Dishing it up with Marcus Sakey

Today I have the distinct pleasure of having thriller author Marcus Sakey on my blog. Marcus has worked as a landscaper, a theatrical carpenter, a 3D animator, a woefully unprepared movie reviewer, a tutor, and a graphic designer who couldn’t draw. In 2007 his first novel The Blade Itself was published to wide critical acclaim, and thank god, because nothing else seemed to be working.


His books have been nominated for more than a dozen awards, named to multiple “Year’s Best” lists, and translated into numerous languages. Three are currently in development as films.

JET: Can you tell us about The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes that came out earlier this month - June 9th to be precise?

Marcus: It starts with a man waking on a beach, naked and half-dead. He can’t remember how he got there, or even who he is. He’s haunted by a woman he sees on television, and sets out across America to find her. Meanwhile, the world is looking for him…

It’s a thriller, but it’s also an exploration of memory and identity and the stories we tell ourselves. It’s definitely my most ambitious book, and while it was a beast to write, I’m thrilled with the way it turned out.

JET: What drew you to writing thrillers?

Marcus: I’ve always been addicted to stories. I was the kid reading under the blanket with a flashlight. The main goal of a thriller is to keep someone up too late, so it kinda makes sense.

The best thing is that the thriller format lets you put people in the most desperate circumstances imaginable, which means you can explore the ideas with the heat turned all the way up. For me, thrillers that don’t take advantage of that are missing the point. It’s not about run, chase, shoot; it’s about everything that happens around that, the philosophies and relationships and beliefs that are tested amidst the running, chasing, and shooting.

JET: What’s been your most challenging hurdle on the road to publication?

Marcus: Writing the books. It’s a great job, the one I’ve always wanted, but it takes discipline, and when it’s going badly, it weighs on you. Especially around page two hundred, when everything seems to be falling apart and you’re contemplating suicide.

JET: What was your favorite moment in the journey?

Marcus: Writing THE END. It was purest and most powerful on my first novel, THE BLADE ITSELF, but I get a rush every time I type those two words.

JET: Which authors had the most influence over you growing up?

Marcus: Is it okay to say all of them? I was, and am, a voracious reader, and I tend to read in a bunch of different genres. I guess if I had to pick one name from young adulthood, I’d say Kurt Vonnegut. He was such a brilliant writer: a guy who could say so much with so little, who was troubled by mankind’s choices but honestly in love with people, who could blend the brutal and the awful and the hilarious.

JET: When did you know you wanted to take the plunge into the writing world?

Marcus: When I was four. I remember the moment I learned to read, and all of I sudden I could see Spot run. I just thought, “Man, that’s it. That’s the coolest thing in the world.” I still feel that way.

JET: I understand you’ve done a tremendous amount of research for your writing. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of book research? Most interesting fact you uncovered?

Marcus: I recently got pepper sprayed for research. It hurt.

The facts I love uncovering tend to be the little details, the things you couldn’t make up. They range from heart-breaking (a cop telling me that to gauge the power of a gang he counted the schools within their turf) to hilarious (tales of bumbling bad guys that you’d never believe if I wrote them) to exhilarating (shooting a fully automatic machine gun).

JET: Of all the novels and stories you’ve written - which one is your favorite? Why?

Marcus: My favorite novel is always whichever one I wrote last. But you love them all. You have to—you put so much of yourself into them. If the books aren’t you, they aren’t anything.

JET: Any advice for the novices out there?

Marcus: Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard. That’s how you get it done. The rest is window dressing.

JET: All right - now that I’ve hammered you with the big questions, let’s tackle my favorite (and geeky) quick ten. . . starting with: Paper or Plastic?

Marcus: Cloth bags that we re-use.

JET: Steak or Tofu?

Marcus: Ribeye, rubbed with good olive oil, lemon zest, and rosemary, flash-seared and served rare.

JET: Beach or Mountains?

Marcus: Beach. I love mountains too, but the ocean is magical to me.

JET: Country or Rock-n-Roll?

Marcus: Rock.

JET: Paper or Digital?

Marcus: Both.

JET: Silent Film Classics or Cheesy B Rated Horror?

Marcus: Battlestar Galactica.

JET: Coffee or Tea?

Marcus: Coffee.

JET: Salty or Sweet?

Marcus: Everything is better with salt. Salt is better with salt.

JET: Top 10 best seller or Unknown Back Shelf Find?

Marcus: There’s two kinds of literature, good and bad. I’ll take the former, and I don’t care where I find it.

JET: 2012 Mayan Prophecy Believer or Ain’t Gonna Happen?

Marcus: Let me consult the entrails of my enemy.

JET: Thank you for indulging me. Before we wrap this up, can you tell us what you're working on now? What's next?

Marcus: I can’t, really; it’s still taking shape. But I can say that I’m really excited about it, and that it’s unlike anything I’ve done before.

JET: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat on my blog. Folks, you can find out more about Marcus Sakey and his work at his website: http://www.marcussakey.com/

Next week it’s JULY! Woo-hoo, my birthday month. I’ll be highlighting some new July releases next Friday and then going on a much needed vacation before we get geared up with Tim Ellis, Pam Jenoff, Kiki Howell and Robert Gregory Brown. July’s a hot month. Stay tuned…

Until next week,

Ciao.

JET

Happy June First!

Welcome to June!


We’ve got some outstanding releases from my backspace brethren this month, but before I go into that, I just wanted to say thank you to those that followed my blog tour in May. I had a lot of fun and hope you did too.

