#BadMoonRising Blaze In, Blaze Out by Joseph Lewis #thriller #mystery #indieauthor

On By Teri PolenIn Bad Moon Rising

Today I have a thriller to share with you that’s available for pre-order and will be released January 2022. Find out why his family refuses to watch movies with him and how he may have proof the figures in his peripheral vision exist. Welcome Joseph Lewis!

Would you rather dunk for apples or carve a Jack-o’-lantern?

Definitely, without any doubt or hesitation at all, I would carve a Jack-o’-lantern. The thought of sticking my head in a barrel where others had their drool and slobber and their mouths on the apples truly gags me. There is absolutely no way. Nope. Nada.

If you watch horror movies, are you the person who yells at the characters, covers your eyes, or falls asleep?

My wife and kids refuse to watch scary movies with me. In fact, they don’t enjoy watching movies with me. I ask too many questions. I talk. Every bad habit you can think of while watching movies- that’s me. It was only after my wife and I were married that I found out Kim would shut her eyes at scary parts. I never knew because I was glued to the screen. I’ve screamed. I dumped popcorn on the people sitting next to me. I seldom shut my eyes because I want to see what is happening and what is coming next. But, I’m noisy.

Do you ever see figures in your peripheral vision?

Absolutely. I consider myself a spiritual person. I believe in good, therefore, I believe in evil. I believe in angels and in helpful, caring spirits who guide us. I’ve written them into my novels- George’s grandfather; Brian’s twin brother. They are there to help, counsel, guide, and many times, to give comfort and serve as a sounding board. So, yes, I believe in ghosts or spirits and I believe I’ve seen or at least witnessed them in my life or around me. We’ve had lights suddenly turn on. We’ve had the faucet in the kitchen sink turn on. Our dog has barked at a “spot” in the living room. It makes life interesting.

Would you and your main character get along?

Absolutely! I like my characters. I have more in common, I think, with the adolescent boys in my stories. At first glance, you would see the boys as athletes, but you’d be missing significant character traits. They are sensitive, loving, caring, loyal to a fault, and, in Brian’s and George’s case, willing to sacrifice their lives if it meant their brothers could live. They laugh easily. They love one another. They are beyond tough. Several have a tough shell but are marshmallow on the inside. They have depth. They are fun. I think we’d be friends.

What do you do to get inside your characters’ heads?

I think it’s easy for me because of my background in psychology and counseling. This is my 46th year in education. I’ve been around kids all my like. I stand in the hallway and listen and watch them. I wander the cafeteria watching how they interact with each other, with adults. When I sit down to write, I use all of this information as I imagine my characters in various situations. Because I write thriller-crime-detective stories, I imagine one or more in situations that would stretch, pull, and test their mind, heart, and soul. As I said, it is easier for me than perhaps other writers.

Which book have you read more than once?

There are several. Lord of the Flies jumped to mind because the plot fascinated me. It pitted kids against one another, forcing them to choose sides. It created situations where good was challenged by evil. It gave us a scenario of what life might be like without rules. Ghost Story by Peter Straub and The Stand by Stephen King were two others. In Ghost Story, the real/imagined Fenny Bate scared the heck out of me. I couldn’t read it at night. The Stand is like Lord of the Flies in that there was the struggle between good and evil, the light and the dark. Characters had to rise to a different level, often challenging their own beliefs and abilities. Great books! I think I want to pick up one or more again!

If you could spend the day with another popular author, who would you choose?

I’ve learned so much by reading David Baldacci- action, mystery, and intrigue from the opening page with twists at the end; by reading John Sandford- his ability to describe action without clichés, and I love his characters- they are real to me; by reading Stephen King- his ability to make me laugh right along with sit on the edge of my seat; by reading Tony Hillerman- his ability to create a story with so very few characters in a setting (the Navajo Nation Reservation) I love and use in my writing. These are the authors I would love to spend an evening with. Talking, story-telling, laughing, learning from. And of course, I’d invite Robin Williams and Billy Crystal because I wouldn’t want it to get too serious. We all need to laugh.

Working with a joint multi-law enforcement task force, Detective Pat O’Connor infiltrated a Ukrainian crime family headed by Dmitry Andruko. O’Connor and his control, Detective Paul Eiselmann were the linchpins in the guilty verdict.

The two detectives thought it was over.

Eiselmann planned for a quiet weekend with his family at home. O’Connor planned on attending a high school soccer game and then head to Northern Wisconsin for a fishing trip with another cop, Detective Jamie Graff and four teenage, adopted brothers: George Tokay, Brian Evans, Brett McGovern, and Michael Two Feathers.

But Andruko is ruthless and vindictive. From his prison cell, he hires two contract killers to kill both O’Connor and Eiselmann and anyone else in the way. The killers can be anyone. The killers could be anywhere, and the killers could strike at any time.

The quiet weekend and the short vacation turn into a deadly nightmare as O’Connor’s and Eiselmann’s lives and the lives of the four boys are in peril. 

Purchase Link

Blaze In, Blaze Out available for preorder NOW at https://www.blackrosewriting.com/mystery/blazeinblazeout. Purchase your copy prior to January 6, 2022, and receive a 15% discount. Use the promo code: PREORDER2021 

Amazon

Author Bio

After having been in education for forty-six years as a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator, Joseph Lewis has semi-retired and now works part-time as an online learning facilitator. He uses his psychology and counseling background in crafting thriller/crime/detective mysteries. He has taken creative writing and screen writing courses at UCLA and USC.

