Replay: JH Bogran!
J. H. Bográn, born
and raised in Honduras, is the son of a journalist. Ironically, he prefers to write fiction rather than fact. His genre of
choice is thrillers, but he likes to throw a twist of romance into the mix. His works include
novels and short stories in both English and
Spanish. He’s a member of the Short Fiction Writers Guild and the
International Thriller
Writers where he
also serves as the Thriller Roundtable Coordinator and contributing editor of their official e-zine The Big Thrill.
He is the author
of several books, including Firefall.
You can learn more on his website:
www.jhbogran.com or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jhbogran
and Twitter
at
@JHBogran.
Welcome JH! Tell us a
little about your background!
Thanks ROCCO! I’m a
native of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t go to
bilingual school, but started learning English during my mid-teens. I enrolled
in Bank Management at the local university, only to have the career closed
after a semester due to lack of enough students, thus I was transferred by
default to Business Administration. Then I started working in the fashion
manufacturing, an area mostly populated by industrial engineers. You see, I
always find myself swimming against the current. Then of course was the
writing. I find it funny that when people know you like writing they think you
can write anything, from contracts, to letters and notifications, to novels, to
speeches. Some people seem to think that because I liked to write I could do
any of those…and I have, but most out of necessity rather than inclination.
I consider myself a
storyteller, not much different from the troubadours in the middle ages, except
I traded the musical instrument for a typewriter.
Tell us a bit about
your latest book Poisoned Tears.
Poisoned Tears is set
in New Orleans, a city I longed to visit since I was young. The book tells the
story of a retired PI, named Alan Knox, who comes to a city he hates—he lost
his professional football career after an injured in the Superdome—but he can’t
deny helping his son. You see, it’s his fiancée who’s missing.
When she turns up dead
in a local park, people rule it as a terrible accident. However, Alan thinks
differently. Call it a hunch, call it insider’s knowledge. He teams with a
disgruntled newspaper columnist past his prime, and together they put together
a theory, along with an exposé, that brings the city into a frenzy.
You do interviews for the
Big Thrill. Who’s the most interesting author you’ve ever interviewed?
I’m a big fan of James
Corden’s Carpool Karaoke. During a truth or dare game at The Late Late Show he
preferred to eat a disgusting piece of raw meat instead of singling out his least
favorite guest in the series. I admire him for it and will emulate his courage
and take the Fifth Amendment on this one.
The fact is I enjoy
every interview I’ve done and I’ve always found something interesting from the
author’s I’ve met, be that how they work, their experiences with the craft and
business of publishing, or their peculiarities…(Here’s looking at you, Rocco.) ROCCO:
Merow?????
Do you prefer
interviewing or writing fiction?
Can’t compare apples
and pears.
Writing fiction to me
is more like storytelling, working behind closed doors to create my own plots.
It’s wonderful, but sometimes also a solitary undertaking. So doing the
interviews provide a much needed break, but also a contact with the current
market, and with peers writing novels in the same genre. Besides, I also get to
read their books before they are published. People would kill for that gig.
How do you “get to
know” your characters before and while you’re writing the books?
Since I usually come up
with the plot before the characters, I kind of make them tailor-finished to
what serves the story. I may have a vague idea, mostly physically, when going
into the first draft, but they become real as I write the story. Very often
they surprise me with blows right out of the left field. So you can say I’ve
been sucker-punched by my characters.
How do you construct
your plots? Do you outline or do you write “by the seat of your pants”?
I’d like to say a
combination of both. When I first come up with the concept I write a short
synopsis of what’s going to happen. Later I break that into a chapter list in a
spreadsheet. This helps in case I run against a wall, I know where the story is
going so there’s no such thing as writer’s block in my process. Later, when I
sit and write the first draft I let it be “by the seat of my pants,” and if I
need to make changes to the plot or outline I go ahead and do it. It’s not set
in stone.
What is the biggest
challenge you’ve faced as a writer and what inspires you and keeps you
motivated?
As a native Spanish
speaker, writing in English is a huge challenge all in itself. I’ve been
blessed with wonderful writer friends who put up with my horrible
lost-in-translation mistakes.
