JOHN ADDIEGO - Twelve Question Tuesday

John Addiego

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you.
I love being a father, I love being a husband to my best friend, Ellen, and I love this amazing spiritual journey I’m on.

2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?
On days when I think I’m dumb I love a dog’s assertion that I’m a genius for finding the car keys. On days when I need to be honest about my writing, a cat lets me know that a cliché is always a cliché.

3.  Tea or coffee?
Coffee, very strong. I have a stove-top espresso-maker.

4.  Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, or commando? (Either what you prefer or what you prefer on others.)
On me, briefs. On John Boehner and Mitch McConnell I prefer a male thong of some kind.

5.  What was the first thing you ever wrote?
A short story in high school about a wimpy kid like me who finds a gun and kills somebody by mistake.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
In college after publishing some poems, but I’ve always kept it a bit secret.

7.  Which of your works are you most proud to have written?
I always prefer the most recent.

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
My brother and I nearly dropped chicken bones on Joe DiMaggio’s head at an Oakland A’s game as he was coming out of the dugout (true story).

The Jaguar Tree

 

9.  How did you end up getting published?
I tried querying and even getting an agent without success, then tried going straight with a query to an editor whose work I admired.

10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
I would fight, or most likely hide. If I keep eating asparagus, maybe they won’t want to eat me?


11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
Decide to be a parent, which was also the best thing I’ve ever done.

12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that.
I’d go for rich. I’d like to be known as a person who does good things, but I think fame makes people lose their freedom and anonymity, not to mention their senses. I wouldn’t want to see my stomach on the cover of the Enquirer next to some speculation about my secret liaisons with John Travolta’s masseuse.

BLURB from THE JAGUAR TREE:

“John Addiego weaves a spellbinding tale of mystery and intrigue ... a novel that is as visual as it is intelligent. The story unfurls much like the Central American rivers in the novel, seemingly leading in one direction then seamlessly changing course, keeping the reader analyzing the clues until the end. The book plays out like a movie, with stunning descriptive passages juxtaposed with action sequences so real the reader is put into the middle of the story, sweating in the steamy jungle and sweltering bars and dodging bullets and machetes with protagonist Frank Alvarado.  Combining religion, politics, history, and murder,  THE JAGUAR TREE is a mystery, thriller, and literary fiction all rolled into one, providing everything a reader could possibly ask for in a novel.” Holli Castillo, author of Gumbo Justice and Jambalaya Justice


To find out more about John Addiego, visit his website at http://www.johnaddiego.com/


To purchase The Jaguar Tree The Jaguar Tree Amazon Link

Amy Reade: Twelve Question Tuesday

Today I am excited to welcome fellow lawyer Amy Reade to Twelve Question Tuesday.

1.  Please tell me the three most important things people should know about you. 
I have been married for eighteen years, I have three kids, and I grew up in Northern New York.


2.  Are you a dog person or a cat person?
If I say dog person, my cats will be mad.  If I say cat person, my dog will be mad.  It’s best if I say both.

3.  Tea or coffee?
I like tea better, but I’ll drink both.  If I drink coffee, it has to have enough cream and sugar in it to taste like ice cream.

4.  Boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, or commando? (Either what you prefer or what you prefer on others.)
I say wear what makes you comfortable.  Just don’t wear your jeans so low that you share your preference with the rest of us.

5.  What was the first thing you ever wrote?
The first thing I remember writing was a poem in honor of my baby sister.  It ended like this:  “I love fried chicken like the dickens, but most of all I love my Megan.”  Then when I was in seventh grade I wrote a story called “Klara’s Wish.”   A local author read it on her radio program.  I still have the tape of it somewhere.

6.  When did you finally decide to call yourself a writer?
I started calling myself a writer when I finished my first novel and started to look for a publisher. 

7.  Which of your works are you most proud to have written?
So far, my first novel, Secrets of Hallstead House.  I’m working on my second novel right now, and I love every minute of it.

8.  What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
I’d love to tell you about it, but I’ll end up with nightmares.  I’ll tell you the second-scariest.  When I was a teenager, I was babysitting for a boy who pulled a gun on me.  It goes without saying that I wasn’t allowed to babysit for that family anymore... not that I would have wanted to.
 
