Howdy peeps.

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My very good friend Jack Steele has been busy and is currently in the middle of a Blog Tour promoting a new book in his Crime Thriller series.

Here is the original interview that I did with him back at the end of last year, in case you missed it:-

Author Interview – Jack Steele – Loose Cannon (Book One of the Detective Joe Stone Crime Fiction Series)

I therefore thought it would be fun to catch up with him and ask him some questions about his latest release, so here it is and happy reading friends 🙂

 

Hi there Jack, a real pleasure to have you back here with us again to chat about your latest book release LONG SHOT (A Detective Joe Stone Novel Book 2).

Thanks David, I appreciate the opportunity to chat to you again.

Who are the key players/lead protagonists and antagonists that pop up in your adventure? (Assuming that we haven’t already read the first book in the Joe Stone series)

Detective Joe Stone is the lead protagonist who has a lot to contend with in his private life as well as his professional life. As usual, he is soon in the thick of the action trying to find those responsible for the latest atrocity and as a consequence his Strategic Investigation Unit is attacked with dire consequences for those within the unit. There are a number of antagonists involved but it only becomes clear of their connection once the investigation reveals clues to their identity. There is a twist at the end and a cliff hanger of an ending which I hope you enjoy.

What is the story about regarding the conflict that needs to be resolved by the characters and what are the stakes for them this time round?

Detective Joe Stone and his team investigate a major terrorist attack on one of London’s most iconic buildings. They soon draw up a list of suspects who are highly respected members of the community and government. When most of his team is attacked, it soon develops into a war of nerves and a race against time before a deadly weapon is unleashed with horrific consequences.

How did the idea for this tale take shape? Is it a natural progression from the previous book in the series or are you taking the series down another different path entirely?

It was when I visited Richmond Park in London and looked through a telescope on King Henry’s Mound that I had an idea for the next in the series. It concerns someone who wanted to change society but at a price. Then I thought of this person’s connection to the Strategic Investigation Unit and everything began to fall into place

It’s a natural progression in the series because I love writing with strands weaved throughout the books and the chance to explore the characters even further as the books are produced. Long Shot carries on two weeks after the first book, Loose Cannon. It resolves some of the issues from the first book but this time conflict of a different kind will be revealed in this book.

Did you do any specific research for this novel that differed from your previous one in the series or the other novels that you have written?

I love to research and I would love to include all of it but there is too much and I want the books to flow. Long Shot had buildings which I personally visited to ensure accuracy and feasibility. The last thing I want is for the reader to stop and question whether or not a building or location is not accurate especially when it’s central to the story. The only time I do change or rename a building is purely for fictional reasons.

Regarding research for your books, is there anything that has surprised you or completely changed your world view after learning more about it?

I have to say that the main focus of Long Shot following a terrorist attack on an iconic London building is the response of the government. I was reading an article in a leading Sunday newspaper recently which had the government do exactly what I had written. Although it would seem an inevitable outcome I was still surprised that I had pre-empted the government as it were.

What aspects of your characters in this book would you say that you relate to on a personal level?

I always invest a lot of my character into Detective Joe Stone. He has to endure and witness things in his personal life that I have witnessed in my own. Most of the characters in the books are based on those that have had an influence on me in one form or another. The fact that Carl, Joe’s friend and colleague, is struggling to cope with loss and the effects of bereavement is something that I have seen in real life and have struggled with in the past.

What were the hardest parts of this book to write? And what were the easiest?

The hardest parts were keeping the book flowing when there were necessary scenes of dialogue and reflection. In the first book I found some of the readers thought there was too much detail while others asked for more. It’s a balancing act which, thankfully, the reviews for Long Shot seem to imply that I have it about right.

The easiest were the chase sequences as I love a great chase. I always dream of running after someone or escaping and trying to get distance between whoever it is after me. My wife often has to wake me up saying I am kicking or moving about in bed too much!

Were there any significant concepts that you had to edit out of this book that seemed like a good idea in the first draft but became too unwieldy as the story progressed?

One concept that I had to change was the leading antagonist. I had too many details on who this person was which would take away the twist at the end of the book. I enjoyed writing about this person so you can imagine that when most of the back story was ditched it was frustrating.

