Today, I’d like to welcome my cyber friend, John DeBoer. He and I met via thenextbigwriter.com back in 2011. He taught me to introduce a few minor characters in my books so that if I needed one to drop in again later to advance the story, I’d have them! Thanks, John!!

Please check out all of John’s many books and follow him on social media. Also, since today is his birthday, leave him best wishes in the comments!! Happy Birthday, John!!

After graduating from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, John L. DeBoer, M.D., F.A.C.S. completed surgical training in the U.S. Army and then spent three years in the Medical Corps as a general surgeon. Thirty years of private practice later, he retired to begin a new career as a writer. A member of International Thriller Writers, Dr. DeBoer is the author of eight published novels. For the last twenty-eight years, he has called North Carolina home.

Now let’s find out which questions the good doctor chose to answer.

Q: Who would you like to spend time with, and why?

A: Wow, a lot of folks to choose from! But I’ll stick to the writing field and pick Nelson DeMille. He, like I, is a writer of thriller novels. Unlike me, he’s become rich doing it! We’re about the same age, so we have been around to experience the same movies and music – and books! – over the years. It would be fun to share our views. Since we write in the same genre, getting his take on the elements and crafting of a good thriller novel would be educational. Based on the main character of a number of his books, John Corey, I suspect DeMille is a bit of a wise-ass, as am I. I’d like to trade some good-natured barbs with him over a couple of drinks.

Ann: I bet you could match him barb for barb!

Q: What is one of your favorite quotes?

A: Again, lots to choose from. One of my favorites has always been Harry S. Truman’s line referring to a common outburst from supporters at public events: “Give ‘em hell, Harry!” Truman explained in his straightforward, no-nonsense way, “I don’t give them hell. I give them the truth, and they think it’s hell.” In today’s environment of fake news – both actual and claimed – and political correctness, that line is refreshing.

Ann: All I can say to that is…amen.

Q: Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks?

A: When I start writing a novel, I have only a vague idea of the plot, and I have no idea how it will end. I’ll outline a chapter, but I never outline the entire story. This technique has gotten me into trouble on occasion, like painting myself into a corner, and I can spend days on how to get out of my self-inflicted problem and advance the plot. I thought this approach was unusual until I came across this quote from E.L. Doctorow: “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the entire journey that way.” Exactly! That’s how I write my stories, and it seems I’m not alone there.

Ann: Right there with you, John. I’ll have a general idea of the plot and I may know how I want the story to begin and end, but the middle is a mystery!

Q: Who would play the two lead roles in your book if it were made into a movie?

A: The protagonist of When the Reaper Comes is Adam Taylor, a former Navy SEAL who now works for a global paramilitary security company. He gets involved in combating a team of American ISIS soldiers. Colin Farrell would make a good Adam Taylor. The antagonist, Yusuf Khouri, is the leader of that ISIS team. Zach Braff matches the vision I had in my head for Khouri.

Ann: I always cast my stories. Having a visual helps me write the characters. You chose two good ones for When the Reaper Comes.

Q: If you could snap your fingers and make one thing happen, what would that be and why?

A: That would be an awesome power! I’ll skip the usual genie-lamp stuff like immense wealth and immortality, and the clichéd beauty contestant wish of world peace, for something that is, despite Einstein’s proscription, theoretically possible: elimination of the light-speed barrier. A Star Trek warp drive, if you will. This would allow us to achieve intergalactic space travel. Not only would this open a vast new frontier of discovery, it would enable the human race to spread out across the cosmos to ensure its continued existence as a species, a destiny that otherwise would be out of reach.

Ann: You’re so adventurous! It isn’t in my DNA. I’m such a stick in the mud!

Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4107476.John_L_DeBoer
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Website: http://www.novelsbyjohnldeboer.com

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As the NSA gets a strong lead on one of the most prominent faces of ISIS, the Islamic State embarks on a bold course of action – an attack on American soil.

Former Navy SEAL Adam Taylor, on a break between assignments for a global paramilitary security firm, is visiting his folks in his hometown when he gets a new mission – provide security for a controversial rock star who’s in town to give a concert. Unknown to Adam, a team of American ISIS soldiers will soon arrive with a plan to wreak havoc on the Jersey Shore, and Adam will get caught up in a deadly game of wits between the terrorist menace and those tasked to protect the citizens of the homeland.