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Jude Roy: Author Interview – Mystery Thriller Week

The following post first appeared on my author website.


Jude Roy is the first author in my new series of author interviews to be run in conjunction with Mystery Thriller Week (MWT). MWT is for authors, bloggers, reviewers, fans and readers and will run from February 12 – 22, 2017 –  to find out more click on the link below:

Mystery Thriller Week Annual Event Facebook 

You will be greeted with this welcome message:

jude roy

Welcome to The Official group for Mystery Thriller Week 2017! This group is welcoming all mystery and thriller Fans, Authors, Bloggers, Podcasters, and book enthusiasts, that want to know more about the genre and sub-genres. Join in and participate. It is a way to keep up with all the happenings concerning February 12 – 22, 2017.
Welcome, all new Members!
Have fun and invite your friends, fans, and followers.

As part of the event and in the run up to it, I will be conducting a series of author interviews. I am sure you will enjoy them and learn about some new writers or get to know more about some of your favorite authors.

Here is Jude Roy –


Bio

jude roy
Jude Roy Author

Jude Roy’s stories have appeared in many magazines including The Southern Review, American Short Fiction, The Fiction Writer, MystericalE, Belle Reve NPR’s The Sound of Writing, and scores of others. His collection of short stories, Lighted Windows, and his mystery/thriller, Searching for Lilith, are available on Amazon. You can tweet him at @juderoy29.

Jude can also be found here on Facebook and here on his blog.

 This is the link to Jude’s books on Amazon.


The Interview

Why do you write?

I come from a culture of storytellers (Cajun). Mrs. Soileau, the Chataignier High School librarian, introduced me to reading at an early age (See my blog, Cajun PI & Other Matters, for an essay on her). From there, I took up writing. I write to entertain and, in some cases, to inform readers.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on the second of the John LeGrand series. Lisa, his love interest in Searching for Lilith is gang raped when she was in high school, and she wants LeGrand to find out who did it, fifteen years later.

From where did you draw your inspiration to write your latest book?

Oh, Lord, that’s difficult to answer. Almost all my stories start with a character. Searching for Lilith started with Zack Miller. Once he entered my head, I knew he would have a story. I never expected it to morph into a novel, however. The original intention was a short story.

Which writers had the most influence on your decision to write?

As a young boy fifteen or sixteen, I loved to read the hard-boiled detective writers (Halliday, Spillane, Garner, Cohen, Keene, Hammett, Chandler), so I was familiar with the genre. I must admit here that the book covers did much to draw me in. Then I started reading the likes of Twain, Faulkner, Hemingway, and scores of others of their ilk. In the eighties, I studied under Ernest Gaines, and he is probably my biggest influence. Also in that group are Richard Bausch and Alan Cheuse.

What was the last book you read?

A tennis friend gave me a tattered copy of Step on a Crack by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge and I read that. I found the POV shifts interesting, but a little perplexing. I also recently read Skull Fragments, a collection of noir short stories by Tim L. Williams. I simply could not put it down.

Do you suffer from writers’ block?

I have so many writing irons in the fire that I am never at a loss for something that will catch my attention. In addition to writing fiction, I also dabble in poetry and essays. I’m even working on a cook book.

Biggest frustration as a self-published author?

Seeing my sales report flat lining.

Reviews for books are vital. Any tips on getting more reviews?

Short of begging, none.

Do you use social media? If so, do you like using it?

Yes, I use it. Who knew it could be so time-consuming? I usually spend a couple of hours, sometimes more, every day working the social media for the book and the blog. Like it or not, it is a necessity.

Who is your biggest fan?

Everybody from Chatagnier, LA, the little community where I grew up. They’ve been very supportive. Also, the members of my writing group. Their eyes and support are invaluable.

Many people have a bucket list. What is #1 on yours?

I have traveled throughout Europe and parts of Africa and Asia, courtesy of the United States Navy. I have done and accumulated everything that I hold important. I have married the perfect woman, and have the perfect children, so I guess you could say that I am living my #1 bucket list right now.

Any special message for your readers?

Yeah. Writing is a very solitary occupation. The main way a writer can know if he/she is doing it right is to receive feedback from the readers of his/her work. If you bought and read my book, thank you very much. It feels awkward asking you to do one more thing. Could you let me know how I did? Did you enjoy the book? If you did, send me a tweet, visit my Facebook page, or review my book on Amazon, and tell me what you liked about it. If not, I need to know that too.


That was both fascinating and interesting Jude, another book on my TBR list! Here is a review posted on Amazon:

JOHN LEGRAND never expected to run into killers, snipers, and drug kingpins when he agreed to find ZACK MILLER’s daughter. Now, he had to find a way to keep her alive. Despite formidable odds, he had to succeed, and there was only one way to do that. He had to lead them to his turf.

Top Customer Reviews

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

I first started reading this book a few chapters at a time in my writers’ group. After about 80% of the book had been given to us, Jude stopped bringing in chapters and went on to another project. I didn’t think I would ever get to find out what happened to Annie, Tyler, and John. But now I can–and I just did. As soon as I heard this book was available on Kindle, I rushed to buy it so I could satisfy my curiosity, and I was not disappointed. I liked these characters so much though that I want another book that picks up where this one left off. If you like fast-paced detective fiction with fully realized characters and snappy dialogue, buy this: you’ll be glad you did.
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