FEATURED ARTIST FRIDAY: Steven F. Freeman

Good morning and welcome to the first of 2015 Featured Artist Fridays! I am excited to revive this meme. If you are an author, artist, or musician interested in being interviewed (and your work is family-friendly), please head on over to the "For Authors" tab for more information about how you can be featured on my blog!Today I am pleased to introduce you all to Steven F. Freeman, a fellow Clean Indie Authors member. Steven is the author of “Nefarious” a thriller/mysteryand the first book in a series entitled "The Blackwell Files." Each book in the series is written to be a stand-alone.

When Army Communications Captain Alton Blackwell takes a hit to the leg while on active duty in Afghanistan, his self-confidence and leg are equally shattered in the explosion. Assigned to a desk job while recovering, Blackwell nonetheless manages to prove his resourcefulness as he matches wits with Al-Qaeda operatives in the dangerous regions of Kabul. Unable to fully heal, he resigns himself to the abrupt end of his military career as well as any hope to win the affections of the beautiful and intelligent Lieutenant Mallory Wilson.

Upon returning state-side, the quiet civilian life is quickly left far behind when Blackwell’s colleague Zach Lambert calls him from a weekend camping trip in the throes of a devastating illness with forbidding implications.

In a story out of today’s headlines, Blackwell and now-FBI Agent Wilson explore the possible diversion of a biotech’s project to develop an improved vaccine, scouring leads at the CDC and biotec company, putting their Army and professional skills to the test, and narrowly escaping agents with a murderous agenda at every turn. The closer they come to the truth, the quicker the bodies pile up, along with the suspects. To get to the bottom of the sinister scheme, can Blackwell still use wits when his body has failed him? And will he survive long enough to tell his colleague of the feelings for her he has long kept secret?

Welcome to the blog, Steven! Let's start off the interview, shall we?

