with Steven James
We are thrilled to welcome novelist Steven James to Omnimystery News today.
Steven's latest case in "The Bowers Files" featuring FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers is The King (Signet; July 2013 mass market paperback and ebook formats).
We recently had the opportunity to talk to Steven about his books.
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Omnimystery News: The King is the seventh book in "The Bowers Files" series of thrillers. What is it about this series that appeals to you as a writer?
Photo provided courtesy of
Steven James
Steven James: I'm a big believer that stories don't just reveal characters but also develop them, also change them — which makes it hard as I'm working on the eighth book in my series and trying to keep my protagonist and the other main characters dynamic, but also consistent. When I'm working on a book, I like to explore a moral dilemma or question such as, "What makes me different from those who do the unthinkable?" Or "What is more important, telling the truth or protecting the innocent?" As my protagonist struggles through these issues he becomes more fully developed, more fully human, just as we all do when we have to face struggles, difficulties and questions in our normal lives. I think that when characters become too static they stop being believable and that can turn readers off.
OMN: We tend to use adjectives like "cozy mystery" or "suspense thriller" when introducing a book. What genre would you place "The Bowers Files".
SJ: This is a good question. No book falls into one, and only one, genre. Some crime novels are also police procedurals and have a romance and maybe happen in the future so they're science fiction and … well, you get the idea. That said, I would call my books psychological suspense novels. Readers do need some sort of benchmark to decide which books to pick up. When I think of genres, I think of horror as stories in which you're afraid to look and suspense as stories in which you're afraid to look away. That's the kind of novels I write — intense, knuckle-biters.
OMN: Have you introduced any of your own personal interests or character traits into your books?
SJ: It's interesting, after my first novel The Pawn came out, I asked my wife which character I reminded her of the most — the protagonist or the serial killer. She told me the serial killer. Still claims she was kidding, but I'm not so sure. But she might not have been that far off the mark — I think there are certain parts of my personality that get morphed into each of the story characters. Patrick Bowers, the main character, is way sharper than I am in noticing clues, but both of us are driven in similar ways and we both like rock climbing, so there's that. His stepdaughter Tessa gives me chance to say things to people that I wish I could but that I could never get away with.
OMN: Describe your writing process.
SJ: The old debate — to outline or not to outline. Years ago when I was first getting started writing I went to a seminar by a famous novelist and he taught us that we needed to outline meticulously (his would span forty pages, single-spaced), then fill in the story and "stick to the outline." I tried and found that approach completely counterintuitive to the creative process. I am a big advocate of writing organically, asking questions of the story as you write it. I've never started a novel that I knew the ending of when I began it. Sure, I've had ideas, but more often than not they change. In once case I was three days out from my deadline when I realized I needed to change who the killer was in my five hundred page thriller. I called my editor and said, "Guess what? This book is going to be even better than we thought it was." "Great," she said. "I'm going to change who the killer is," I told her. There was this long pause … finally, she said, "As long as it's a better book, I trust you." It was a better book, a much better book. My readers are astute; they know the games and gimmicks writers use. If I'm not surprised by the ending of my book I can guarantee you that there will be readers out there who aren't surprised either. I think everyone can improve his writing by working on stories organically.
OMN: How do you go about researching plot points?
SJ: I think the most fun I ever had researching one of my books was when I went to Las Vegas (now, don't get ahead of me here) to research for a thriller that will be released this fall entitled Singularity. It's about one of the world's great illusionists and escape artists and how he gets drawn into solving the mystery of his friend's death. I met with one of the top effects (read, magic trick) designers in the business and talked through some escapes I wanted Jevin Banks to do. It was a blast. And honestly, that's all I went to Vegas to do. Really.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author.
SJ: Best advice? Never fall in love with your first draft. I sometimes will edit and rework a scene dozens of times to get it right. I think that most aspiring writers have potential for writing work that will sell, but they stop editing on maybe the tenth or fifteen draft when they could produce something really great if they would just give it another twenty drafts or so. (And no, I'm not kidding.)
OMN: Complete this sentence: "I am a novelist and thus …".
SJ: I am a novelist and thus I am also slightly disturbed, addicted to coffee, late nights, early mornings, sunsets, laughter, tears and heartache. Creativity is my drug. I think used books smell better than used Kindles. I'm bewildered how we can live in a world this full of glory and grief and not be awestruck every moment. And I write stories to help wake people up before they fall asleep for good.
OMN: What kinds of books do you read for enjoyment?
SJ: I've always had a soft spot in my heart for short stories. I love stories that end with a twist and there's an art to doing so that many novel writers could spend some time working on. Anything with a good twist — short stories, novels, films. That's one of the reasons I like writing thrillers, and doing so organically, because I never know how they'll end and it's like living through a giant twist that lasts six months and pretty much takes over your life.
OMN: Create a Top 5 list for us on any subject.
SJ: The Top 5 thriller films you've never heard of:
15. A Murder of Crows
14. Night Train
13. Following
12. Black Book
11. The Cry of the Owl
10. Fear
9. Blink
8. Best Laid Plans
7. Dahmer
6. Joshua
5. The Dead Girl
4. Enduring Love
3. 11:14
2. Blood Simple
1. Hard Candy
(OK, I couldn't stop at just five!)
OMN: That's some list! And you're right, only two or three are familiar titles. (Note to self: Check to see what's available on Netflix.)
One last question: What is next for you?
SJ: I'm starting to work on the final installment of The Bowers Files — Checkmate. It looks like Patrick Bowers will land in a new series, but for now, I get to wrap up the eight book storyline I've been crafting since 2006. It's exciting and a little daunting, but that unknown, that thrill, well, that's part of the reason I got into this writing business in the first place.
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Steven James has penned over 30 books spanning the genres of psychological thrillers, prayer collections, dramas, monologues, a nine book series on creative storytelling, YA fantasy, and inspirational nonfiction. He is a contributing editor to Writer's Digest, and has taught writing and storytelling principles on three continents.
He lives in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with his wife and three daughters. When he's not writing or speaking, he's rock climbing, playing disc golf, or (shh …) slipping away to a matinee.
For more information about the author and his work, visit his website at StevenJames.net or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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The King
Steven James
The Bowers Files (7th in series)
There is no escape …
