#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Natasha Deen

I’d like to welcome Natasha Deen back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you never want to run out of: Energy, passion, hope

Things you wish you’d never bought: Society’s ideas about what is worthy/valuable

A few of your favorite things: The creatures and people I love

Things you need to throw out: Mindsets that don’t help me.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Saying, “I’m a writer.”

Hardest thing about being a writer: Everything else

Favorite foods: Depends on my mood.

Things that make you want to gag: I don’t know – I guess it’s how the food would be prepared.

Favorite beverage: Tea

Something that gives you a sour face: Sour patch kids

Favorite smell: My home

Something that makes you hold your nose: My excuses

Things you’d walk a mile for: The creatures and people I love

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Grumpy wasps (redundant, because they’re ALWAYS grumpy).

Things to say to an author: Anything you like to say, just be respectful

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “Hello, I’d like to be fictionally killed off in your next book.”

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Baking

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: My life

Things you always put in your books: Hope

Things you never put in your books: Please ask me when I’ve written all the books I’ll ever write.

About Natasha:

Guyanese-Canadian NATASHA DEEN is a best-selling author and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. Natasha’s novels include In the Key of Nira Ghani (Amy Mather Teen Book Award), Spooky Sleuths: The Ghost Tree (School Library Journal Best Books of 2022). Her most recent YA title, The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad was a Globe & Mail's Top 100 Books for 2022. When she’s not writing, she teaches Introduction to Children’s Writing with the University of Toronto’s SCS and spends an inordinate amount of time trying to convince her pets that she’s the boss of the house. Visit Natasha at www.natashadeen.com.

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#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jenna Greene

I’d like to welcome author Jenna Greene to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Tea, mugs for my tea, books to read while drinking tea

Things you need to throw out: All the half-finished craft projects of my child and the hoarding materials of my husband.

Things you need for your writing sessions: A cup of tea (surprise!) a comfy chair or couch, my laptop, and inspiration.

Things that hamper your writing: Being hungry.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing. (Imagining events, places, conflicts, settings).

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing. (Communicating events, places, conflicts, settings).

Words that describe you: Quirky, creative, chatty, curious, loyal

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Loud, quirky, emotional, abrasive, sloppy

Favorite music or song: Anything Broadway! Yay Newsies, Hairspray, Billy Elliot!

Music that drives you crazy: Country music and rap.

Favorite beverage: Tea!

Something that gives you a sour face: Coffee (the smell… ugh!)

Something you’re really good at: Being creative, whether that be through writing, inventing games, drama, or dance.

Something you’re really bad at: Dancing without falling over or crashing into things – but I do it anyway because I LOVE it.

Things you’d walk a mile for: My child. If she needed me, I’d RUN 10,000 miles.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Spiders. (Is there one around?!)

Things you always put in your books: A character discovering something about themselves – learning to do something they couldn’t do before, or discovering a strength they didn’t know they had.

Things you never put in your books: Excessive smut. I’d giggle too much while writing it.

Favorite things to do: Paddle a dragonboat, kayak, or canoe.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Killing a spider.

The funniest thing to happen to you: Okay, there’s too many to list. I’ve accidentally got into someone else’s car, peed on my own foot, got my hair caught in a door jamb, ate a bee, went to work with two different shoes…

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: See above.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Wrote, directed, and choreographed plays and Christmas concerts.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Anything with junior high students involved.

About Jenna:

Jenna Greene is a YA/ Children’s author from Alberta, Canada. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she enjoys dancing, dragonboating, and napping.

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Website: www.jennagreene.ca

Twitter/X: @jgreenewrites

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jen Collins Moore

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Jen Collins Moore to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “Reading your book made me feel just like I was back in Italy.” I hear it all the time, and it never fails to make my day, because that’s what my books are about: transporting and entertaining readers with a great puzzle.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “I hate reading, but I loved your book.” Who hates reading? Either way, I’m so glad that I could bring some fiction joy to someone who didn’t realize it was out there.

