with Chris Kuzneski
We are delighted to welcome thriller writer Chris Kuzneski to Omnimystery News today.
Chris's new book is The Einstein Pursuit (September 2014 trade paperback and ebook formats), the eighth to feature Jonathon Payne and David Jones, former members of an elite Special Forces unit in the U.S. military.
We recently had the opportunity to talk with Chris more about his series.
— ♦ —
Omnimystery News: Into which fiction genre do you place your series books?
Photo provided courtesy of
Chris Kuzneski
Chris Kuzneski: My books are often labeled as action-adventure thrillers, which I think is pretty darn accurate. My stories feature breakneck-action scenes in exotic locations with a splash of humor and history thrown in as well. Basically, I write novels that I would like to read!
OMN: Give us a summary of your new book, The Einstein Pursuit, in a tweet.
CK: "The world's greatest minds have been targeted. Only Payne & Jones stand in the way." (Wow! I knocked that out in 83 characters. Next time I'm going to use more adjectives.)
OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process.
CK: My writing process is pretty simple. I have a basic concept in mind (in this case, the secret world of Albert Einstein) and a few main characters to work with (this is my eighth book in the Payne & Jones series). After that, I start to type. I honestly have no idea where my stories are going or how I'm going to get there. I simply have the confidence (or stupidity) to believe that everything will work out in the end.
That said, there are many sleepless nights and moments of sheer panic along the way. I think all writers suffer through those issues whether they outline ahead of time or not. That's just part of the process. A horrible part of the process, but a part nevertheless.
OMN: Your books are set around the world. How true are you to the settings?
CK: Locations play a major role in my stories, so I do my best to describe the scenery as accurately as possible. To do so, I use the Internet constantly. I tend to be a very visual writer, so I download dozens of pictures of a city, street, or landmark — or whatever it is that I'm going to feature — then I describe what I see in the photographs.
Obviously, you're not going to get everything right — people paint their houses, storefronts get new signage, and so on — but I've been known to use live camera feeds to double-check my work before I turn it into my publisher. What can I say? I'm a perfectionist.
OMN: Tell us how The Einstein Pursuit came to be titled. And were you involved with the cover design?
CK: Many of my titles have dual meanings, so I was looking for a word that could be paired with "Einstein" that could be interpreted in two different ways. I ultimately came up with "pursuit." Not only does it describe Einstein's quest for scientific advancements, but it also fits in nicely with the action element of my story.
As for the cover, I wanted to contrast the peaceful city of Stockholm — with its picturesque waterfronts and clear nighttime skies — with the act of violence that opens my novel.
OMN: What kinds of books did you read when you were young?
CK: As a youngster, I mostly read books about sports — football, baseball, basketball, whatever. As long as it was about sports, I would read it from cover to cover while memorizing all of the statistics. But things started to change in the summer of 1981. I was still a nerd, but that's when I saw the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. I loved it so much, I decided to feed my new hunger with adventure novels. The most popular author in the genre was Clive Cussler, and I quickly found myself swept up in his rollicking tales of history and treasure. I read his books for another two decades before I started my writing career, but by that time, he had left such an indelible mark on my psyche, I had no choice but to write adventure books.
One of the highlights of my career was shortly before the publication of my second novel, Sign of the Cross. I received a personal letter from Clive Cussler, who had read an advanced copy of the book and had loved it. Having his endorsement on the front cover was beyond surreal. The only thing that could possibly be better is a handwritten letter from Indiana Jones.
OMN: What's next for you?
CK: I am nearly finished with the third book in "The Hunters" series. Once I'm done, I'm going to take some time off from writing to visit the set of The Hunters movie, which is currently in pre-production. Obviously that's a dream come true for a movie buff like me.
Robert Mark Kamen (Taken, The Transporter, and The Karate Kid) wrote the script, and John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, Die Hard 5) is directing. Most of the action takes place in Eastern Europe, so we'll be heading over there for a lengthy shoot. I've never been on a movie set before, so I'm sure I'll be running around like a little kid. I honestly can't wait!
— ♦ —
In addition to The Einstein Pursuit, Chris Kuzneski is the author of The Hunters, The Death Relic, The Secret Crown, The Prophecy, The Lost Throne, Sword of God, Sign of the Cross, and The Plantation. His thrillers have been published in more than twenty languages and are sold in more than forty countries. Chris grew up in Pennsylvania and currently lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida where he will probably die alone because he spends way too much time writing and watching sports.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at ChrisKuzneski.com or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
— ♦ —
The Einstein Pursuit
Chris Kuzneski
A Payne & Jones Mystery
Working in secret, an acclaimed group of scientists has developed a radical new approach to modern medicine that could change everything we know about the human body and its limitations. But such knowledge does not come without risk. When their laboratory in Stockholm is attacked, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep this research from reaching the masses.
As more details come to light, Interpol director Nick Dial realizes that the bombing in Sweden has exposed a hidden collective of the world's greatest minds. What's more, this group has been operating in the shadows for more than a century. What have they learned during all that time? And why would someone want them dead?
Jonathon Payne and David Jones soon find themselves drawn into the mystery. On a collision course with the man behind the massacre, the duo must follow the history of scientific discovery in order to stop a villain determined to use modern advancements to create his own vision of the future — a future where he alone controls who lives and dies.