Lewis has published seven books, all available on Amazon and each to excellent reviews: Taking Lives (August 2014; May 2021) the prequel to the Lives Trilogy; Stolen Lives (November 2014; May 2021) Book One of the Lives Trilogy; Shattered Lives (March 2015; May 2021) Book Two of the Trilogy; and Splintered Lives (November 2015; May 2021) Book Three of the Trilogy each from True Visions Publications, and then re-issued by Black Rose Writing; Caught in a Web (April 2018) from Black Rose Writing, which was a PenCraft Literary Award Winner for Crime Fiction and named “One of the Best Crime Fiction Thrillers of 2018!” by Best Thrillers; Spiral Into Darkness (January 2019) from Black Rose Writing, which was named a Recommended Read by Author’s Favorites. His newest, Betrayed November 2020 is a Maxy Award Runner-Up for Mystery-Suspense, a Literary Titan Silver Book Award Winner, and a Reader’s Favorite 5 Star Rating Winner. Blaze In, Blaze Out is currently available for preorder and will be released January 6, 2022. Lewis is currently working on another thriller-crime-mystery.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Lewis has been happily married to his wife, Kim. Together they have three wonderful children: Wil (deceased July 2014), Hannah, and Emily. He and his wife now reside in Virginia.

Social Media Contact:

Author Website at www.jrlewisauthor.blog

Twitter at @jrlewisauthor

Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author

Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Lewis/e/B01FWB9AOI /

Blog at: www.simplethoughtsfromacomplicatedmindsortof.com  

38 thoughts on “#BadMoonRising Blaze In, Blaze Out by Joseph Lewis #thriller #mystery #indieauthor”

  1. I think it would fun to experience watching a movie with Joseph at least once. It sounds like he would make things very interesting, LOL.
    I loved his answer about bobbing for apples. I’m totally with him on that one.
    Also, I really like the sound of Blaze In Blaze Out. I’m going to have to keep it on my reading radar!

    Liked by 3 people

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  4. I enjoyed this interview! I agree with the drool in the barrel…no way! Even before Covid…just no. I’ve flung popcorn out of the container during scary scenes too. I’m very jumpy. It was great to meet Joseph. Thanks for sharing, Teri!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  5. Victoria Zigler

    Fun interview. Joseph, I’m going to join your wife and kids in the not watching movies with you, since that’s one of the things that really rubs me the wrong way. Last time someone did that to me we got about ten minutes in to the movie before I yelled and swore at them (bearing in mind, I’m generally a patient person, and I swear so rarely as a rule that my hubby had never heard me curse before we were married, and his utter amazement the first time he heard me swear is something I still chuckle about almost 18 years later).

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. I’d like to have seen that, Tori, lol. When we saw Phantom of the Opera on broadway, Son #2 had words with the couple behind us who kept talking. He’d been waiting to see it for months and he calmly asked them to zip it – to their credit, they did.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Victoria Zigler

        Glad he has more self-control than me and was able to ask them politely to zip it. LOL! Even more glad they listened. I earned a round of applause for my outbursts during one of the Harry Potter movies. It was my second time seeing it, but still. There was a guy sat behind me, and he kept on and on commenting about every awesome thing that happened in a loud voice. A couple of people had tried shushing him, but he wouldn’t take the hint. So I stood up, turned around to face him, and yelled. “We all f****** saw it! What do you think, we paid all that money for a ticket just to come stare at the f****** ceiling?” Then I promptly turned around and sat back down. I’m not sure if it was me yelling at him or the fact my reaction met with such approval from everyone else, but he shut up after that.

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  7. I’m in total agreement with the apple-bobbing. And with inviting Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. Also with David Baldacci as a great influence and The Stand as a great re-read. Nice to see so many commonalities. Wishing you all the best, Joseph.

    As always, thanks, Teri.

    Liked by 3 people

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  8. Looks like Joseph and I are the same with book choices, noisy movie watching, and avoiding the drool in the apple-bobbing barrel, lols 😂 . Love the sound of Blaze In Blaze Out and will watch for it. Best of luck, Joseph! Thanks for sharing, Teri … excellent interview 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  9. Gwen M. Plano

    With others, I think it would be fun to watch a movie with Joseph. His book, Blaze In Blaze Out, sounds like one I would really enjoy. Thank you, Teri, for introducing Joseph through your great interview. 😊

    Liked by 3 people

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  10. What a great interview! I can only imagine what it would be like to watch a movie with Joseph. 🙂 It’s obviously an animated experience. Thank you for sharing his work today, Teri! Congrats to Joseph!

    Liked by 2 people

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  12. Late to the party today, I’m afraid, but I really enjoyed the heck outta this post! I can’t even pick a favorite part, because it was all interesting, informative, and funny. Definitely heading to Amazon to take a look at Joseph’s books!

    Great post and a new (to me) author. What more could I want? Thanks!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  13. Pingback: #BadMoonRising – Post 7 Featuring Joseph Lewis | The Write Stuff

  15. This was a great interview and very enlightening. While it has been a long time since I have gone bobbing for apples if I had been invited to do it before reading this interview I totally wouldn’t have thought twice about it now just eww no thank you!! Also I’ve never asked my husband but I don’t think he likes watching movies with me either because I am very talkative. Good luck with the new release Joseph!!

    Liked by 2 people

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      1. I very rarely go to the theater and when I do it’s never with my husband. He doesn’t do theater. I don’t comment at the theater just at home. I guess if he doesn’t want me talking he should go to the theater with me 😂

        Liked by 1 person

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  18. Pingback: Blaze In, Blaze Out – Two Interviews, A 5 Star Review, and a Snippet – jrlewis85's Blog

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