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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Monday, September 11, 2017

little did she know what would be waiting for her - Kate Dawson Thrillers by John L. Flynn

In 1997, John switched gears from writing and literature to study psychology, and earned a degree as a clinical psychologist. Today, John lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and is a dean at Broward College. Intimate Bondage is his first published novel in the Kate Dawson series.

Description:

Someone has a fetish for murder.

Detective Kate Dawson is willing to go undercover to catch a serial killer. 

But this time, undercover may be exactly what the killer wants. 

A rich, politically connected CEO dies in his private dungeon on a foggy San Fran night--beaten and castrated by a mysterious sex worker he hired. Detective Kate Dawson and her partner are assigned the case. Their only lead is a provocative email from "Crystal Rose" and an IP address at the University of San Francisco. 

Before long, Kate's on the trail of a serial killer who uses the seedy underworld of porn shops, Internet sex sites, and S&M clubs to target victims. She knows the only way to catch the killer is to become part of that world. 

Architects of Armageddon

Someone is hell-bent on world destruction…

Inspector Kate Dawson is called to investigate a mass murder; a call that will change her life, and possibly the whole world—forever.

Certain parents have been directed to put their children to death. They believe they are the Chosen Ones, destined by God to inherit the Earth. The charismatic leader of End Times Ministries, whose grand plan includes stoking the fires of Armageddon, has ordered parishioners to close ranks and prepare for a holy war.

Kate Dawson knows this is not God’s will, but that of a dangerous, diabolical mind that controls the lives of his people. “They plan to start a war!”

“Nearly a million people live in the San Francisco Bay area,” Senator Santiago said.
“That’s a lot of lives that would be lost, but nowhere near the hundreds of millions of lives lost in a global war, and the starvation, and sickness, and disease that follows.”

“So, you’re saying, the Doomsday clock is ticking?” Kate asked, already sensing the answer.
“It’s five minutes to midnight . . .”

Kate would have been the first one to confess that she didn’t know a whole lot about politics and religion—but she did know there was a group of fanatics out there who were determined to move the hands of the clock closer to midnight, and it was her duty to stop them.

Murder on Air Force One

When Inspector Kate Dawson is called in the wee hours of the morning, little did she know what would be waiting for her on the tarmac of San Francisco International Airport.

Air Force One has landed with a corpse in the lavatory—Madame President and the First Man were on board with a slew of reporters and other presidential personnel. It seems someone enjoyed kinky foreplay, like having their oxygen supply limited, a gasper. It just went too far…or did someone else take advantage and finish her off?

International politics, conspiracies, affairs, cover-ups, and all involving the First Family…

Terror at G-20

Someone has a fetish for the Asian sex trade...

From what begins as the simple murder of a sex worker, Inspector Kate Dawson follows the clues to human trafficking and ultimately the Asian sex trade. Then, as the date of the G-20 Summit in San Francisco draws closer, Dawson struggles to connect the lives of five Asian women, who have presumably disappeared in Chinatown, with that of a mad North Korean Generals master plan of bringing about economic chaos in the West and his nuclear submarine playing hide-and-go-seek with fishermen in the Bay.

As world leaders and economists converge on the annual summit, Dawson must prevent terror from breaking out at the G-20.

AUTHOR's Q&A

What do you do to unwind and relax? 
I’m a movie buff. I watch a lot of movies, and I am hoping one day to say I’ve seen all of the grand, ground-breaking movies ever.

Advice you would give new authors? 
Go to college, take grammar courses, courses on writing and literature. Learn your craft; learn what has come before. Write short works first. Write and re-write, refine. Get to know your market, and write for that market. Keep writing. Never give up. The moment you decide to give up, you’ve lost. Build a name for yourself, and then start writing the longer works.

How long have you been writing? 
I started writing to be published when I was 12 years old. I am 62 now, soon to be 63. I’ve been writing for over 50 years...

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write? 
I have a character in mind right from the beginning. They are usually based on someone I know, and each character serves a purpose in the book/story. Their actions sometime surprise me. Rosa Romano, the assistant medical examiner, surprised me by claiming she was a lesbian, or at least bi-sexual; she came onto Kate Dawson in a way that completely surprised me. The Police Chief was always a jerk; tried to be leader of his men by pretending to be as macho was they are, but he surprised me when he attacked my lead character, Kate Dawson, demanding sex from her at an inappropriate moment. He ends up taking up with a young cadet even though he has been married to the same woman for 35 years.

