Describe your book in five words or less.
Grim’s a moral about vigilantism.
How did the ideas for your books come to you?
I gained inspiration from Heath Ledger’s Joker character in The Dark Knight, Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter book series and working with police officers everyday in an emergency 9-1-1 communications center.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
My message is that anyone, no matter how pure of heart, might fall from grace given the right set of circumstances. It’s up to us to stay disciplined in our faith when dealing with personal tragedy.
What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
I work 50-60 hours per week because our center is understaffed, so the hardest part is making time to write every day. I get wrapped up in my characters’ stories and histories pretty easily, so I could write volumes of character sketches. I always have a true sense of each character, but sometimes fitting them all in a cohesive set of scenes to execute a plot is a little more difficult.
What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
I am picking up where Grim left off with my second book in the Sons of Darkness series, Wrage, which Damnation Books will release on June 1, 2013. Wrage delves deeper into the lives of supporting characters – Anna Duke, Jeff Wrage and Christopher Sinks – from Grim.
Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
I work in public safety and I’ve always enjoyed reading crime, thrillers and psychological horror, so I’ve tried to blend my experiences with my taste in entertainment. I talk with police officers on the radio each day, so I try to infuse some of the personalities I come across into my characters.
What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
The greatest honor I can receive as an author is to get a favorable review or positive feedback from fans. It’s a feeling of accomplishment to know that I entertained readers.
What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
I’ve always wanted to be asked about what it’s like to see my novel being adapted into a movie. I’m a huge movie nut, and I’d probably cry tears of joy if I saw my work on a big screen.
What was your road to publications like?
When I finished my manuscript, I had Michael Garrett, Stephen King’s first editor, do the preliminary edits on Grim. I felt honored that he’d take me on. Then, I submitted to independent horror presses which accepted unsolicited manuscripts, and Damnation Books seemed as excited about my project as I was so it was a thrill to come to an agreement with them. They accepted my manuscript on March 15, 2012, a day after my wedding.
About the Book:
In a gritty town rife with organized crime, dirty cops and corrupt politicians, Detective Adam White stands alone as the people’s symbol of justice and hope for a brighter future. He’s cracked the biggest cases, and stood up to the crime families who’ve torn apart Prairieville with their power struggles. He’s gorgeous, humble and incorruptible; a crime fighter so pure that the locals nicknamed him the White Knight.
What the people don’t know is their reluctant hero is cracking before their eyes. Ten years have passed since a pack of bank robbers gunned down his wife in the street. He’s relentlessly worked every case he could get his hands on since that night with the hopes of finding some link to her killer, but every lead always winds up a dead end. He made a vow on her death bed that he wouldn’t stop looking or move on with his life, personal or otherwise, until her killer was either dead or behind bars.
His obsession is starting to affect his work, including a new set of murders which are eerily similar to cold cases in which a gangland legend called The Reaper is the main suspect. A routine canvas of the area in which the bodies were found led Detective White to Heath Grim, a reclusive millionaire with grisly facial scars and a past which doesn’t quite add up. There’s something about his story which makes Detective White curious to dig deeper into his background.
Just as Detective White closes in on his killer, the mob hatches an elaborate scheme which could cost him everything. In his moment of need, an unlikely ally presents a way out of the plot against him and information on his wife’s killer. However, it leaves Prairieville’s paragon of justice with a moral dilemma. Can he abandon all of the heroic ideals upon which he’s based his life and become the type of man he’s hunted for so long to settle a score with his wife’s killer?
About the Author:
As a boy, Joseph Spencer immersed himself in the deductive logic of Sherlock Holmes, the heroic crime fighting of Batman and Spider-Man, and a taste for the tragic with dramas from poets like Shakespeare and Homer.
Before Joseph took to spinning his own tales, he pursued a career in print sports journalism, graduating summa cum laude from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He covered such events as NASCAR’s Subway 500 race in Martinsville, the NBA Draft Camp in Chicago, the Junior College World Series, and Minor League Baseball’s Midwest League All-Star Game during a ten-year career throughout the Midwest. Now, he works as an emergency telecommunications specialist with an Illinois police department. The combination of years of writing experience with a background working with law enforcement professionals gave rise to his writing aspirations.
Joseph was married Dr. Amy (Waggoner) Spencer, an accomplished veterinary doctor, on March 14, 2012. He received word his debut novel was accepted by his publisher, Damnation Books, the next day. Joseph and Amy look forward to their honeymoon in Paris in September 2012. Murphy, a 15-year-old orange tabby, is perhaps the most vocal member of the family. The Spencer family enjoys reading Charlaine Harris, George R.R. Martin, Mary Janice Davidson, and most paranormal stories. The Spencers also enjoy quoting movie lines from “The Princess Bride”, “Rain Man”, “Bridesmaids”, and “Office Space”.
His latest book is the paranormal crime thriller, Grim.
Visit his website at www.josephbspencer.com
Connect & Socialize with Joseph!
Book Trailer:
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