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| Jeff LaFerney, Author LOVING THE RAIN, SKELETON KEY, and BULLETPROOF |
Jeff LaFerney
writes about a father/son whodunit team who have a bit of an advantage over the bad guys. Although they live in "the real world," they both have mind-controlling abilities. LaFerney has published three Clay and Tanner Thomas novels described by one reviewer as "a stunner
mental gifts series.”
A coach and
language arts teacher for more than 20 years, LaFerney today lives in Michigan. He likes to laugh, and believes he spends way too much time on Facebook. His favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird and his favorite movie is the "inconceivable" Princess Bride -- both favorites of mine.
Click the link at the end of this article to check out the First Love Blog Hop and learn about other participating authors and how to win a Kindle and many more prizes.
Click the link at the end of this article to check out the First Love Blog Hop and learn about other participating authors and how to win a Kindle and many more prizes.
Q: What
inspired you to write about a father/son team with mind-controlling abilities
as a whodunit series?
Jeff LaFerney: I had an idea—which
I didn’t use—about a basketball-playing son who transferred schools, and then
his JV coaching father got fired as a result. When the head coach was murdered,
the boy’s father, who was framed, was arrested. In order to get out of jail to
solve the mystery, I came up with the mind-control abilities. After studying
the brain, I came up with a theory about parapsychology that I used in the
books, but I also came up with a different plot.
Q: How did you
create, as one reviewer said, “characters you'll love to love and others you'll
love to hate”? Your reviewers really appreciate your characters. Are they based
on people you know?
Jeff LaFerney: It seems like my “bad guys” and my minor
characters are reader favorites, and they’re nothing like anyone I know. They’re
fun to write about, though, because I make them up completely. I think readers
like my heroes because they’re strong morally, they’re loyal to each other and they
have a good sense of humor.
Q: How do you
help readers believe and accept the world and characters you create?
Jeff LaFerney: My characters
are really just regular guys. The parapsychology is looked at as both a gift
and a curse. They don’t believe that others should be manipulated, but they
also believe in justice, so they use their gifts to obtain clues that others
are unable to procure. My “world” is actually very realistic and my characters
believable.
Q: Is humor
important to telling your story?
Jeff LaFerney: I
love to use physical humor and witty dialogue. To me, it balances the drama, the sadness, and the suspense
and makes for a read that runs a gamut of emotions.
Q: Could your
story occur in any setting? Or is the setting a critical part of the story?
Jeff LaFerney: Well, I wrote
all three books with settings close to where I live. I did it because in the
first book, the sports and setting were comfort zones. When readers liked the
story, I used other local settings, which has helped me to sell a lot of books.
People living in my county will recognize the settings, but those settings
could have been anywhere. They aren’t critical.
Q: Do you write
purely for entertainment? Or do you have something to say to your readers?
Jeff LaFerney: I
write mostly for entertainment, but
as an English teacher who teaches literature in school, I feel that my stories
should have recognizable themes and, I’m proud to say, moral values.
Q: Why are you
a writer? When did you first know
that you wanted to be a writer?
Jeff LaFerney: I’ve always
enjoyed the stories I’ve written, but I decided to write a novel because of the
classroom library I was building. There were a lot of books I read that were
award-winners that I didn’t think were very good, and I kept telling myself I
could do better. Because of some life circumstances, I decided it was time to
do something new with my life, so I chose to write a book. I have three—none of
which has won an award. How ironic is that?
Q: Tell us something about yourself, e.g.,
do you like to exercise? Eat? Go to plays? What’s your favorite holiday, book,
author, character, play, movie, celebrity? What do you do when you’re
not writing? Do you have a muse?
Jeff LaFerney: I’m
from a very athletic family. My wife and I both played three varsity sports and
so did my son and daughter. My dad and I were both successful coaches, and I’ve
played sports my whole life, so I still exercise. I love salty foods better
than sweet ones, except I love
Mountain Dew. I love action movies, especially with super heroes, but my
favorite is The Princess Bride. My
favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird,
and my favorite authors are Robert B. Parker, Harlan Coban, John Grisham,
Michael Crichton, and John Irving. I read more than I write, I My blog is all about fun. I’d love for people to check that
out too.
My books are suspense and mystery. Clay and Tanner Thomas
are a father/son team. Each of the books can be read alone, so I’d love for
people to check them out and choose one to get started on. I’m grateful, Joyce,
for you to spotlight me and introduce me to your followers. Thank you.
About Jeff LaFerney
Jeff LaFerney has been a language arts
teacher and coach for more than twenty years. He earned his English and
teaching degrees from the University of Michigan-Flint and his master's degree
in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University. He and Jennifer,
his wife of twenty-five years, live in Davison, Michigan. Torey and Teryn are
their two children. LOVING THE RAIN
is his first novel in the Clay and Tanner Thomas series. The second, SKELETON KEY, and the third, BULLETPROOF, are paranormal mysteries, set
in the Flint area. When Jeff sets
a goal, he achieves it; when he has a friendship, he cherishes it; and when he
imagines, he writes about it. He
loves competing at sports, connecting to good books, and creating words that
make people laugh.
LINKS
Purchase
sites
Facebook
Goodreads page link
Goodreads page link
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Thank you, Joyce. You've gone over and above with this interview. I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteJeff
I found your great blog through the WLC Blog Follows on the World Literary Cafe! Great to connect! What a wonderful way to find new and interesting blogs to follow, Joyce.
ReplyDeleteI found your great blog through the WLC Blog Follows on the World Literary Cafe! Great to connect!
ReplyDelete