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book? 
Research is key to the success of my books. I do a lot of research prior to starting a book. I want my readers to know that I’ve taken the time to get this part of my book right. For Intimate Bondage, the first Kate Dawson book, I went to a BDSM club in Washington, D.C. known as the Black Rose, and I told them that I didn’t know anything about BDSM, but I wanted that to be the basis of my book. I spent months meeting and joining in with the local members, so that I would be able to get it right in my book. I met Rosanna Tufts, a submissive, prior to writing the book, and pumped her for some serious insight into the role of a Dom and submissive. She and I remain friends to this day. I named the BDSM club in my book after the club in D.C.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less! 
Hard-working, thoughtful, romantic, kind, never-give-up-attitude.

How did you come up with the concept for the book?
The concept for a book usually comes from reading an article in the newspaper or seeing a news story on television. For Terror at G-20, I saw a television special about human trafficking.

What did you enjoy most about writing a book? 
The discoveries I make from the characters as I am writing.

Do you have any advice to give aspiring writers?
Everyone has some degree of talent; I have found that those who become successful have something more than talent, however. They have Perseverance, the unwavering faith or steadfastness in themselves that they are going to be successful despite difficulty or delay in achieving that success. A lot of talented folks who would be great writers give up when they discover just how hard it is to get into print. Those who are ultimately successful stick with the project no matter what gets in their way. Arnold Schwarzenegger told me, when I interviewed him for the book I wrote about him, that when faced with great adversity, you need to persevere. Find a notch for yourself, and if it does not exist, create it. Eventually, if you keep pushing, success will happen. It may take 20 or 40 years, but you cannot give up.

About the author:
Dr. John L. Flynn is a three-time Hugo-nominated author, psychologist, and college dean. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he earned a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from the University of South Florida and a Ph.D. from Southern California University. He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and he has written sixteen books, many short stories, articles, reviews, and two screenplays. In 1977, he received the M. Carolyn Parker award for outstanding freelance writing, and has been a regular contributor and columnist to dozens of science fiction magazines, including Starlog, Not of This Earth, Sci-Fi Universe, Cinescape, Retrovision, Media History Digest, SFTV, SF Movieland, Future Threads, in 1985. He has subsequently had ten other books published about film, including Cinematic Vampires (1992), Phantoms of the Opera (1993), The Films of Arnold Schwarzenegger (1993), Dissecting Aliens (1995), War of the Worlds: From Wells to Spielberg (2005), Future Prime: The Top Ten Science Fiction Films (2006) (with Bob Blackwood), 75 Years of Universal Monsters (2006), 50 Years of Hammer Horror (2006),101 Superheroes of the Silver Screen (2007), and 2001: Beyond the Infinite (2008). Brickhouse Books published Visions in Light and Shadow, a collection of John's short stories, in 2001, and Galactic Books published his first novel, The Jovian Dilemma, in 2006.
His first screenplay, which is based on The Jovian Dilemma, was a finalist in the 2003 Screenplay Festival, and was optioned for a brief time by a New York-based production company. His most recent screenplay is the erotic thriller Intimate Bondage, which John has developed into the novel published by BelleBridge Books. He has since written two follow-up books in the Kate Dawson thriller series, including Architects of Armageddon, published by W & B Publishers in 2017.
Monsterland, Enterprise, Nexxus, The Annapolis Review, and Collector's Corner. He sold his first book, 

From a very early age, John demonstrated a keen interest in movies and science fiction. He made his first single-reel films with a Super-8mm camera; of course, he also designed all the sets, made all the costumes, and wrote all the scripts. When he went to college at age 17, he studied writing and theater. John received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from the University of South Florida and Ph.D. from Southern California University. In 1979, he directed his first stage play, Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple," for the Patapsco Players. One year later, he not only directed but also designed the set and costumes for Stephen Sondheim's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" for a local community theater. His set and costume designs were singled out for recognition by the local media, and earned him notoriety as a theatrical designer. From 1980 to 1987, he honed his skills as a costume designer, and after winning numerous national and international competitions, he earned the title of Master Costumer.

