What genre do you write and why?
I write crime thrillers. I’m not sure where my fascination first
stemmed, but to give perspective, I’ve only read one fictional book where no
one was killed or no crime was committed.
It sounds pretty morbid when I read those words, but honestly, I think
it all comes back to what’s at stake.
The more that’s at stake, the higher the level of excitement and
tension. My goal with writing is to create
a book that I would want to read, and crime/action thrillers are the type of
books that excite me because they have the highest stakes.
Who are your favourite authors?
I enjoy any book that’s action-packed, regardless of genre, and
I've been known to read three or four books in a week (at least I did back in
the day before I was writing full time myself).
I love David Morrell, James Rollins, Lee Child, F. Paul Wilson, Dean
Koontz, Jeffery Deaver, James Patterson, Douglas Preston, and many, many more.
What advice do you have for other writers?
The first step in succeeding as a writer is having a deep love of
stories and then learning how to write.
You can do that in many ways including reading (and doing it a lot),
taking classes, attending conferences, etc.
For me, the most significant and worthwhile experience was attending
Thrillerfest in New York. While there, I
took classes from some of the biggest selling and most accomplished writers in
the world. I learned so much and have
applied those techniques to my writing.
I also made a lot of great friends and business connections while
there. So I guess I could sum it up as:
have an incredibly strong desire to write and a deep love of stories, learn to
write well (and keep learning and improving), and get out there and make
connections.
What's your favourite quote about writing/for writers?
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all
others: read a lot and write a lot.” - Stephen King. I think this sums it up. You can learn more on the craft of writing by
reading great writers than by sitting in any classroom or attending any
conference.
What's the best thing about being a writer?
The fortune, fame, and groupies…wait, that’s a rock star…or maybe
a politician ;-) But seriously, I think
the best thing about being a writer is the act of creation. I’m happiest when I’m enjoying someone else’s
creation or bringing one of my own into existence. Forging something new from nothing using only
your imagination can be a very therapeutic and fulfilling experience.
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Who is you favourite character in your book and why?
The character most often commented upon by readers in my books is
definitely Francis Ackerman Jr.
I think the key to writing any character well is first for the
author to care deeply about that person, otherwise the audience never
will. As strange as it sounds, I love
Ackerman. He’s a complex character that
has endured more pain than anyone could withstand and yet a part of him wants
to be more than what he is. He wants to
be a “good guy,” but his warped perception of the world and his appetite for
pain makes this impossible.
The idea for Ackerman came about while researching serial killers
and the concepts of nature versus nurture.
I thought, from a scientific standpoint, of what the results would be if
you studied the effects of pain and trauma experienced by children and measured
the results. This, of course, could
never be done because who in their right mind would willingly subject any child
to such horrors. But what if the person
wasn’t in their right mind? What if a
broken psychologist decided to conduct such research on his own child?
And that’s how Ackerman was born.
He’s an amalgam of all the pain experienced by the world’s worst
killers. He’s the child of monsters.
Why do you think readers are going to enjoy your book?
Without quoting another blurb or running through the standard
book description, I would say that my goal is always to write a book that I
would want to read. And I love books
that are fast-paced with a lot of action.
With my Shepherd series, I’ve tried to take the serial killer genre but
put a slightly different spin on it.
There are a lot of books out there that feature the hunt for serial
killers; after all, these men are like aliens among us. They think and act in ways that most of us
cannot begin to comprehend, which in turn makes them fascinating. But while most novels of this type take the
police procedural approach and the following of clues to find the killer (and
my books do have some of this), The series is designed to get the reader into
the killer’s head and wonder how the other characters are going to escape. In other words, it’s not a “follow the clues
to unmask the killer” type of book. It’s
more a “oh my God, he’s in the next room…and he’s got a shotgun” type of book.
Who designed the cover?
Funny you should ask ;-) I
actually design most of my own covers, and I’m really pleased with the way this
one turned out. It’s always a bit of a balancing act between having a cover
that is eye-catching, fits with the genre, and has a connection or meaning to
the events of the book. In this case, all of those factors seemed to come
together well.
When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
I’m a huge movie buff. My
wife and I religiously have date night every week and take in a movie. And if I’m not writing or watching a cool
story, I’m probably reading one.
Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
Readers can find me at EthanCross.com or connect with me on
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EthanCrossBooks/)
or Twitter (http://twitter.com/EthanCrossBooks). Also, I have a very special group of readers
who get the inside scoop on what I’m working on now, exclusive stories, free
books, and actually get to participate in the creation process by giving their
feedback. In order to find out more
about my “Story Army”, readers can sign up for my mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/pgjkf
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2 Comments
Ackerman is my personal favourite too ;)
ReplyDeleteI loved, loved this book! And I have to agree, Ackerman was a favorite of mine too.
ReplyDeleteI love to hear from you. So feel free to comment, but keep in mind the basics of blog etiquette — no spam, no profanity, no slander, etc.
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