Blog Tour Interview: Blood and Bone by Don Doesel

Blood and Bone

More Archaeological Adventures from Popular Suspense Writer Don Hoesel.

A decade after Serpent of Moses, Jack is married to Espy and back teaching at Evanston University. They have two sons, one of whom has cystic fibrosis. Despite this challenge, life is comfortable. But that all changes when the CIA, while combing through the papers of the late Gordon Reese, uncovers the secret of Elisha's bones. Jack's world is then turned upside down by an urgent call from his old friend Duckey, who's been alerted to the CIA's probing by one of his former contacts. Jack and his family escape from their home just ahead of the CIA, and he decides to do what he should have done long ago: recover the bones and destroy them. Except the bones aren't where he left them.

So now Jack is in a race, for the last time, to find the bones. And he's not the only one. Pitted against both the CIA and an organization that will kill to protect their secrets, Jack and Espy follow hard-to-decipher clues across the globe before arriving in the catacombs of Paris for a final showdown that will either save their family--or tear apart everything they hold dear forever.

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Author Don Hoesel

Don Hoesel is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. He lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. The Alarmists is his third novel.

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INTERVIEW:

The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

Can Jack Hawthorne recover the bones of the prophet Elisha in order to save his family?  Find out in Blood and Bone.

How did you get the idea for the story?

To answer that, I have to broaden the question so that it covers the series instead of just this most recent book, because Blood and Bone is a continuation of the story first introduced in Elisha’s Bones.  The idea for Elisha’s Bones came together from a number of different influences.  Chief among them, oddly enough, was a conversation I was having with a friend about where story ideas come from.  I told him that a story idea can come from anywhere and, by way of illustration, I referenced a Sunday school lesson about the bones of Elisha.  The second I said it I knew I had my next book idea.

What solidified the idea was the following:

1.      I’m at the right age to have grown up with Indiana Jones.

2.      Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (2003) had sold more than 60 million copies by that time. 

3.      The fourth Indiana Jones movie came out in 2008.

So what it comes down to is that I was able to indulge my inner child by writing a book geared toward the CBA and shamelessly riding the coattails of both a best-selling author and a popular movie series.

As far as Blood and Bone—originally I had no real plans to write another Jack Hawthorne book after Elisha’s Bones, even if I thought there were some good stories left to tell. But people seemed to really connect with Jack. I got a lot of emails asking if there would be more Jack Hawthorne adventures. And I was happy to do it because Jack’s such a fun character to write about.  With Blood and Bone, the third in the series, it’s a chance to provide some closure to the story that kicked everything off.

Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

I’d definitely break bread with Jack.  Of all the characters I’ve created, Jack Hawthorne is my favorite.  From the beginning, it was easy to write his flippancy, his irresponsibility, his skepticism.  He’s a fun character to create stories for, the kind of character that makes the process enjoyable.  Plus, we both love cigars so I could see a post-dinner chat on the porch.

As far as who from the book I wouldn’t want to have dinner with—probably any one of the great many people who are trying to kill Jack!

Do you have any other works in progress? Any teasers or release dates?

With the end of the Jack Hawthorne books, it’s time to move on to something new.  I’m taking a bit longer than usual in trying to figure out what the next book will be but, after five books in five years, I want to take a bit of a breath and make sure I choose the right project.  So that’s a long way of saying that something’s coming but I’m not entirely sure what it is yet.

What book(s) is your book’s “cousin”?

I guess the closest cousin to Blood and Bone, as well as the rest of the Jack Hawthorne books, would be some of the Dan Brown novels.  But I think that’s only a thematic comparison.  Despite the fact that Blood and Bone contains all of the suspense novel touchstones, I think the tone of the book—the character interaction, the person of Jack Hawthorne—makes my books truly unique.  Jack is a one of a kind character.  He's flippant, irresponsible and skeptical.  He's filled with character flaws.  Yet he's also loyal, resourceful and determined.  And Jack's interplay with the other main character, Esperanza Habilla, goes a long way toward separating this series from others like it. 

What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

I read every day.  Honestly, I probably read more than I write.

Some of my favorite books are The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Joe and Father and Son by Larry Brown, and Nobody’s Fool and The Risk Pool by Richard Russo.

Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your playlist- songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

I generally write pretty late at night.  No music but definitely coffee.

Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

Most of my non-writing time is spent with my family.  When my wife and I aren’t taking them from one ballgame to another, we’re just doing family stuff—movies, games, hikes, camping, etc. 

Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers?

Writing the Jack Hawthorne series has been a lot of fun and I’m grateful to everyone who read the first one and liked it enough to want to see Jack’s adventures continue.  I hope, after reading Blood and Bone, you think it’s a fitting end to the series.

Lightning round: this or that?

Vanilla or chocolate?

Chocolate

Edward or Jacob?

Neither.

Hockey or soccer?

Hockey

Ebook or paper?

Paper

Salty or sweet?

Salty

Beach or mountains?

Mountains

Phone call or email?

Email

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl

Dog or cat?

Dog

Messy or neat?

Neat

Ninjas or pirates?

Pirates

Blog Tour Giveaway
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Ends 8/4/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



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