Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Jonathan Frame
Book Title: The Contractor
Released: 09/28/23
Genre: Adult Suspense/Thriller
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “The Contractor”?
Frame: The opening scene is actually what happened to me. In August 2022, my wife & I had stopped at a motorway service station and as I was returning with a coffee for my wife, this man came up to me and gave me this spiel about how he and his family were stranded there, they had no money for fuel and could I lend him some and he would pay me back. Of course, it was a scam but for reasons I really still can’t explain, instead of cutting him off, I gave him some money. I was maybe 30 seconds behind them scooting out of the car park but there was no sign of the car at the fuel station which confirmed my suspicions. Back on the motorway though, I was able to channel my inner-Harlan Coben almost immediately and develop the book, imaging if the family had committed the fraud on The Contractor, a hitman who wanted to take revenge on them, how would that play out.
Of course the promise the man and his family made to pay me back once they had access to their bank accounts never materialized.
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Frame: It’s really just a matter of playing around with names and what sounds natural. There’s no specific process or anything. For the Contractor, the name Zack emerged first for the main character, then for the family Delaney seemed right and their first names, Marcus, Geraldine & Scarlett came very quickly after that. The one name I did struggle with was the name of the crime boss in the book who I wanted named after a super hero character because he was a big fan of that character. Of course, I couldn’t use an actual name so I had to come up with one.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?
Frame: Each chapter of The Contractor is told in the first person by one of the four main characters. I took this approach because when I was putting the first chapter together, it worked best told from Zack’s perspective, whereas the second chapter is related by Marcus Delaney. From there I decided to take the approach I did.
If "The Contractor" was adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Frame: The book is based in the UK so the actors would need to be situated here. Funnily enough, the BBC run an Open Call programme for TV and Radio scripts and I have adapted the book into a TV script which I sent in just before Christmas. I’m still waiting to hear for the results. For the main four characters, I would go with Jason Watkins, (The Crown) as Marcus and Claire Skinner, (Bridget Jones’s Diary), as
Geraldine. Millie Gibson, (Doctor Who), would be great for Scarlett. For Zack McCarthy I would say Bailey Patrick, (London Kills), although he might need to shave his head! Check them all out on imdb.com. So I’ll stick with them for the movie adaptation too!
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Frame: If I can’t figure out a way through, I’ll either focus on another part of the story or, on rare occasions, move onto something else completely. I find when I come back
to it a few days later, I can move on with the story.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Frame: I think it was Elmore Leonard that writing is all about re-writing. The first version of anything will probably not be the final version so don’t worry too much about getting everything absolutely perfect right at the beginning. There’ll be plenty of opportunity to correct and refine as you go back over it. When do you stop? Probably when you get to the point where you realise all you’re doing is tweaking as opposed to making any significant changes.
What is your favorite genre, book, and/or author?
Frame: Favorite genre? Probably sci-fi and thrillers are my go-to fiction reads. On the non-fiction side, it would have to be Bill Bryson.
What are you working on next?
Frame: I’m working on a sci-fi novel, set on an alternate Earth. That’s all I can say at the moment other than I’m hoping to have it completed next year.
Learn More About the Author and The Contractor:
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