Please introduce yourself, and tell our readers when you began writing, etc.
Hi John, thanks for having me back on your blog. It was great seeing you again at the Public Safety Writers Association annual conference.
Prior to becoming a full time author, I spent nearly thirty years as a Special Agent in the Air Force in a small organization called the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and eight years as a financial advertiser. I had my first novel published at the end of 2009. Since then I’ve had four more novels published along with one novella. I’ve also had two short stories published in anthologies.
Do you write every day, and are novels the only things you write?
I write five or six days a week, usually in the morning for a few hours. I would be happy writing seven days a week, but I usually have too many things on my “to do” list. While most of my writing is focused on novels, I do write short stories and other shorter works every now and then.
I know you are about to release a new novel. Please tell my readers about it.
Actually, my new book is a novella rather than a novel. I wrote it with my granddaughter and expect it to be released by my publisher in August. It’s titled The Enchanted Coin and targets Middle Grade readers, those young boys and girls who aren’t quite ready to get into the Young Adult books. The Enchanted Coin is a fantasy adventure story of a fourteen year old boy, Greg, who discovers a magical coin in a pond on his parents’ ranch. The coin is inscribed with a specific task that Greg feels he must fulfill. Once he does, he is shocked to find himself instantly transported to another world. Once there, he is thrust into the middle of a dangerous adventure.
What other novels have you written?
I have five published novels. They are all part of the Jim West mystery series. The titles include: Dead Men Can Kill, Cold Winters Kill, Loose Ends Kill, Another Colorado Kill, and No One Else to Kill. While Jim West is the protagonist in each of the books, the books are stand alone stories and can be read in any order.
What is your most rewarding writing experience?
I think my most rewarding experience as a writer is hearing from people who have read my stories and have taken the time to reach out and tell me how much they have enjoyed my books. Thanks to this electronic era we live in, I have heard back from fans in Australia, Europe, India, Canada, as well as in the U.S.
Do you belong to any writing or critique groups?
I belong to a number of writers’ groups to include the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, the Texas Writers League, the Military Writers Society of America, and the aforementioned Public Safety Writers Association. I have belonged to smaller, local writers groups that do a lot of critiquing but I’m not active in any of those right now.
Are you working on any new projects?
I am glad you asked. I’m just now coming to the conclusion of a manuscript for a new stand alone international thriller. It will be my first novel outside my Jim West series and is titled The Attack. In this story, I’ve created a character who belongs to a very small ultra secret U.S. agency. The agency, created in response to 9/11, is known to only a handful in government. The agency has the mission to seek out and eliminate individuals who have done deeds of extreme violence against the U.S. and are believed to be planning similar acts in the future. In The Attack, my protagonist is a “hunter” who is sent out after a terrorist who led a vicious attack against a U.S. airport and is suspected of planning a second, similar strike elsewhere in the country. I expect this book to be out at the end of this year or early next year.
Is there anything you would like to share with our readers?
I was quite honored and thrilled recently when I discovered that I’ve been selected as one of the three finalists for the 2013 Author of the Year award by the Military Writers’ Society of America. The winner will be announced later this year at the organization’s annual conference.
Please provide the readers with a link to your website, and a link to your book.
My website is www.bobdoerr.com and my books can be found on my Amazon page http://www.amazon.com/Bob-Doerr/e/B003M8OPB2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1374607852&sr=1-2-ent
Thanks again for this opportunity to visit with you and your followers.
John M. Wills 