Favorite places you’ve been: Rome, of course. It’s where I set my series, A Roman Holiday Mystery. But really, I’m a sucker for European coastlines: the Côte d'Azur, Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Crete, and the Costa del Sol are all favorites of mine. My greatest recent discovery is the Azores, a chain of islands smack in the middle of the Atlantic. I waxed rhapsodic about the place in my September 2022 newsletter and a reader planned a trip there and reported back that it was her family’s favorite trip yet. Seriously, it’s amazing.

Places you never want to go to again: I truly believe a good traveler can have fun anywhere. My problem is there are so many places in the world I want to see, it’s hard to decide whether to return to a favorite or explore someplace new.

Favorite foods: Anything Italian! I’ve always been a foodie, and I worked for several years at Barilla, the Italian food company, in marketing. Spending hours debating the right ingredients for a new pasta sauce and tasting different tortellini options were regular parts of my daily routine. Needless to say, I was in heaven.

Things that make you want to gag: I resent overcooked pasta. Always, always check it two minutes less than the recommended time.

Things you always put in your books: Food! Characters need to be doing something when they are in a scene, and there’s nothing I like better than having them bite into a flaky sfogliatella, catch a wiff of delicious pizza as they pass a Pizza al Taglio window, or lick a cone of gelato.

Things you never put in your books: Sex and violence. I write about murder because I’m interested in the solution to the puzzle, but I don’t want to linger on the act itself. And sex, well, my kids will read my books someday.

Hardest thing about being a writer: The blank page. There are so many stories to tell, and I struggle to stay focused. I do much better when I’ve figured out a story and have a specific idea of what needs to happen in a specific scene. Once I have that, I can roll along.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Twiddling with words all day. I used to drive my coworkers crazy editing their work for corporate presentations and meetings. In writing, word choice matters, and I get to play with a sentence or a paragraph until I think it’s perfect.

Things you need for your writing sessions: A plan. If I sit at my desk without knowing what I want to write, I don’t accomplish much of anything. I need to start each session with my own personal marching orders.

Things that hamper your writing: Distraction! Writing is hard, and if there’s even a single chirp from my inbox or web page available to pop over to, I lose my focus. I need to turn off my internet for my writing sessions.

Favorite beverage: I’m one of those always-cold people, and I always have a cup of tea, hot chocolate, chai latte, or even plain old hot water, at my side.

Something that gives you a sour face: Coffee. I love the smell, hate the taste. I don’t even like coffee ice cream.

Something you’re really good at: Making plans. I love researching trips and planning out the hotels and activities. For me, the planning is almost as fun as the trip itself. I’ve made some great discoveries, and I write about travel in my newsletter. I hope you’ll subscribe.

Something you’re really bad at: Spontaneity. It’s the flip side of being a planner. It’s hard for me to sit back and just dive into a situation without looking at all the angles.

Favorite books (or genre): I’m a mystery fan through and through, but I read widely. There are just so many great books out there, but my all-time favorite childhood book is Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game. I’ve yet to meet a single person who didn’t love it. If you haven’t read it yet, run out right now and get a copy.

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’ll read dark, but I’m not a sex and violence person.

Favorite things to do: Travel. There’s nothing I love more than researching a trip, packing up the family, and discovering a new part of the world.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: An all-inclusive resort vacation. Okay, maybe I wouldn’t run through a fire to avoid it, but it’s not the type of trip I seek out. There are all kinds of people in the world, and I’m more of a “I’ll rest when I get back home” traveler than a “I can’t wait to read by the pool” traveler.

About Jen:

Jen Collins Moore transports readers to Rome in the Roman Holiday Mysteries, most recently Murder in Trastevere. Her short fiction has appeared in Mystery Weekly and Masthead: The Best New England Crime Stories. She is president of Sisters in Crime Chicagoland and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. A transplanted New Englander, she lives in Chicago with her husband and two boys.

