Suspense
Date Published: Jun 1, 2021
Publisher: Épouvantail Books, LLC
In the jungles of coastal Mexico, twelve-year-old Kazu Danser is on the run, his bloody past haunting and attempting to be his ruination. Hot on his heals is journalist Carson Staines, a deadly madman full of blood thirst and greed, determined to first chronicle Kazu’s criminal life – and then end it. Staines must nail him down, dead or alive; the boy being worth a huge payoff.
Making a perilous crossing of the border into the States, Kazu fights for his life, desperately heading east. Entering sunburnt Florida, he teams up with a gang of Floridian street urchins, known to the authorities as, “The disposables.”
With Staines not letting up on the chase, Kazu and the other youths go on the run, fighting for their lives.
Can the Disposables and Kazu survive?
What will they have to do to stop the murderous and resourceful monster mowing through them to get to his reward?
The second part of the book takes place in the shadows of Florida, where street urchins fights every day to survive, both bodily and in spirit. In contrast to the tropical beaches and teeming vacationers, the children will do anything necessary to keep their heads above the perilous deep waters.
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
Never trust anyone over twelve years old. Ever. Once a person has
rounded that corner they lose their mind to pursuits that add no spark or value
to a good life. Once the wonder and magic are gone, anyone thirteen or older
becomes a predator.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Honestly, it’s all a lot of
fun and very satisfying. While often challenging and not exactly filled with
merriment, the entire process is a delight and I feel blessed when I enter my
office each morning. For five or six hours each day, the real world is millions
of miles away and I’m consumed by the story and my cast and their rare and
strange and beautiful lives.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I’ve completed twenty-nine novels and there are thirteen in print, which
is why my publisher is working so hard to release three or four a year. Our
goal is to get my back catalog in reader’s hands and eventually be releasing
titles closer to their actual completion.
Each of the Danser novels is a daughter to me and while I don’t know a
whole lot about parenting, I am just smart enough not to pick favorites. That
said, I really look forward to the 2023 release of “Cream of the Wheat” because
that work reveals so many of the original family members and their challenges
and passions, most of which are criminal.
If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
I’m not up to speed with
current film actors and actresses, having spent most of my time on film sets
learning all that goes on behind the cameras, but I would hope the cast would
come from the finer acting schools, where they would be well grounded in both
the art and craft. I have a huge respect for the acting profession, having
witnessed the preparation and study and experimenting the very best do in a
tireless effort to bring a fictional character to life.
When did you begin writing?
In 1984, when I dove into
the write of the first Danser novel, “Distractions.” Soon as I got to know some
of the fictional family members, they pretty much pointed me to the typewriter
and said, “We’ve got this. Just tap the keys.”
How long did it take to complete your first book?
You mean in the days of
uncertainly and an insane number of drafts (Laughter)? About a year and a half.
The story and the cast were solid, it was the monkey at the keyboard that
needed to find his narrative voice. Once found, it was then simply a matter of trusting
it, and letting it speak for itself.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
Not one, but so many of the rule breakers.
Somerset Maugham, Richard Brautigan, John Cheever, Truman Capote. J.D. Salinger
and Peter S. Beagle were and are all inspiring. Each showed me the beauty and
wonder of taking literary chances in an effort to share the rare beauty that
their characters lived and breathed.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
I do about three months of sketches before I start a book. These will
often be about twenty thousand words of what I call Ingredients and The Skeleton.
This is when I get to know my cast as well as develop the steely edges that are
going to change and shape their lives. This writing is a blast because it’s a cyclone
of imagination and research, when I never say no to anything, as long as it sets
their world on fire.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Stay Away From Adults.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the
future for your writing?
I’m one-third of the way into the first draft of “Chas & Gomez.” This is Chas Danser’s third
novel and he is a delight to work with. He’s seventeen and living a life of
crime while also struggling to live with fugues brought about by his mom having
cracked his skull with a baseball bat when he was seven. Ever wise and resourceful,
he’s taking advantage of his spells of
disassociation by becoming, what else, a successful actor when not
running from the law.
About the Author
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Twitter: @gfjolle
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