Binge reading. Hauntingly beautiful music. Author with multiple personalities. Psychological Thrillers & more.

Posted on by Selena Robins

Please join me in welcoming, Robert Gregory Browne, writer, and creative director of Braun Haus Media, LLC, which released the addictive, psychological thrillers—the LINGER Series. 

Robert chats with me about LINGER—a series I HIGHLY recommend—clowns, how he incorporates his musical talent into the series and much more.

1

 

“LINGER is an utterly bone-chilling, compulsive read that will grip you by the throat from the very first page. One of the scariest stories I’ve read in a long, long time. You don’t want to miss this captivating new series!” ~Tess Gerritsen, NYT bestselling author of the “Rizzoli & Isles” series. 

 

1Selena: Congratulations on creating the un-put-down-able LINGER Series. My family almost went hungry, and my work and writing was put on hold as I binged read the series.

What was your inspiration for creating the main characters and villains?

ROBERT: Binge reading is exactly what we’re hoping for.

The main characters came out of a visual that mysteriously blossomed in my mind one day of a young blind boy in a hooded sweatshirt standing in the middle of a living room, staring at the ceiling. I knew he was in a crime scene but I had no idea why he was there or what he was up to. Out of that image I built a scene about a female Major Crimes detective who stumbles across this kid, late at night, and discovers he isn’t alone but is accompanied by a mysterious man who refuses to tell her anything about what they’re doing there, but uses a bit of subterfuge to slip away. At this point the cop knows as much as the reader does and from there it was just a matter of figuring out a workable plot line that fit these characters—and a pretty heinous villain they call the Beast. All indications are that I succeeded, but that’s for the reader to judge.

 

 

1Selena: As a reader of the series, my verdict is that you more than succeeded.

The series deals with “empaths” and other supernatural elements, that felt like they could happen in real life. Have you ever encountered anything unexplainable?

ROBERT: My nearly empty bank account. Sometimes I look at it and wonder, where the heck did all my money go?

Seriously though, I have never in my life encountered anything supernatural, although I know people who say they have. Some people scoff at such things, but there’s so much we don’t know about our existence and the afterlife—if there is one—that I take the attitude that anything is possible.

 

 

 

 

Selena: Since Edward Fallon, the elusive, mysterious and multi-talented author is multi-dimensional and has five different personalities—in five words, describe him.

ROBERT: He has more than five.

Selena: Touche. 🙂  Speaking of multi-talents, you’re also a gifted musician and created the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack for the LINGER Series, how is writing music different from conceiving a series like LINGER?

ROBERT: Music is my true passion. I’ve been a musician since I was nine years old, and have been composing since I was twelve. Music comes more out of emotion than writing does. Yes, I use emotion in my novels. I like characters who are troubled and go on a roller coaster ride before the story is done, but music comes FROM emotion and finds its way to my fingertips. To write and orchestrate the music for Linger, I put myself into various scenarios in the books and let it pour out. Some of the pieces are better than others, but it’s all fun. My problem is that I’m never completely satisfied and am always tweaking a composition. I’m always thinking things like, “That violin could sound better” or “I should have had a lighter touch on that piano.” So I tend to tweak and re-upload the pieces. It can get obsessive.

 

1Selena: I think artists tend to be a lot harder on themselves than their worst critic. The music for the LINGER Series suits the books, and it is an added bonus for the reader to escape into Kate, Chris and Noah’s world and journey with a soundtrack, matching their emotions.

In each book in the series, the characters find themselves in situations they aren’t sure they can get themselves out of. When was the last time you found yourself in a situation that was hard to get out of and what did you do?

ROBERT: My way of getting out of a situation is usually to have a meltdown, but fortunately I can’t think of anything off hand that’s happened within memory. When I was editing the Linger series there were times I wondered if I was going to make the July 1st deadline and get all five books released, but I just knuckled down and went to work and finally got it done. I’m fortunate that the multi-personality author known as Edward Fallon was very cooperative and easy to work with.

