Afraid

The US government spends billions of dollars training soldiers to kill. Now they’re attempting an alternative approach. Instead of turning soldiers into killers, the military has trained five psychopathic murderers to be part of a classified Special Forces unit. Red-OpsThey are the most fearsome weapon ever created, meant to be dropped behind enemy lines. Their Isolate. Terrorize. Annihilate. Five Hannibal Lectors with Rambo training. But something horrible has happened...Welcome to Safe Haven, Population 907A tiny community of families, retirees, and artists, nestled between Big Lake and Little Lake MacDonald in the northwoods. One road in, one road out, thirty miles away from everything. A town so small and peaceful they don’t even have a full time police force.Hell has come to Safe HavenOn their way to a mission, the Red Ops helicopter has crashed just outside of town. The team is now roaming free in the wilderness, heading for the nearest lights. Heading there to do what they do best.Soon the phone lines are cut, the cell phones jammed, and the road blocked. Safe Haven’s only chance for survival rests on the shoulders of an aging county Sheriff. And as the body count rises, he’s quickly realizing something terrifying—maybe the Red Ops haven’t come to his small town by accident...Safe Haven, Wisconsin. Population 907. . . 906. . . 905. . .Are you afraid of the dark? You should be. You will be.

J.A. Konrath Interviews Jack Kilborn

JA: Thanks for taking time to answer some questions, Jack.

Jack: I've heard of you. You write those chick novels, right?

JA: I write about a female cop who chases serial killers. Some folks think they're pretty scary. Both men and women enjoy the series, but it's a bit harder-edged than the average suspense novel.

Jack: Aren't you the guy that visited 600 bookstores in one summer? Signed thousands of books?

JA: That's me.

Jack: I haven't seen your name on any bestseller lists.

JA: So, how would you describe AFRAID?

Jack: I tried to write a thriller that included every kind of fear possible. Fear of the dark, or being chased, of drowning, of authority, of burning, of losing a loved one, of pain, of disfigurement...and, of course, fear of being horribly murdered.

JA: What's the plot?

Jack: A helicopter crashes near the small town of Safe Haven, Wisconsin. It's so tiny it has a population of 904. But not for long.

JA: So the helicopter lets something loose in town?

Jack: Something horrible. The town can't defend itself either--no police force. Soon it's quarantined, and everyone is fighting for their lives.

JA: I was lucky enough to read an advanced reader copy of AFRAID. It scared the hell out of me.

Jack: Thanks. I'm predicting that at least 25% of people who start the book won't be able to finish it because it's too frightening. It gave me nightmares when I was writing it.

JA: There certainly are some memorable scares.

Jack: I didn't use any chapters in the book. My goal was to go from one high point to another without any breaks. I hope it worked.

JA: It worked for me. You call it "technohorror." What is that?

Jack: The technothriller genre is about fusing modern day science and technology with big thrills. Michael Crichton perfected the form, which has been used to great success by Dan Brown, James Rollins, Steve Berry, and many others. Technohorror views technology in a more sinister way.

JA: Do you think the scenario in AFRAID could happen?

Jack: I wouldn't be surprised if it already has.

JA: You've sort of come out of nowhere. Care to share your writing background?

Jack: It's probably similar to yours. Bitten by the writing bug at a young age, getting a lot of rejections, finally landing a two-book deal with a big publishing house.

JA: I like the Afraid Game on your website.

Jack: Thanks. It's a fun little Flash thing I did. People seem to enjoy it.

JA: So what's next for Jack Kilborn?

Jack: I wrote two other horror novels, TRAPPED and ENDURANCE, which are just as intense as AFRAID. I also wrote the novel DRACULAS with some good friends. It's a balls-to-the-wall zombie book.

JA: Zombies? Aren't draculas vampires?

Jack: Read it and see for yourself. These monsters make zombies look like your grandma.

JA: My grandma is dead.

Jack: The living dead?

JA: The dead where you don't move around or try to eat people.

Jack: Bummer.

JA: Getting back to AFRAID, I liked it so much I'd be happy to blurb it.

Jack: I'm sort of holding out for blurbs from bestselling authors, if you don't mind. No offense.
JA: No offense taken. Maybe you'd like to blurb one of my books, if you have time.

Jack: One of those chick books? Sure. But I can't promise I'll like it.

JA: CHERRY BOMB has a four page sex scene, several torture-murders, and an extended female fist fight.

Jack: I'll give you my address so you can send me a copy.