–Author James Hankins. (Photo permission and courtesy of James Hankins.)
My wife Carolyn is a voracious reader. She lately has pored through all five of James Hankins’ novels.
“You’ve got to read this author,” she kept telling me.
“Well, why do you like him so much?” I asked her recently.
“His stories have a lot of suspense, twists and turns. His characters are very well described. He keeps the reader guessing about what will happen next. You think you know what will occur, but it doesn’t.”
“What kind of stories does he write?”
“Mostly mysteries and thrillers and suspense. One was a police procedural, and another was a paranormal thriller.”
I sometimes feel like my own little world is encased in a souvenir snow globe, the kind you shake so you can watch fat white flakes swirl around a miniature Eiffel Tower. Every now and then—far too often, I feel—fate has taken my globe in its unfeeling fingers and given it a cruel, vigorous shake, unleashing a merciless blizzard that left me snow–blind, dazed, barely able to breathe. It’s happened to me three times in my thirty–six years, and each time it happened I knew nothing would ever be the same again. The first time, it was an empty fried chicken bucket. It killed my parents. Tragically absurd, I know. I’ll explain later. The second time, it was a telephone call—and I wasn’t even a participant in the call. Nonetheless, that call—to someone else, from someone else—dramatically altered the course of my life. I’ll explain that later, too. The third time, though, the third time fate let winter’s mad fury loose in my world started with two little words. Those words, just three syllables all told, left me as cold and confused as I’d ever been. And again, my life was forever changed.
— James Hankins, Brothers and Bones (beginning of Chapter One)
I went online and started reading about this stoyteller’s work and discovered that almost all of of his reviewers concur with Carolyn’s assessment of his writing.
I also learned that, like me, he lives in Massachusetts. He lives in Swampscott with his wife Colleen and their twin sons.
All five of his books (Shady Cross, Brothers and Bones, Jack of Spades, Drawn, and The Prettiest One) spent time in the Kindle Top 100 and became Amazon #1 bestsellers, while Brothers and Bones received a coveted starred review from Kirkus Reviews and was also named to their list of Best Books of 2013. His novel The Prettiest One is his most successful to date, as it spent a couple of weeks as the number one book across all categories on Amazon.
As Carolyn is wont to do, especially when she loves the books she is reading, she emailed James and complimented him for his work. She even mentioned to him about my having completed the first manuscript in The Immortality Wars series that I have started. As with David Estes, she encouraged me to contact James.
As I always effectively listen to my wife, I contacted James. Much to my delight, he graciously accepted my request to interview him.
Below is part of the interview I had with him. I will continue with the concluding part of my discussion with him next week.
What brought you to writing stories?
I always wanted to be a storyteller of some sort, not necessarily a novelist. At the New York University Film School, I thought I was going to make movies. [He studied screenwriting and filming.] After graduating from there, I spent time in Los Angeles. But my path took another direction. Hollywood didn’t open doors wide enough for me. While there, I got a job in health administration through a temp job at a hospital. I eventually became the head of human resources and assistant to the president in LA.
It seems like you have the ability to walk successfully in the business world as well as in the artistic one.
I come from a family of lawyers and business folks.
When the hospital shut down, I had to find something else to pay the bills. I was writing at night. The economy was terrible in California, and when the 1994 earthquake hit, it further depressed the area badly.
So, I went to law school: I had resisted the dark side long enough. I went to the University of Connecticut School of Law, and graduated from there in 1998. I clerked for the Connecticut Supreme Court. [James spent a year clerking for the Honorable Joette Katz, a justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court.] I enjoyed the intellectual aspects of it. While I practiced law during the day, I wrote at night. I started doing it because I wanted to see if I could write a book.
“What’s this boy pointing at?”
“Who?”
“This young boy here.”
Alice Norville had no idea what the boy was pointing at. She didn’t even remember painting him. In fact, though she had spent hours at the park observing the children at play, studying their bodies as they jumped and ran and spun with joy, watching the sunlight and shadows play off their hair and flashing sneakers, she hadn’t noticed this boy. Yet, there he was, carefully rendered by her own hand in acrylics, one of several kids playing in the park.
“I like him,” the man beside her said. “Frankly, he’s the best element in the painting.”
Well, he seems to like it so far. But had he actually said that? No, he simply said that he liked the boy. He hadn’t said anything about the rest of the painting.
Alice has researched Theo Rappaport. He used to be a painter of some renown, but that was long ago; he hadn’t sold a piece in twenty years. But Alice didn’t care if Rappaport could paint. What mattered was that he could teach painting. From all that she had learned, he was one of the best at it in New York City. So if she wanted to become one of his pupils, which she desperately did, her work was going to have to impress the heck out of him—more than the work of dozens of other aspiring artists vying for the final remaining spot in his studio.
— James Hankins, Drawn (beginning of Chapter One)
What happened to the book?
It was a big lump of paper in my drawer; I wanted to see if I could do it.
I took a screenplay and adapted it to a novel. I received positive feedback, but didn’t get the sense that it was the right book with which to try to break in. I wrote a different book which got me my agent, Michael Bourret of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management [DGLM]. It’s been over ten years I have been with him.