Selena: Readers who love well-written, psychological thrillers, with a supernatural twist, intense scenes, vivid imagery and suspenseful plots with well-developed characters are pleased you met the July 1st deadline, and look forward to many more books in the series.

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS:

1Are you afraid of clowns?

Depends on what his or her intentions are. 

Ever been snowed in?

I’ve barely ever been in snow.

If you could have any accent from anywhere in the world, what would you choose?

Probably British of the Downton Abbey variety. I watch a lot of BBC and ITV shows.

Which Wizard of Oz character do you identify with?

The Cowardly Lion.

Would you keep an old car for sentimental reasons?

I’m not sentimental about cars, although my wife and I do tend to keep our cars for ten years or more before we break down and buy a new one.

 

 

 

ABOUT BRAUN HAUS MEDIA, LLC

Braun Haus Media, LLC is the brainchild of critically acclaimed ITW Thriller Award nominated author and AMPAS Nicholl award winning screenwriter, Robert Gregory Browne. Our mission is to produce “fiction for the rest of us.” Nothing pretentious, just tried and true, skillfully written thrillers, mysteries, paranormal and romance novels, that do exactly what they need to do: entertain the hell out of you.

Our books are available primarily for Kindle, Nook, Kobo and iBooks, but we also make print editions available for those who still prefer paper, which can be found online at your favorite print retailer or in many independent bookstores.

Braun Haus has a number of series to choose from, written by Browne himself and several other authors, with many more to come in the near future.

 

 


 

Who else wants to be a superhero’s sidekick for a day?

Posted on by Selena Robins

Please join me in welcoming Tim Tresslar as he shares his superhero sidekick preference, his invention of a prize for a cereal box, and his transition from being an investigative journalist to writing excellent action suspense/thrillers.

I’ve read Tim’s work and I highly recommend his novels. They are well-written, suspenseful stories filled with vivid action scenes, well-developed characters, witty dialog, peppered with intelligent humor, and splashes of romance.

For a limited time (July 2 – 9) you can pick up BLOOD FEUD, his entry in the FIGHT CARD series for ONLY 99 CENTS.

“From the first line to the last line in BLOOD FEUD the reader is grabbed by the collar and yanked into the story, and isn’t let go until the last page. The pacing lends itself to a book that will have you turning the pages in anticipation to find out how the conflict and the story will unfold.” ~Selena

1

 

 

Chatting with Tim Tresslar

Tim, Welcome to the blog and thank you for taking time away from your heroes who are out there saving the world, fighting crime, chasing monsters to chat with me.

Selena: If you could be a superhero’s sidekick for 24 hours, who would you be? Why? What would you want to do?

TIM: I’d want to be Batman’s sidekick.

But I wouldn’t want to be Robin. God, no. How many times has Robin died? Three? Four? How does Bruce Wayne keep getting custody of all those kids, anyway? Somebody needs to investigate the Gotham City courts. Plus, have you seen all Internet memes where Batman’s slapping him? I’d rather put out a forest fire with a Dixie cup full of water than be Robin.

I’m sorry, what was the question?

Selena: Now you have me looking at Batman in a whole new light. You’re right. Someone needs to investigate to see if those memes are accurate. Superhero world problems. 🙂 Create a bumper sticker that best describes your writing life.

TIM: “Tough Guy – On Paper.” Or “Tough Guy – On Ink Pixels.”

Selena: Start production on those because I have a feeling authors everywhere will want one on their cars. Here’s a chance for another entrepreneurial venture—create a toy to put inside a cereal box. What would you create?

TIM: A razor-sharp ninja star?

Selena: Great idea for the good guys, but you know there’s always a villain ready to pounce on something like this, probably not good for cereal companies.

TIM: No? OK, let me think…How about the Tim Tresslar inaction figure? He comes with a coffee cup, a chair and an iPad, so he can compulsively monitor his Amazon rankings.

