The East Sider: Jon Land

Writing Sweeps East Sider Jon Land Into His Characters’ World

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Jon Land is a 1979 Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate of Brown University and an active Brown volunteer. He has written 37 novels and one non-fiction book.

Why do you write?
When you’re a writer, you have an excuse not to [grow up]. You write from… the imagination. You write from the part of you that… has never gotten past a parent reading to them. Writing is therapy; when I write… all the problems… I’m worried about get swept away. I vanish into the world of my characters.

Why are thrillers appealing?
Thrillers are the purest form of writing. In quest stories [such as] Icelandic sagas, epic poems and Beowulf… the physical quest for an object becomes a metaphysical quest for meaning. The thriller blends the two together; heroes come to grips with who they are. In addition, thrillers are essentially Westerns; heroes stand defending their world against a terrible threat.

You’ve said your characters lead you. How?

I don’t outline; I’m very spontaneous. When I sit down, I have a vague idea of what the book is going to be about. The characters I create evolve… there’s stuff in my subconscious mind that’s probably been worked out … I’m good at making dots; the characters are great at connecting them.

Writers are basically paranoid schizophrenics who don’t need medication… we’re hearing voices in our heads all the time… [Writers] can turn them off.

How do you create suspense?

You create suspense when nothing happens – that’s a wonderful thing. The ultimate suspense is when you create characters that are so real and vivid that they scare you… without doing anything, that’s the ultimate “bad ass.” It’s not the gun, it’s the voice; it’s not the bullets, it’s the words.

Do your books feature East Side references?
[Some do], including a chase down Blackstone Boulevard, a gunfight at WaterFire… scenes at The University Club and on Thayer Street. In [the award-winning] Strong Rain Falling, a character… plays football for Phil Estes [Brown’s head football coach]; Brown often figures in.

Your current series features Caitlin Strong, a female Texas Ranger. What makes a great series?

You can read them in any order and enjoy them… each book has recurring characters, but is a stand-alone.

What are you reading now?
I’m always reading because I review books… but I’m reading Finders Keepers by Stephen King for pleasure.

Follow Jon Land on Twitter – @jondland – or at www.jonlandbooks.com.

Nancy Kirsch is a freelance writer based in Providence. Contact her at writernancy@gmail.com or nancykirsch.com.

Jon Land, Jon Land Books, The East Sider, East Side Monthly, Providence, East Side, Nancy Kirsch, Strong Rain Falling, Caitlin Strong, Phil Estes, Brown, Brown University

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