Do you hide any secrets or Easter eggs in your books for dedicated readers to find?

I do have a couple of surprises in each book for characters named after someone I know.  I recently ran a competition while being involved in the Online Crime Readers Party back in September 2016. The winner would have their name as a character in Long Shot. It was such a success that I intend to do it again.

What would you choose as your own personal mascot or spirit animal when it comes to you and your style of writing?

To answer this question I have looked back at the reviews of Loose Cannon, the first in the series of Detective Joe Stone Crime Thrillers. Throughout the reviews the two words ‘fast –paced’ were prominent. So I would think that a Cheetah would best represent my style of writing.

What do you think most characterizes or defines your writing? Do you have any writing quirks or themes that constantly crop up in your stories?

My writing style is a fast-paced page turner with cliff hangers, moral dilemmas and believable characters. My lead character, Joe Stone, is written in the first person. He is always in the heart of the action often leading to life-threatening situations with exciting chase scenes.

There are many themes running through my stories which Joe symbolises; Empathy, Determination, Friendship and Loss. The main strand is his missing girlfriend who was abducted while serving in the Border Patrol. In the sequel, more information is revealed and he becomes even more determined to find out who abducted her. Another theme is his impending promotion within the Strategic Investigation Unit which is highlighted in the sequel. Then there is….oh you will have to read them to discover more!

Finally, regarding your subsequent projects, will you be writing another sequel in your Joe Stone detective series or do you have other plans for other books in the pipeline?

As previously mentioned the sequel ‘Long Shot’ is being published on July 29^th 2017. I am currently writing the third in the series.

And once again, that’s a wrap! 🙂 Good luck with your Blog Tour and we look forward to enjoying the continuing thrilling adventures of detective Joe Stone 🙂

I have thoroughly enjoyed your interview David. Thank You.

Bio (in his own words):-

“I was born in Hackney, London and grew up on the Bannister House Housing Estate in Hommerton. I now live in Nottinghamshire and married with two grown up children who now have lives of their own, leaving me time to indulge in my favourite passions, reading and writing. I still work full-time in the printing industry which is where I have been for the past 40 years. On many occasions it interferes with my writing, working extra hours or weekends, so it can be a balancing act but one I seem to manage along with an understanding wife of course.

I spent five years researching books, magazines, documentaries, movies and internet articles on various subjects as well as completing a creative writing course and attending workshops run by the Nottingham Writers Studio.

It was a great achievement in 2016 when I published my first Crime Thriller novel ‘Loose Cannon’ with great reviews. It was the first in the Detective Joe Stone series and I was encouraged to write the sequel ‘Long Shot’, which has now also been published .

My writing style is a fast-paced page turner with cliff hangers, moral dilemmas and believable characters.”

You can connect with Jack via the following Social Media channels:-

Blog:- The Blog of Author Jack Steele
Facebook:- Jack Steele – Author (FB)
Twitter:- @JackSteele1961 (Twitter)

You can buy his books here:-

Buy books by Jack Steele in the Detective Joe Stone Series in the UK/Europe

Buy books by Jack Steele in the Detective Joe Stone Series in the US/Rest of the World

If you too would like to be interviewed on my blog at TooFullToWrite and you have a book or a series of books that you would like us to chat about then fill out the Contact Me form here with your details and we can arrange a future interview slot.

Still want more? Well, Jack’s books are relentless, fast-paced thrillers according to both him and his eager, adventure seeking readers. For more articles on the theme of ‘Dash’ then check out the links below:-