Selena: Kellogg’s are you listening? 🙂 How has your experience as a world-famous journalist helped you in shaping your characters and stories?

TIM: A couple of things. I spent untold hours listening to people from all walks of life. I transcribed recorded interviews, focusing on the words. I think that has helped me write dialog.

Also, I’ve been a police reporter and a business reporter. And aspects of those two worlds end up in my books. I don’t mean writing thinly veiled versions of real-world stories. I have no interest in that. But it’s more about details. Things you might see or hear in a police station or a posh executive suite, for instance.

Selena: Your experience as a reporter sounds fascinating. What is the most outrageous thing you’ve done in the name of research?

TIM: As my wife will attest, I am the most boring person alive. If I do something outrageous it’s usually:

a.) unplanned; and

b.) humiliating.

Selena: It’s those embarrassing moments that we are always interested in as readers, and as writers, they can help as well. If you were invited to be a guest on a reality TV show which one would you be on and why? (If you say the Kardashians I may have to go all David Garrett on you).

TIM: Ack! I hate reality TV. If they had one where I could run a comic book shop for a month, though, I’d be all over it.

Selena: That’s a relief, our friendship is intact. 🙂 My husband would be more than willing to support you in your comic book shop venture. Besides superhero fiction, what books have influenced you as a writer?

TIM: Robert B. Parker’s early Spenser books. Andrew Vachss’ books.

I love the Spenser and Burk characters. David Garrett, the lead character in Blood Feud, has touches of both, particularly Spenser.

Garrett’s a tarnished knight — compulsively sarcastic, yet protective. He’s good hearted, but also comfortable with violence. He has no filter. His ideas of right and wrong don’t always align with the law. And he’ll target a predator in a heartbeat.

But I digress. Other books? The late Don Pendleton and his Executioner series was hugely influential. I don’t write like Don, but I like his attitude about what makes an action hero. Based on what I’ve heard, he also was a kind man, willing to encourage and advise other writers.

Fletch by Gregory MacDonald. I love his dialogue-heavy style and his dry humor.

Thousands and thousands of comic books. I think that’s why I love dialog so much.

Selena: I’ve also read Andrew Vachss’ books and enjoyed them. Dialog is my favorite to read and write as well, as I feel it connects the reader to the characters, and witty dialog the way you write is always a pleasure to read when escaping into fiction. What is on the horizon for readers to enjoy in your next projects?


1TIM: Glad you asked! I’ve been working with a small group of thriller writers on a series, LINGER. It went on sale July 1.

Thriller Writer Robert Gregory Browne created the concept, wrote the first book and edited the other four. Rob Browne has other cool authors in the pipeline for upcoming LINGER episodes. I’m biased, of course, but I definitely think it’s a great series.

My book, LINGER 3: Reckoning for the Damned, was a departure for me because the action (as in gun battles and fistfights) took a backseat. There’s a lot going on, but it’s a crime thriller with paranormal elements, not an action-adventure book. It gave me a chance to work alongside Rob Browne, who’s extremely talented. But I also got to meet and work with other great writers – Rob Cornell, Will Graham and J.D. Rhodes.

Selena: As you know, I’ve read all five books in the series and thoroughly enjoyed them—they are psychological thrillers at their best. Your entry  raised the emotional stakes for the characters, and the scenes, conflicts, and climax hit all the right notes.

 

TIM: Also, I’m working on another book for Rob Browne and his company, Braun Haus Publishing, but I can’t discuss it just yet. And Garrett’s going to team up with Jet, Russell Blake’s action-spy character, for a short Kindle World novel, slated (hopefully) for a fall release.

And after that? At this point, another Garrett novel, one that will pick up after Blood Feud. I have a general idea of the story. He’s going to get his world rocked and it won’t be pretty.

