Donaldson tucked the cell phone into his pocket and got out of the car…
For a continuation of Donaldson’s adventures, read SERIAL UNCUT by Jack Kilborn & Blake Crouch.
For a continuation of Jack’s adventures, read FUZZY NAVEL by J.A. Konrath.
For a continuation of Taylor’s adventures, read AFRAID by Jack Kilborn.
J.A. Konrath Interviews Jack Kilborn
Jack Kilborn is as secretive as he is enigmatic, and was tough to get a hold of. This interview was conducted by J.A. Konrath via email.
JA: Thanks for taking time to answer some questions, Jack.
Jack: I remember you. You write those chick novels, right?
JA: I write about a female cop who chases serial killers. Some folks think they’re pretty scary. Both men and women enjoy the series, but it’s a bit harder-edged than the average suspense novel. Jack Daniels was the lead in the story we just wrote together, TRUCK STOP. Weren’t you paying attention?
Jack: She sort of sounds familiar. Aren’t you the guy that visited 600 bookstores in one summer? Signed thousands of books?
JA: That’s me.
Jack: I haven’t seen your name on any bestseller lists.
JA: So, how would you describe your first novel, AFRAID?
Jack: I tried to write a thriller that included every kind of fear possible. Fear of the dark, or being chased, of drowning, of authority, of burning, of losing a loved one, of pain, of disfigurement… and, of course, fear of being horribly murdered.
JA: What’s the plot?
Jack: A helicopter crashes near the small town of Safe Haven, Wisconsin. It’s so tiny it has a population of 904. But not for long.
JA: So the helicopter lets something loose in town?
Jack: Something horrible. The town can’t defend itself either-no police force. Soon it’s quarantined, and everyone is fighting for their lives.
JA: I was lucky enough to read an advanced reader copy of AFRAID. It scared the hell out of me.
Jack: Thanks. I predict that at least 25% of people who start the book won’t be able to finish it because it’s too frightening. It gave me nightmares when I was writing it.
JA: There certainly are some memorable scares.
Jack: I didn’t use any chapters in the book. My goal was to go from one high point to another without any breaks. I hope it worked.
JA: It worked for me. You call it “technohorror.” What is that?
Jack: The technothriller genre is about fusing modern day science and technology with big thrills. Michael Crichton perfected the form, which has been used to great success by Dan Brown, James Rollins, Steve Berry, and many others. Technohorror views technology in a more sinister way.
JA: Do you think the scenario in AFRAID could happen?
Jack: I wouldn’t be surprised if it already has.
JA: You’ve sort of come out of nowhere. Care to share your writing background?
Jack: It’s probably similar to yours. Bitten by the writing bug at a young age, getting a lot of rejections, finally landing a two-book deal with a big publishing house.
JA: I like the Afraid Game on your website.
Jack: Thanks. It’s a fun little Flash thing I did. People seem to enjoy it.
JA: There’s also an excerpt from AFRAID on www.jackkilborn.com.
Jack: Almost forty pages worth. A healthy dose of horror. I’ve already gotten some hate email, people saying it’s too graphic. But it’s not really graphic. It’s violent, sure, but I leave most of the details up to the reader. Do you have excerpts on your website?
JA: Yes, at www.jakonrath.com. But I’m not doing an excerpt from my new book, CHERRY BOMB. That’s because at the end of my last Jack Daniels novel, FUZZY NAIL, there was a cliffhanger, so I don’t want it to spoil what the big secret is.
Jack: Can’t people just search on the Internet and find the answer?
JA: So what’s the next Jack Kilborn book?
Jack: I just finished TRAPPED, my follow-up to AFRAID. It’s sort of a sequel, and explores many of the same themes. The people who have read it believe it’s scarier than AFRAID is.
JA: I don’t see how that’s possible.
Jack: I’ll send you a copy.
JA: Thanks. I’d be happy to blurb it.
Jack: I’m sort of holding out for blurbs from bestselling authors, if you don’t mind. No offense.
JA: No offense taken. Maybe you’d like to blurb one of my books, if you have time.
Jack: One of those chick books? Sure. But I can’t promise I’ll like it.
JA: CHERRY BOMB has a four page sex scene, several torture-murders, and an extended woman-on-woman fist fight.
Jack: I’ll give you my address so you can send me a copy. The cover makes it look harmless.
JA: None of my books are harmless. If you want proof, there’s an excerpt following this interview.
Jack: I thought you didn’t want any excerpts.
JA: This one doesn’t contain any spoilers.
Jack: What’s CHERRY BOMB about, by the way?
JA: Jack Daniels chases the most brilliant and sinister serial killer she’s ever faced. One who killed someone dear to her, and plans to kill more.
Jack: How come the serial killers always have to be brilliant? How about having a serial killer with average intelligence?
JA: They’d get caught too quickly. Make for a pretty short book.
Jack: True. So can anyone just pick up CHERRY BOMB and start reading, or do they have to start at the beginning of the series?
JA: You can begin anywhere in the series. But for those who want to read them in order, it goes WHISKEY SOUR, BLOODY MARY, RUSTY NAIL, DIRTY MARTINI, FUZZY NAVEL, CHERRY BOMB.
Jack: Maybe we should talk about this e-book thing. We’re both doing well with e-books on Kindle.
JA: I noticed you had the #1 Kindle bestseller for over three weeks. The novella SERIAL, that you wrote with Blake Crouch.
Jack: Yeah. I think I remember Crouch. Good writer. It’s got Donaldson from TRUCK STOP in it.
JA: And Taylor from TRUCK STOP is a character from AFRAID.
Jack: I know. I wrote it, remember?
JA: I’ve noticed SERIAL has gotten a lot of one-star Amazon reviews.
Jack: People think SERIAL is too sick. It probably is. No worse than TRUCK STOP though. Or AFRAID. Or your books, from what you say.
JA: Do the negative reviews bother you?
Jack: They amuse me. I love the ones from people who give it one star and stopped reading on page 3.
JA: It’s a nasty little story, but fun. And it’s free, right?
Jack: SERIAL is 100% free. So I see from searching Amazon.com that you’ve got a bunch of books you put up on Kindle yourself. You’ve priced them all under $2.00. Why so cheap?
JA: I don’t feel ebooks should be expensive. There’s no cost to print or ship. Why should I charge the same price as a print book?
Jack: I agree. Cheap and free are what readers want. What’s ORIGIN about?
JA: It’s technohorror. The US government is studying Satan in a secret research lab. He’s the Dante version: horns, hoofs, wings, eats live sheep. The book is sort of JURASSIC PARK meets THE EXORCIST.
Jack: What’s THE LIST?
JA: I don’t want to spoil it. Let’s just say it’s a technothriller about some very famous good guys and bad guys. Jack Daniels also has a cameo.
Jack: Jack Daniels is in another one of your exclusive Kindle books, SHOT OF TEQUILA.
JA: She’s the co-star in that. It’s sort of an Elmore Leonard-type crime novel, with a lot of action.
Jack: How about DISTURB?
JA: Another technothriller, with a medical slant. A pharmaceutical company invents a pill that replaces a full night of sleep. But it has some pretty horrible side-effects.
Jack: Violent and gruesome?
JA: Of course.
Jack: What is 55 PROOF?
JA: A collection of fifty-five short stories. It has some previously published Jack Daniels shorts, and also some horror stuff. Some of the horror is pretty hardcore. Tread lightly.
Jack: FLOATERS?
JA: Another Jack Daniels novella, that I wrote with Henry Perez.