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Website: www.jennifercollinsmoore.com
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#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with W. L. Hawkin

I’d like to welcome W. L. Hawkin to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: my rock collection, cobalt blue glass, old photographs and journals

Things you need to throw out: most of my old journals and half of the old photographs

Things you need for your writing sessions: my laptop and my couch or bed

Things that hamper your writing: background noise so, no, I don’t write in coffee shops

Hardest thing about being a writer: having to market my books.

Easiest thing about being a writer: writing my books

Favorite foods: sushi or Thai

Things that make you want to gag: overripe banana

Favorite music or song: acoustic guitar

Music that drives you crazy: opera

The last thing you ordered online: wide-legged black pants with rainbow bottoms for PRIDE. They’re so cool!

The last thing you regret buying: a vinyl canopy that was impossible to return because unbeknownst to me it shipped from India. I sold it on marketplace after many heated emails back and forth with the original seller.

Things you always put in your books: a kiss that takes your breath away

Things you never put in your books: rape

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I don’t want to read your book. I don’t read fiction or watch television.” *shrug or eye roll (subtext: “I judge your book (which I refuse to try) beneath my intellectual, literary level.”

Favorite places you’ve been: the west coasts of Ireland, Scotland, Canada; Nova Scotia; The Yucatan; Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Places you never want to go to again: big cities like New York, Chicago, or Detroit

Favorite books (or genre): I honestly love the Harry Potter series

Books you wouldn’t buy: anything I can borrow from the library

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: photography

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: I always wanted to do mixed media on canvas until I did

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: I heard a story about a man who disappeared from a small town in Scotland and returned as a woman. That made me wonder what it would be like to grow up gay there, and that changed my story completely.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: There are several good sex scenes in my Hollystone Books. They are not about me. Just sayin’

About W. L.:

I live, work, and play on the unceded territory of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation, now called Campbell River. This bountiful land is the soul of the People who have lived here since Time Immemorial. I'm a grateful guest and steward of this beautiful space. 

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#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Ann Borrmann

I’d like to welcome author Ann Borrmann to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Favorite foods:

I love a good fish and chips. And any fresh, seasonal fruit

Things that make you want to gag:

liver

Favorite music or song:

I love classical music. I grew up with this and really enjoy it to this day

Music that drives you crazy:

Country music. Please don't boycott me or my books because of this.

Favorite smell:

lilacs, bread baking

Something that makes you hold your nose:

liver

Things you’d walk a mile for:

Some really good chocolate!

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:

Country music ( see above!)

Favorite places you’ve been:

British Columbia, and I recently was at Mackinac Island, MI for the first time; that was quite lovely. Off the continent, I enjoyed Germany.

Places you never want to go to again:

Ham radio convention with my husband... that, I think, is self explanatory.

Favorite books (or genre):

I love cosy mysteries. I must have, by now, all of Agatha Christie's books

Books you wouldn’t buy:

Horror ( why would you do that to yourself!?) Erotica, Sci-fi

Favorite things to do:

We love to travel. We have a 36' motor home and have been all through the US and Canada with it. We've also been to several countries in Europe, and Israel in the Middle East ( although not in the motor home)

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing:

Driving the motorhome! My husband is a mechanic and has 'modified' it to suit him. The dashboard looks like the dash of an airliner! I'd rather eat a bug than drive it. I stand by this.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

I zip lined down a New Hampshire mountainside.