When and why did you start writing?I only started writing two years ago. Prior to then, a few family members had encouraged (read “bugged”) me for several years to put pen to paper, but my personal schedule only recently evolved in a way that freed up enough time to begin writing. Since then, I’ve finished four books in a series, have nearly completed the fifth, and have begun outlining the sixth.Why did you choose to write in this genre? My favorite genres to READ are mysteries (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie), thrillers (James Patterson), and classical romance (Jane Austen).So, I’ve focused my writing on these genres as well, since they represent my interests as a reader. While my books are primarily thrillers/mysteries, I do include a fair portion of romance, so they’re best described as romantic thrillers/mysteries: romantic because it’s a great way to engage the reader in the characters on a deeply emotional level, and mystery/thriller because it’s a great way to engage the reader with an interesting plot. So my hope is that readers get double the fun.Which authors do you admire? Why?I am a huge fan of Charles Dickens, my all-time favorite author. I’ve never read the works of anyone who was so effective in portraying vivid, three-dimensional characters. Of course, I’m also a fan of the authors I mentioned in my response to the last question.Can you pick a favorite character from your book or series? Why is that character your favorite? More than any other character, my books focus on Alton Blackwell. Alton is an Army Communications Captain. After he takes a hit to the leg while on active duty in Afghanistan, his self-confidence and leg are equally shattered in the explosion. Assigned to a desk job while recovering, Alton struggles to rebuild his emotional and physical life. Pushing through despair and self-doubt, he manages to build new friendships and prove his resourcefulness as he matches wits with Al-Qaeda operatives in the dangerous regions of Kabul. Unable to fully heal, he resigns himself to the abrupt end of his military career as well as any hope to win the affections of the beautiful and intelligent Lieutenant Mallory Wilson. But a new, stateside mystery thrusts Alton and Mallory back together as they strive to research the circumstances of a colleague’s mysterious death. The “Good, Bad, Bizarre” book-review blog had this to say about Alton’s character in “Nefarious”: “There are a couple dozen characters in here, and the author does a fine job of fleshing them out. Of course, the most 3D character is his hero, Alton Blackwell, with whom we spend most of the time and from whose head we get the most thoughts. Alton was a genuinely likeable guy. He’s like Superman without the superpowers; seriously, the guy was altruistic to the core. We’ve all met people like him, and it’s hard not to root for him whenever he faces adversity. He’s also competent, which is a must for a character in a mystery novel, and which further gives us another reason to like him. His philosophy of “regret avoidance” was great, because giving that to his character added an even further level of depth and helped explain his actions throughout the story. He wasn’t perfect, but was likeable all the more for that.”What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous? Nervousness is often a product of inexperience, so my biggest advice would be to join a critique group so you can meet with other writers with the goal of regularly reviewing each other’s work and giving feedback. Obviously, receiving feedback on your own writing is helpful, but even giving advice to other authors will improve your own craft as a writer.Are you working on anything new, and would you be willing to tell us about it? I’m close to wrapping up my fifth book, “The Devil’s Due,” which is a thriller/mystery set primarily in Afghanistan. Here’s the back-jacket description of this novel:While on their honeymoon, cryptologist Alton Blackwell and FBI Agent Mallory Wilson receive a frantic plea for help. Resourceful Afghani teenager Mastana Meer, once instrumental in rescuing a mutual friend from Afghanistan terrorists, finds herself coerced into a nefarious plot by her Al-Qaeda uncle.Having escaped the clutches of her terrorist uncle, the teen is days away from leaving Kabul for a better life when Alton and Mallory lose all contact with her.As the former soldiers race to Afghanistan to search for Mastana, they battle Al-Qaeda terrorists, a resurgent cult of evil, and a web of political intrigue in which the label of friend and foe is not easily assigned. The duo must summon all their investigatory powers and combat skills in a desperate bid to track down their young friend and rescue her before her captors’ malevolent designs can be set in motion. Would you be willing to share an excerpt from your latest book? Following is an excerpt from “The Devil’s Due”:In the dusty haze of Kabul, a young Afghani exited her dwelling and glided down the street. She hoped Uncle Dani had not heard her leave. This might be her only chance to send a message.“Mastana!” boomed a voice from behind her. “Where are you going?”“To the market, Uncle,” she replied. “I would like to prepare Qabili Palao for dinner, but we do not have all the ingredients.”“Don’t worry about that now,” said Uncle Dani. “Besides, what do you think you’re doing, going out by yourself? You know I have to escort you.”Although Afghanistan had officially relaxed its enforcement of sharia—Islamic law—over the last decade or so, Uncle Dani adhered to the strict interpretation that prohibited single females from venturing outside without a male relative acting as escort. Uncle Dani adhered to other, more extreme notions of Islam as well.“Can you take me to the market, Uncle?”“No. You need to take care of your mother. Her pain grows worse.”Last month, the oncologist responsible for treating Mother’s pancreatic cancer had made a somber announcement: the disease had metastasized throughout her body. Mother was expected to live only a few more weeks, perhaps as long as a month.“Yes, Uncle.” Hanging her head, Mastana returned to the house. She traversed the hall and entered her mother’s bedroom.“Mastana, is that you?” came a weak voice.“Yes, Mother,” replied Mastana as she reached her mother’s bedside. “How are you feeling?”“Ah—the pain! Where are my pills? Bring them to me, my dear.”“Yes, Mother.”Mastana removed two large orange pills and a tiny white one from a pair of bottles on the nightstand. She passed them to Mother, who swallowed them with a splash of water and a look of agony. The pain in Mother’s abdomen seemed to grow worse every day.The painkillers and anti-nausea tablets rendered Mother more comfortable but held out no hope of curing her. Mastana hated the pills. They took Mother off to another place, a pain-free world to which Mastana couldn’t follow. The teen knew she was being selfish. She couldn’t deprive Mother of medicine just to have a conversation with her. Besides, such an approach wouldn’t work. The old Mother—the one with the lively mind, who would stay up talking on all manner of subjects until three in the morning—existed no more. The mind of the mother before her now drifted in and out of focus as it battled pain and the stupefying effects of powerful narcotics. Each day, the flame of Mother’s intellect dimmed, like a candle deprived of oxygen.Soon, Mastana would be alone with Uncle Dani. The thought made her shudder. For years, Mother had shielded Mastana from her Al-Qaeda uncle. With Mother gone, Uncle Dani would waste no time recruiting Mastana into his nefarious plans. He had already hinted as much during the last week.Mastana knew the Americans weren’t perfect, but as a group, she liked them. Her family had sold clothing to them for years. And the Americans at Camp Eggers had nursed her back to health after she had been injured by a marketplace bomb outside their gates. She had no intention of helping her uncle plot against them.Desperate for help, Mastana longed to send a message to the American she most trusted—the injured soldier who had personally pulled her from the bazaar’s flaming wreckage the day of the bombing and carried her to safety. She and the soldier had become friends while she recovered in the camp hospital. She didn’t know exactly how he could help but felt sure he would think of something.But first, she had to find a way to send a message to him. She had hoped to visit the internet café next to the marketplace, but Uncle had foiled that plan. If he prohibited her from traveling alone, how would she ever send for help?After watching Mother drift into a fitful slumber, Mastana returned to her own bedroom to hide the tumult of emotions battling inside her chest. Tears of frustration soon gave way to raw fear. She had to find a way to contact her soldier friend before her life was forfeited in Uncle’s unrelenting jihad against the Americans, but how?Describe your ideal place to write.The past two years, I vacationed for a week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, during which time I read during the day and wrote at night (or when the weather wasn’t cooperating). Like many creative pursuits, writing is more effective when one has sufficient time to “get into the flow.” Because of the substantial number of uninterrupted hours I spent writing during these trips, they provided wonderful opportunities to immerse myself in the shadowy world of my imagination and create my most exciting stories.Describe your process for writing/completing a novel.My first step is to imagine, at a high level, an intriguing plot, especially one that touches on contemporary, “headline” topics. Since I write mysteries/thrillers, it’s key that all the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly; therefore, my next step is to outline the plot by chapter to ensure the proper integration and presentation of all the information. This outline also lets me evaluate the pacing of the story before I’ve invested dozens of hours in creating the first draft. Next, I begin writing the first draft.  (Yes, I inevitably make changes to my outline as I progress.) Once I’ve written the entire first draft and re-read it two or three times, I hand off several chapters at a time to the other authors in my critique group, who review it and provide detailed feedback. I also send the book out to five or six “beta” readers, who also provide feedback albeit at a slightly less-detailed level than that of my critique group. After incorporating the suggestions of everyone and rewriting the story multiple times, I begin proofing for errors: after two passes through the book, I send it out to two copy editors, who review it for grammatical and spelling errors. I’ll then read the book cover-to-cover in paperback form about four or five times to identify any other opportunities to polish it to its most brilliant shine. Then it’s finished—piece of cake!What do you do when you’re NOT writing? (hobbies, things you do for fun, your day-job, etc?)I love to travel and have been fortunate enough to do so for both my job and recreation. I like the recreation travel especially because it’s fun and family time all rolled into one. Thanks for participating in Featured Artist Fridays, Steven! Happy to have you over!If you would like to learn more about Steven F. Freeman and his books, head on over to his WEBSITE.