An Interview with J. H. Bográn

J. H. Bográn, born and raised in Honduras, is the son of a journalist. He ironically prefers to write fiction rather than fact. José’s genre of choice is thrillers, but he likes to throw in a twist of romance into the mix. His works include novels and short stories in both English and Spanish. He’s a member of the International Thriller Writers where he also serves as the Thriller Roundtable Coordinator.

SN: The Assassin's Mistress cleverly leaves out bits here and there that the reader is easily able to fill in on her own. How do you decide what to cut for a short story? Or did you even write those bits to begin with?

JHB: It’s a balancing act. Some of the missing bits were never put to paper, but I knew them in my mind and heart. I made a choice to trust the reader to understand and feel for my characters with the slices I was providing. On the other hand, the fun part of a surprise ending is planting bits and clues that, on a second pass, the reader is surprised to have missed the first time.

SN: Your mother is a journalist. Did you ever have the desire to follow in her footsteps?

JHB: I did follow her footsteps, for a while. For ten years, I helped her run a tourism magazine in Honduras, my home country. From her I learned some of the basics: working against a deadline and, most importantly, the ethics of the trade. A journalist must always tell the truth. I like to write lies—okay, I call them fiction—so I understood I had to walk a different path from her.

SN: What writers have influenced you the most?

JHB: The three accomplished masters that made me think I could write are: Ken Follett, Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate with other thriller writers and discuss our reasons for writing thrillers: our answers were so varied and consistent at the same time. Here is the link to the ITW Thriller Roundtable.

Many of the things there are invaluable: pics of my wife and kids for inspiration; a Darth Vader mug; a wood cross, a paper vase and a lamp made by kids in school; my desk is not a desk but a drawing board inherited from my father in law; dictionaries, papers and a New Orleans map for my current WIP.

SN: What are you working on now?

JHB: I have two very special projects: one is a thriller novel Highland Creek that was just signed with Rebel E-Publishers, so I’m running a final draft before the heavy editing begins. My next book is a mystery about a serial killer prowling around New Orleans.

SN: What question should I have asked that I didn't?

JHB: Interesting question. Perhaps asking about why I decided to release The Assassin’s Mistress as a kindle title. I figured that, being a short story, it had a better chance of finding an audience if I took advantage of this new service to author. It’s a bit of an experiment, but one I’m pleased so far. During the last week of April, the story peaked at #3 in the Action and Adventure genre.

A random encounter leads to deception, love and murder. While vacationing at a ski resort, professional hitman Robert Prescott meets a strange and beautiful woman.

They discover passion and embark into a dangerous game hiding their relationship from her powerful husband. Then a further twist of fate makes Robert’s occupation collide with his new found love.  

Links:

Buy link:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BOC0OW

Website: www.jhbogran.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jhbogran

Twitter: @JHBogran




Thanks, José, for stopping by Suspense Novelist. I really enjoyed The Assassin's Mistress. I wish you continued success.

It's all better with friends.

Knock Me Over With a Feather

My short story has been selected for honorable mention and will be posted on the website of the contest sponsor.

Who knew?

On one hand, I'm quite surprised because I've read some amazing short stories, and this one isn't quite there. Which is probably why it didn't actually win. LOL.

That leads me to my other hand . . . I'd written a women's fiction manuscript a few years ago that came in second in a writing contest.

Always the bridesmaid.

I'm not complaining. I am acknowledging the amount of study this craft demands. That demand for ability and skill, as well as talent, makes me proud to sit where I sit on a daily basis. And excited about the prospect of doing something where learning becomes as much of the job as doing as long as I live.

Check out Armchair Interviews. I think you'll enjoy the entire site.




CR: Life Expectancy.

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Under 1,000 Words

Eek! I've been working on a short story to enter in a contest. One of the rules is that the story must be under 1,000 words—without pictures to help. In addition, the contest requires my entry to contain five specific words.

Which sort of leaves me with only 994 to call my own.

Have you ever tried to write a story . . . an interesting story . . . with 994 words? I have a basic one completed that I don't think is too bad, but one of my cps (critique partners) thinks I need to put my protag in greater imminent danger. Which means I need to punch it around a little more.

And the contest deadline is looming.

A couple of points I've discovered that are helpful in writing a short story:

• Write tight. Every word must be needed. Look for those strong verbs whenever possible.

• You still need a character arc. Between the first word and the last word, your character needs to have been changed.

• For suspense, that character needs to be in imminent danger, not just perceived or possible danger. Aargh.




Just finished reading Kill Me.


Yesterday worked on installing a badly needed new modem. Oy.

Currently working on trying to find a few moments between visiting with company to write . . . anything.

It's all better with friends.

Short Stories

If you're like me, sometimes it's nice to get in and out of a story fast. The investment of time is minimal and leaves me time to er . . . nap.

This is true whether I'm acting as a reader or a writer.

But what are the benefits of writing short stories?

The first benefit is honing your craft. You've got to jump in, get the story told well, and jump out again within a limited number of words. You learn to write tight and understand what truly is important to tell your story and what is so much fluff.

The second is that it's generally easier to break into print through a short story publication. That's no small thing when it come to putting together your resumé and bio for agents and editors.

Third, you can start to build a readership through shorts. People will begin to seek you out because they like your voice. How cool would that be?

Fourth, you get the satisfaction of completing something fast. THE END are sometimes two of my favorite words.

So, where do you start?

Target some publications and become familiar with them. Read a couple of their issues and make sure your story would be a fit.

Read and follow their submission guidelines. You never want your name to be on the wrong kind of list.

Here are a few recommendations from other writers:

Crime and Suspense Magazine is a favorite of many.

Mysterical-e Magazine has been around for a while.

Here are three more:

Mouth Full of Bullets
Spinetingler Magazine
Apollo's Lyre

And one of my all-time favorite information sites for short-story publications:

Duotrope On Duotrope you can enter whatever parameters you're looking for and you will get a list of possibilities for your consideration.

Sheesh, now I want to get to work on some of my own!

It's all better with friends.