Author Interview: J.L Engel
At Scribbles we love to showcase exciting both new and established authors, offering a platform for writers to introduce their work, talk about our mutual love of writing, and share valuable industry knowledge.
Today we’re talking to J.L Engel about his thrilling debut novel - A Dangerous Man.
1. PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
I’m J. L. Engel… I used my initials as my author pseudonym because it sounded more “author-y”, so to speak. The content I generally write about is fairly dark and intense, but I like to use humor quite a bit when I can. That’s why you’ll find that my “About Author” portion is fairly light-hearted. I mean everything it says, but it’s more fun that way.
I’ve been in corrections for nearly 15 years, which I had not expected to be in for that long. Honestly, I have no idea what or where I would have moved on to with that idea, but eventually, when I committed, I knew writing would be my path to follow.
Writing has been a lifelong dream of mine. I swayed from it for a period of time here and there, most likely because I had been out of practice and focused on other things. I used to compete as an amateur kickboxer, and that helped shape me as I grew up. It was also an outlet for aggression, and when I stopped competing my writing took up that mantle. That background in martial arts also comes in handy for my current occupation and being a defensive tactics instructor.
2. WHEN DID YOU REALISE YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER?
A part of me has always wanted to be a writer. After I wrote my first story in the 6th grade, my teacher’s enthusiasm and encouragement told me that it was a talent I possessed. I enjoyed using my mind in such a creative fashion, and you cannot beat the ability to put words together, tell a story, and make people FEEL something. It’s incredible, and when I wrote something I knew I had that ability.
There was very little creative writing throughout my school years, and in my junior year, my English teacher utilized it on a daily basis. I thrived, and it helped others find their voices, even if they didn’t want to become writers.
Fast forward to a slow-moving night shift at work, where nothing was happening and the boredom was nearly unbearable. I asked for a prompt from a coworker and I began writing again. She and others who read what I had written were so blown away it encouraged me to think hard about whether I should pursue it. And then, an author I met read a novella I’d written and advised me of this: “The day you stop treating this like a hobby you’ll be going somewhere. You’re talented, and once you focus you’ll be doing what you love.”
3. WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS AND WHY?
My favorite authors are David Morrell, Vince Flynn, David Baldacci, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Dan Brown and James Patterson.
I enjoy the worlds and the characters they create. Morrell’s ‘The Fifth Profession’ is an all-time favorite because I was completely enthralled by it. It introduced me to the 47 Ronin, samurai, that beautiful and honorable culture, and inspired so many ideas by opening my eyes to this world. The twists and turns of the story are mind-bending, and I can’t say enough about it.
On top of this, as a whole, these authors are masterful in their craft. Some continue the narrative of a character, and others branch out into different areas. The variety is inspiring to me. I want to be all of that; continue a storyline or character, and branch out into other genres, or blend their elements together, as these authors have. I want to see my books included in the conversation of thrillers with them, share the shelves with them, and I believe they will.
4. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE A BOOK AND WHAT DOES YOUR WRITING PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
So far, I’ve completed two novels. My debut, A Dangerous Man, and what will be a non-related sophomore release called The Dock. Both projects roughly took a year. I honestly didn’t keep track exactly, but a year would be the average at this point. Once I’m no longer tied down to the daily grind of my current occupation, my focus will be on doubling that production.
As for my writing process, it’s simple, yet not exactly routine. My shift work has an impact on when and how and if I’ll write. It’s more mental than anything. I don’t force myself through times and say, “You have to write every day.” I don’t subscribe to that ideal. I know it’s popular to advertise as the necessary message, but I’ve improved in leaps and bounds over the years and I have not made that a necessary standard. The mind needs rest, and rest in my current life is sometimes difficult to come by. That doesn’t mean the story and its details aren’t formulating in the back of my busy mind. It always is and never really stops, which can be its own challenge.
I now do an outline before writing my stories. I can thank James Patterson’s Masterclass for that. I’d entered a co-author competition and the 2nd round was to write an outline for the story idea submitted. I had never done an outline before then, and I do every time now. It’s what led to A Dangerous Man being fully realized. Then I make time to write. More often than not, I do write pretty regularly, but I don’t have to force myself to do it to finish. I’m eager to, and that’s something that I love about writing.
5. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS BOOK?