1. Invisible Illnesses – Daily Prompt – Fragrance plus 24 more words
2. Afterwards – Dash – a collection of hastily scribbled limericks – Daily prompt
3. A Diary of A Single Man: Heavens Peak – Harlem Cafe
4. Dashing through the work week|Sugurin ang pagtatrabaho – Just a Sample of Life
5. “A collection of July’s daily words.” – Nomadic Adventurer
6. like a magnet – jacey caitlyn speaks
7. Le Drake Noir – Five in three
8. Lori’s Life and Other Stuff – Far from Perfect. Not Even Good.
9. Mauritius – MAG Stories
10. simply.cindy – Enter Now! Summer Blog Giveaway Begins!
11. LynDurante.com – Happy 1st of July 2017! Celebrate.
12. Set to sail – Progressing into Solitude
13. Time (12) – This is Nobody’s blog
14. WRITESPIRATION #123 Discovered Secrets (#52 Words) – LiveFree & LoveOnPurpose
15. Refocus: Your Brand. Their View… – Success Strategies
16. In a Flash – True_George
17. To The Finish Line – The Middle The End The Start
18. Poem – “Dash” – Konshius Beard
19. Vandana writes – Dust of Ages 2. 2016: Delhi-Navgarh
20. Awl and Scribe – Dash
21. logicaldreams – Short Story: Red Light, Green Light
22. Dash – birdoptera
23. Eclectic Joy – Prompted – Dash
24. Wonder-full Brain! – thinkinkadia
25. LIVE AND LET LIVE – Rainbow
26. Dash – John Jr’s Blog
27. Dash of Joy – Fallen Rose’s Blog
28. Writing in English – Debbie Gravett
29. Swell Time – Perks of immortality
30. Gossamer Hands – E. Denise Billups, Writer
31. September 20 – Melinda J. Irvine
32. Rocks – The Chaos Within
33. A dash of holiday magic – It takes a Savior to raise a child
34. Conquer the World – Running.
35. Sandmanjazz – Dash
36. Musings of a pseudo-writer – How about some dinner??!
37. A Dash of Love, The Thirty to Vertical Infinity – Honing skills and loving the ride
38. Half Baked In Paradise – Emotion recollected in tranquility
39. Liberation – Vistas
40. She Is Nubile, But… – LifeBlog
41. Game, Set, Match… – Mum’s the Word Blog
42. Japanese Wh1spers – Dash
43. In a dash – BASSEY ETIM
44. Giggles & Tales – The Daily Prompt – Dash!
45. Toortsie, Kameel en Bokbaaivygie se blog – In a dash!
46. Standing and Waiting – By Sarah
47. Gawler – Underdown
48. All My Daughter’s Shoes – andsoitisborn
49. Tangled Webs – The Bat Baby
50. A place that will inspire you to visit mount yangbew
51. helen meikle’s scribblefest – Daily prompt: Which sort?
52. The Inkwell – Dash
53. S.O.S. – Leigha Robbins
54. arranging ambience – Tiny Fawns Writings
55. How I reached 100,000 views in 5 months? – Indian Crossdressing Novel
56. Tiny Marker – Walk with God
57. Dash – wayward content
58. More Manic Mondays – Dog Tales
59. 20 Powerful Quotes from US Presidents that will Change your Life
60. Hand Cranked Ice Cream…Old Fashioned! Yum! The Best Ever!! – kindergartenknowledge.com
61. Sascha Darlington’s Microcosm Explored – You Gave It All But I Want More #amwriting
62. You are entering my Mind – Oven Roasted veggies with mission tortillas.
63. Mad Dash – The Hockey Mom Fit Life
64. Figuratively a Billion – Synapse
65. ‘We need to be a little bit more tortoise-y and a little less hare-ish’ – Wells Baum
66. Once Upon a Time … – jansten56
67. Monsoon’s Crush – Revolving Around Life
68. When You Compete With Other People, You’ve Already Lost – Just In Kace
69. SOS – Mick E Talbot Poems
70. The 100 yard dash – It takes a Savior to raise a child
71. It’s The Little Things – Unexpected “Drunken Mussels”!
72. Dash – wordsareallihavesite
73. A dash of this and a dash of that – An Extraordinary Ordinary Life
74. Living Out Loud – She Was Dashing
75. George Kourtesiotis – Urban Challenge– Walk 20km/12mi in Your City.
