Today, I welcome Irish-born
author and ex-triathlete, Kerry Donovan, on my Blog to answer questions about
his books, his life and his latest release: ON LUCKY SHORES
ON LUCKY SHORES
In an action-packed
tale of secrets and lies in small town America, Chet Walker is a man forced to
make decisions that will affect his future and the life of the woman he loves.
Witness to a car crash and in receipt of a cryptic message from a dying man, traveling musician, Chet Walker, reaches the picturesque lakeside town of Lucky Shores. He faces hostility and suspicion from the locals and learns that the information he carries could unlock an eight-year-old mystery—it could also get him killed.
Josephine Dolan, owner of the Lucky Shores diner, wants to bury her past. When Walker arrives with a message from her father, she doesn't want to hear it. She cuts him cold.
When his life is threatened, Chet Walker learns the truth behind the saying, “no good deed goes unpunished.”
Witness to a car crash and in receipt of a cryptic message from a dying man, traveling musician, Chet Walker, reaches the picturesque lakeside town of Lucky Shores. He faces hostility and suspicion from the locals and learns that the information he carries could unlock an eight-year-old mystery—it could also get him killed.
Josephine Dolan, owner of the Lucky Shores diner, wants to bury her past. When Walker arrives with a message from her father, she doesn't want to hear it. She cuts him cold.
When his life is threatened, Chet Walker learns the truth behind the saying, “no good deed goes unpunished.”
Buy Links:
Tell us about your latest release, including its genre.
Does it cross over to other genres? If so, what are they?
KJD: Okay where do I
start?
Out today is my
latest novel, ON LUCKY SHORES. It is an adventure story set in the Colorado
Rockies in fictional lakeside town of Lucky Shores.
On some levels, the
book could be called a modern-day western. It has a lone hero, Chet Walker, a
musician with a troubled past, who stumbles upon a mystery that might just get
him killed. He arrives in town in search of a gig, but some of the townspeople
think he’s part of an eight-year old robbery. They and decide he might tell
them where the missing money is if they ask him nicely. In this instance,
‘asking nicely’ includes trying to beat information out of him.
Chet doesn’t have a
clue what’s really going on in town, but with the help of the owner of the
local diner, the plucky and beautiful Joey Dolan, they investigate.
In the book, I
introduce an ensemble cast of familiar and not-so-familiar characters: the
grizzled sheriff and his young deputy, vicious thugs, colorful locals, a female
mayor, and a helpful doctor. Hidden among them is at least one thief and killer.
If readers like ON
LUCKY SHORES, I have plenty of material to turn it into a series.
As for crossover, ON
LUCKY SHORES has action, adventure, mystery, and romance. How’s that?
Why did you
write your book (or series)?
KJD: I love the stranger in a hostile town vibe. I grew up
watching the old Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and FOR
A FEW DOLLARS MORE and wanted to see whether I could write something similar
but with less overt violence and set in the modern day. In ON LUCKY SHORES, I think I’ve managed to strike the right balance—at least
I hope so.
What do you
find are the best and worst parts of being an indie author?
KJD: The worst part is having to do everything yourself:
writing, cover designing, editing and proofreading (although I have hired help
these days), and promoting.
Strangely, the best part is being able to do everything yourself. What I mean here is I’m a control
freak and I love having total control over the product. The buck stops with me
and I’m fine with that. On top of everything else, I keep a much great
percentage of the royalties, too. Tee hee.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
KJD: I’m a sports
nut. I used to be a triathlete, I was a competitive cyclist, and I have
completed a number of marathons. Unfortunately, I’m getting too old to compete
these days and have resorted jogging very slowly around my local area. I also
make furniture and play guitar. After that, there’s very little time for
anything apart from spending time video calling with my children and
grandchildren. Sweet, aren’t I?
How much of your
personality is in your main character?
KJD: Let me see. Chet Walker is tall, handsome, a musician,
and heroic. I’m tall and play the guitar. Two out of four ain’t bad, right?
What
interesting aspect of your life would surprise your readers?
KJD: Not sure this counts, but I used to be a furniture
designer/maker and I completely restored our stone cottage here in Brittany. I
did the lot, building, plumbing, electrical work, woodwork—I made most of the
furniture in the house including the fitted kitchen.
Also, I’m a former research scientist and studied human
anatomy and physiology and pride myself on getting the medical parts of my
stories right. That’s why you’ll never read a line in my books like: “The blood
pumped through his veins.”
Why?
Blood pumps through the arteries not the veins. The veins
are passive, blood flows through them, but doesn’t pump. Sorry, but that’s the
truth of it. J
Are your stories driven by plot or character?
KJD: Yes! Tee hee.
Seriously though, I
write character-based thrillers and for me, the character is everything.
If I read a book with
the greatest plot in the world, it means nothing if I don’t care about the
characters. I don’t have to like them all, especially the villains, but I do
have to care what happens to them. Without believable characters, I find it
impossible to get lost in a book.
In my books, I try to
make the characters come alive. Readers of ON LUCKY SHORES will tell me whether
I’ve succeeded.
What do you enjoy most about writing?
KJD: I can lose
myself in a world of my own imagination without running the risk of the men in
white coats taking me away—again. J
What are your current projects and plans for the future?
KJD: I’m currently in
the middle of writing the fourth in my DCI JONES CASEBOOK series of British
crime thrillers. (Picture attached to the email).
DCI (that’s Detective
Chief Inspector) David Jones is a particular favorite of mine and is based, in
part, on my father. In the latest Casebook, CRYER’S VIEW, I tell the story from
the perspective of David Jones’ protégé, Detective Sergeant Phil Cryer.
Phil has an eidetic
memory and it’s a real blast writing about someone who can’t use the “sorry, I
forgot,” excuse when he doesn’t do the washing up. In CRYER’S VIEW, Phil goes
undercover to find a cop killer. I hope to publish it in early summer.
Author Bio
Kerry J Donovan was
born in Dublin. He spent most of his life in the UK, and now lives in Brittany
with his wife of thirty-eight years. He has three children and four
grandchildren, all of whom live in England. He is an absentee granddad and
praises the development of video calling.
Kerry has a PhD in
Sport and Exercise Sciences, and as a former scientific advisor to The Office
of the Deputy Prime Minister, Kerry helped UK emergency first-responders
prepare for chemical attacks in the wake of 9/11.
Family apart, Kerry
has three loves: making furniture, sport, and writing (but not necessarily in
that order).
Contact him:
Website: http://kerryjdonovan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KerryJDonovan
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KerryJDonovan