A Dangerous Man is a revenge story at its core and sees the devastating exploits of a former black-ops agent who has lost his family to the horrors of human trafficking at the hands of a Russian crime syndicate. We catch up to him on the final leg of his mission where he intends to bring everything to an end once and for all.
I enjoy testing the boundaries of morality. Does doing this wrong thing make it right if it’s done for good reasons? It’s an age-old question and creates tension twisting within the pages. It drives the conflict, and you’ll see how it influences the tertiary characters caught up in one man’s war for his method of justice.
6. WHO ARE YOUR MAIN CHARACTERS? CAN YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT THEM?
I cannot answer these questions straightforwardly. I feel like naming them and describing them outside of their pages will taint who they are in the story. Perhaps I’m being overprotective of them, or even paranoid, but I think they have to be met within the world they live and die in.
7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SCENE OR CHAPTER FROM THE BOOK?
This is a good question. There were A LOT of moments I was incredibly excited to write about. It’s difficult to pin down ONE.
I’ll say this, and maybe this violates my answer for the sixth question, but… Near the end with the culmination of the main character’s efforts in full swing, I wanted to create a moment where he’s seen as so devastating that he seems unreal; almost supernatural, but in a horrific manner. He’s like the boogeyman in this world of bad men; he’s the slasher film killer that cannot and won’t be stopped, constantly stalking his way into mayhem, having turned the tables, until he reaches his final victim.
8. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?
A Dangerous Man went through a long trial period, spanning 16 years. My daughter was young and I’m a very protective father. My background in martial arts and full contact competition ensured I was certainly her protector and prepared to do so. What you can’t be prepared for are the things you’re ignorant to, and for me, that was seeing and learning about the abundance of violence against children across the world.
Night after night there seemed to be something on the news: abductions, found remains, trafficking. I saw and learned that those things encompassed men and women, too, but the crimes against children angered me so much I honestly felt like I was going to explode. I needed an outlet. I decided that I would put the thoughts that entered my mind into something that I could find relief in, and that was a story about a character capable of dealing out some Old Testament styled justice.
9. WHAT DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL TAKE AWAY FROM THIS STORY?
I hope the reader will get lost in this story and take away the sense of being entertained with a deeper awareness of the subject matter there within. A Dangerous Man is the result of my frustrations and anger after learning how such a disturbing act like human trafficking can thrive so blatantly across the world, and maybe more people will reach out and help organizations that actually fight it every day and save lives.
10. WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENS TO YOUR CHARACTERS AFTER THE BOOK ENDS?
When the book ends, the story doesn’t. They’re working and molding the continuation of A Dangerous Man, prepping the next story in their evolution in the back of my mind for when I’m ready to bring it to fruition. That will be happening in the near future.
11. DO YOU FIND YOU MISS YOUR CHARACTERS ONCE YOU FINISH WRITING THEIR STORY?
No, I wouldn’t say I miss them. They’re always there in the deeper recesses of my subconscious living their lives, letting my imagination rest from their intense world and work on other things until I’m ready to bring them out to play again. But, I also believe, that their creation in many ways is an expression of myself. Characters in a story contain pieces of the author, so they’re always with me. Unless I kill them off, they’re never far away.
12. DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE PROJECTS LINED UP?
I do. I have a list of around 60 titles/stories just waiting to be brought to life. Some are other short series, and many are one-offs. I’m excited to have their pages being turned or swiped in the hands of readers across the world.
Currently, I am editing my second novel entitled The Dock. It’s a crime/thriller set in New Orleans and revolves around the “fixer” for a mafia crime family who is backed into a corner by the return of a vengeful prodigal son and an unknown killer sent to reconcile a past transgression with the family.
Also, I don’t plan on staying in the world of my initial novel on a continual basis, back-to-back, like many authors do, although I do have more stories involving that world. I think it’s better for me creatively to let my mind breathe new life into my fiction by alternating between the stories I’ll tell. My plan is to immediately work on the follow-up to A Dangerous Man once The Dock is submitted. And after that one, which will be entitled A Violent Man, I will switch gears into something different. Some I’ve had in the wings since I was a kid.
13. WHERE CAN OUR READERS FIND YOUR BOOKS?
Readers can find my book on olympiapublishers.com and across Amazon US, UK, and India depending on where they’re located. Here are the Amazon links for your readers’ convenience, and thank you for this opportunity!
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