Thriller Thursday Guest — Author Douglas Wickard

I’m very pleased today to introduce you to a fabulous author Douglas Wickard and his amazing debut novel, A Perfect Husband. Books with kick ass females and unrelenting suspense always gets my attention. Here’s a Thriller Thursday treat…

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Book Synopsis:

My first published novel, A Perfect Husband, introduces Sami Saxton, a normal forty-something year old woman dealing with challenges; a bad marriage, a tarnished career, a mid-life crisis (what else is new?). A simple plan to escape from her past and begin anew comes to a terrifying halt when a series of events catapult her into a battle for territory, self-preservation and ultimately her Life.

Book purchase link: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

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Jennifer Chase: If Sami Saxton was trapped in an elevator with three other people, how would your hero or heroine devise a plan to escape? Would they take any of the people with them?

Douglas Wickard: Presently, Sami wouldn’t take the elevator. She’s having some serious post traumatic stress syndrome issues which includes claustrophobia — big time! But, if she were to hear people inside an elevator hammering to get out, she would instinctively, immediately summon help and get them to safety. She’s a born heroine!

Jennifer Chase: How do you get inside your main character’s head when writing?

Douglas Wickard: I hate to say this but…I channel her. Sami is an alter ego of mine, so I let her have at it! I follow her around like a secretary taking dictation! She’s that controlling! (I love it!)

Jennifer Chase: What’s your specific genre? If you could write in any other genre, what would it be and why?

Douglas Wickard: Thriller, suspense, mysteries. I want to eventually write a few novels that dig deeper into the pathos of human behavior without going to the extreme of psychopaths and serial killers. I believe Life has enough emotional suffering being acted out to fill many novels — but very few authors tackle that under belly of human dysfunction. (a few of my favorites do…James Baldwin, Bret Easton Ellis, Pat Conroy, Donald Ray Pollock) I love digging into the heart of a character, finding the dirt beyond the pretention and making him/her dangerous, to himself and others.

Jennifer Chase: So why should readers pick up A Perfect Husband?

Douglas Wickard: A PERFECT HUSBAND has been reviewed as a thriller with insight. Imagine that? I love it. I don’t want to be a paint-by-number author. I want to continually mix it up and have my readers guessing what the next move I or my characters will make. High risk, high roll and always doing the unexpected.

Jennifer Chase: What types of emotions will readers experience when they read your book?

Douglas Wickard: Suspense! Also, woman seem to be really relating to Sami. A 42 year old woman, recently divorced, exploring her sexuality for, really the first time since before she was married. Dealing with her life after her ‘ideals’ have fallen in around her. She’s human, real, uninhibited and willing to bare her soul. Women love her for that, and surprisingly, men are joining in on the bandwagon. I had another book written, ENCOUNTER, and my agent told me to write the next Sami novel first! So, I am.

Jennifer Chase: Now, please bear with me, it’s time to play word association with your main character. Please respond with one word that comes to mind (in your main character’s voice) to the words listed below.

Douglas Wickard:

Plot – survival

2012 – trust issues

Predator – post traumatic stress syndrome

Giggles – Drew

Rural – no more

Omnipresence – sanity, the feeling of going insane, every day

Thank you Douglas Wickard!

Author Bio: