Tag: Andrew Grant

My Interview with mystery writer, Andrew Grant (Part 2)

Andrew
Art by Lichtenstein

Q. Who or what is your “Muse” at the moment ?

A. For the book I just finished writing it was a bizarre combination of Roy Lichtenstein and Pat Benatar. Lichtenstein’s paintings ended up playing a major role in the book, but sadly Benatar’s music remained trapped on my iPod.

Q. When did you begin to write seriously?

A. When I quit my job in June 2006.

Q. How long after that were you published?

A. I finished the manuscript in June 2007, found an agent in December 2007, was offered a contract in February 2008, and my first book was published in May 2009.

Q. What makes a writer great?

A. The ability to create characters that readers care about as much – or more – as they do about real people.

Q. and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like? Continue reading “My Interview with mystery writer, Andrew Grant (Part 2)”

Part 2 …My Interview with Andrew Grant

#2Adrew.writing.AGDon’t Miss part 2 when I sit down again with best selling author, Andrew Grant this Tuesday, February 11th.

Excerpt:

Q. and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like?

A. For me, it breaks down into three phases: Percolating, where all the thoughts and ideas and “what ifs” that have built up in my head since finishing the last book coalesce and grow until they’re strong enough to carry a whole story; Writing, where I get the first draft of the book down on paper; and revising……. tune in this coming TUESDAY!

 

An Interview with Author, Andrew Grant

andrew_09newAndrew is a slick, clever mystery writer with tight interesting plots.  I ‘met’ him through his writer/wife, Tasha Alexander.  Can’t wait for his newest release coming out in the fall of 2014.

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing? 

A. Whenever possible I write in what was originally the maid’s room in our apartment in Chicago (there was no sign of the maid when we moved in, so I figured someone may as well use it…) but due to the amount of traveling I have to do, I often find myself working on planes or in airport lounges, or any other place where I won’t get either wet or arrested!

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas)

A. I’m an obsessively tidy person, so I guess that tendency extends itself to my work space. Other than tidiness, all I need to get started in the morning is a giant pot of coffee. Followed by several more giant pots of coffee as the day (and sometimes, the night) progresses.
Continue reading “An Interview with Author, Andrew Grant”

Are you a fan of International Intrigue? A Review

Andrew Grant, author, reviews, best selling author       I first met author, Andrew Grant, through his lovely wife, author Tasha Alexander.  (Interviews with both coming later in the year)   Andrew consented to an interview this winter in anticipation of his new book which will be released in 2014.

I had never read anything by Andrew but I do try to do my homework because I promised my readers that I was interviewing my favorite authors.  So I ordered  Grant’s book ,  “EVEN”.

And I am so happy that I did.

reviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writingreviews, authors, writing reviews, authors, writing      Ranking: 5 out of 5 quills                  A REVIEW    “EVEN”

Andrew turns out to be a slick, savvy, clever, and ‘surprise you at every turn’ kind of writer.  And his humor is dry as your morning toast.  Which, if you know me, you know that I love me some DRY humor!

British Intelligence operative, David Trevellyan is a take action sort’a guy.  At one point in the story he is forced to sit in on one of the FBI’s endless meetings and ruminates to himself:  “Staying on to help Tanya fight her demons was one thing. I was thinking about time spent in restaurants, and bars, and other, more secluded places.  Not in offices. Not sitting through endless meetings. Talk of corporations was a bad sign. Any mention of conspiracies and government contractors was worse.  Interagency cooperation was only a sentence away.  Task forces would be proposed.  I knew how it would end up.  If I let the FBI go down that road I’d never get away.  I’d be stuck here for months.”   See?  Very funny man!

I will be buying more of the Trevellyan series as they are great stories.  I always felt like James Bond was a bit of a Andrew Grant, best selling authors, review,spoof….entertaining especially with Sean Connery’s tongue in cheek delivery.  But Andrew’s characters are very real and believable.  In “EVEN” (as in getting…) Trevellyan, a seasoned operative for the British government finds himself  in the crosshairs of the NYPD and the Feebs. He is their prime suspect in a murder.  There is a sadistic, female villain that will give me nightmares for weeks.

This story is brilliantly plotted with lots of twists and turns and I look forward to reading more of Grant’s work.  I highly recommend it.

 

 

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Don’t Miss It!!  MONTHLY INTERVIEWS with other best-selling AUTHORS! 

I have had a wonderful response from authors and will feature an interview once a month . I have invited such luminaries as: Ann Purser, Susan Elia MacNeal,  Mark Childress, Rhys Bowen, Dean Koontz, Sheryl Woods, Jo-Ann Mapson, Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Gilbert, Amber Winckler, Robert McCammon, Sue Grafton, Walter Mosley, Nora Roberts, Tasha Alexander, Andrew Grant, and many others.

So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers’ special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!  Mark Childress is our April author.  Robert McCammon is scheduled for May. Caroline Leavitt is June‘s author.  July features Rhys Bowen.  Sue Grafton is August’s author and September will feature Tasha Alexander. Slick mystery writer, Andrew Grant will join us this winter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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