Joe Lewis
Joe Lewis grew up in the Midwest, Wisconsin, but began teaching and coaching high school in Wyoming, then coached college basketball at the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he received his M.S. in Counseling.
Lewis then came back to Wisconsin, moved to California, moved back to Wisconsin, and is now living and working in Virginia. 39 years in education as a teacher, coach, counselor and now administrator.
Tell us about your background. Who you are, where you are from?I’m the second youngest of ten. Grew up on a river in rural Wisconsin. I loved teaching and coaching, loved counseling and as an administrator, I view situations through counselor’s eyes. I’ve always loved writing and I’m fortunate that folks like my work.
What themes does your book explore and what do you hope the readers will take away from the experience? Is there a particular feeling or experience that you hope to evoke in the reader?
I think human kindness, the tenacity of survival, love, and hope. As the Prequel, Taking Lives, and the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives, Shattered Lives, and soon to published Splintered Lives deals with child abduction and exploitation, I want readers to understand that this ugly world exists, but can be prevented and kids can be rescued and do come home. There is always, always hope, and as adults, we have to protect our children.
I think human kindness, the tenacity of survival, love, and hope. As the Prequel, Taking Lives, and the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives, Shattered Lives, and soon to published Splintered Lives deals with child abduction and exploitation, I want readers to understand that this ugly world exists, but can be prevented and kids can be rescued and do come home. There is always, always hope, and as adults, we have to protect our children.
What prompted you to be an author and did you have a specific inspiration in mind? Were you influenced by a certain person, artist, or genre?
In sixth grade, I had a wonderful teacher, Sr. Josephe’ Marie, who would give us story starters. If we finished our work, we could go up to her desk and on a three by five index card, she would have a setting, perhaps a character, and a situation. Our task was to write a story. I have such fond memories of that. I am drawn to thriller/mystery fiction, the genre I write in. I read Patterson, Baldacci, Sanford. I have been compared to Patterson by one reviewer, which is really humbling.
In sixth grade, I had a wonderful teacher, Sr. Josephe’ Marie, who would give us story starters. If we finished our work, we could go up to her desk and on a three by five index card, she would have a setting, perhaps a character, and a situation. Our task was to write a story. I have such fond memories of that. I am drawn to thriller/mystery fiction, the genre I write in. I read Patterson, Baldacci, Sanford. I have been compared to Patterson by one reviewer, which is really humbling.
If you could compare your book to any other existing works, which ones would it be and why?
My style is similar to Patterson in that I write short chapters and always end in the action, forcing the reader to keep moving through the book. One reader stated that he cannot read me at night because at some point, he has to stop to sleep, and he finds it hard to do because I keep the pages turning.
My style is similar to Patterson in that I write short chapters and always end in the action, forcing the reader to keep moving through the book. One reader stated that he cannot read me at night because at some point, he has to stop to sleep, and he finds it hard to do because I keep the pages turning.
Tell us about your latest work and what inspired you.
The prequel, Taking Lives, and the first two books of The Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives, and Shattered Lives, and the forthcoming third book of The Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives, deals with child abduction and the race to bring kids home, and when home, how the kids deal with their lives.
The prequel, Taking Lives, and the first two books of The Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives, and Shattered Lives, and the forthcoming third book of The Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives, deals with child abduction and the race to bring kids home, and when home, how the kids deal with their lives.
As a counselor, kids shared their stories of abuse, and as an outreach educator for the Jacob Wetterling Foundation for Stranger Abducted and Sexually Exploited Children, I felt I needed to tell their story, to help adults protect and keep safe our kids. I am drawn to the “realness” of characters, their struggles, their hopes, and joy. That’s what I try to bring in my writing.
Hey Joe! This is John Walz. Met years ago at UNO Basketball Camp.