Pump Up Chats with White Lies author Jeremy Bates

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ABOUT JEREMY BATES

Jeremy Bates has spent the last ten years traveling the world, visiting more than thirty countries. He has lived in Canada, the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.

Bates is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a degree in English literature and philosophy. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Inc, and Crime Writers of Canada.

His frightening debut novel, White Lies, is set in a small village in the Cascade Mountain range of eastern Washington. In the book, he succeeds in bringing world-class terror to this tranquil community.

To find out more please visit http://jeremybatesbooks.com

The Interview

What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?

“Quoting is a poor substitute for wit” — Anonymous

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?

Probably getting published! It’s the one thing I’ve spent the longest working at.

How has your upbringing influenced your writing?

Well, my parents read a ton of books, so there were always books around the house. It made getting into reading—and eventually writing—pretty easy.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Yes. I was about ten or eleven. I had just finished a fantasy book and I wanted the series to continue. However, the author had not yet written the sequel, so I gave it a shot!

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing for about ten years or so. Seriously writing for six or seven of those years, I’d say, though I’m not sure. It all feels like a blur.

What genre are you most comfortable writing?

Suspense. I like putting ordinary people in tough situations. Besides, I couldn’t write a CIA thriller or whathaveyou for the life of my, since I have no idea how the government works on that level.

Who or what influenced your writing once you began?

All the big name guys. Stephen King. Sydney Sheldon. Dean Koontz. They were simply great storytellers and bedazzled me.

What made you want to be a writer?

“Cause I can’t sing or dance.”
Those are actually Rocky’s words, not mine, but I can dig ’em.

What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?

Going down the wrong path. What I mean by this, I guess, is the middle of the novel. The beginning is fairly straightforward, as well as the ending. It’s the middle where I sometimes wander into no man’s land and have to shluck my way out of it again and get back on track. It’s always frustrating and intimidating when I realize I have to delete a number of chapters because they were taking the story in the wrong direction.

Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it?

Don’t lie! Actually, no, there was no didactic (or whatever that Greek word) motivation. I wrote it because I thought I could and that it would make a good story.

Have you developed a specific writing style?

Yes, I believe I have. The foundation anyway. I’ve found that you’re always learning, always improving, and that affects your style in some way. Maybe when I have five books written I’ll have a permanent style worked out!

What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Not giving up.

ABOUT WHITE LIES

While driving to a charming village tucked away deep in the Cascade Mountains of eastern Washington, where she is to begin a new job teaching high school English, Katrina Burton picks up a young hitchhiker who turns out to be drunk and predatory. Fearful for her safety, she lies about her destination in order to get him out of the car. But when she later discovers that he is a teacher at the same school, she finds herself feeding that initial lie with more lies.

Then Katrina meets a mysterious man. Handsome, charismatic and strong, he is exactly what she needs to extricate her from the expanding network of lies, now spinning out of control. She falls fast and hard for him.

Her perfect solution, however, soon becomes a nightmare that lands her in the middle of a grisly murder. And Katrina’s problems don’t stop there. She must decide whether to betray her new love or to cover up the murder and hope for the best…until she discovers that the choice may not be hers to make.

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