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Author, Chris Kuzneski
One of life’s necessities is to earn a living unless of course you’ve won the lottery or inherited a fortune; since neither of those two things happened to me I found myself in one of my favorite places on the planet “Barnes and Noble” looking for a good book to read on my train commute. Luckily wandering up and down the aisles I came across a neat looking thriller titled “Sign of the Cross”! Having enjoyed Dan Brown’s “The DaVinci Code” and James Rollins’ “Map of Bones” I was immediately intrigued. By the first page I was hooked! Crucifixions, conspiracies and archeological secrets that could change Christian history! Chris writes a fast page-turner with believable characters doing unbelievable things! And his heroine is no slouch either. Read this book at your own risk if you commute. After an all night reading session, I caught my train but nearly missed my stop. Payne and Jones the two main characters mean business with a twist of humor. This is one adventure novel that will leave you breathless and wanting more. I so enjoyed this book I tracked the author down on his website…www.chriskuzneski.com and he was kind enough to take time from penning a new Payne and Jones novel (Shh! Still a secret!) to answer a few interview questions: Q. How did you conceive the two main characters, Payne and Jones, in Sign of the Cross? Are they based on anyone you know or admire? A. Jonathon Payne and David Jones actually debuted in my first novel, The Plantation, but I didn’t base them on anyone I knew. I was hoping to create two characters who were different from each other in a lot of ways -- Payne is a fighter, Jones is more intellectual; they have different skin colors, different backgrounds, etc. -- yet still found a way to work together as a perfect team. I knew I wanted to write a series, so I figured all these differences would give me plenty of things to explore in future books. Unless, of course, I hit the wrong key and accidentally kill one of them off.
Q. I read once that Dean Koontz takes his dog for a walk every other morning then spends the rest of the day writing. Describe a typical day for you. A. Considering Dean Koontz’s success, I might have to change my routine. Do you think he’d let me walk his dog on the days he doesn’t? To be honest, my routine changes from day to day. Some days I write for ten hours, other days I hit the wall after two. I guess it depends on where I am in a project and how my creative juices are flowing. On the days that I’m not writing well, I try to do other work activities (research, answering fan mail, working on my website, etc.)
Q. I see on your website, www.chriskuzneski.com, that you are doing a lot of book signings in Florida. Do you have plans to have book signings elsewhere like for instance in Philadelphia? A. When The Plantation first came out, I did a national book tour -- nearly 100 events in a two-month stretch. My career was just getting started and I realized I needed to hit the road in order to spread the word. Sign of the Cross was a little different. I did some large book conferences but not nearly as many store events. Why? Because my next book is due in January, meaning I simply didn’t have time to hit the road as much as I would’ve liked. Once I meet my deadline, I’m hoping to set up several more events for SOTC. I grew up in Pennsylvania, so the Keystone State would be high on my list of possibilities.
Q. Do you ever get writer’s block and if so what do you do…. or don’t do! A. I’d like to answer this question, but I’m having trouble getting my thoughts on paper. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?
Q. Most little kids want to grow up to be a Super hero. What did you want to be when you were a child? A. As a kid, my two career goals were either being a pro athlete or a writer. I ultimately chose the latter because the money is much better and there are better-looking groupies.
Q. You’re young, single and a successful writer. What do you do when all your relatives want to hook you up with a blind date? A. Most of my family lives in Pennsylvania and I live in Florida; therefore, it’s tough for them to hook me up with strangers.
Q. How do you approach research for your stories? Do you map out your story and then back fill with research? A. I typically know the beginning and ending of my novels. All the stuff in between just happens to emerge through a combination of research, trial & error, and pure luck. Sometimes things just fall into place, and when they do, I breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Q. There are fabulous twists and turns in your stories. (I don’t want to give anything away to your readers.) Do you know all of these from the beginning of your story or do these ideas come to you and you work it into the storyline? A. As I mentioned in the previous question, a lot of the fancy twists & turns just pop into my while I’m writing. That’s probably one of the reasons that my readers don’t know what’s going to happen next -- because I didn’t know what was going to happen next. Sometimes I think I became a writer because I wanted to know how all the stories in my head actually ended.
Q. You seem to have a love for ancient history. Which of the ancient civilizations is your favorite? A. This a tough question. I had a liberal arts education at the University of Pittsburgh, which exposed me to so many things -- the pyramids of Egypt, the art and architecture of Rome & Greece, the mysteries of the Mayans, etc. Sign of the Cross dealt with the Romans. I’m sure future books will touch on some of the others.
Q. What do you do for fun when you need a break from writing? A. One of the reasons I moved to Florida was because of the weather. Therefore, I try to get outside (biking, etc.) whenever I possibly can. And if it’s raining, I love a good movie.
Q. Do you have a pet? A. No. But ever since question 2, I’ve been thinking about stealing Dean Koontz’s dog.
Q. Do you have any special things, some little quirks or rituals you do prior to sitting down and writing? A. Unlike some writers who are able to write in coffee shops or libraries, I prefer the sanctity of my home office. My research material is close by. Free food is in the kitchen. And I never have to worry about some idiot gabbing on his cell phone.
Q. How is your becoming a famous writer affecting your family? A. My parents have always been my biggest fans -- that’s why I thanked them so profusely in both of my books -- so they’ve been thrilled with my success. You wouldn’t believe how many bookmarks my father has given out to people. Sometimes I think Sign of the Cross hit the bestsellers’ list just because of him.
Q. What was your parents’ reaction to your first sale? A. Absolutely thrilled. Mostly because they knew they wouldn’t have to feed me anymore.
Q. I enjoyed your wicked sense of humor in Sign of the Cross are you an extrovert at parties or an introvert? A. Neither. I tend not to go to parties. Or bars. (Which is probably the reason I’m still single.) But when I’m hanging out with my friends, I’m certainly not shy. I was voted Class Clown my senior year in high school. (Which might explain my grades.)
Q. As a reader I've just discovered this genre of books like yours and Dan Brown’s but I haven't heard a name for it. Is there one yet? A. Sign of the Cross has been called a religious thriller, but I’m not sure if I like that term because some people assume that means it’s a Christian book, which isn’t the case at all. And that definitely wasn’t the case with The Plantation. There’s no way in hell that one is going to be considered religious . . .Normally, when people ask, I just tell them I write thrillers.
Q. What made you choose this genre? A. When I was growing up, my parents always read mysteries and thrillers, which means they were always lying around the house. The books, not my parents. Anyway, that’s probably the reason why I got started in this genre. It’s what I was exposed to as a child. And the Hardy Boys helped, too.
Q. Do you plan on writing more stories with “Payne and Jones” Are you working on any other type of stories? A. I signed a three-book deal with Penguin, and each of them will be Payne & Jones novels. I’m supposed to turn in my new manuscript in mid-January. Right now it’s scheduled to come out in Fall 2007. The working title is The Black Stone, but that’s liable to change.
Q. Where did the seed idea come from for Sign of the Cross? A. Ever since I was a small boy, I was interested in the concept of religion, challenging things that didn’t make sense to me. So the seed probably took root back then. But when I went to the University of Pittsburgh, I had a class called “The Bible as Literature” where we analyzed the Bible from a literary perspective, not a religious one. Actually breaking down the word choice, comparing individual passages to other religious texts, and so on. That opened my eyes to a lot of things about the Church, both good and bad. After that, I knew a story like Sign of the Cross was a possibility.
Q. Can our readers buy books direct from you? Yes, signed copies are available on my website: www.chriskuzneski.com
If you want to read more about Chris, go to his website www.chriskuzneski.com
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