I wrote another one that became Brothers and Bones; if I’m on a map anywhere, Brothers and Bones is the book that put me there. But at the time I wrote it, the economy was bad. For example, Random House had just laid off 4,000 people, so they were understandably reluctant to try to break out new authors like me at that time. I certainly understood their point of view. I was testing the water a bit. We moved to Swampscott in 2000.
I met Colleen at the law firm where we both worked and practiced law during this time. I left law in 2003, right before my twin boys were born. My wife and I agreed and understood that one of us needed to stay home.
She believed in me. Since she was a child she always wanted to be a lawyer. I always wanted to be a writer. The choice about who was to stay home with our boys was an easy one to make for us. So I stayed home to help raise them while she practiced law.
I wrote throughout 2011 and 2012. My agent suggested to me that people are self–publishing now. “Give it a try and see what you think,” he told me.
I did. I put out all three of my self–published books at the same time. I was lucky enough to get a starred review from Kirkus Reviews for Brothers and Bones.
It really helped launched me. But I could not be doing what I am now if it had not been for Colleen. She is my biggest supporter, as a father and as a writer.
I have learned that there is a lot of work engaging the self–publishing process on your own. Did you go into it all by yourself?
My agency offered me the services to do a lot of the work, such as formatting, and uploading of the books to the various booksellers’ sites, and they manage the product information pages on those sites. I hired my own editor and cover designer.
“My name is Caitlin Summers,” she said aloud even though she was alone.
Her feet hurt as she walked. Her legs were tired. She wasn’t sure why she was walking, but she kept going, her sore feet protesting as they carried her across the cracked pavement.
Though the night was clear, she walked in a fog. What day was it? Did she have to work in the morning? If so, she’d have to be in the office by nine. For a moment, she wasn’t certain what office that was, she remembered she was a real–estate agent. She couldn’t imagine why that fact had momentarily escaped her. Something bumped into her leg, and looking down, she was mildly surprised to see that she was holding a small canvas bag by its strap. She wondered where she’d gotten it.
She didn’t know where she was or how she had ended up there, walking across that pavement. She looked down and saw faded, painted white lines passing under her feet, one after the other, as she walked. She was in a parking lot. An empty one. No idea why. She’d simply woken up and there she was . . . wherever that was.
— James Hankins, The Prettiest One (beginning of Chapter One)
Who designs your book covers?
The covers of my first three books (Brothers and Bones, Drawn, and Jack of Spades), which I self-published, were created by a terrific graphic designer named Asha Hossain. She worked from concepts of mine and did a wonderful job bringing the visions in my head to the covers of my books. My two most recent books have been published by Thomas & Mercer and the covers were designed by a graphic artist there named David Drummond. I had something very specific in mind for the cover of Shady Cross and I was happy that the publisher liked the concept. David’s execution of it, though, exceeded my expectations by a wide margin. As for The Prettiest One, I had no clue what to do for a cover and I absolutely love what he came up with. It might very well be my favorite of my five covers. I couldn’t be happier with what David has brought to my books.
What are the most favorite books you have written?
Author James Hankins’ Tag Cloud. Words were taken from a Smashwords posting on him. It was generated at WordItOut.com.
All five books:
Brothers and Bones
Drawn
Jack of Spades
Shady Cross
The Prettiest One
It’s hard to answer which one is my favorite. I like them all for different reasons.
Characters?
The same as with all five of my books. I do like the character Stokes from Shady Cross, and Bonz from Brothers and Bones.
1:40 P.M.
“You just got out of jail? Seriously?”
Stokes heard nothing but curiosity in the guy’s voice. No judgment, no fear, just curiosity and maybe a little slur from the alcohol.
“Didn’t say I was in jail,” Stokes said. He took a sip of Budweiser and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, the one that held the bottle. “Said I was at the jail. They had me in for questioning. No big deal.”
The guy looked at him in drunk–eyed wonder, like he was a rare species of lizard. “Wow. In jail.” He took a sip of his Manhattan. “I guess you must not have done whatever they thought you did, though, or they wouldn’t have let you go.”
Stokes knew it didn’t always work like that, but why get into it?
“Like I said, no big deal.” He looked at the guy’s tailored suit again, the suit that led Stokes to the bar stool next to him in the first place. “So, what’s your deal?”
“Tom.”
“What?”
“My name’s Tom,” the guy said.
Stokes nodded, waited for an answer to his question, didn’t get it, so he asked again, “So what’s your deal? You from Shady Cross?”
“What’s Shady Cross?”
— James Hankins, Shady Cross (beginning of Chapter One)
What do you find is the most enjoyable aspect of writing?
Being a writer: I love hearing from people who like my books. It’s fantastic to get an email from a place I’ve never been, say in France or South Africa. I even got an email one time from someone in Wicklow, Ireland [Wicklow is located on the eastern side of Ireland, on the coast of the Irish Sea, or Muir Éireann, located about 30 miles south of Dublin.], who started reading my books after hearing about them from a friend while sitting at a pub there in Wicklow. To connect with readers, who also connect with my work, that is the most satisfying part.