Something you chickened out from doing:

My husband ( an accomplished black diamond skier) tried to teach me to ski when I was 40 . Forty is too old to learn a new trick, and while he was very encouraging, as he skied backwards down the bunny hill with his wife shrieking and gesticulating in front of him, when I reached the bottom, I left him to ski and I went and had coffee in a warm and sensible place. One of the best decisions of my life.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done:

My husband and I built our own home when we were very young ( I was 22 and he was 23) We were our own contractors and my husband who is very handy, and along with my dad and some friends who were electricians and carpenters, did the interior work ourselves. We left the masonary work to professionals, and while it took a year and a half+ to complete, the house is still standing, and in my opinion, "our house, in the middle of our street, is our castle and our keep" ( to borrow from some one else who liked their house) and is a very pretty house.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: I painted a room in our house pepto-bismal pink. I write this as a warning to any who think that that is a good decor choice. It is not.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books:

My first children's book, The Jolly Bupbup, was actually about my son in law's little row boat which washed away during a very heavy rainstorm. However in the book, the Bupbup actually finds her boat safe. Unfortunately, my son in law never found his boat. Also in the book, the Bupbup collects her cats and sails off to have celebratory tea and cookies ( with jelly in the middle) with some very elusive Twinkles. My son in law did not have tea with Twinkles.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not:

My next children's books are about pirates. Some mornings I may look and sound like a pirate - especially to my students, but I am not - and never have been - a pirate.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Aside from coming up with new story ideas, the hardest thing about being a writer is actually writing the story!   People think that writing children's books is easy because they are short and full of pictures.  But because they are short, you must make every word count.  Delete those unnecessary, superfluous, expressive adjectives! 

I do a lot of edits and changes, then I leave it for a while ( 'let it rest') and come back to it later.  I get advice from my beta reader, delete some more, and sometimes start over again! And like any genre, you must have a plot, and you must create relatable characters ( lovable or hateable!) In my case, because I write picture books and books for early readers, kids have to relate.

If you are lucky enough to be published in the saturated market, then, like writers of all genres, you also have to deal with bad reviews.  For example, I lost a star (so, 4 stars out of 5) on a story because the reviewer did not like the font used.  This is something that is completely out of the author's hands, so I have had to learn to develop tough skin, take the good with the bad, and sometimes settle for 4/5 stars.  It's all part of it.

Easiest thing about being a writer:  I haven't found the easiest thing about being a writer yet!

About Ann:

Ann Borrmann lives in Canada with her husband, Mark. She has worked with young children in various capacities over the past three decades and is herself the mother of four grown children. Currently, she teaches grades 5 and 6 in a small private school.

When she became a 'gramma' in 2019, she set about to write her new granddaughter a story, which she then self published as The Jolly Bupbup.  This was her first foray into the world of writing. That story earned a kirkus star and was one of 'Kirkus's best books of 2020'.  With this encouragement, she found an agent and set about to write more children's stories.

Chester The (almost) Pirate was released in 2022 and book 2 in the series, Never Take a Pirate's Pearls, will be released in August.

She now enjoys being a grandmother to three adorable grandchildren and if she is not napping, you may find her indulging in her favourite pastime of writing children's stories with a good cup of tea. She hopes that her books will entertain the imagination of many little readers and story lovers.

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website: www.annborrmann.com

#ThisorThatThursday with Linda Norlander

I’d like to welcome Linda Norlander back for #ThisorThatThursday.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Read. I usually have two books going—my book to read during the day and my book to I read before going to bed. One is always a mystery of some sort and the other is whatever I’ve pulled off the shelf at the library.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: A trip to IKEA. The last time we went, it took us 40 minutes to find a place to park!

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: A laptop and quiet.

Things that distract you from writing: All those “to do” items that haven’t gotten done.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: Midnight? Who’s up at that hour? 6:00 PM, and I might do a potato chip run.

Things you never put on your shopping list: Anything that can only be bought at IKEA.

Favorite snacks: See above plus I just rediscovered ice cream Drumsticks

Things that make you want to gag: Anchovies, of course.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: I wanted to be a ballerina. Mother sent me to tap dancing class and I flunked out. My brain and my feet have always been very poor communicators.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Figure out how to set the clock on the car. Thank goodness for YouTube. Once, instead of resetting the clock I accidentally reset the speedometer to kilometers/hour. I only made that mistake…ah…twice.

