Page 59 - Reader's House Magazine Issue 48

“Ghost Partner” by Brent Bohn is a captivating blend of humor, suspense, and supernatural elements. With well-crafted characters and witty banter, this paranormal detective novel keeps readers hooked from start to finish. A must-read for fans of thrilling, unconventional mysteries. Highly recommended for its engaging plot and dynamic character interactions.
What inspired you to write your western series Hands Faster Than Lightning and how does your childhood fascina- tion with Old West television programs influence your writing?
I remember well sitting down with my whole family watching westerns during the 1950’s and 60’s. This was the golden era for westerns on television. I even had all the accessories (western hat, double holstered gun belt with cap pistols, vest, and chaps that go around your legs.) I’d go around shooting at everything and ever- yone within eyesight believing I
Brent A. Bohn masterfully blends diverse genres, creating captivating stories that resonate with readers and showcase his versatile storytelling talent.
was the sheriff. Reading from an early age, I really enjoyed book series and I wanted to do a young adult western series so that other youngsters would begin and enjoy reading. My stepfather, Raphael Hayes, was a Hollywood Scre- enwriter as well as a writer. He wrote westerns and he made me want to try my hand at writing.
How did your extensive career in Federal government service shape or inform the characters and plots in your detective and mystery novels?
A small part of my duties in the Federal government was security assessments of our space, health & wellness, and Continuity of Operations (COOP) in event of any natural or man-made disaster. This helped prepare me for crea- ting villain’s as well as potential plots for my stories.
Can you share some insights into your writing process, par- ticularly how you balance the elements of paranormal and romantic suspense in House for Sale - Occupied?
though she is the new partner. She can certainly take care of herself and makes sure Doug knows it.
As an avid reader
of various genres
such as fantasy,
sci-fi, and horror, how do you incorporate these influences into your own writing, and can you provide examples from your books?
I’ve read numerous books in each genre which gives me a good background of how other writers have incorporated topics, situations, and action. An exten- sive collection (400 or so) of 50’s and 60’s sci-fi, horror, and ghost movies have also influenced my working within these genres.
House for Sale: Occupied: While taking a shower in his bath- room, Richard’s faucet turns from hot water to cold startling him. Another shower shows Richard stepping out of a steamy hot shower to read, “Get out while you can” on the bathroom mirror.
Ghost Partner: Doug walking up to his front walkway was shoved hard from behind by his invisible dead partner to prevent him from being killed by the same drug dealers that killed his partner and shot him in the head.
What challenges and rewar- ds have you encountered in transitioning from a career in government service to beco- ming a full-time author, and what advice would you give to aspiring writers looking to make a similar transition?
An early indoctrination into
the world of the paranormal was by my older sister making me
and my older brother sit down to watch spooky supernatural, mons- ter, and sci-fi movies. It has left me with a life-long fascination with the paranormal even though it scared the crap out of me as a very young kid. I have also lived in four houses that were haunted so I have some experience in the
for Sale: Occupied, I actually took off about six months from writing. Mainly because a close friend of my mother died and I had to deal with her estate.
Before I retired, I wrote mainly at night between ten o’clock and midnight a few times a month or when the mood struck. I still don’t make planned time to write, but do it when the thoughts come or time allows. The only advice I would give new writers would be to schedule a period of time every day, if possible, where you can write without life getting in the way, because it will.
genre. Not wanting to write a steamy superna- tural romance, I decided to make it a new roman- ce for the characters just getting to know each ot- her. The main character, Richard, needed to have a live female partner and not just some sort of rela- tionship with a woman
ghost (though that might have been interesting, something along the lines of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir). This new couple would share researching what happened in the old house he just purchased instead of him doing it alone.
How do you develop the witty banter and dynamic relations- hip between the characters in your Ghost Partner series, es- pecially between Doug Martin and his ghostly partner?
I wanted to have an adversarial in a fun way relationship between my main characters. The same relationships that happen between siblings in the same family. These two characters were partners every day for a long time through stressful situations and gruesome events that make for a close-nit unit. Amy would also have to be included in this scenario even
It was three years after retire- ment from Federal government service before I began to write seriously. The challenge now
is that I don’t write every day. Between the fourth Hands Faster Than Lightning book and House
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