Do you have a writing schedule?
My firm schedule: once the twins are off at school, as well as the chores/errands done, I write from 9 in the morning to 2:15 in the afternoon when I go pick up my boys. I write other times, if possible. If I can, I will write in the late afternoon, if my children are doing other things or with their friends. I’ll write late at night when everyone else is sleeping.
Are you working on anything new or old?
I am working on something new; it is a little more suspense than a thriller.
When do you find that you are the most inspired in generating a story idea and/or in the writing of a story?
When I have the time to immerse myself in other people’s creative works. I like reading books, and going to movies as it opens my mind to see other possibilities or directions the story could take off into. Even good television can spark creativity when I see really good work. Previews even: makes me think what could have spun off from there.
When I read a synopsis about a book, I read what it is and I will think about what could happen as well. Being inspired by their creativity is a great way to generate stories.
Peter Lisbon woke to the sound of a voice. It was a strange voice. Unnatural. The strange voice spoke again. “Wakey, wakey, Peter.”
There’s something really wrong with that voice, Lisbon thought. It was the only thought that came to him. He was having trouble forming others. His mind was . . . foggy.
“Open your eyes now, Peter,” the voice said. “You have to wake up now. You’ve got some thinking to do. A difficult decision to make.”
What’s wrong with that voice? It was high pitched and nasal, slightly tremulous and . . . mechanical or robotic or . . . something. It was just very, very wrong and it did not belong in his bedroom.
— James Hankins, Jack of Spades (beginning of Chapter One)
Where can folks purchase your novels?
My three self–published books, Brothers and Bones, Drawn and Jack of Spades, are available as eBooks from all the major online booksellers. The Prettiest One and Shady Cross are available through Amazon. All five are available through Audible.
What draws you to writing thrillers?
It’s what I like to read, really. Thrillers, mysteries and suspense novels. I read a lot of adventure novels when I was young. There is definitely adventure in the thrillers and mysteries that I read today.
Is there a particular unknown book that you wish people would read?
There are lot of books out there:
Black Cross by Greg Iles is exceptional. The novel is a historical fiction that takes place during World War Two. It is the most moving thriller I have ever read. Ironically, it is the only one of his books never to have been a New York Times bestseller.
He did such a great job in writing about and expressing the shades of grey in the characters he writes about, especially those who were Nazis. The subject he is writing about is so heart rending: a Jew going into Nazi Germany to rescue other Jews. When I read this book, I thought that it would be wonderful to move readers the way he did.
It seems that having this ability to get fully into the description of one’s characters is a vitally important aspect of successful writing, such as Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.
I love the work of Lee Child. I met him a few times. He is a great guy, a great author and he has created such a great character.
He knows that character inside and out. He never thought that Jack Reacher would become such a worldwide phenomenon, thinking that he would write five or six books about him. [As of this November 2016, there will be 21 Jack Reacher novels.]
Takeaway:
I found James Hankins to be a very kind, patient and compassionate man. Certainly, arranging to take time from his busy schedule to be interviewed by a very fledgling writer of fiction like me, speaks to these admirable traits he holds. Also, he has a very sharp intellect that manifests itself in his thoughtful responses to answering questions about his own views of his life and writing.
His work ethic is based on a tremendous joy and passion for writing and connecting with people who read his stories.
He knows his craft. He is a keen observer of people. He has excellent instincts for delivering a tightly packed tale; and, his wife Colleen has supreme confidence in him. James Hankins has a circle of friends and readers that provide him with the energy and drive to help keep and encourage him in telling great stories.
He also has the ability to take the world around him and turn it into exquisite storytelling form.
I call this innate and well honed ability to do so evidence of his being a literary alchemist. He takes the elements in his life surrounding him and transforms them into characters and story elements wherein they struggle to find a psychological elixir, or even a universal solvent, to transmutate their lives into ones of greater, perhaps even great, universal, value . . .
Related Links:
Storyteller James Hankins:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6644088.James_Hankins
https://www.facebook.com/JamesHankinsAuthorPage
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6644088.James_Hankins
https://twitter.com/james_hankins_
http://patch.com/massachusetts/swampscott/james-hankin-local-author-with-three-amazon-best-sellers
Storyteller Greg Iles:
https://www.facebook.com/GregIlesAuthor
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/i/greg-iles/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19696.Greg_Iles
Notes:
Thomas & Mercer is named for the streets that run by the Amazon headquarters in Seattle. It is the fifth publishing venue in the Amazon Publishing family, preceded by AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing, Powered by Amazon, and Montlake Romance.
May 18, 2011: the launch of Thomas & Mercer, the fifth imprint from Amazon Publishing, focused on mysteries and thrillers.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products or services that I have mentioned here. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
© 9 June 2016 by A. Keith Carreiro
4 comments. Leave new
Excellent blog!
Thank you, Carolyn!
Dr. Keith
I sincerely enjoyed your interview with author James Hankins and I will give one of his books a run.
Regards,
RK
Hi, Robert, Thanks for reading the interview! Hope you enjoy reading the James Hankins’story you select.