Well folks, the time is fast approaching. The suspense novel ‘TheTaste of Fear’ by author Jeremy Bates (our review HERE) will be released on October 19. His first
novel ‘White Lies’ has been nominated for several awards. He was an
International Thriller Writers debut author for the year of 2011-2012 and a
guest speaker at Thrillfest in New York this July. It was great of Jeremy to
make time to answer a couple of quick Q&As with BOOKFABULOUS!
Q. How did you come up with the idea for ‘The Taste of Fear’? You
also seem familiar with the region in which the story takes place, have you
been to any of the countries mentioned in the book?
A. I’d done a lot of traveling over the years, and when I was thinking
about the next novel a couple years back I wanted to do something that took
place outside North America. Originally I had called the story something silly
like Passport. Anyway, I must have heard or read about the anniversary of the
bombings of the American embassies somewhere and thought it would make an
interesting story to explore. I have been to a couple of the countries in which the story takes
place but not to the Congo.
Q.What research did you rely on
to bring everything together?
A. Mostly the Internet. Google Maps played a big part, so I had an idea
of the geography etc. I also referenced a couple books along the way. One of
the problems, however, was that there really isn’t that much stuff written
about the Congo in relation to other countries.
Q. There is quite a strong cast of
characters in ‘The Taste of Fear’ and all have a presence and personality that
come through in the novel but which character did you most enjoy
creating?
A. I probably enjoyed writing the bits with Damien Fitzgerald the best.
He’s the bad guy, and bad guys are always fun to write because they can do
stuff that other people can’t, morally and often physically. I once heard an
actor say a similar thing: that he liked playing villains because it was so
much more fun.
Q. Do tell more about Australian character ‘Thunder’. He seems out of place with this lot abducted in the African jungle. How did he come about?
A. He came about because Scarlett had just had that big fight with Sal (her
husband), and they split up on a road in Tanzania. I
needed a way to get Scarlett to the embassy right before the attack. But I had
a lot of fun writing him too, and he ended up staying around until the end!
Q. Your heroine Scarlett baffles
me. How would you sum her up in three words?
A. Rich, stubborn, and grounded.
Q. Will there be a sequel?
A. No, I don’t think so.
Q. What are you reading now?
A. 'Don’t Blink' by James Patterson.