 

About Tim:

Tim was previously one of the authors behind Don Pendleton’s bestselling Mack Bolan action thrillers from Gold Eagle Books, including entries for the EXECUTIONER, STONY MAN, and MACK BOLAN lines.

His thrillers include JUSTICE RUN, BLOOD VENDETTA and REVOLUTION DEVICE, among several others. He is also the author of BLOOD FEUD, his entry in the Jack Tunney FIGHT CARD series from Fight Card Books.

A former newspaper man, Tim lives in Dayton, Ohio. He has studied intelligence, intelligence analysis, terrorism and lots of other weird stuff.

To connect with Tim (and you’ll want to, because he’s a lot of fun on social media) follow his links:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER: @TimTresslar1

 

 

Caramel Cake – Book Giveaway – Interview with Robert Gregory Brown

Posted on by Selena Robins

Please welcome, best selling author, Robert Gregory Browne to the blog, as we chat about everything from a writer’s occupational hazard to some of the best moments of his life, and a quick fire round, which includes what Rob thinks of the Real Housewives Reality show franchise.

In honor of Rob’s visit, I made an apple-caramel-cinnamon-roll-coffee cake (recipe below) to go with a cup of his favorite beverage—Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Rob is a coffee aficionado, so feel free to ask him how to make the perfect cup of coffee.

ABOUT THE CONTEST:

Rob is generously giving away TWO autographed trade paperback books: TRIAL JUNKIES & NEGLIGENCE (contest details below). 

ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY:

EVERYONE will receive a FREE digital copy of his thriller THE INNOCENT ONES (details below).

The Interview:

Selena: What five things would you put in a time capsule for future generations and why?

Robert: Books by Stephen King, William Goldman and Donald Westlake (or better yet a Kindle filled with all of their books and many others). A collection of my favorite songs by The Beatles, a perfectly preserved In-n-Out cheeseburger animal style, a tablet full of great movies (including Chinatown, Taxi Driver & The Tenant), and a nice card that says, “Enjoy.”  

Selena: I’d love to find that capsule, but I’d leave the animal style cheeseburger behind. 🙂

As writers we strive to give our readers a sense that they can hear, touch, smell, taste things that our characters are experiencing as I (like most writers) believe it helps create multidimensional characters. Since I don’t share your love of coffee, it’s a challenge to remember to give my characters a cup of coffee.

Is there a certain food or vice that you find it challenging to give to one of your characters?  

Robert:  I have no problem with food or vices, but I have a hard time with occupations. Giving a character a certain occupation requires you to know that occupation and that means a lot of research—which is always a challenge.

Selena: I agree, research can be challenging, especially if it’s real interesting and you end up reading about a topic more than writing. Which brings me to my next question.

Did research lead you to developing your thriller TRIAL JUNKIES or are you deep down a trial junkie yourself? Have you been to court and observed the trial junkies there and perhaps based some of your characters on them (in a loose fictional way of course). If so, which characters?

Robert:  When I was younger I spent several years working for the Hawaii State Public Defender as a “Criminal Intake Clerk,” which meant I was on the front line, helping potential clients understand the process of obtaining defense counsel and maintaining their case files. Part of my job was to go to the courthouse every Monday for arraignments, where I would approach those who didn’t have legal counsel, listen to their stories, and get a lawyer assigned to their cases. There would be down time on those Mondays, so I often roamed from courtroom to courtroom watching trials. It was an education.

I’ve never really been one to base characters on people I’ve known or interacted with, but I’m sure people who populate my stories have bits and pieces of those I’ve met over the years.

Selena:  Sounds like working as an Intake Clerk can provide fodder for quite a few books. Besides marriage and children, what would you consider to be the best moment in your life?

Robert:  Hmm. I have a lot of best moments. The first time I drove on my own. The first time I kissed a girl. The first time I tasted sushi. The first time I sold a short story to a magazine, sold a screenplay, sold a book to a publishing house. Being on the set when they shot the Kiss Her Goodbye pilot. Seeing Trial Junkies become an Amazon bestseller. There are a lot of little moments like that. I can’t really choose just one.