This month I have quite a few cool authors swinging in, starting with Brett Battles this Friday – June 3rd. The rest of the month lays out like a Hollywood who’s who with: Ian Barker on June 10th, Morgan Gallagher on June 17th, and finishing on a stellar note with Marcus Sakey on June 24th.

Now without further adieu, here are some books to check out for June…

Joe Moore & Lynn Sholes – THE PHOENIX APOSTLES June 8, 2011

Magazine journalist Seneca Hunt is reporting on the opening of Montezuma's tomb in Mexico City when the dig team learns that the remains of the Aztec emperor are missing. Within moments of the discovery, an apparent terrorist attack kills everyone at the site except Seneca, who barely escapes the carnage.

Determined to get answers, Seneca starts investigating. She finds out that someone is stealing the remains of the most infamous mass murderers in history-and plotting to slaughter millions in the name of an ancient cult. Seneca needs to prove the threat really exists while trying to stay one step ahead of those who want her dead. With time running out, she must follow a deadly 2,000-year-old trail that leads back to the death of Jesus Christ.

Marcus Sakey - THE TWO DEATHS OF DANIEL HAYS June 9, 2011

Marcus Sakey returns with his most ambitious novel, a captivating story of love and memory, where the only thing more frightening than the questions are the answers.

A man wakes up naked and cold, half-drowned on an abandoned beach. The only sign of life for miles is an empty BMW. Inside the expensive car he finds clothes that fit perfectly, shoes for his tattered feet, a Rolex, and a bank envelope stuffed with cash and an auto registration in the name of Daniel Hayes, resident of Malibu, California.

None of it is familiar.

What is he doing here? How did he get into the ocean? Is he Daniel Hayes, and if so, why doesn't he remember? While he searches for answers, the world searches for him-beginning with the police that kick in the door of his dingy motel, with guns drawn. Lost, alone, and on the run, the man who might be Daniel Hayes flees into the night.

All he remembers is a woman's face, so he sets off for the only place he might find her. The fantasy of her becomes his home, his world, his hope. And maybe, just maybe, the way back to himself.

But that raises the most chilling question of all: What will he find when he gets there?

Camille Noe Pagán - THE ART OF FORGETTING June 9, 2011

Marissa Rogers never wanted to be an alpha; beta suited her just fine. Taking charge without taking credit had always paid off: vaulting her to senior editor at a glossy magazine; keeping the peace with her critical, weight-obsessed mother; and enjoying the benefits of being best friends with gorgeous, charismatic, absolutely alpha Julia Ferrar.

And then Julia gets hit by a cab. She survives with minor obvious injuries, but brain damage steals her memory and alters her personality, possibly forever. Suddenly, Marissa is thrown into the role of alpha friend. As Julia struggles to regain her memory- dredging up issues Marissa would rather forget, including the fact that Julia asked her to abandon the love of her life ten years ago- Marissa's own equilibrium is shaken.

With the help of a dozen girls, she reluctantly agrees to coach in an after-school running program. There, Marissa uncovers her inner confidence and finds the courage to reexamine her past and take control of her future.

The Art of Forgetting is a story about the power of friendship, the memories and myths that hold us back, and the delicate balance between forgiving and forgetting.

Katie Alender - FROM BAD TO CURSED June 14, 2011

Alexis is the last girl you'd expect to sell her soul. She already has everything she needs—an adorable boyfriend, the perfect best friend, and a little sister who’s finally recovering after being possessed by an evil spirit.

Alexis is thrilled when her sister joins a club: new friends are just what Kasey needs. It’s strange, though, to see how fast the girls in the Sunshine Club go from dorky and antisocial to gorgeous and popular. Then Alexis learns that the girls have pledged an oath to a seemingly benevolent spirit named Aralt. Worried that Kasey’s in over her head again, Alexis and her best friend, Megan, decide to investigate by joining the club themselves. Soon, Alexis trades in her pink hair and punky clothes for a mainstream look, and finds herself reveling in her newfound elegance and success.

The club’s connection with Aralt seems harmless, and before long, Alexis can hardly remember why she joined in the first place.Surely it wasn’t to destroy Aralt. . . . Why would she hurt someone who has given her so much, and asked for so little in return?

Ally Carter - UNCOMMON CRIMINALS June 21, 2011

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is . . . the emerald is cursed. Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time. Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

Kristina Riggle - THINGS WE DIDN'T SAY June 28, 2011

What goes unsaid can sometimes speak the loudest . . .

What makes up a family? For Casey it's sharing a house with her fiancÉ, Michael, and his three children, whom she intends to nurture more than she ever took care of herself. But Casey's plans have come undone. Michael's silences have grown unfathomable and deep. His daughter Angel seethes as only a teenage girl can, while the wide-eyed youngest, Jewel, quietly takes it all in.

Then Michael's son, Dylan, runs off, and the kids' mother, a woman never afraid to say what she thinks, noisily barges into the home. That's when Casey decides that the silences can no longer continue. She must begin speaking the words no one else can say. She'll have to dig up secrets—including her own—uncovering the hurts, and begin the healing that is long overdue. And it all starts with just a few tentative words. . . .


Such great titles this month, just in time for beach weather.  Speaking of bathing suit form, I'm still holding steady on the Jenny Craig side of things.  No gain, no loss and this past week, no change in inches either.  I'll pick back up on my Wednesday Jenny updates next week. 

In the meantime, don't forget to swing in on Friday while I dish it up with Brett Battles. 

Until then,
Ciao,
JET