9.  How did you end up getting published?
After a very insightful acquisitions editor suggested that I do something to establish an online presence, I got started on Facebook, then I got a website and Twitter account.  I don’t put a lot of myself out there, but I try to comment on other people’s blogs and FB pages as often as I can.  I’ve also started blogging, and I absolutely love doing it.  That same editor made some helpful suggestions about revising my first manuscript a bit, then I sent it off to Kensington Publishing, which offered me a contract.  The editing process has been fantastic, and I’ve actually enjoyed doing the revisions. 

10.  Would you be food or fighter if the zombie apocalypse were to happen?
I’d try to fight, but sadly, I’d probably end up as food.

11.  What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
I went to law school in a state far from home where I didn’t know anyone.

12.  Would you rather be rich or famous--and you could only have one-- and why?  The fame would be based on something good, not something like being the best serial killer or anything like that.
I’m not sure I’d be good at being famous…way too many embarrassing things happen to me.  So I guess I’d rather be rich.  I’d use my wealth to do good works and help others without attracting any attention.   

FROM THE AUTHOR:
My first novel, SECRETS OF HALLSTEAD HOUSE, is the story of a nurse from Manhattan who has endured the deaths of her parents and the end of a long-term relationship.  Looking for a new start, she takes a job on Hallstead Island, part of the Thousand Islands in upstate New York.  When she arrives, she finds that she is not only unwelcome, but also in danger from unknown persons.  She discovers secrets that reach far into her past and will affect her far into the future, but there are people who don’t want those secrets shared.  They will stop at nothing to make sure the secrets remain hidden.

You can find me on my blog at http://amreade.wordpress.com/

You can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/readeandwrite

Visit my website at http://www.amymreade.com

Finally, you can visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/amy.reade.92




 

When is a Mystery a Thriller?

I've recently run across two instances of individuals saying a particular novel wasn't a thriller, but was a mystery. While I realize not all mysteries would fall into the category of thriller, I am wondering what constitutes a mystery that is also a thriller.

The first time I came across this, it was from a reviewer who stated my novel wasn't a thriller, and that most people not as well read as he claimed to be would not know the difference. I tended to categorize the book as a mystery/thriller, just to differentiate it from a whodunnit, a cozy, or any other number of sub-genres I don't think it fits into.

When I think thriller, I think of chases, scenes that are full of suspense, maybe an explosion or shooting or two. Well, first I think of Michael Jackson's zombie video, then I think of these other things. But now I'm thinking there may be an entirely different definition of thriller of which I am unaware, being not as well-read as the person who reviewed my book and all.

So I went to one of my favorite sites, dictionary.com, to see what a dictionary definition of thriller might be. The definitions were pretty basic: (1) a person or thing that thrills; and (2) an exciting, suspenseful play or story, esp. a mystery story.

So now I'm left with the conclusion that apparently my book didn't thrill the reviewer, and/or apparently was not exciting or suspenseful.

More recently, I saw on Lesa Holstine's website, a guest blog by author Gerrie Ferris Finger, rebutting a comment Lesa had previously made about something unrelated to my problem. Ms. Finger mentioned that while her novel The End Game was a mystery, it was not a thriller, but had thriller aspects. Although I shamefully admit I have not yet read her book, which won St. Martin's /Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition, her description of it certainly sounded like a thriller to me.

But it did start me on a new train of thought. Aha, I'm thinking now. Perhaps my novel was also not a thriller, but had thriller aspects. I can picture that. But what, then, is necessary for a book to be categorized as a thriller, and who decides these classifications anyway?

I have perused websites discussing the differences, and am not convinced, as some suggest, that a mystery involving something that has already happened can not also be a suspense thriller, where the reader is in fact on the edge of his or her seat waiting for the killer to be stopped. Or waiting to see who the killer is going to kill next.

I don't like the analogy often provided that trying to figure out who put the bomb on the bus is a mystery, but watching while someone puts the bomb on the bus and waiting to see if the bus is going to blow up before the hero gets there is a thriller. Wouldn't it be a mystery/thriller if you combined the two?

Ultimately I guess it doesn't matter whether a book is a thriller, a cozy, hardboiled, or even, (gasp) un-label-able, as long as the people who read it like it. My only problem is trying to describe a book accurately enough to make sure the audience who will probably enjoy it will know it's something they will probably enjoy.

So what is a thriller?