Selena:  Those are great moments and congratulations again on the success of Trial Junkies, well deserved. Along with the success, I know at times there are things that can pull us away from our passion for writing. What do you feel are the occupational hazards to being an author?

Robert: One of the true occupational hazards of being an author is that you actually have to sit down and write and not talk just about writing. You have to actually do it. And sometimes you don’t want to. You just want to hop in your car and drive to the coast and look out at the ocean, or watch a movie and avoid climbing into that desk chair. But you can’t. Because it won’t get done if you don’t sit your butt down and you’ve got a mortgage to pay. One of the things you learn very quickly when you break through is that writing is a job. And it’s a difficult one. Not that I’m complaining. It’s probably the best job you could ever have. But it’s still a job.

Selena: I hear you and if I lived near the ocean, I would probably drive there a lot, and multi-task—gaze and write. Given all the technology we have today, do you think it’s possible to write a suspense/thriller, where a perfect murder could be committed; one where the FBI and all top police experts would not be able to solve, and therefore that character could be carried on through a series, until he gives himself (or herself) up?

Robert:  It could be an interesting backstory for your hero—like Dexter, for example, who often comes close to being caught. But when you look at the statistics—and this is something I mention in one of the Trial Junkies books—only a small percentage of murders get solved, despite our advances in technology. So maybe coming up with the perfect murder wouldn’t be all that difficult. 

Selena: Do you think that writers are born with their creative talent or that anyone can learn the craft and write a book?

Robert:  I think anyone can learn to craft a book, if they really, really work at it. And they may even craft a good one. But I think there are some writers—like Stephen King, for example—who were obviously born with an innate talent for it. And while the rest of us are struggling and producing workable prose, these people create work that sings.

Selena: You’ve co-authored a book, POE, with Brett Battles, at any time did he want to drive over and smack you? (Kidding.) Well, not entirely, what was the co-authoring experience like, having to meld two strong writing voices into one?      

Robert:  Actually, it was all very civil. POE is based on an idea I’d had on the back burner for years and when we decided to write something together, Brett suggested we revisit that idea. So I sent him the proposal I had done a while back and he took the basic premise and turned it into a plot outline. We discussed that, got it working to both of our satisfaction, then Brett sat down and wrote the first draft. I came in and did a rewrite and he did the final polish. And believe it or not, we never had a single disagreement. It all worked out quite well. And now I’m the one writing the outline and first draft for POE #2.

Selena:  Are you enjoying these interview questions?

Robert: You’re putting me through the wringer here. 😉 

Selena:  LOL! Okay, next up will unloosen you from the wringer with some fun quick fire, fun questions.

I’ll throw out one word and you write the first thing that comes to your mind.

Coffee — Roasted bliss. 

Real Housewives of any city — Get off my TV and stay home

The Voice — Michelle Chamuel

Book Covers —  All important and a blast to design 

Indie Publishing — Salvation for mid-list writers everywhere

Romance — Life’s blood

Hawaii — Home

TRIAL-JUNKIES-LATEST-50-Heidi Wiley’s Review of The Best Selling Legal Thriller – TRIAL JUNKIES

I was intrigued by the premise of this story. Ethan Hutchinson is reunited with old friends to grieve over the death of a woman that at one time in his life was his friend and lover, when he is thrown in the middle of the criminal investigation and trial of her death.

 I loved the character development of Hutch. He had success as a star and had cleaned up his act but he still had enough self-doubt to keep him on the brink of inviting his past demons back into his life but still a good enough man that wants justice for his Jenny. Each of his old friends held a special place in his life and now he needs all of them to help him find the truth  and convince them of the innocence of one of their own even though he’s not entirely sure of it himself.

Robert Gregory Brown was careful to write these people from Hutch’s past realistically so all their opinions and thoughts on the case were worthy of consideration but also kept the mystery of who killed Jenny alive so that none of them were above suspicion.

