Sneaking Out
Chuck Vance
(Chased, #1)
Published by: Dunemere Books
Publication date: March 6th 2018
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult
Could you sleep next to a murderer?
Luke Chase—yes, that Luke Chase, a modern hero ripped from the headlines—didn’t mean to get caught up in Mrs. Heckler’s murder. He just wanted to hook up with the hot new British girl at St. Benedict’s, and if that meant sneaking out to the woods after hours, then so be it. But little did he know someone would end up dead right next to their rendezvous spot, and his best friend and roommate Oscar Weymouth would go down for it. With suspects aplenty and a past that’s anything but innocent, Luke Chase reluctantly calls on his famous survival skills to find the true killer.
For fans of “A Study in Charlotte” and boarding school lit, “Sneaking Out” (book one in the “Chased” series) immerses readers in the privileged prep school world, with a mystery that exposes the dark side of life on a residential high school campus.
Interview with Chuck Vance
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in SNEAKING OUT?
Luke Chase is the ‘hero’ of SNEAKING OUT, and actually, he is not only the main character but he really truly is a hero. At sixteen years old he has already had to prove himself in a way that some people (hopefully) never have to. He was abducted two years prior from his home in Washington D.C. and held captive before heroically escaping and eluding detection as he traversed through the woods for days. The survival skills that his grandfather taught him came in handy. Although his kidnappers were never caught, he hasn’t let his past define him and would shudder if you ever called him a ‘victim.’ He is truly brave, but also modest and a gentleman who values intelligence and kindness above all else. His best friend and roommate Oscar Weymouth is brilliant, great looking and talented but doesn’t make an effort in school or sports, despite his natural ability, and can be churlish and arrogant. He is what one would call a rebel without a cause. Then there is Pippa, the gorgeous mysterious British transfer student with a sketchy past, who is smart but angry, mature but conflicted. All three of these characters are tested when a teacher is murdered right near them.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
At the conclusion of this book, Luke and Pippa discuss another murder that needs to be solved, one that will lead them to England for Christmas Break, where the second book of the CHASED series will take place. Luke is just warming up his detective skills, and knows he has a natural talent to solve crimes. Also, his past is coming back to haunt him and he learns things about his kidnappers that make him reevaluate his entire life.
How long would you say it takes you to write a book?
It takes about a year, but that is not actively writing. I need to think a lot about the plot, it can take three months, and then it is about four months for a first draft then revisions. I think the longer you let a book simmer and stew the better it is.
What is your favorite childhood book?
From when I was a small child, it was The Mystery at Number Seven Rue Petite, which was a picture book mystery that took place at an antique shop in Paris. I adored it. In teen years, I loved Three Blind Mice by Agatha Christie. It was really the play—Mousetrap—that I adored when I saw it in England as a child. I love a good mystery!
If you could spend the day with one of the characters from The Black Echo by Michael Connelly who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where you would go and what you would do.
The Bosch books by Michael Connelly are amongst my favorite books out there. I love the character of Harry Bosch, a hard boiled L.A. detective who lives and breathes the job and drinks way too much black coffee. Harry becomes obsessed with his cases and his mantra is ‘everybody counts or nobody counts.’ He spends hours pouring over crime scenes and compiling ‘murder books’ to study cases, both new and old. I appreciate how thorough he is and think it would be interested to learn his skills of detection.
What was the hardest scene from SNEAKING OUT to write?
Action-escape scenes are always a challenge. It takes extra time to create heart-pounding tension and relay that to the reader. You want their adrenaline to be pumping as much as the main character’s.
What made you want to become a writer?
I had no choice! It was the only thing I could do. I enjoy living in a fantasy world so it is nice to spend time in places that I have made up.
Just for fun
(a Favorite song: Lose Yourself by Eminem
(b Favorite book: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
(c Favorite movie: The Bourne Identity
(d Favorite tv show: The Shield (past); Bosch (current)
(e Favorite Food: Pizza
(f Favorite drink: Red wine
(g Favorite website: www.dailymail.co.uk
Thanks so much for visiting with us today!
Author Bio:
Chuck Vance is a pseudonym for a bestselling writer of both adult mysteries and novels for young adults. Vance attended boarding school in Connecticut and graduated from Columbia University. Vance has lived in New York, Moscow, London, Paris and Los Angeles and is frequently on the move.
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1 comments:
I love the quite stark cover.
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