76. Daily prompt :Dash Sunday Afternoon in Queens Park – Tachispeaks
77. Life as it happens to be – Daily Post ~ Dash
78. Collecting Treats – Inner Whispers
79. Life on the Dash – Zombie Ministry
80. Another Remarkable Day – Bump On a Log
81. juantetcts – Daily Post
82. Daily Post Dash – All About Writing and more
83. Happened on a Mound of Fire Ants – Migraines From Hell
84. Dash Dash Dash/Dot Dash Dash/Dash Dot/Dash Dash/Dot… – Beauty Mirrors Beast
85. Miss Pelican’s Perch – Slow Time
86. Headache Free Foodie – Migraineur’s Mirepoix: Setting the Stage for a Trigger Free Dish
87. Summer Pleasure – Wind Kisses
88. Mountain Man – Wind Kisses
89. Outside ‘The Daffodil and Pen’ – thehouseofbailey
90. The brain dash – abbisoul
91. Do you believe in fairies? – christinapociask
92. Coach centers on strategy not scenery – Your Nibbled News – 2017 YNN
93. give my regards to eternity – MY ENDURING BONES
94. Exploring the World around us – Ego
95. hopeforheather – Dash
96. A Dash of Culture for Ecotourists – Let’s Get Uncomfortable
97. Covert Novelist – Dash
98. Drop dead dashing – In my world
99. Curious Hart – M or N?
100. Nan’s Farm-Inside Out – Not A Moody Cow
101. Common Pursuit – What am I?
102. Life On The Skinny Branches – Amour Huile
103. This Moment – Stay the Course
104. GOD’S CHAIR – The Late Dash Whiplash (Limerick)
105. A Dash of Randomness – Ramblings of Rachael
106. The Wandering Poet – A dash to the leaf
107. Piper’s Adventures – Dashing Down the River
108. Tunnel Vision – Smell The Coffee
109. Jibber Jabber with Sue – When Fate Steps In…
110. That Annoying Guy Who Confuses Me – Love and Life
111. In a Hurry? A Dash of Oil Will Do Ya. – Bold Aromatherapy LLC
112. The many layers of Jen – Eyes to the skies
113. Flowers and Breezes – Dash
114. Just a dash of hope – Ἀλεός Salad
115. Guilty Pleasures – Life After Fifty
116. A dash of reality…… – Likhitha
117. Hunting in the woods – Right of Legions
118. Fast trains – Don’t hold your breath
119. Making it write – A Dash of Arrogance
120. LIVING Your Dash – Wind Kisses
121. Found in the Greenbelt: Another Dinosaur! – Living, Learning and Letting Go
122. Success Inspirers World – Let’s dash off; Let’s dash…
123. Christmas in July: a poem – Adventures of a Busy Mom
124. DASHING AND DAPPER – Wide Eyed In Wonder
125. Dash – Allison’s Written Words
126. Dronstad – Con-vers-ation
127. Introductory videos are my main blogs//Introductievideo’s mijn belangrijkste Blogs – Groeten uit #Tienen
128. Na’ama Yehuda – Dish Dash
129. Dash – All About Writing and more
130. Charmed Chaos – #Haiku 28: Garden Life
131. Over a cup of coffee( 2 min read) – Sreeblogs
132. DIY Bathroom Shelf Re-do – Adventures of a Busy Mom
133. Painted Churches of Texas: St. Mary’s at High Hill – My Crazy Graced Life
134. Crossing the Brahmaputra – Don’t hold your breath
135. Light & life – The 57 year dash.
136. Dashing About – Dream Desire Achieve
137. Musings of a Random Mind – Coming Home
138. Dash – Image & Word
139. Notes to Women – The Wedding Announcement
140. Little Dottie Dash – This, That, and The Other
141. Dash of Rain – Heaven’s Sunshine
142. Writer Sanctuary – How to Avoid these 7 Things that Will Crush Your Dreams
143. Who Are You? – VirtuousParagon
144. Living Ones – Around the World
145. The Examined Life – On Dashing
146. Cookies & Moo – Dash or Dash
147. SERENDIPITY – SCAMPER, DASH, SLOUCH, AND STUMBLE
148. A childish giggle escaping my lips – Sarahs Crazy Mind
149. Lest Thou Dash – A Journey Through Blessings and Trials
150. lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown – Facebook
151. Dash – Noologic Kid