Something you wish you could do: A graceful leap.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: I worked for many years as a nurse—I have a long list of things that most people would prefer not to do.

Last best thing you ate: An ice cream Drumstick

Last thing you regret eating: Baked sole. Very badly done in my oven. Don’t trust all the recipes you find through Google.

Things to say to an author: I just bought your book and told all my friends to do the same.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I could write a book. It looks easy.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Those characters who suddenly pop in unexpectedly and demand to stay.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: I wish I’d known about word count expectations years ago. I couldn’t figure out why my 35,000-word mystery novel never excited anyone until an agent I queried kindly directed me to a site with information on typical word counts for various kinds of books. Who knew?

About Linda:

Linda Norlander is the author of A Cabin by the Lake mystery series set in Northern Minnesota. Death of a Fox is the fourth in the series that also includes Death of an Editor, Death of a Starling and Death of a Snow Ghost. Each mystery takes place in a different season. The first book in her new series, Liza, Mrs. Wilkens and the Ghost Mysteries will debut in October 2023. Norlander has published award winning short stories, op-ed pieces and short humor featured in regional and national publications. Before taking up the pen to write murder mysteries, she worked in end-of-life care. Norlander resides in Tacoma, Washington with her spouse.

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www.lindanorlander.com

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#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Kelly Oliver

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Kelly Oliver to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Tea and Cats

Things you need to throw out: Old Tea and old cat toys

Things you need for your writing sessions: Tea and Cats

Things that hamper your writing: Cats and Cat Videos

Things you love about writing: Losing myself

Things you hate about writing: I’m lost without it

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing

Things you never want to run out of: Good Matcha

Things you wish you’d never bought: Bad Matcha

Words that describe you: Determined, loyal, workaholic

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: impatient, compulsive, workaholic

Favorite foods: Tacos

Things that make you want to gag: Oysters

Favorite music or song: Jazz

Music that drives you crazy: Heavy Metal

Favorite beverage: Good Matcha

Something that gives you a sour face: Bad Matcha

Favorite smell: Creek running through a Pine Forest on a summer’s day

Something that makes you hold your nose: That one block in New York City last month

Something you’re really good at: Eating

Something you’re really bad at: Sleeping

Things you always put in your books: Humor

Things you never put in your books: Graphic sex or violence

Favorite places you’ve been: Banff Canada

Places you never want to go to again: The Dentist

Favorite things to do: X-country ski, hike

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: sky-dive, flying on a space shuttle

Things that make you happy: Cats

Things that drive you crazy: Cats

Best thing you’ve ever done: Teaching and mentoring

Biggest mistake: Not writing fiction earlier

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “You’re crazy brilliant.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “This book is the Anti-Christ.”

About Kelly:

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of three mystery series: the seven-book suspense Jessica James Mysteries; the three-book middle grade Pet Detective Mysteries; and the five-book historical cozy Fiona Figg Mysteries. The second Fiona Figg mystery, High Treason at the Grand Hotel was a Mystery Tribune pick for best mystery of January 2021.

Kelly’s books have won the Indie Publishers award for Best Mystery/Thriller, Silver Falchion award for Best Suspense, and the Mischief and Mayhem award for Best Mystery, among others.

Kelly is currently Vice President of Sisters in Crime.

When she’s not writing novels, Kelly is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. To learn more about Kelly and her books, go to www.kellyoliverbooks.com.

Let’s Be Social:

Author Website: https://www.kellyoliverbooks.com

Kelly Oliver Bookstore: https://kellyoliver.store/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Oliver/e/B001HN3HCM/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyoliverauthor/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-oliver

Twitter: @kellyoliverbook

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/oliver7431/

Instagram: @kellyoliverbooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15643052.Kelly_Oliver

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with David Putnam

I’d like to welcome the multi-talented David Putnam to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you love about writing:

Disappearing into the character and story.

