Winner of the 2015 PWA Shamus Award and the 2015 ITW Thriller Award for Best Original Paperback Novel, Vincent Zandri is the NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and AMAZON KINDLE No.1 bestselling author of more than 25 novels including THE REMAINS, MOONLIGHT WEEPS, EVERYTHING BURNS, and ORCHARD GROVE. He is also the author of numerous Amazon bestselling digital shorts, PATHOLOGICAL, TRUE STORIES and MOONLIGHT MAFIA among them. Harlan Coben has described THE INNOCENT (formerly As Catch Can) as “…gritty, fast-paced, lyrical and haunting,” while the New York Post called it “Sensational…Masterful…Brilliant!” Zandri’s list of domestic publishers include Delacorte, Dell, Down & Out Books, Thomas & Mercer and Polis Books, while his foreign publisher is Meme Publishers of Milan and Paris. An MFA in Writing graduate of Vermont College, Zandri’s work is translated in the Dutch, Russian, French, Italian, and Japanese. Recently, Zandri was the subject of a major feature by the New York Times. He has also made appearances on Bloomberg TV and FOX news. In December 2014, Suspense Magazine named Zandri’s, THE SHROUD KEY, as one of the “Best Books of 2014.” Recently, Suspense Magazine selected WHEN SHADOWS COME as one of the “Best Books of 2016”. A freelance photo-journalist and the author of the popular “lit blog,” The Vincent Zandri Vox, Zandri has written for Living Ready Magazine, RT, New York Newsday, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Times Union (Albany), Game & Fish Magazine, and many more. He lives in New York and Florence, Italy.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
Inside the Book:
HORROR IN THE DARK WOODS
It’s been eight years since artist and single mom, Rebecca Underhill, was abducted and left to die in an old broken down house located in the middle of the dark woods. But even if her abductor, Joseph William Whalen, has since been killed, another, more insidious evil is once more out to get her in the form of the Skinner. The son of an abusive butcher, Skinner intends on finishing the job Whalen started but failed at.
How is he going to get to Rebecca?
He’s going to do it through her children, by luring them into the cornfield behind the old farmhouse they live in.
HORROR IN THE DEPTHS
Now, armed with the knowledge that the Skinner has escaped incarceration at a downstate facility for the criminally insane, Rebecca must face the most horrifying challenge of her adult life: Rescuing the children not from a house in the woods, but from the abandoned tunnels that run underneath her property.
But the Skinner is watching Rebecca’s every move.
Horrifying question is, will she live long enough to save the children?
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Amazon
What made you decide to become a published author?
I was groomed for the commercial construction industry. You dig enough ditches and mix enough cement by hand, you learn to become a writer real quick.
Would you consider your latest book, The Ashes, to be a one of a kind? How so?
Well, first of all, I’m the only one who can write that book, and second, I’m not sure there’s anyone else out there writing about The Skinner, the psycho who lives in the cornfield behind your house.
Where is your writing sanctuary?
I spend two months in Italy every year working on a new novel. Otherwise I write at the dining room table, or in an basement office, or a coffee shop. I can write anywhere.
What do you believe a writer should not do as far as getting his or her book published?
Write a great book, then find an agent who is willing to represent it. If that doesn’t work, self-publish it.
What inspires you?
Writers and writing. If I’m out and see a typewriter, I can’t help but type something on it. It’s sort of a disease.
What is one thing you learned about your book after it was published?
It’s time to start the next one.
Why do you love to write thrillers?
Because I love to read them. Plus, literary novels are boring and don’t pay the bills.
You’re concocting a recipe for a best selling book. What’s the first ingredient?
Talent.
What’s one fun fact about your book people should know?
It’s the sequel to the No. 1 Overall Amazon Bestselling novel, The Remains.
Did any real life experiences find their way into your book?
I travel a lot. To some pretty sketchy places. I was in Egypt at the tail end of the Arab Spring. A lot of that got into The Shroud Key. The Ashes takes place in a farm house on a farm very close to the spot where I fly fish in a local stream. Geography is important. Some of my novels, like The Innocent and The Corruptions, are based on real events.
Aside from writing, what’s your passion?
Travel, running, weight lifting, fly fishing, hiking, my Jeep, food, beer, good wine, reading, movies, shooting, XTC, The Beatles, Steely Dan, The Jam…lot’s of things.
What’s next for you?
The tenth novel in the Suspense Magazine Award Winning Chase Baker action/adventure series has just been released. It’s called Chase Baker and the Dutch Diamonds. The Detonator will be released in hard-cover by Polis Books in January of 2018. My agent tells me it’s about to be optioned for a feature film, but I can’t yet release the name of the production company. In the meantime, I’ve just finished a new standalone, The Girl Who Wasn’t There, and another Chase Baker, Chase Baker and the Spear of Destiny. Thanks for having me.