Jamie Freveletti is a trial attorney, martial artist, and runner. She has crewed for an elite ultra-marathon runner at 50 mile, 100 mile, and twenty-four hour races across the country, and holds a black belt in aikido, a Japanese martial art. After law school she lived in Geneva, Switzerland while obtaining a diploma in International Studies. Back in Chicago, she represented clients in areas ranging from class actions for mass salmonella poisoning to securities fraud. Her debut thriller, Running from the Devil (2009), was chosen as a “Notable Book” by the Independent Booksellers of America, awarded "Best First Novel" by the International Thriller Writers, awarded a Barry Award for "Best First Novel" by Deadly Pleasures Magazine, and nominated for a Macavity Award for" Best First Mystery" by Mystery Readers International and "Favorite First Novel of 2009" by Crimespree Magazine. Her second novel, Running Dark, released in June, 2010 won a Lovey award for Best Novel 2010. In January, 2011, she was tapped by the Estate of Robert Ludlum to write the next in the Covert One series. The third novel in her series, The Ninth Day will release September 27, 2011.
JAMIE FREVELETTI:
I’m pleased to be here and want to thank Janet Rudolph for asking me to post. Janet suggested discussing my next book, and I am happy to oblige! This one was a blast to write.
My next novel, The Ninth Day, launches September 27th, and I’m very excited about this story. For those who don’t know my books, my protagonist, Emma Caldridge, is a chemist and ultra runner that can usually be found either running away from, or into, danger. I tend to throw Emma into failed or failing nations, because these are the areas of the world where the life or death matters arise. For the first, Running From The Devil, I chose Colombia and the endless paramilitary crises there and for the second, Running Dark, Somalia, where the pirates ply their trade.
In The Ninth Day I decided that she should hit the incoming trouble head on, and when I searched for another dangerous area of the world, I was a bit surprised to find it in portions of Mexico. As I researched the current situation, I realized that our neighbor was at war with the criminal elements among them. Every day it seemed that some new, unbelievable aspect of the battle between the cartels and the Mexican government appeared in the newspaper. All of this mayhem is resulting because the cartels want to secure the pathway of their drugs, which begin in Mexico and travel into the United States, heading through the Southwest, Midwest and on to the East Coast. One thing I love about writing thrillers is the freedom that they give me to address the political and social issues around us all and I wove in some of the actual stories into the chapters. Also, Emma has a knowledge of plants and chemicals and most of what she uses are real plants and real results.
I’m the kind of person who does best with a routine. I like to take my time writing and will move along a little each day until it’s done. I usually write five days a week about 1,000 words each day, knocking off after. However, about two months into this novel, I found myself writing more and more. I got so wrapped up in the events that I couldn’t wait to pick up again the next day. Toward the end I was writing seven days a week and almost 3000 words a day.
When I finished, I shipped it off to my editor with fingers crossed. There’s nothing more wonderful than finishing a novel, and nothing more stressful than waiting to hear if your editor likes it or not.
About a month later I got a call from my editor, and she raved. She said she even stayed up late one night to finish because she needed to know how it would end. This was the best praise I could have received, because it was from a professional who reads stacks of manuscripts every day for a living. I’ll remember it always.
And here’s the synopsis:
Emma stumbles across human traffickers and is caught and brought to the marijuana fields of Ciudad Juarez. Here the plants are dying from a disease that is eating away not only at them, but it is also being transmitted to humans, though no one can determine how or why. The cartel leader believes that the disease is caused by the massive amounts of herbicide that the US dusting planes dump on the marijuana fields almost daily in an attempt to kill the plants. The leader decides to send the tainted plants into the States along the drug route. Once transmitted to humans the disease kills in nine days. Emma needs to solve the puzzle and stop the shipment or she, and everyone else who comes in contact with it, will die on The Ninth Day.
I hope you like it!
1 comment:
I have read all 3 books and enjoyed each one. From the first page the fast pace excitement starts and never ends until the conclusion. Emma is strong, smart and very capable of handling herself in these dangerous situations. And the possibilities of a couple of love interests keeps me interested as well! Can't wait for the 4th book!
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