Interview with Christopher Greyson, author of Jack of Hearts

What can you tell us about your new release, Jack of Hearts?

Jack of Hearts is the seventh book in the Detective Jack Stratton Mystery-Thriller Series and this one was a lot of fun to write. Jack and Alice are both growing as people and as a couple but, as with life, new complications and challenges are inevitable. Jack brings Alice down to Florida to meet his parents and things don’t go as planned. There’s mystery, romance, humor and a bit of tenderness throughout the book. There’s also a number of nail-biting scenes so I hope that Jack of Hearts has something for everybody.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

The best novels I’ve ever read are:

The Hobbit

The Maltese Falcon

Hamlet

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Musashi

You’re hosting a literary dinner party. Which three writers are invited?

It’s going to be a little creepy because they’re all dead, but I’d have Mark Twain, Agatha Christie and Lewis Carrol over for one of those 5-course meals that take hours to eat because, in such company, I’m sure that the time would seem to fly by.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Watching the story unfold. I love discovery, and even though I am a plotter, I fly by the seat of my pants within the scenes and it’s quite exhilarating. I also love getting into the character’s heads and experiencing what they are experiencing.

What is a typical day like for you?

I’m a morning person. I wake up at 4:30 and hit the keyboard. I try to write until 9 and then take a walk and either mentally go over what I wrote or think about what I’m going to go back to. If I can, I go back to writing, but there’s a lot to the business end of self-publishing. As the day goes on I work on the less creative aspects and finish up with emails.

BAM. You’re a superhero. What’s your superpower?

Superman and I’m not allergic to Kryptonite. Seriously, I’m a huge Batman fan but I’d have to pick super-speed so I could type faster!

What scene in Jack of Hearts was your favorite to write?

My favorite Jack of Hearts scene is a real toughie so I’ll pick two: one funny and one action-packed. For funny, when Alice and Jack’s mother break into the neighbor’s house has to be it. Here is poor Alice trying to impress Jack’s mom yet trying to stop Laura and her friends from doing something dangerous. It kept cracking me up.

The action scene would have to be the one where Jack has everything on the line and his adrenaline is off the charts because he loves the people that are in danger so much. It was so much raw emotion for Jack it was pretty intense to write.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

For a writer, it’s a really odd one. Acta Non Verba. Deeds not words. Talk is cheap. Do what you say you’re going to do.

Christopher Greyson is the author of the new book Jack of Hearts. 

Connect with Christopher:
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