 The research of how the legal system works gives the reader deep insight of what it’s like to be in a courtroom and what it really takes to get the information needed to understand how the investigation and the trial unfold.

This well written story is more than a legal murder mystery, but a journey of discovering if old friends are still the same people that meant so much in a more simple time or if life has hardened them all to a point where their memories are the only thing that holds them together today.  Highly recommend.

NEGLIGENCE-FINAL-20Selena’s Review of NEGLIGENCE

NEGLIGENCE is packed with action, mystery and suspense as the reader is taken on a thrilling journey into the lives of a group of old college friends, who now years later, are dealing with their own internal conflicts, job losses, career changes and relationship challenges.

This book deals with more than a murder case, which the protagonist, Hutch and his friends get involved with. It also deals with parenting issues and how secrets can have a tragic effect on family members. It also deals with friendship, loyalty, trust issues, and wanting to do the right thing, and how far some will go to not only do the right thing, but risk their lives to help.

This book is aptly titled, as neglect is a running theme throughout the book.

The dialogue is snappy and the interaction between the characters flows smoothly. All the characters, including the minor and secondary characters are well developed. Nurse Cathy was one of my favorite minor characters, she could make a reader laugh, shock a reader and bring a reader to tears.

I really enjoyed learning more about Hutch and in this book he shows us his flaws, which allows the reader to connect with him even more the second time around. I also loved more interaction with Hutch’s friends and reading their points of view in this book.

This book is also packed with a lot of emotion, from giving you a few laughs at the banter between the characters to bringing you to the brink of tears.

NEGLIGENCE is a tightly written murder-mystery, which encompasses all the elements of a fast paced, suspenseful action-packed, excellent crafted novel that pulls you in from the first paragraph and won’t let you go until you finish the book.

Reading both Trial Junkies and Negligence gives one the urge to go and sit in a courtroom and observe the “trial junkies” and the trial going on.

I look forward to the next Trial Junkies book, as I want to catch up with Hutch and all his friends and see what’s in store for them next.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves a well written page turner that makes you feel like you are part of Hutch’s inner circle.

NEGLIGENCE is the second book in the Trial Junkies series, however, even if you haven’t as yet read Trial Junkies (and I highly recommend you do), you can read Negligence on its own.

ABOUT ROBERT GREGORY BROWNE:

rob-guitarWinner of the prestigious AMPAS Nicholl award, Robert Gregory Browne spent several years riding the Hollywood rollercoaster before severe motion sickness forced his retirement from the business.

At the urging of a novelist friend, Rob tried his hand at long-form fiction and the result, a thriller called Kiss Her Goodbye, sold quickly and was later developed and filmed as a pilot for a CBS television series. In the years following his debut, Rob has written eleven more thrillers under his own name and some top secret pen names. His most recent book is the follow-up to the bestseller, Trial Junkies—TRIAL JUNKIES 2: NEGLIGENCE.

Rob grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now lives in Southern California with his wife, dog, two cats and seven guitars.

and for a limited time, Rob is giving away a copy of THE INNOCENT ONES to everyone who signs up for his newsletter. Visit his website

THE CONTEST:

Leave a comment on the blog and you’ll be entered in a draw to win one of two autographed trade paper back books….TRIAL JUNKIES & NEGLIGENCE.

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

For a limited time, anyone who signs up for Rob’s newsletter, will receive a FREE digital copy of his thriller, THE INNOCENT ONES.

To sign up for the newsletter and receive your free book, please visit Rob’s Website to sign up for the newsletter.
Thank you, Rob, it was a pleasure interviewing you and now, you can copy the following recipe for apple-caramel-cinnamon-roll-coffee cake, have a slice with your coffee and keep churning out those great thrillers we love to enjoy.

