Author of the Month:
Josie Brown
Every month, I want to highlight favorite authors, whatever their genre.
Josie Brown is the author of 37 novels. The latest -- her twenty-first -- of the Housewife Assassin's Handbook series, Antisocial Media Tips, launches on Friday, February 18, 2022.
When I read the first Housewife Assassin book by Josie Brown, I was hooked. Now, twenty books later, I still love the adventures of Donna and Jack. The twenty-first book appears this month.
I was lucky enough to sit at Josie's table for breakfast a few years ago at a reader's appreciation weekend. She is as delightful in person as she is as a writer. While you're waiting for her new book to arrive, The Housewife Assassin's Handbook, first in series, is free at these retailers.
Amazon
Kobo
BN
Apple
Here's an interview to introduce you to Josie and her writing.
Q: Give me a one-liner as to what your latest novel is about:
A: Housewife Assassin Donna Craig, her husband and mission leader Jack, and the rest of the Acme team must infiltrate a live-streaming social media junket as fake-famous overnight sensations in order to expose who among several very popular influencers is passing U.S. state secrets to foreign agents—and before it becomes ground zero for a terrorist attack.
Q: Why Social Media as a story hook?
A: The simple answer: love it or hate it, social media has become an undeniable factor in our lives. We check our SM feeds constantly to see what others are up to, and to hope it gives us validation for our own lives. Since many who "friend" or "like" us are people we've never met, it is an interesting dichotomy in the way we live now. As Antisocial Media Tips points out, it is also a great way to post covert messages in plain sight and is already a part of the Spy vs. Spy world.
Q: How do you build the arc of your story?
A: Through extensive research! Once I decide on a company or industry that Donna and her mission team must infiltrate, I read both the New York Times and the Washington Post. I also read Foreign Affairs for geopolitical threads and Wired for its tech security articles. Or I may find my jumping-off point in something as innocuous a Tweet or Instagram post I've run across. In other words, I grab something that is in the zeitgeist. My goal is to keep my mind open as to what would work in creating an interesting hook for my readers and to give them just enough information about the trend or industry that Donna must immerse herself in to find the bad guys.
Over the past twenty-one books -- which cover five years of Donna's life -- her family is a big part of her ongoing story arc and her universe. I never give short shrift to what it takes to be a mom to three children. Their stories have evolved with hers: including learning what she does for a living, and the true story of their father's disappearance. As with most families, they've had traumas, and they have matured. I love when my readers see their role in Donna's complex personality.
Q: What's next for Donna?
A: Frankly, I have so many possible plots still to explore, and I haven't yet made up my mind as to which industry to use as the hook for the next book! Because she works in espionage — and the Cold War is heating up — there are so many, really too many, concepts for me to tackle.
Q: What is the secret of longevity as a novelist?
A: I'd say it starts with having a wonderful story that excites readers to turn the page to see what happens next. But even great stories have a difficult time getting into readers' hands. Traditional publishers have finally gotten smart and ramped up their marketing and publicity departments to pinpoint readers for their new releases. However, they don't put the same effort into all the novels they may release in a given month. Neither do they work their authors' backlists. Authors must pick up the slack, and not all of them are equipped with either the money or the skill set to do so. But if you're going to stay in the game, you have to put your novels, your characters, and yourself out there. You ARE your brand.
So, yes, it's a long slog. And it's not an easy one. I call it being the "last author standing." Here's to staying the course, and enjoying every step of the journey.
Buy her new book here: Amazon
Apple
BN
Kobo
