to have received an advanced copy of their new novel Stirred (Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels Mysteries), which I highly recommend. This dynamic duo writing team agreed to answer a few of my questions. First, here’s a look at the book:
Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels has seen humanity at its most depraved and terrifying. She’s lost loved ones. Come close to death countless times. But she always manages to triumph over evil. Luther Kite is humanity at its most depraved and terrifying. He’s committed unthinkable acts. Taken human life for the sheer pleasure of it. He is a monster among monsters, and no one has ever caught him. Each is the best at what they do. Peerless. Unmatched.
Until now…
In Luther’s experience, people are weak. Even the strong and fearless break too easily. He wants a challenge, and sets his depraved sights on Jack. But with a baby on the way, Jack is at her most vulnerable. She’s always been a fighter, but she’s never had so much to fight for. So he’s built something especially for Jack. His own, private ninth circle of hell – a nightmare world in a forgotten place, from which no one has ever escaped.
It’s J.A. Konrath’s greatest heroine versus Blake Crouch’s greatest villain in Stirred, the stunning conclusion to both Konrath’s Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels thriller series and Crouch’s Andrew Z. Thomas series.
Only one can survive. And it won’t be whom you think.
***
Now for our chat:
What made the two of you decide to take the characters from your individual series and combine them into one wild finale?
We had already been combining our characters in the Lucy/Donaldson series (SERIAL), so it only made sense to pit my villain against Joe’s detective for one last crazy romp.
I don’t want to give away details, but you did leave an opening for a follow-up to this book. Is there a chance that could happen?
If there’s enough of a reader demand, it’s possible we’ll do something again. But that would be a while down the road. We’ve written almost 2 million words on these characters. I think we all need a break from each other!
You two are by far my favorite writing team. What is your writing process like? Is it structured, with outlines and specific parts for each of you to write? Do you try to add twists to surprise one another?
Thank you! It isn’t really structured at all. We work in bursts of intensity. At least for Stirred, Blake wrote the early murder scenes separately and then Joe wrote the investigation of those scenes. Once the groundwork was laid, we met up several times last summer and wrote the rest of the book in a Google doc. And we don’t usually try to surprise each other, at least with big plot points. It’s better and much more efficient if we have a solid idea of where we’re going throughout the book. Blake did consider not telling Joe about the giant twist at the end (you know which one I mean, I’m guessing) but that would have made planning out the book much more difficult.
I do know that twist at the end and it caught me completely off guard. Loved it!
Stirred has some intense, graphic scenes. Was there ever a point where one of you thought the other had gone too far? Or not far enough?
We dialed some of the intensity back for Stirred. Our goal was to make this book as commercial as a book about serial killers and cops can be. It’s actually far more tame than our Serial Killers Uncut double novel.
Which of you has the more devious mind?
Ha! That can change day to day!
Thank you, Blake and J.A., for taking the time to answer my questions and for the awesome read!
***
For most readers, these two authors require little to no introduction. For those of you unfamiliar with Crouch and Konrath, where have you been? You can find out more about them and their writing on their websites:
Vampires are all the rage these days. Teenage vampires. Vampires with a soul. The common factor seems to be sex appeal. Vampires are cool.
Not anymore.
I recently had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of DRACULAS (A Novel of Terror) by J.A. Konrath, Blake Crouch, Jack Kilborn, F. Paul Wilson and Jeff Strand. This is not your modern, sexy vampire tale. This group of authors combine to take us back to the type of vampire that stalked innocent people without the least concern for their humanity. Nothing about this book is sexy. But that won’t stop you from turning the pages!
If you’re looking for a sexy vampire with any sort of redeeming qualities, you won’t find it here. And this book is absolutely not for sensitive or squeamish readers. Draculas is a fast-paced, bloody mess of a story about the original type of bloodthirsty vampires who terrorized humans. Once you start reading, you won’t breathe or smile much until long after you’ve read the last word.
The bonus material is fascinating, as we’re allowed a glimpse into the process these writers’ went through as they worked together to turn their ideas into a book. While I would have liked to see something go right for someone in the book, after reading their thoughts I was able to understand why they chose such gruesome paths.
I enjoyed the mix of writing styles. Draculas is well written and anything but dull!
A huge thank you to all four authors for allowing me an early look at their work.
***
DRACULAS (A Novel of Terror) officially goes on sale for Kindle tomorrow, October 18. Check it out. You won’t regret it, though you might not sleep for a few nights.
, which I highly recommend. This dynamic duo writing team agreed to answer a few of my questions. First, here’s a look at the book:
You can find out more about them and their writing on their websites:
by J.A. Konrath, Blake Crouch, Jack Kilborn, F. Paul Wilson and Jeff Strand. This is not your modern, sexy vampire tale. This group of authors combine to take us back to the type of vampire that stalked innocent people without the least concern for their humanity. Nothing about this book is sexy. But that won’t stop you from turning the pages!