For over thirty years, Don
Weeks was among the most popular radio personalities in the Capital District
region of New York State.
He received a Marconi Award for radio excellence in 2005 and was inducted into
to the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame four years
later. He had just completed a rough draft of Scarecrow on the Marsh
when he died of Merkle Cell Cancer in March of 2015. Author royalties from this
project will be donated to the WGY Christmas Wish Campaign, which benefits a
variety of charitable causes. Weeks worked tirelessly over the years to help
raise money for the campaign.
Jonathan
Weeks has published several books on the topic of baseball--four non-fiction
projects and one novel. His latest work, a mystery-thriller entitled Scarecrow
on the Marsh, is a posthumous collaboration with his father--former radio icon
Don Weeks, who passed away in 2015. Weeks finished the book in fulfillment of a
promise he made to his father before he died.
Visit Don at:
Title:
Scarecrow on the Marsh: A Cape Cod Thriller
Author: Don Weeks
Publisher: All Things That Matter
Pages: 192
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Author: Don Weeks
Publisher: All Things That Matter
Pages: 192
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
When
the mutilated body of renowned cosmetic surgeon Randall Landry turns up at a
secluded bayside marsh in the town of Sandwich,
Police Chief Thom Burrough's life is turned upside down. While investigating
the murder, he and Barnstable County
coroner Abby Rhodes will uncover a plot more sinister than anything they could
have imagined. On the outskirts of Chatham,
a group of terrorists has assembled to unleash destruction on Cape
Cod.
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Thank you
for this interview! I’d like to know more about you as a person first. What do
you do when you’re not writing?
I work
full time in the Human Services field serving mentally ill adults. I have two
daughters aged thirteen and nine. I like spending as much time with them as
possible. They’re both athletic. My youngest is in gymnastics and my oldest
plays volleyball. I love watching them compete. When I’m not with my kids, I
watch a lot of professional sports—baseball and hockey mostly. I’m also an avid
reader and movie-goer.
When did
you start writing?
I started
out drawing comics when I was in elementary school. I read Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s
Lot when I was eleven and it changed my life. From that point on, I wanted
to be a horror writer.
As a
published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing
life?
When I was
in high school, I had several English teachers who helped me tremendously with
my writing and encouraged me to start submitting my work for publication. At
some point during my college days, I came down with a serious case of writer’s
block. I couldn’t complete a single page of fiction for years. I started
writing non-fiction instead. By the time my third book was published, I decided
it was time to attempt a novel. To my complete surprise, the words came flowing
out of me as if they had been there all along.
If you
could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would
that be and why?
Setting is
not that important to me when I write. I just need a quiet place where I can
get comfortable. But if I could go anywhere in the world it would probably be
Rome. I’m fascinated with ancient history and would love to see the Roman
ruins. London would be nice too or maybe Paris.
If you had
4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?
I’ve got a
new writing project going. I would probably putter with that a little then
maybe binge-watch some TV.
Where
would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?
The manuscript
I’m working on is set in the sixteenth century. It takes place in the age of
discovery. I remember being captivated by the explorers when I learned about
them in fourth grade. I’ve always wanted to write a book on the topic.
Back to
your present book, Scarecrow on the Marsh, how did you publish it?
I started
out looking for traditional publishers. I didn’t have a literary agent so the
big publishing houses were not an option. I targeted indie publishers and ended
up signing with one that uses a print-on-demand format. I like the way this
works. With lower publishing costs, POD publishers pass on the savings to
authors by offering higher royalty rates.
In writing
your book, did you travel anywhere for research?
I was able
to complete all of the research for Scarecrow on the Marsh from the
comfort of my own home. That’s the beauty of the internet.
Why was
writing Scarecrow on the Marsh so important to you?
My father,
who I loved dearly, died of Merkel Cell Cancer in March 2015. His lifelong dream
was to be a published author. He completed a rough draft of Scarecrow on the
Marsh shortly before he passed away. As he lay on his deathbed, I
promised him I would finish the book and try to find a publisher.
Where do
you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?
This may
sound a bit strange but most of my ideas come to me in my sleep. Not in
dreams—from the process of sleeping itself. I always wake up with new concepts.
If I don’t get to my computer quickly, they fade away.
Any final
words?
For thirty
years, my father was among the most popular radio personalities in the Capital
Region of New York State. Every year, his radio station sponsored a charity
drive known as the WGY Christmas Wish Campaign. It benefits sick and
underprivileged children in upstate New York. I am donating all author
royalties for Scarecrow on the Marsh to this year’s campaign. I hope
readers will consider picking up a copy of the book to help out a great charity
and to keep my father’s memory alive.
Thanks so much for hosting my book tour. I had a great time doing this interview!
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