Killer Pursuit: Interview with Thriller Author Jeff Gunhus

Jeff Gunhus is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year-old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 30 on Amazon, have been recognized as Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists and reached the USA TODAY bestseller list.

After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active life in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel or on JeffGunhus.com.

His latest book is the thriller, Killer Pursuit.

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Visit Jeff Gunhus’ website.
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About the Book:

Title: KILLER PURSUIT
Author: Jeff Gunhus
Publisher: Seven Guns Press
Pages: 352
Genre: Thriller

When a high-society call girl is murdered in her Georgetown home, investigators find two cameras hidden in the walls of her bedroom. One has its memory erased, presumably by the murderer. The second is connected to the Internet through an encrypted connection...and no-one knows who's on the other end.

Special Agent Allison McNeil is asked by beleaguered FBI Director Clarence Mason to run an off-the-record investigation of the murder because of the murder's similarity to a case she worked a year earlier. Allison knows the most direct path to apprehending the killer is to find the videos, but the rumors that the victim's client list may have included Mason's political enemies has her worried about the director's motives. As she starts her investigation, she quickly discovers that she's not the only one pursuing the videos. In fact, the most aggressive person racing against her might be the murderer himself.

For More Information

Killer Pursuit is available at Amazon.

Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

Killer Pursuit is the second Allison McNeil book and tracks a copycat killer who renacts a murder we first saw in book 1. (However, the books can be read in any order.) I’ve always liked the idea of a secure webcam being discovered at a murder scene and the investigators knowing that someone at the other end of the connection has the video of the murderer in action. As Allison tracks down the video, the killer is doing the same which creates a great ticking clock. I also wanted Allison McNeil to not only pursue the killer in this book, but have to come face-to-face with what she wants to do with her life outside of her career. Her relationship with her father struggling with Alzheimer’s and her burgeoning love interest leads to additional layers of complication.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

It’s been said that writers are either outliners or pantsers (as in, by-the-seat-of-the-pants.) I’m a hybrid as I do a broad outline so I don’t write myself into a corner and yet I leave enough wiggle-room to let my fancy take me where it will on any given day. Every person is different, but this works for me and helps me to avoid getting blocked while keeping the writing process fun.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I self-published this book. However, I’m a hybrid author and enjoy both traditional and independent publishing. I find doing both has been helpful as I’ve learned lessons from each that have been useful. Traditional publishing gave me a clear editing process from developmental edits to two rounds of copy edits in order to get the cleanest manuscript possible. My independent publishing experience has made me a better marketer and put me more in touch with my readers.

Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

Jack Templar and the Last Battle (Book 6) will be published in October, 2016. It is the final book of my middle grade fantasy series, Jack Templar Monster Hunter.

Q: What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

Many people have been surprised by the twists in the book. Thriller readers are smart, so it’s hard to get anything past them. As a reader I like to be surprised by a twist that I didn’t see coming but that, in retrospect, seems obvious. I tried to do that here and I think it paid off.

Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

Allison McNeil carries the burden of terrible recent events and this burden keeps her from fully participating in life. I believe in grief, but I believe also in redemption and moving on. I hope Allison’s journey is not only entertaining but also inspiring.

Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

I hope you enjoy Killer Pursuit. Let me know what you think at www.JeffGunhus.com. I respond to all emails personally. Happy reading!