Interview with J.D. Currie, author of Judgment Tramp

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome J.D. Currie to the blog. He’s here to answer a few questions and to share some information about his book, Judgment Tramp. If this sounds like a book that you would be interested in reading, use the buy links at the bottom of this post to pick up a copy.

IBP – Try to describe your book in one sentence.

J.D. – Judgment Tramp is a character driven suspense/mystery novel that is part psychological thriller, and also an old-fashioned who-done-it.

IBP – Do you keep track or write reviews for books you read?

J.D. – I’ve written a few reviews, but I plan to write more reviews in the future. Writing a fair, honest review is hard work, and I think it is a great way to enhance critical thinking.

IBP – Do you read reviews written about your book?

J.D. – Of course—and I’m extremely skeptical when a writer tells me that he or she doesn’t pay any attention to reviews. I don’t stress out over reviews, but I feel it is important to be sensitive to my audience. I have to write the books I want to write, and they have to work for me first, but my writing has to appeal to other people if I’m to have a career in the business.

IBP – Have you always wanted to be a writer?

J.D. – I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of writing for a living, but it would be misleading for me to say I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I initially wanted to play baseball, and when that didn’t work out, I did a number of different, soul-sucking jobs. Eventually I decided I had to do something that fit my personality—and being a writer is a good fit. I’m also a professional musician, and I think music and writing dovetail very nicely with each other—they are both expressive mediums.

IBP – What’s your favorite part of writing a book?

J.D. – The favorite part is that moment when I realize that the project is coming together, and it usually happens when I’ve done about 2/3rds of the writing. Writing a book is such a magical process, because the characters affect my writing so much. They really do start to take the process over when I get to that 2/3rds mark.

IBP – Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

J.D. – I see myself in all of my characters. Most of my characters are composites of several people, but there is an element of me in all of them. Eb Maclean, my protagonist in Judgment Tramp, is a made-up character, but I like to think I possess a little of his basic decency. I also like to think that most of us would have Eb’s courage.

IBP – How did you come up with your premise for your books?

J.D. – I try to come up with one event (the car bombing in Judgment Tramp is an example) that has a momentous effect on the character’s lives, and then I start coming up with reasons for why such a thing could happen. My ideas fall into two separate categories—book length, and short story length, and usually the book length idea is less complicated and more open ended.

IBP – Are there any particular books and/or authors that inspired you and continue to do so?

J.D. – Alistair Maclean was the first author who inspired me, and Eb Maclean’s last name is my way of reflecting that in my work. I also admire a writer named Colin Fletcher, who wrote a number of books about backpacking. He really inspired me, because he managed to write a how-to book about backpacking and turn it into literature…which is no easy feat to pull off. I also admire Ken Follett.

IBP – Where is your work available?

J.D. – I think Amazon is the place for any indie writer. I’ve become a big believer in e-books, and I intend to be a part of this transformational change in publishing.

IBP – Favorite place in the world?

J.D. – I could duck this question and say Hawaii, but in reality it is Traverse City, MI. Actually, I love all of western Michigan. South Haven (the setting for Judgment Tramp) is some place I could live.

IBP – How many more books can we expect in this series?

J.D. – I hope to do three or four minimum in the series, and I won’t rule out doing more. I think Eb Maclean is a great character who could easily keep people entertained throughout several books.

Bio
I grew up in Michigan, and still feel a strong connection to the state. Currently I live in St. Louis, MO. I’m a writer and musician sharing stories in music and print. I was always meant to be a musician–everybody told me that, but it took half my life for me to fulfill that prophecy. The music is making me a better writer, and the writing is helping me tell better stories with my music.

Blurb
Ex-Army helicopter pilot Eb McLean is struggling to deal with his emotional scars and return to civilian life, but a sudden explosion and vicious murder throw him back into another kind of war. Now his sister Maggie’s car is burning in front of their restaurant and hardened FBI agent Nick Kavadas wants to nail Eb for the crime. Eb finds himself in a race against time to find the real killer and peel back the layers of deceit and lies which threaten to destroy everything he holds dear. But whom can he trust? ATF Special Agent Danielle Ricci, who may be harboring a secret of her own? The sexy, but deadly, Imme Amoud? Or could his involvement with her be a fatal attraction? In the frantic hunt for the killer Eb is forced to confront his own tortured past.