Things you hate about writing:

Marketing—Yuck.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

The isolation.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Talking to other writers at conferences and other book events

Things you never want to run out of:

Story ideas. Never happen, not using the writing by the numbers system.

Things you wish you’d never bought:

Overhyped bestsellers

Favorite music or song: Dark side of the Moon

Music that drives you crazy:

Heavy metal

Favorite beverage:

Skinny venti latte with sugar free vanilla, 190 degrees, no foam.

Something that gives you a sour face:

Anything with alcohol.

Favorite smell:

Flowering citrus

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Decomposing bodies.

Things you’d walk a mile for:

Another book like Lonesome Dove, my favorite book of all time. Others on that list are: River God, Wilbur Smith, Shogun, Pillars of the Earth, Thornbirds, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. In Five Years, Rebecca Serle, and the voice in, Lessons in Chemistry.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:

Authors who drop in their personal political views into books.

Things you always put in your books:

I always endear my characters to the reader and strive to make those characters three dimensional.

Things you never put in your books:

Adverbs. Flat characters. MAR violations (Motivation, Action, Reaction)

Things to say to an author:

Love your work. Can’t you please write faster?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

How in the world did you ever get that published? Yikes.

Favorite places you’ve been:

Lived and worked in Hawaii (the real Hawaii Five O)

Places you never want to go to again:

Ludlow Calif, on a cold winter night (20 degrees) (on the metal roof of a house in a stand-off of a barricaded suspect).

Favorite books (or genre):

I read any genre as long as it’s well-written.

Books you wouldn’t buy:

Poorly written books

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living):

Stephan King. Michael Connelly. Taylor Jenkins Reid. Rebecca Serle

People you’d cancel dinner on:

Don’t know if I ever could cancel a dinner once I invited someone.

Favorite things to do:

Read and write, talk books and writing.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing:

Dentist. Preparing taxes. Long plane rides.

Things that make you happy:

The wife. Grand kids. Beautiful days. A good book that when you finally come up for air five hours have passed and you thought it was only 20 minutes.

Things that drive you crazy:

People who can’t get along. How hard is it to be civilized?

Most embarrassing moment:

I was given a lifesaving award for pulling a paraplegic out of a canal. It’s a longer multi-level story.

Proudest moment:

Rescued a five-year-old child while all alone during in a robbery/hostage situation.

Best thing you’ve ever done:

Married my wife.

Biggest mistake:

Has to do with retirement. I failed in my due diligence and could’ve made one move that would’ve greatly improved retirement.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Crawled into a house on hands and knees in a hostage rescue situation where the suspect inside was armed with an AK47 waiting for us.

Something you chickened out from doing:

After doing too many in the past, declined to go up in a helicopter on a narco operation on a scouting mission.

The coolest person you’ve ever met:

Martin Sheen on a movie set. He came up to me during a filming (he was directing) put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Son, you have to pay attention.” I’d almost crashed a bus into a car.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, he was much shorter. Jim Neighbors was the nicest person I ever met.

About David:

Best-selling author David Putnam comes from a family of law enforcement professionals and always wanted to be a cop. During his career, he did it all: worked in narcotics, served on FBI-sponsored violent crimes teams, and was cross-sworn as a US Marshal operating in Arizona, Nevada, and California. Putnam did two tours on the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s SWAT team. He also has experience in criminal intelligence and internal affairs and has supervised corrections, patrol, and a detective bureau. In Hawaii, Putnam was a member of the real-life Hawaii Five-0, serving as Special Agent for the Attorney General investigating smuggling and white-collar crimes. The Scorned is the tenth novel in the Bruno Johnson Crime Series. Putnam lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, Mary.

Let’s Be Social:

My website is http://davidputnambooks.com
Twitter: @daveputnam
Facebook: davidputnambooks