1–What is the title of your latest release?
WHEN SHE LEFT
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A young couple fleeing a criminal family is chased by an assassin / realtor in this heart-pounding thriller. And, yes, that’s “assassin / realtor.”
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
My books almost always take place in the region I live, and I’ve lived at the intersection of DC, Maryland, and Virginia for the past few decades.
4–What are three words that describe your main character?
I have three protagonists, but Lucky Wilson is the assassin / realtor, so he’s the one people want to know about. I’d say family, violent, and Christmas.
5–Which side character stole your attention the most from the main storyline?
One of the characters in the young couple, Jake Smith, has a troublesome mother named Ruby. I liked writing her, but I’ve been surprised at how much early readers have vibed with her.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
This book was less violent than my other books and, while violence has always been important for me to capture in crime fiction, it was nice to step away from it, and tell a story more steeped in emotional suspense. I want to keep doing that.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit the entire time. It’s really hard for me to have a draft I don’t care for. There has to be something I like for me to return with enthusiasm.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’m not a foodie whatsoever, so I’ll say Cool Ranch Doritos?
9–Describe your writing space/office!
It’s so bland! I write in a desk at my home office. No decorations, nothing else. I do like to keep my outline taped to the wall around me, which gives me the sense that I’m slipping into my novel every time I sit down to write.
10–Who is an author you admire?
There are so many, but I’ll just go with a trusted favorite for this one. I really like how Jennifer Hillier writes and how, when you pick up one of her books, you know it’s a Jennifer Hillier book. There’s something important about that.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Lots and lots of books have changed my life, but I’d say one of the most pressing was Anne Tyler’s Ladder of Years, which was the book that helped me understand my mom. And probably helped our relationship. I owe that book a lot.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
I don’t know if there’s one specific “call,” but rather a few. One of the best moments I had was when Michelle Richter, my agent, told me she wanted to represent me. I’d had a book published with a micro-press, and an agent for an earlier book that didn’t sell…but those experiences had left me a bit sad about publishing. Working with Michelle was a strong step in the other direction, and I’ve been fortunate to have her in my life ever since.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Gotta be crime fiction. I actually wish I read outside of it but, since that’s the genre in which I write, those are the books that tend to occupy almost all of my reading. Which isn’t a bad thing, since the genre slaps.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
I don’t think I have one. I used to watch a lot of movies, but then we had a kid, and I don’t have as much time anymore. I mean, I really liked Avengers: Endgame? I know that’s not a lofty answer, but I really did like it! And the movie experience was amazing. We saw it on opening night, and people were cheering, crying. There’s not a lot of entertainment that offers that type of shared experience.
15–What is your favorite season?
Oh, winter for sure. It’s snowing today and I’m looking outside my office window and I love how the world seems so childlike and pure today. I know it’s an illusion, but it’s a beautiful one.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Well, I’m turning 50 this year, so I’ll be celebrating it at Disney, ideally. But that’s an exception; usually, those are quiet days. I do like getting gifts, so it’s very much all about me, but I don’t need to do anything or go anywhere.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
A recent book would be Lindsay Cameron’s Hot Springs Drive. I reviewed it last year for the Washington Post, and I loved it. It was the best book I read in 2023, and I hope it gets a wide readership.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Oof. Again, I’m hardly a foodie, but I do love seafood. I even used to have an engraved set of crab leg breakers.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
There’s so much good television now! I know people complain about the overabundance of streaming, but it really has led to a long-lasting period of exceptional shows. So, for me, it’s catching up on the shows everyone’s talking about.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on a new book, another standalone, but no date on it yet. But I’m always writing – short stories, novels, reviews. The best way to keep up is to subscribe to my newsletter, Crime Fiction Works, which comes out every three weeks and has tons of information on the latest and greatest in crime fiction. You can sign up at my website.
A young couple fleeing a criminal family confronts a reluctant assassin in this heart-pounding thriller from E.A. Aymar.
When Melissa Cruz falls hard for a dreamy-eyed photographer named Jake, she can’t resist the urge to run away with him. The problem is that she already has a boyfriend, a rising star in his family’s crime organization. Betrayed and humiliated, Chris isn’t going to just let her go.
To find Melissa, Chris turns to Lucky Wilson, one of his family’s professional assassins. But Lucky has his own problems. After years of lying about his day job, his marriage is in shambles and he suffers from relentless panic attacks. He’ll do this job if Chris will let him out of the killing life.
Lucky knows this is his best chance at salvaging the home life he always craved. But Melissa and Jake aren’t going to abandon their chance at something real—something they’ve both been lacking in their lives. But they aren’t the only ones desperate to survive, and a powerful criminal family isn’t the only danger.
And soon, it’s clear that an unlikely partnership might be the only way for any of them to make it out alive…
Thriller [Thomas & Mercer, On Sale: February 6, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781662504532 / ]
E.A. Aymar writes a monthly column for the Washington Independent Review of Books, and is the Managing Editor of The Thrill Begins (for the International Thriller Writers). His short fiction and non-fiction have appeared in a number of top crime fiction publications. He holds a Masters in Literature and lives outside of Washington, D.C.
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