John Hazen
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Today we feature John Hazen, author of Fava, an edge-of-your-seat military thriller, released early 2014.
John Hazen came to writing novels relatively late in life, but once he started he hasn’t looked back. Degrees from Rutgers, The New School and New York and NYU buttress a lifelong passion for learning and a love of history. Inspired by Lynn, his wife of over thirty years, he pursued the dream of becoming an established author and is now working on his fifth book. John and Lynn love to travel, and the experiences of those travels find their way into his writing.
Read on for more about John and his new novel…
Francine Vega, a beautiful and talented New York Action 6 News reporter, aspires to cover more than transit strikes and 3-alarm fires but she gets more than she bargains for when her latest story requires she risk her life to keep the world from plunging into World War III. A chill runs down her spine when PowerMax jackpot winner, Alan Westbrook, reveals that he is devoting his entire $450 million fortune to avenge his brother, who had been killed at the Pentagon on 9/11. Teaming with FBI Special Agent Will Allen, she sets out to thwart Westbrook who, assisted by the fanatical, ruthless and powerful rogue army officer, Colonel Jacob Lawson, has set in motion a plot to perpetrate an unthinkable act that will shake the world to its very core. In the face of extremist preachers and overbearing bureaucracies, Vega and Allen chase down clue after clue over three continents as they strive to end the madness. Despite repeated attempts on their lives, they race against time to defuse an impending cataclysm as they peel back layer after layer of a conspiracy that reaches up to the highest levels of the American and Israeli governments.
Now let’s shine the spotlight on John!
Maer: Thanks for joining us to tell us about your new book.
John: And thank you for having me to talk about my suspense thriller, Fava. It’s the fourth novel I’ve written but the first to be published (Black Rose Writing), I’ve self-published one, Dear Dad, while the other two are in the wings, awaiting publication.
Maer: What is a one line synopsis for your book?
John: Fava is about a New York City TV reporter who finds she must foil a lotto jackpot winner’s ultimate 9-11 revenge plot before it plunges the world into war.
Maer: This novel sounds fascinating. Is this a stand-alone or part of a series?
John: I wrote it as a stand-alone but have since decided to follow it up with a sequel.
Maer: Looking forward to it. Do you use beta readers and, if so, what qualities do you look for in a beta?
John: I do use beta readers. They have to be intelligent, critical in a constructive sort of way, well-read and have some level of connection with me and with what I’m trying to say. I’ve found the two best beta readers one could hope for: my wife, Lynn, and my sister-in-law, Nancy.
Maer: What is the funniest or oddest thing that has happened to you as an author?
John: I gave Fava to Nancy for her review and critique. She got back to me with three specific criticisms that didn’t seem to ring true relative to my main character, Francine Vega. They were all easily fixable and I made the changes. I then meant to give the amended version to Lynn for her review but I mistakenly gave her the original version. She then came back to me with the same three points, pretty much verbatim, that needed changing. After that I figured I was on the right track.
Maer: Sounds it. Which character, other than Francine, is one of your favorites to write and why?
John: My favorite characters are the ones who literally grow in front of my eyes. In each of my books I’ve introduced minor characters who were useful to advance the plot at that particular point. However, as the story matured in my mind, so did those characters. In the end, they became major characters, integral to the book. In Fava, for example, FBI Special Agent Will Allen was introduced only as a temporary roadblock that the main character, Francine Vega, had to get around but he ends up teaming with Francine to foil the plot. I feel the most proud of these characters, feeling that I truly brought them to life from nothing.
Maer: I knwo that feeling. If you had to pick a color to describe Francine what would that be and why?
John: I’d say definitely red. There’s a fire there, a drive in her to keep going despite the odds and despite constant danger that she’s in.
Maer: Who are your favorite authors to read?
John: My reading tastes are pretty eclectic. One week I’ll be reading a Doris Kearns Goodwin history and then veer off into a Stephen King novel and then a John Steinbeck classic. I’ll go through spurts where I can’t get enough of one author. I plowed through everything Robert Ludlum ever wrote and then another time I read all of James Michener’s novels. Lately I’ve started reading Cara Black’s Aimee Leduc murder mysteries. They’re good and they’re set in Paris. What else could you ask for?
Maer: What else, indeed! Can you share a bit about the project you’re working on now?
John: I have several projects going on at the same time. I’m in the early stages of writing a sequel to Fava, one that will reach back to some dark secrets from World War II. Another thing I’m doing is getting one of my unpublished novels, Journey of an American Son, finalized and ready for submission to my publisher, Black Rose Writing. Lastly, I’ve been working with a friend of mine who’s in television to pitch another of my unpublished novels, Aceldama, which we’ve developed into both a screenplay and a series pilot.
Maer: Busy guy! What do you do when you’re not writing?
John: Well, since I haven’t quite gotten to the point where writing can pay the bills, I have my day job in environmental protection. In my other time I enjoy spending it with my wife whether we’re traveling, playing tennis or watching Castle reruns.
Maer: What influenced you to write in your genre? Do you write in others?
John: All my books can be considered suspense. I’ve always been a history buff and I love incorporating history into my books whether it’s the Civil War, colonial India or Israel during the time of Roman occupation. I don’t write in other genres, but it would all depend on the particular influence if it put a particular idea into my head at a particular time. For example, I stumbled on a diary my grandfather wrote during a business trip he took in 1920 when his company sent him from Boston to Calcutta, India. That diary became the setting and inspiration for Journey of an American Son. Who knows what else is out there that could point me in a different direction?
Maer: Oh that’s very cool. What music, if any, do you like to listen to while writing?
John: Like my reading tastes, I have an eclectic music collection that ranges from classical to standards to rock to reggae. However, while I’m writing I generally like peace and quiet.
Maer: John, thanks again for stopping by. Do you have anything you’d like to add?
John: I hope people enjoy reading Fava as much as enjoyed writing it. I recently took part in a local author event at the Well Read Bookstore in Hawthorne, NJ. They tweeted some pictures from the event and one person (that I’d never met) retweeted it with a quote: John Hazen is one of my favorite authors. I’m glad to see you supporting him. Well, that certainly made my day and hopefully I can gather a few more people along the way who think of me as ‘one of their favorite authors.’ So, thank you once again for having me. In parting I do have one question I now ask when I talk about Fava: What would you do if you were to win a lottery jackpot?
Maer: A question I think almost everyone has pondered at one time or another. Mine is an easy answer for me: in addition to the usual help family and friends, travel, etc., I’d set up a foundation for artists: performers, writers, visual arts. We’d nurture new artists as they begin their careers – no matter what their age – and help them along their journey.
You can buy Fava
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