Brian Freeman's Blog, page 20
April 5, 2017
MARATHON: A Tale of Two Cities
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.
March 27, 2017
MARATHON: The Echo Chamber
Are we more divided than ever before?
Sometimes it seems that way. Tragedy doesn’t bring us together the way it once did. Too often, rather than turning to each other for support, we retreat to separate corners and to our own political philosophies.
The rise of social media seems to have accelerated this divisiveness. If you agree with someone, social media is an echo chamber reinforcing what you think. If you disagree, it’s an information superhighway crowded with road rage. That’s why I chose to make social media an important theme in MARATHON – because sites like Twitter and Facebook have become players in shaping how we react to the world.
Look at Twitter, for example. There’s something about that 140-character limit on Twitter posts that washes away restraint and encourages people to hurl spicy little fireballs at one another. As one of my characters in MARATHON complains to her husband, “I always know when you’re looking at Twitter. Your face gets so angry.” She’s right. Twitter can be a perfect little outrage factory.
Social media not only makes us angrier, it also makes it easier for us to leap to the wrong conclusions. That’s especially true in the aftermath of tragic events. Information spreads lightning fast – but so does misinformation. What starts out as news quickly becomes an online breeding-ground for rumor and speculation, and the results can easily spiral out of control.
Stride doesn’t just have to solve a murder in MARATHON. He also has to deal with a powder keg of online paranoia that threatens to burst from the virtual world into the real world of Duluth.
March 16, 2017
MARATHON: A Tale of Two Cities
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 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 is available for pre-order now online and through your local bookseller.
March 8, 2017
If You Like This…
Want a quick take on why you should read THE NIGHT BIRD…? Here I am…without glasses…with makeup…talking about James Patterson, Alfred Hitchcock, and The Bourne Identity.
March 7, 2017
Croissant!
Most of the Freeman family is still out in the Bay area, so it seemed a natural fit for Brian to finally set a series of books out there. We go out to California regularly to visit family and friends, and just as he does with his Jonathan Stride books, we take time to go off in search of new and creepy locations for him to use in future books.
But one of our favorite “not-so-creepy” spots is a local bakery in his hometown that makes the best croissants we’ve ever had. So, everyday, before we head off in search of new places, we make a stop for a morning treat like this one…! After all, we can’t be expected to face those dark and creepy locales on an empty stomach…!
February 4, 2017
15 Seconds
Want the scoop on THE NIGHT BIRD but don’t have a lot of time?
Click here to watch me talk about the book on Amazon in just 15 seconds.
February 2, 2017
Available Now
My latest thriller, THE NIGHT BIRD, is available now in Kindle e-book, hardback, paperback, and audio. Don’t miss it!
Romantic Times calls it a Top Pick and says: ““Freeman’s latest psychological thriller is sure to seize readers and not let go… Gripping, intense and thoughtful, The Night Bird is a must-read.”
The book was selected as a Kindle First title by Amazon and spent most of January at #1 on the Amazon Kindle bestseller list — an amazing honor. More than 1,400 readers submitted reviews during the first month, and I’ve been delighted by the overwhelming reaction from people who loved the book.
THE NIGHT BIRD is all-new for me: It introduces a new hero, Frost Easton, and a new setting in the romantic locale of San Francisco. My family has lived in the Bay Area for decades, so the region feels like home to me. This is also my scariest, creepiest book to date — and my readers know that’s saying a lot! This book deals with the unsettling possibility that your memories can be manipulated, so you’re never sure exactly what is real.
Enjoy!
January 10, 2017
Soft and Chewy
One of the things that Brian likes to do to relax is bake. And he’s been known to create some wonderful desserts (like red velvet cake, cupcakes, brownies, etc.,). He even subscribes to several cooking/baking magazines. But, there are some times when he just doesn’t have the time to whip up a sweet treat with a lot of steps. And it’s times like that when he goes to our freezer and pulls out some pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough balls that we always keep on hand. (We have a long-time friend who runs a wonderful catering business in Rochester MN–called Catering By Design—and they sell their cookies frozen, so we stock up from her regularly.) He just puts a few of those onto a cookie sheet, pops them into the oven and 10 minutes later we’ve got fresh, hot cookies—straight from the oven.
Of course, this brings up that age-old question—how do you like your chocolate chip cookies? Soft and chewy…? Thin and crispy…? (Or maybe you’re like me…and just have to have one raw…?)
January 6, 2017
Minnesota Nice
There’s a phrase that’s commonly used to describe people who live here…they’re called “Minnesota Nice.” It means that Minnesotans will often go out of their way to help others…and this is particularly true when it comes to helping out their friends…!
We were recently helping some friends who’d gone away for a few days by going over to their place to feed and water their cats, check for packages/mail…and just generally keep an eye on their place. We’ve done this for them many times before (as they have for us), so knew the code to open their garage door to access their house.
On this particular morning, we went over to their place…but the code wouldn’t work. We tried it multiple times…but to no avail. We were stumped…because it had always worked before. Returning home after our unsuccessful venture, Brian did an online search to see if he could find what the issue could be—and if there were any suggested solutions. He found that, indeed, this is a common problem—cold temperatures can affect the functioning of these keypads. A quick look at a weather app showed that our current outdoor temperature was 17 degrees…!
One of the suggested solutions was to cover the entire unit with a heating pad—letting it warm up—and then trying it again. We figured it was worth a try, so back to their place we went…heating pad and extension cord in hand. (Luckily, they do have an outdoor electrical outlet.)
So, there we stood…holding a heating pad in place over the keypad to warm it. Finally, after about 10 minutes, we tried the code again. VOILA…the code worked, the door opened…and we were able to get inside to feed the cats—who were VERY happy to see us…!
I can’t even imagine what any of their neighbors must have been thinking as they watched this…!
January 4, 2017
Kindle First
The official release date for my new San Francisco-based thriller THE NIGHT BIRD is February 1. BUT, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can get the e-book for your Kindle for free right now. The book is one of six novels selected for the “Kindle First” program in January — and it’s already #1 on the US Amazon Kindle Bestseller List.
Not an Amazon Prime member? You can also enter the Goodreads giveaway. We’re giving away 100 (yes, 100!) free copies of THE NIGHT BIRD, so enter before January 31 to be part of the drawing. You can enter here:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/216595-the-night-bird