My motivation comes
from the readers. Having a person quoting my book, saying they like it, or even
the one-star reviews, all contribute to me. They give me a boost and make me
work harder the next time around.
What are you working on
now and what are your future writing plans?
I have a couple of
projects in the air, two novels and one potential movie-script deal. I’m
currently working on one of the novels, but that may change in short notice.
What’s the craziest
thing you’ve ever done?
It would depend on your
idea of crazy. Writing a novel is crazy enough for some people. Making five of
them even more.
Let’s see, I got a
tattoo before it was fashionable, I’ve jumped from one car to another while in
motion, attended a party in a military camp while carrying a concealed
unregistered handgun, and one time I scolded students and teachers in a college
after I asked who’s currently reading a book and only two people raised their
hands. Needless to say they never invited me again.
What’s one thing your
readers would be surprised to find out about you?
I think reading the
second paragraph of the previous questions would bring gasps out of a few of
them.
What question do you
wish interviewers would ask? (And what’s the answer?)
What’s my favorite color?
Just kidding!
Where can we learn more about you and your
books?
Well, you can visit my
website, www.jhbogran.com and I keep updating my Facebook author page.
www.facebook.com/jhbogran0
Just for Fun:
Night or Day? Both…there are fun activities for each of
them and I enjoy them both.
Dog or Cat? (Answer
carefully) I’ll take the Fifth then.
Beach or Pool? Pool.
Steak or salad? Salad. (Are you surprised?)
Favorite Drink? Scotch, neat or on the rocks, sometimes with
soda. However, given my James Bond infatuation I’ve learned to make a mean
Vodka Martini.
Favorite Book? Too many to mention, but I’ll share a list of
the ones I’ve read more than twice: Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Tom Clancy’s
Debt of Honor, Clive Cussler’s Deep Six, Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the
Earth, and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and Half-blood Prince are at the top of
the list.
Favorite TV Series? Nowadays, Doctor Who.
Favorite Movie? I enjoy movies a lot, but can’t pinpoint a
favorite anymore. Keep in mind I’ve worked as a professional movie reviewer for
a local newspaper.
Favorite Actor: Harrison
Ford.
Favorite Actress: You
really want to get me in trouble with wife, right? I think Helen Mirren and
Meryl Streep are wonderful and try to see everything they’re on. Natalie
Portman and Anna Hathaway have had hit and misses.
Dirty Martini or Pina
Colada? Vodka Martini. Shaken, not stirred.
Hawaii or Alaska? Never
been to any of the two, so I’ll take a raincheck…or invitations to visit before
taking a choice.
Finish this
sentence: If I could meet anyone in the
world, past or present, it would be Honduras’ national hero Francisco Morazán.
If I had just one wish,
it would be to be a better human being.
If I could trade places
with anyone in the world, it would be nobody, because I’m happy as I am! I
wouldn’t mind trading bank accounts though.
Thanks for a great interview, JH!
Find out more about JH at:
Website: www.jhbogran.com
Facebook
author page: https://www.facebook.com/JHBogran0
Twitter: @JHBogran
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jhbogran
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/j.-h.-bogran
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4307673.J_H_Bogran
JH will
giveaway an autographed digital copy of Poisoned Tears to a lucky winner.
To enter, leave a comment on
this blog post with your name and email address (entries without email will be
disqualified). For extra entries, you can do any or all of the below:
* Follow my blog (+ 1 point)
* Follow me on Twitter (+ 1 point) (Link: https://twitter.com/RoccoBlogger)
* Tweet about the contest (+ 1 point)
* Friend me on Facebook (+ 1 point) (Link: https://www.facebook.com/ToniLotempio)#!/
* Mention the contest on Facebook (+ 1
point)
* Mention the contest on your blog (+ 1 point)
* Mention the contest on your blog (+ 1 point)
Winner will be chosen at
random using random.org. Don’t forget to
mention all you’ve done in your comment. Good luck! Contest ends midnight,
March 26.
.
Thanks, Rocco.
ReplyDeleteIt's always fun to meet a new author.
We are FB friends and I linked this to my page.
I visit regularly
I don't tweet or have a blog.
libbydodd at comcast dot net