Monday, April 17, 2017

🏰 AUTHOR INTERVIEW: 'The Ashes' Vincent Zandri


Winner of the 2015 PWA Shamus Award and the 2015 ITW Thriller Award for Best Original Paperback Novel, Vincent Zandri is the NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and AMAZON KINDLE No.1 bestselling author of more than 25 novels including THE REMAINS, MOONLIGHT WEEPS, EVERYTHING BURNS, and ORCHARD GROVE. He is also the author of numerous Amazon bestselling digital shorts, PATHOLOGICAL, TRUE STORIES and MOONLIGHT MAFIA among them. Harlan Coben has described THE INNOCENT (formerly As Catch Can) as "...gritty, fast-paced, lyrical and haunting," while the New York Post called it "Sensational...Masterful...Brilliant!" Zandri's list of domestic publishers include Delacorte, Dell, Down & Out Books, Thomas & Mercer and Polis Books, while his foreign publisher is Meme Publishers of Milan and Paris. An MFA in Writing graduate of Vermont College, Zandri's work is translated in the Dutch, Russian, French, Italian, and Japanese. Recently, Zandri was the subject of a major feature by the New York Times. He has also made appearances on Bloomberg TV and FOX news. In December 2014, Suspense Magazine named Zandri's, THE SHROUD KEY, as one of the "Best Books of 2014." Recently, Suspense Magazine selected WHEN SHADOWS COME as one of the "Best Books of 2016". A freelance photo-journalist and the author of the popular "lit blog," The Vincent Zandri Vox, Zandri has written for Living Ready Magazine, RT, New York Newsday, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Times Union (Albany), Game & Fish Magazine, and many more. He lives in New York and Florence, Italy.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK


Inside the Book:

It’s been eight years since artist and single mom, Rebecca Underhill, was abducted and left to die in an old broken down house located in the middle of the dark woods. But even if her abductor, Joseph William Whalen, has since been killed, another, more insidious evil is once more out to get her in the
form of the Skinner. The son of an abusive butcher, Skinner intends on finishing the job Whalen started but failed at.

How is he going to get to Rebecca?

He’s going to do it through her children, by luring them into the cornfield behind the old farmhouse they live in.

HORROR IN THE DEPTHS
Now, armed with the knowledge that the Skinner has escaped incarceration at a downstate facility for the criminally insane, Rebecca must face the most horrifying challenge of her adult life: Rescuing the children not from a house in the woods, but from the abandoned tunnels that run underneath her property.

But the Skinner is watching Rebecca’s every move.

Horrifying question is, will she live long enough to save the children?

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Amazon



As a book bloggin’ and book luvin’ Princess, I’m always curious to find out how authors got the ideas for their books.  How did you come up with the idea for your book?

The idea came about because fans were asking if I had any plans to write a sequel to The Remains which had hit the No. 1 spot on the Amazon Overall Bestseller List. From there I came up with the story about a psychopath named, The Skinner, who goes after Rebecca Underhill, my protagonist, and her little boy.  

Can you tell us what your book is about?

The tag line is, “Don’t go down into the cellar, Mommy!” That should give you a clue right there…When a psychopath named The Skinner due to his propensity to skin his victims alive, escapes from a prison for the criminally insane in upstate New York, he goes after Rebecca and her child. He hides in the cornfield and lures the kids into his trap.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters of your book?

Rebecca Underhill is a single mom and artist. She and her best friend Robyn, live in the old farm house Rebecca grew up in along with her now late twin sister, Molly. Molly is always on Rebecca’s mind and the two sisters talk, as if they were both very much alive.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would that be?

Hang in there. Don’t get so easily discouraged. Success will come your way if you work hard, and keep on jabbing. Eventually you’re going to land some big punches.

What would you say is one of your interesting writing quirks?

I write in sprints. I can do one thousand good words in twenty minutes. I also like to work standing up sometimes.

Do you hear from your readers?  What do they say?

I get my fair share of fan mail. Most letters/emails are terrific, with the general theme being, so long as you write them I’m going to read them. Every now and then I get an email detailing a mistake or two in a book. That’s valuable correspondence too because it, at the very least, teaches me something. On occasion it’s even possible to correct the mistake, depending upon which publisher has published the book.

What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

Probably my toughest critical moment came about when a bunch of troll reviewers pounced on Everything Burns when it was chosen as a Kindle First Selection. We have a sneaking suspicion who was behind the attack…a person who was once a small publisher…but it’s a tough thing to prove. Trolls are jealous and petty little people who sit around in their underwear at their computers, awash in their own misery. In the end, the trolls lost, because that book is still killing it after two years. It has also been sought out by several movie producers as of late. It’s one of my best books. So f#@% you pal. You know who you are…wink, wink…

What has been the best accomplishment?

The best accomplishment is finishing that first manuscript and then selling it to a major publisher. To call it a cathartic experience isn’t doing it justice. It’s earthshattering. From there, everything sort of pales. But when I won the ITW Thriller Award and the PWA Shamus Award both in 2015 for Moonlight Weeps, I knew I had finally gained the full respect of my peers. And that means a lot.

Do you Google yourself?

Do you?

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

About a dozen, maybe a couple more.

Do you have anything specific that you would like to say to your readers?

Thanks for reading my books. Please send me emails if you have questions. I try to get to all of them. Just go to WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM


Giveaway Details:

Vincent is giving away ten Kindle e-copies of THE ASHES!

Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • Ten winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter.
  • This giveaway ends midnight May 31.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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