Brian Freeman's Blog - Posts Tagged "brian"

I was in New York this past weekend and enjoyed one of the most memorable and emotional nights of my life. My book SPILLED BLOOD took home the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the 2013 Thriller Awards, which are given out by the International Thriller Writers organization (www.thrillerwriters.org).

Last year, the same award went to a writer named Stephen King. Nice company to be keeping!

My editor, my wife, and my friends were all convinced I was going to win, but truly, I was in shock when they announced my name. I'm not making any dents in the carpet when I walk...still pretty high off the ground.

This was the second time in three years I had been shortlisted for Best Hardcover Novel (after THE BURYING PLACE in 2011), which is a tremendous honor given the caliber of books submitted for consideration. This year alone, more than 300 thrillers were part of the competition in which SPILLED BLOOD won the award.

I am hugely grateful to ITW and the writer-judges who devoted so much time to this process. I'm grateful, too, to the readers who have supported me all of these years.

SPILLED BLOOD, as a stand-alone outside my Jonathan Stride series, was very special to me as I was writing it. It's a story of redemption and faith, and as much as it is apocalyptic in many ways, it is also an intense family drama at heart. For those of you who haven't read it, yet, I hope you enjoy it.Spilled Blood

On April 15, 2013, two pressure-cooker bombs detonated in the crowd during the Boston Marathon. Three spectators died in the explosions, and hundreds were injured.

Every terrorist attack horrifies us with its senseless violence and loss of life – but I think the Boston bombing prompted a special outrage, because it violated an event that represents the best of what people can strive for and achieve, and because the marathon itself is so much a part of the identity of the city of Boston.

It’s not often that I create a plot that is directly “ripped from the headlines,” but no one will miss the fact that the real-life events of the Boston bombing inspired my new thriller MARATHON. Duluth, like many cities, offers an annual race that plays host to tens of thousands of runners and spectators from around the world. As a result, I wanted my Duluth-based police lieutenant, Jonathan Stride, to deal with all of the challenges and raw emotions of a similar tragedy.

However, the explosion in MARATHON, with its unsettling parallels to what happened in Boston, is only the beginning. The story of this novel is really a story of how hatred in all its forms becomes a self-perpetuating cycle of violence, loss, and revenge.

My books often deal with sensitive themes, and I try to deal with these issues in shades of gray, not just black or white. That’s especially true of MARATHON. I wanted to write a lightning-paced thriller that also deals openly and honestly with issues of anger, prejudice, and extremism, especially when amplified by the echo chamber of social media.

There are no super-heroes or super-villains here, just ordinary people. Some struggle to do the right thing; some do evil things. Most have good intentions – but we know where good intensions can lead. In the middle is Stride, trying to find the truth and bring people together despite their bitter divisions.

MARATHON (May 2) is available for pre-order now online and through your local bookseller.

Find the book at Amazon.