Meet author James O. Born, a Special Agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement!
Leave a message on the blog for Jim and you'll automatically be entered into the draw for a signed copy of his new novel, FIELD OF FIRE.
I had the pleasure of meeting James O. Born AKA Jim Born at the inaugaral Thrillerfest in Phoenix. Don't let his easy-going personality and laid-back attitude fool you. This guy is the real deal! He has been in the U.S. Marshals service, the DEA, and has done undercover work in various areas, including organized crime, violent crimes, economic crimes, drug cartels, and public corruption. No wonder he turned to fiction writing...he has countless stories to tell. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.
KJ: Dialogue is one of your strong points. You really capture the gritty essence of the daily life of a police officer. Do you spend a lot of time eavesdropping at your day job? How do you make your dialogue sound so realistic?
JB: I don't have to go out of my way to hear interesting dialogue. In my daily life as a cop, I hear all kinds of funny and stupid things. The benefit of living in Florida is hearing virtually every type of accent. They're just hard to write.
The key to making written dialogue realistic is to read it aloud. I read, then revise constantly. Then, once the book is complete, I set it aside for several weeks then read all the dialogue aloud again. I try to cut, cut, and cut some more.
KJ: Florida and its humidity drips from your novels, a welcome escape for this Canadian in the midst of winter. Can you talk a little about setting and how you go about describing it? Would you consider setting a novel outside of Florida?
JB: One little thing I try to do is stress that it's usually hot even in the winter but if you're a native you don't notice it. I've lived a number of places, but I was born in South Florida and live here now. I love the heat. Others don't. I think that's funny.
My next novel, FIELD OF FIRE, starts and ends in Florida, but the action unfolds across the country. The hero is a federal agent and as a result travels a little more than Bill Tasker, the State cop of ESCAPE CLAUSE. In next year's book, the entire story takes place in New Orleans, Panama, and Houston.
KJ: After reading the first chapter of FIELD OF FIRE, I know why I have an aversion to hoop earrings! You definitely jumpstart the novel with an action-packed scene while giving the reader excellent cues to characterization. Can you tell us a little about how you make this process so seamless?
JB: I try to think like the character. In the case of Alex Duarte, the ATF agent who is the hero of the story, he's a little callous and tough. He isn't upset when he has to hurt someone. He has a conscience but doesn't waste using it on bullies and thugs. If the character acts in ways that are true to their nature, the reader comes to know them without realizing it.
KJ: Thriller author David Morrell comments that every book changes him in some way. After all, when you spend several months researching a novel, you are immersed in a different world. How has FIELD OF FIRE changed you?
Unlike my earlier books, which were essentially comedies, or at least light-hearted, FIELD OF FIRE follows what someone has to do to escape mistakes made in the past. The effects of a child's death on the hero points him in the right direction of redemption, even if he doesn't realize it.
The book affected me after completion much more than one of my early novels. Just the scope and length was enough to fry some brain circuits. This book changed how I look at some details and how I write about them. The key is to tell the story, not document every detail of someone's life.
KJ: Studies show that people are more afraid of public speaking than death. Most writers are introverts who definitely understand this intense fear. I've been a member of the audience at conferences where you are speaking; there is standing room only, you delight the crowd with interesting facts and fabulous jokes. What advice would you give aspiring writers so they can successfully entertain their future audiences?
Don't sweat it. Someone once said to me before a speaking engagement where I was nervous, "What are they gonna do, eat you?" He was right. It would be difficult to say something so wrong that it would incite violence. People sense that I'm having fun so it gives them permission to have fun as well.
KJ: If you had to set up one of your characters on a blind date with my sniper heroine Kenya Alexikova, who would it be?
JB: Kenya would be a good date for hitman Mike Garetti. They both are killers with a sense of justice. He needs the break from setting bombs and tracking his last target. They would be a good, if dangerous, fit.
KJ: You once blogged about how much you like Canadians. Can you tell us how you came to such an insightful conclusion, eh?
JB: I was raised in South Florida. I thought Canada was just another county in the state where the kids talked funny and were really good at roller hockey. Their parents were always nice and had the best snacks. Then I learned it was an entirely different country. I was twenty-four or five and was blown away by it. A country north of Buffalo, New York! That's just crazy.
In reality, I did grow up with Canadians who were nice. Then, as a cop, I traveled to Toronto on a case and couldn't believe how helpful the Toronto police and Ontario Provincial Police were. They helped me on the case by day and took me to fantastic bars at night. I didn't want to leave.
Just a nice country with nice people. What else would you want? Except warmer winters.
KJ: You have that right! Winter in Toronto can be rather harsh. Thanks for joining us today, Jim. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of FIELD OF FIRE.
If you would like to enter the draw for a signed copy, just leave a message on the blog saying hi to Jim. To learn more about this fascinating author, please visit www.jamesoborn.com
Be sure to stop by http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle.php for the grande finale of the American Title III Contest from February 19 to March 4 to see if sniper Kenya made the cut!