Apple-Caramel-Cinnamon-Roll-Coffee Cake

Caramel-cake

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 TBSP cinnamon

cooking spray

Caramel Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 TBSP corn starch

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup half-and-half or evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS:

In your electric mixer bowl add: 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.\

Heat milk until lukewarm

Add milk, 1/4 cup butter, and egg to the dry mixture and mix at low speed until ingredients are combined.

Gradually add remaining flour until the dough is clear from all sides of the bowl.

Lightly flour your working surface.

Turn the dough out your surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic.

Spray bowl with cooking spray and place dough in bowl.

Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).

After dough has risen, punch it down, turn it over and let it rise again (about 20 minutes).

In a large saucepan add: apples, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 1 tablespoon cinnamon and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes (until apples are tender).

Set aside to cool.

Roll dough into 10 x 16 (approx.) rectangles.

Spread apple filling over dough.

Roll up tightly, start with the wide side, pinch the edges of the roll together.

Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray.

Cut rolls into one inch slices, and place them in a pan, all touching each other.

Cover pan and let rise until double for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375

Bake for 30 minutes (or until golden brown)

Caramel Sauce:

In a sauce pan add: brown sugar and corn starch and add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.

Stirring constantly, cook until thickened, about four minutes.

Drizzle warm caramel sauce over all the rolls until covered.

Comment on the blog and enter to win one of two FABULOUS THRILLERS!

Interview with Robert Gregory Browne plus a fabulous Give-away

Posted on by Selena Robins

Please join me in welcoming, award winning, novelist Robert Gregory Browne.

Robert is also generously giving away an autographed paperback copy of his critically acclaimed THE PARADISE PROPHECY. (Contest details below)

Selena: We know you love books, music, coffee and blackberries (the kind you eat), tell us three things that about you that would surprise people?

Robert: I’m so open about my life on Facebook that I’m not sure anything I said would surprise people. Maybe that I used to be an international spy but had to retire due to bursitis of the shoulder. But, of course, now that I’ve told you that, I have to kill you.

Hell, I don’t know. My books are a lot more interesting than my life. 😉

Selena: LOL That’s the kind of wit I enjoy on your Facebook threads. Who is more of a challenge to write and get deep inside their point of view, the villain or the hero?

Robert: I actually have no trouble getting into the mind of either. My characters—hero and villain alike—are usually so emotionally crippled in some way that the inside of their head is an interesting place to be. At least for me.

Selena: What was the most interesting tidbit you could share with us, while researching TRIAL JUNKIES.

Robert: A large portion of my life was research for Trial Junkies. I spent many years working in legal offices, including the Hawaii State Public Defenders Office, the Federal Public Defenders Office, and several criminal and civil defense firms before getting my “big break” inHollywood. So writing Trial Junkies was kind of like going home again—although from an entirely different point of view. The Trial Junkies series concept grew out of a job I had working “criminal intake” for the state PDO, which required me to screen defendants who were about to be arraigned in criminal court. Every Monday I’d go to court, meet all the potential clients and explain to them how the process works. When I was done with a session I would often sit in on trials while waiting for another work session to begin. So when I was hunting around for a book idea, I thought, why not write a legal mystery from the point of view of the people who WATCH the trials rather than directly participate in them. And, of course those watchers find themselves participating in ways they never expected, and almost wind up dead.

Selena: What draws you to the suspense/thriller/mystery genre?

Robert: I’m not sure I really know. I was introduced to suspense early on when I started reading Donald Westlake. Especially his Parker novels written under the name Richard Stark. These were lean mean novels about a sociopathic thief who wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of collecting his money.  Parker was the kind of guy who didn’t give a damn about anyone, except maybe his girlfriend/wife Claire, and could handle himself in pretty much any situation. I’m attracted to characters like that because, of course, I often wish I could be that way. Ruthless. Confident. Unstoppable.

Of course, I don’t REALLY want to be like that, but thrillers play into a certain empowerment fantasy that I think we all share. And in the end, the good guy (or in Parker’s case, the bad guy) usually wins.