In 1995, John switched gears to study psychology, and earned a degree as a clinical psychologist. His study, The Etiology of Sexual Addiction: Childhood Trauma as a Primary Determinant (1997), has broken new ground in the diagnosis and treatment of sexual addiction.

He returned to professional writing in 1992, and earned the first of his three Hugo Award nominations, ten years later, in 2002. The prestigious Hugo Award is the Science Fiction Achievement Award which is given for excellence in the field of science fiction writing and the arts. Dr. Flynn received two additional Hugo nominations in 2003 and 2004. His notoriety in the field of science fiction has provided John with many wonderful opportunities. He has appeared on television (including the Sci-Fi Channel and Russia's RTR Television), was featured in the documentary "Finding the Future" (2004), has spoken on the radio, and been a guest at national conferences. With fellow author and academic Bob Blackwood, he founded The Film Doctors in 2004. The Film Doctors are academics who promote science fiction films in mainstream popular culture. Their first collaboration produced Future Prime: The Top Ten Science Fiction Films" (2006). Today, Dr. Flynn makes his home in Lake Worth, Florida. He also labors to promote the work of new and emerging science fiction writers through L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future contest.

Author's Giveaway
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6 comments:

Richard Brandt said...

Intimate Bondage appeals to me because anything with a private dungeon can't be all bad.

Jodi Hunter said...

Sounds Incredible, Terror at G-20.

Stephanie LaPlante said...

These all sound great. I'd most like Terror at G-20.

Ally Swanson said...

Excellent post! I really enjoyed reading the interview! These books sound like such exciting, interesting, and intriguing reads! I think, "Intimate Bondage," appeals to you the most, because I enjoy stories with cops going undercover, I like the VIP CEO world, and I am intriguing by the S&M world scene. Looking forward to checking out these books!

DrJohn said...

Thank you for your comments. Actually, Intimate Bondage was the first of my Kate Dawson books. I had read Erica James first Fifty Shades book, but was disappointed by its portrayal of a very sanitized version of BDSM. I wanted my version to capture the raw reality of BDSM, the lifestyle that many people practice in the underground clubs in San Francisco. (Note: Erica named Christian's therapist after me, Dr. John Flynn, in books 2 and 3. I am a clinical psychologist.) So, I went to the Black Rose in Washington, D.C. and honestly asked for the help of real Doms and submissives. They saw that I was sincere, and brought me into their realm. I learned the real deal from several coupled club members, not the bullshit of Christian and Anastasia. I wrote the character of Jay Monroe based upon myself; indeed I was a college professor and psychology department chair at one time in my career. In real time at the Black Rose, I did floggings, suspensions, rope play, leash work, roleplaying master-slave sex, psychological torture, etc. I wore leather chaps, leather vest and took on the role of Dom with several very willing female submissives. Everything was consensual, protected, and well beyond normal or what is often called "vanilla" sex. What I write about in the book is based upon real-time BDSM play. Jay Monroe teaches Kate Dawson how to be a Domme and submissive female, so she can try to beat the serial killer who is using the underground BDSM clubs to kill victims. Of course, Jay Monroe is a master manipulator and enjoys playing mind games with her. She gets mind-fucked by him. I imagine it would make an interesting movie, much more so than Fifty Shades. There is actually a plot. People are dying, and Kate Dawson must surrender herself to catch the serial killer. It is a very personal kind of story for her...part redemption and part about the kinds of people we are drawn to love. But then, in each of the books I've written about Kate, she has to sacrifice part of herself, that image she has created of herself, in order to find out something she didn't know about herself. In the books, I have her growing and changing with each new story. Eventually, she'll be the chief of police, but she's got to go through a lot before she gets there. BTW, Lenny is based on a real-life counterpart. He acts funny and provides comic relief, but then, in real life, my friend Lenny provides a laugh or two as well. Thank you for your interest in my work. I hope you'll start with Intimate Bondage and read the other three books in the series. I just finished book five, and Kate takes the first step on her way to police chief by taking over the Homicide Department as its leader. More to come...

CindyWindy2003 said...

I like the main character is a strong female character and I want to read Murder on Air Force One.