Leave a message on the blog for Jim and you'll automatically be entered into the draw for a signed copy of his new novel, FIELD OF FIRE.
I had the pleasure of meeting James O. Born AKA Jim Born at the inaugaral Thrillerfest in Phoenix. Don't let his easy-going personality and laid-back attitude fool you. This guy is the real deal! He has been in the U.S. Marshals service, the DEA, and has done undercover work in various areas, including organized crime, violent crimes, economic crimes, drug cartels, and public corruption. No wonder he turned to fiction writing...he has countless stories to tell. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.
KJ: Dialogue is one of your strong points. You really capture the gritty essence of the daily life of a police officer. Do you spend a lot of time eavesdropping at your day job? How do you make your dialogue sound so realistic?
JB: I don't have to go out of my way to hear interesting dialogue. In my daily life as a cop, I hear all kinds of funny and stupid things. The benefit of living in Florida is hearing virtually every type of accent. They're just hard to write.
The key to making written dialogue realistic is to read it aloud. I read, then revise constantly. Then, once the book is complete, I set it aside for several weeks then read all the dialogue aloud again. I try to cut, cut, and cut some more.
KJ: Florida and its humidity drips from your novels, a welcome escape for this Canadian in the midst of winter. Can you talk a little about setting and how you go about describing it? Would you consider setting a novel outside of Florida?
JB: One little thing I try to do is stress that it's usually hot even in the winter but if you're a native you don't notice it. I've lived a number of places, but I was born in South Florida and live here now. I love the heat. Others don't. I think that's funny.
My next novel, FIELD OF FIRE, starts and ends in Florida, but the action unfolds across the country. The hero is a federal agent and as a result travels a little more than Bill Tasker, the State cop of ESCAPE CLAUSE. In next year's book, the entire story takes place in New Orleans, Panama, and Houston.
KJ: After reading the first chapter of FIELD OF FIRE, I know why I have an aversion to hoop earrings! You definitely jumpstart the novel with an action-packed scene while giving the reader excellent cues to characterization. Can you tell us a little about how you make this process so seamless?
JB: I try to think like the character. In the case of Alex Duarte, the ATF agent who is the hero of the story, he's a little callous and tough. He isn't upset when he has to hurt someone. He has a conscience but doesn't waste using it on bullies and thugs. If the character acts in ways that are true to their nature, the reader comes to know them without realizing it.
KJ: Thriller author David Morrell comments that every book changes him in some way. After all, when you spend several months researching a novel, you are immersed in a different world. How has FIELD OF FIRE changed you?
Unlike my earlier books, which were essentially comedies, or at least light-hearted, FIELD OF FIRE follows what someone has to do to escape mistakes made in the past. The effects of a child's death on the hero points him in the right direction of redemption, even if he doesn't realize it.
The book affected me after completion much more than one of my early novels. Just the scope and length was enough to fry some brain circuits. This book changed how I look at some details and how I write about them. The key is to tell the story, not document every detail of someone's life.
KJ: Studies show that people are more afraid of public speaking than death. Most writers are introverts who definitely understand this intense fear. I've been a member of the audience at conferences where you are speaking; there is standing room only, you delight the crowd with interesting facts and fabulous jokes. What advice would you give aspiring writers so they can successfully entertain their future audiences?
Don't sweat it. Someone once said to me before a speaking engagement where I was nervous, "What are they gonna do, eat you?" He was right. It would be difficult to say something so wrong that it would incite violence. People sense that I'm having fun so it gives them permission to have fun as well.
KJ: If you had to set up one of your characters on a blind date with my sniper heroine Kenya Alexikova, who would it be?
JB: Kenya would be a good date for hitman Mike Garetti. They both are killers with a sense of justice. He needs the break from setting bombs and tracking his last target. They would be a good, if dangerous, fit.
KJ: You once blogged about how much you like Canadians. Can you tell us how you came to such an insightful conclusion, eh?
JB: I was raised in South Florida. I thought Canada was just another county in the state where the kids talked funny and were really good at roller hockey. Their parents were always nice and had the best snacks. Then I learned it was an entirely different country. I was twenty-four or five and was blown away by it. A country north of Buffalo, New York! That's just crazy.
In reality, I did grow up with Canadians who were nice. Then, as a cop, I traveled to Toronto on a case and couldn't believe how helpful the Toronto police and Ontario Provincial Police were. They helped me on the case by day and took me to fantastic bars at night. I didn't want to leave.
Just a nice country with nice people. What else would you want? Except warmer winters.
KJ: You have that right! Winter in Toronto can be rather harsh. Thanks for joining us today, Jim. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of FIELD OF FIRE.
If you would like to enter the draw for a signed copy, just leave a message on the blog saying hi to Jim. To learn more about this fascinating author, please visit www.jamesoborn.com
Be sure to stop by http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle.php for the grande finale of the American Title III Contest from February 19 to March 4 to see if sniper Kenya made the cut!
