Interview with Jeff Bond, Author of The Winner Maker
What
genre do you write and why?
I write in a range of genres, but most
of my books—broadly speaking—are thrillers. The
Winner Maker is on the character-driven/upmarket end of the range, while my
follow-up, Blackquest 40, is more of
a go-go thriller. I also have a big, Indiana Jones style adventure book in the
works, as well as a political thriller. I’ve even kicked around the idea of a
space opera series.
Tell
us about your latest book.
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| Amazon - Goodreads |
The
Winner Maker tells the story of a polarizing
high-school teacher gone missing, a story Kirkus Reviews calls “thrilling…an
exhilarating and emotionally astute mystery.”
What formats is the book
available in?
The Winner Maker will be available on 12/1/2018 in paperback, ebook, and audiobook
formats.
Who are your favourite
authors?
Gillian Flynn, Tana French, Harlan Coben, Jonathan Franzen, Nick
Hornby.
Where can people find out
more about you and your writing?
At my website, www.jeffbondbooks.com
Why
do you think readers are going to enjoy your book?
The
Winner Maker is unique in that it delivers
high-octane thrills and reversals in the style of Harlan Coben or James
Patterson, but does it using complex, likable characters you’ll recognize from
real life.
I thought Kirkus captured this well: “Bond collapses two distinct literary
genres into one seamless novelistic whole: a mystery and an emotional drama…The
novel's central mystery is thrilling, but the true spine of the tale is the
fragile connections between the past Winners, who must not only investigate
Fiske's disappearance, but also the authenticity of their lives and
friendships.”
Where
can a reader purchase your book?
You can pick up The Winner
Maker from Amazon, Barnes & Noble (online and select physical locations),
and several independent bookstores across the country.
What
is your work in progress? Tell us about it.
My follow-up is called Blackquest 40. It’s a fresh take on the Die Hard formula about San Francisco
tech workers whose office is locked down for a forty-hour corporate training
exercise—or so they’re told as the story begins. I’m just finishing final edits
and plan a mid-May release.
What
books or authors have most influenced your life?
At three different points in my life, I
read a story that completely reinvigorated my passion for books. In college, War and Peace. Around twenty-five, The Corrections. And closer to
thirty-five, Gone Girl.
When
you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
I have nine- and six-year-old daughter,
for whom I’m the primary caregiver. They get me in nearly all my non-writing
time. When I do have a moment away from the laptop and kids, I try to catch a
game of basketball.