Selena: When you delve inside a criminal’s mind when writing, how do you research this aspect of these characters to differentiate their personality and behavior as opposed to people that are not criminals?

Robert: I don’t necessarily think of my criminal characters as being all that much different from my heroes. Most criminals, I believe, are able to rationalize what they’re doing and, as a result, don’t really think of themselves as criminals. I think even sociopaths rationalize their actions. So, because I’m writing deep point of view, I find that it’s easier for me to assume that the bad guy feels that what he’s doing is just and necessary. Every bad guy thinks of himself as the GOOD guy, and feels as if everyone else is to blame for his problems.

Selena: What kind of reader would love to read your books?

Robert: Hopefully readers like me who like a story that seems to be going in one direction then doubles back on you and kicks you in the ass. Readers who like twists and turns and characters with flaws who are caught up in something over their heads. Readers who like books that compel you to turn the page. I work very, very hard at creating page-turners. I may not always succeed, but that isn’t for lack of trying.

Selena: If you were only allowed to bring three things to take with you, for a stay on an island by yourself for forty-eight hours, what would they be?

Robert: My Kindle, my wife (not that she’s a “thing”), and a lot of water. I drink more water in a day than most people drink in a week.

About Robert Gregory Browne:

ITW Thriller Award nominated novelist, Robert Gregory Browne believes his mission as a writer is to grab hold of you and keep you captive on the page until he’s ready to let you go.  His debut thriller, KISS HER GOODBYE, was recently produced by CBS Television as a series pilot starring Dylan Walsh and Terry Kinney.

In addition to writing several thrillers, including TRIAL JUNKIES, KISS HER GOODBYE, DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN and THE PARADISE PROPHECY, Rob composes music, plays guitar and keyboards and has even been known to sing now and then.

And you thought his books were scary.

“A MYSTERY I DARE YOU SOLVE”

Ethan “Hutch”Hutchinsonhasn’t seen his old college pals in nearly ten years. Now fate has brought them together again as one of the gang is put on trial for a brutal, senseless murder.

The Chicago police and prosecutor think they have their perp, but Hutch isn’t about to sit silently in a courtroom as someone he cares about—someone he loves—is wrongfully convicted.

“CATCH-YOUR-BREATH PLOT TWISTS”

When Hutch and his friends join forces to search for the real killer, what they find shatters every notion they have about friendship, loss and redemption…

Reviews:

“Browne delivers again with Trial Junkies. Great characters, sharp, smart dialogue and a mystery I dare you to solve. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

~Cindy Gerard, New York Times Bestselling Author ofLast Man Standing

“With the emotion-tugging nostalgia of The Big Chill and the catch-your-breath plot twists of Runaway Jury, Trial Junkies is not only a must-read, it’s destined to be a classic.”  

~Debra Webb, nationally bestselling author of theFaces of Evil series

“Robert Gregory Browne is so freakin talented he makes me want to put my computer away. Maybe I should start drinking *his* coffee!”

~Terri Molina, author of Forget Me Not

Learn more about Robert by visiting his website.

Connect with Roberton Facebook.

Visit Robert’s Amazon Author Page.

Thank you, Robert for the interview, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a suspense/thriller fan myself (reader and writer), it’s always intriguing to discover why other writers love the genre as much as I do.

I took the dare and started reading TRIAL JUNKIES to see if I can solve the mystery. All I can say right now is, EVERYONE get your copy NOW. I’ll post a review once I’m done reading it, once I can  crawl inside my reader’s cave for a day.

**Contest Details**

To win an autographed copy of THE PARADISE PROPHECY

Comment on the blog, or feel free to ask Robert any question you like, and your name will be entered into a draw.

Double your chances of winning by signing up and following my blog:https://selenarobinsmusings.com/

Triple your chances of winning by linking this blog post to your blog or putting the link up on your facebook page or Twitter.