152. Telling the Truth – one split second
153. Giraffic Genetics… – Bad Dad Cartoons 101
154. Sixth Sense – arpi3site
155. Damsel in Distress – This Terrible Morning.
156. Dashing through life… – Adriana- at home
157. Midnight Calico Farm – Dash
158. Eye Contact and Autism – Autism in Our Nest
159. Face Twice – Zeckrombryan
160. Dine And Dash – Kuma House
161. A Dash of This and That, A Poem – Kristy Writing
162. Existence – emotionsoflife2016
163. Living the Dash – I Am Writing
164. Piper’s Adventures – A Dash of Nature
165. Journey to eternity – My little storybook
166. Moving Too Fast – thepathtocreativity
167. Don’t Dash – Blissfully Bianca
168. Tara Kaushal: Why Indian men rape – redesign life
169. masihbersambung – Run Away Like It was Yesterday
170. And then there was one – Key Ingredients
171. 89.5% – Reactionary Tales
172. Haiku: Monday Breeze – whippetwisdom.com
173. simply.cindy – Enter Now! Summer Blog Giveaway Begins!
174. Arise, O Daughter – Just Go
175. Vivid Tales – There is a story behind every Dash
176. sonja benskin mesher – . spider .
177. Ravioli with Garlic & Basil Oil – Whole, Hearty, Happy
178. The Cat Chronicles – Daily Feline Prompt: The Feline Dash
179. Final Scream – The Diary of a Weird Teen Boy
180. Self Evolve – Importance of Electrolytes
181. Always in a Hurry – Just Writing!
182. Rainbow – Lived in UK Living in Taiwan
183. Fourth of Whatever…. – I’m a Writer, Yes, I Am!
184. IT AIN’T A 100 METER’S DASH! – IDLE BRAIN
185. Mike’s Mad Dash (continued from yesterday’s daily prompt, scamper)
186. A Dot * and A Dash – – My Second Act, Scene One
187. Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss – The Dash in Between
188. Smiles – surrealspectre
189. MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO – Dash
190. Just Brittany Moments – Too High Of An Expectation…
191. Rickey Dobbs – I was born this way.
192. Slinging Spiritual Slang – As I was saying…
193. DASH – mydailylife@kochi
194. Fireworks Gone Wrong – Memoirs of Megan – Dashing Around Town
195. SHINE MAGAZINE – Down the Road, on the Path of Life:
196. mylocalweb – social highway
197. Cimmerian Sentiment – #35 A Hard Question (Waking Up Jayla)
198. No Need To Dash Off – Site Title
199. That Monster… – They Once Called Her Pumpkin…
200. School’s out, but … – CD-W, Author Flawed to Perfection
201. Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron – Chronicles of an Orange-Haired Woman!
202. Platonic Melancholy – The Pescetarian Poet
203. Authentic Voice – Fox Fresh
204. Flip Flops Every day – The Ultimate Wiener Dude
205. Hot Dogs and Marmalade – Postcards
206. Night Bar – Haiku Abound
207. Southern By Design – Pieces
208. ….on pets and prisoners….. – happy monday
209. two lovers dashing – Writing the wrongs
210. Dash Between The Dates – damswriter
211. Success Inspirers World – We are doomed
212. Jane’s Journals – Tangos Turn: Sunday Outing
213. the15thday – all. day. long.
214. Down the Shore – nosaintaugustine
215. Outside The Window… – Emotions That Matter.
216. Frank Prem – perhaps a long spring
217. Insidious Busyness – Wind Rush
218. A Diary of A Single Man: This Bleeding Heart – Harlem Cafe
219. Frank Prem – MCG (Black and White and Blues)
220. Frank Prem – so handsome (what a guy)
221. CopyCat Cafe: What are you doing here? – Redux Of Rex
222. Daily Morse – Monkebus
223. italy – sukriti lakhtakia – poetry on better days
224. A Diary of A Single Man: A Father’s Day After Thought – Harlem Cafe
225. Designer Sophisticate – Catch me if you can.
226. That DASH – aroused
227. Charron’s Chatter – Dash-Bard
228. nerdhut – How to design your own CPU from scratch – Part 1