March 16th, 2021
Greg Jolley, author of “Thieves: Book One of the Obscurité de Floride Trilogy”
(The interview can also be read at: https://bit.ly/3vC4rVV )
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
Crime pay and pays well, if you can avoid the deadly risks. For Molly and April Danser, this means not only outwitting the law but also somehow trying to escape the deadly claws of the US Marshal who wants then dead, not captured.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
To best honest, it’s mostly enjoyable, from the original story sketches straight through to the final proofreading with my publisher’s editors. During the writing of “Thieves” I was challenged to keep up with the dangerous twists and turns of minds of all three main characters. Every time I thought I knew what they were going to do next, they surprised me by taking ahold of the steering wheel and turning the story sharply.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
“Thieves” is my twenty-eighth novel. We have twelve in print, with the others in queue for publication over the next four years. I really don’t have a favorite as each is like a daughter to me, cherished and loved.
If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
Eva Green for Molly Danser, in a manic, hard eyed way.
Nicole Kidman for April Danser, at her most flighty and dangerous.
Steve Buscemi for the US Marshall, wild eyed, hearing voices and deadly.
When did you begin writing?
In 1982, with my first novel “Distractions,” which was published in 1984. Yes, a good long time (laughter). That book was also when I joined the Danser family, so to speak, delighting in discovering a generation of wild eccentrics I could cast and enjoy, even at their most frightening.
How long did it take to complete your first book?
That was back in the days of many many drafts, so the write itself took more than year. In those days, research was much slower and either from books or hunting down real experiences to learn from, like visiting gun ranges, climbing into crop dusters and haunting the parts of city’s I would never brave in real life.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
The list was and still is short. While I’m still an avid reader, the voices that inspired me were Richard Brautigan, Peter S. Beagle, Truman Capote, John Cheever and Somerset Maugham. Each one brave and taking literary risks and challenges.
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What is your favorite part of the writing process?
The daily writes. I’m at it seven days a week, loving the immersion, challenges and frustrations. Most days, I don’t notice that the sun has risen or know or care what day it is, lost in the story. Writing “Thieves” was no exception. The four months of writing after endless research moved at a quick and exciting pace, sweeping me away from the real world out there somewhere.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Suspenseful, sexy, frightening, redeeming.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?
Gladly. I’m a quarter way through Chas Danser’s second novel, “Chas & Izzy.” This is book two of the “Vivre au Cinéma” series. Chas is seventeen years old and suffering from a neuroglial problem while knee deep in crime. As a budding actor, he has discovered a strange way to fully enter the roles he’s cast in. Outside the camera lights, he’s joined forces with his mother, Izzy, to rid the worst parts of Florida of its snake pits of criminals. Together, they are taking the law in their own hands, doing the dirty work that the legal system fails at time and again.
Your copy of “Thieves” can be purchased at all fine bookstores and on Amazon at:
All the best,
Greg Jolley
The Danser Novels
gregjolley 