Interview with thriller author T.J. Spade

Welcome, readers. I have T.J. Spade in the hot seat today. We’re talking about the new thriller, Take You Apart.

Bio:

T.J. Spade has two fascinations: Indiana Jones and the macabre. After trying to be Indy for a while and earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Archaeological Practice, T.J is now satisfying interest number two by plotting murder … on paper only of course.

Welcome, T.J. Please tell us about your current release.

Take You Apart is 60% thriller/40% romance. Here’s a taster:

Successful artist Caleb Everett lives each day with a real-time film inside his head, playing … murder. Since he was a child, Caleb has been able to see into the minds of killers. Working alongside veteran Homicide Detective Jack Rafferty, Caleb now uses his unique ability to balance the scales of justice.

With a new case afoot, Caleb is himself being targeted by a killer, and with attractive journalist Makayla Dawson on the scene, it becomes a race against time to save them all. With the odds savagely stacked against them, will this case take apart everything Caleb holds dear?

What inspired you to write this book?

All my life I’ve enjoyed reading crime and detective novels … writing them just seemed like a logical next step.

What exciting story are you working on next?

Take You to Hell: Book two of the Everett Files (released June 2016)

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Well, I remember writing an excellent story about a pencil when I was eight. Actually, the ‘hey, I’m a writer moment’ didn’t come until I received my first Amazon review from a stranger. It was a five-star review with the tagline, “Forget Hardboiled and try perfectly poached.” I read that and thought, ‘Wow, someone likes my book … I guess that makes me an author.”

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I would absolutely live to write full-time but my Clarke Kent alter-ego is that of a pre-school teacher. I love my job so I write on weekends and some nights after work. It’s a bit of a juggle but then again writing is almost more fun than reading – I get to be the puppet master! When I’m not working (or writing furiously) I like to walk my dog, watch movies and drink wine … I really like wine.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Sometimes I’ll wear my deer stalker hat if I hit the writer’s wall – it can never hurt to channel your inner Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock is also my favorite tv show and occasionally I have it on for background noise.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a marine archaeologist but I settled for a degree in archaeology and some fieldwork on a Lapita cemetery site in the South Pacific.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Please take the time to review a book you enjoy, the more reviews I get the less often I feel the need to wear the hat.

Thanks for being here today, T.J.!