Today I'm hanging out with John Hansen, a dear friend and author of 'The Perfect Game'. Would you like a free copy of his book? Head over to Amazon and grab yourself a copy. It is free. Today is the last day.
Cece: Tell us a little about yourself
John: Some people call me John Hansen.
I’m the author of ‘The Perfect Game’ (short story), its prequel, ‘The Games Begin’ (novella), and also ‘Man’s Best Friend’ (short story), which is forthcoming from Untreed Reads Publishing. My work appears in the lit mags “Raphael’s Village” and “Crack The Spine” and in the “Dark Light” anthology published by CH&BB Publishing.
Or, the simplified version:
There's a line between killing your characters out of necessity and killing them for pleasure. I tend to cross it. [Insert evil laughter here].
You can find me on:
Cece: Tell us about your latest book. Do you have anything new in the works and can you tell us a bit about it?
John: My latest book, ‘The Perfect Game’, is a horror short story that explores a game show where the challenge is to kill on live TV. And also, what happens when the show goes too far.
Here’s a more official blurb:
“Entertainment is changing forever. Comedies, dramas, and reality TV shows are out. Murder is in.
In a world where murder is being exploited on TV, viewers watch live assassinations for their own entertainment. A hit game show where the challenge is to kill arises, stirring up remarkable popularity. Millions of viewers all across the globe watch it, vicariously experiencing the thrill of murder without ever committing the crime. And they all love it. Murder is the world’s latest and most remarkable excitement turned entertainment. But what happens when it goes too far?”
I’m currently writing a prequel to ‘The Perfect Game’ entitled ‘The Games Begin’ to be released sometime in July (hopefully).
Cece: How did you come up with the idea of your story?
John: It all stemmed from a book title I saw for some random self-published book. Oddly enough, that book was a romance, but the title made me think of parodying TV. It was then that I knew my next short story would be a TV parody, and with a dark twist, I decided. That’s when it hit me: what if I wrote about a game show where people kill each other on live TV?
And thus, the idea was born.
Cece: What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
John: Well, beyond the ability to market efficiently, every writer must be capable of creating an interesting and unique story. This means creativity. Also, every writer should read hundreds of books in their genre before writing anything at all, these books ranging from good to bad ones so the writer can learn what works and what doesn’t. A writer must have patience and must realize that not every book will be good. A good editor is also vital, as well as an initial beta reader who’s willing to say “this is awful” if, indeed, it is. Most importantly, writers with books must be able to distinguish between promoting themselves and spamming, so they come across as real people and not annoying SEO dweebs.
Cece: Anything else you'd like to share?
John: Well, first, thank you for having me! I really appreciate it!
In addition, I’d like to add that my horror short story, ‘The Perfect Game’, is free for a limited time on April 7th and 8th. You can download it for free here:
It was a pleasure having you here, John!
