FEATURED AUTHOR: Rafael Amadeus Hines - Writer of Suspense Thrillers


Our featured author wrote the highly acclaimed suspense thriller, Bishop's War. 
Get to know Rafael Amadeus Hines.


Tell us something about the man, Rafael Hines. Who are you? 

I come from a diverse family background with Panamanian, Jamaican, and Irish roots, and I'm a native New Yorker, born and raised on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. A former Jazz club owner and restaurateur, I transitioned over to the financial and energy markets where I've worked for the past twenty years. I have three amazing children and a close second to my love for them has been playing NYC tournament and pick up basketball. Now that my hoop game is slowing down a bit I feel truly blessed to have found a new love in writing.

And who's  the writer? How was Bishop's War conceived? 

On 9/11, I watched my office along with all the others in The Twin Towers come crashing down and, like many New Yorkers on that day, I anticipated follow up attacks to take place throughout the city. Years later, I envisioned a lone citizen soldier preventing these attacks and the hero Sgt. John Bishop appeared on paper. Once I started writing I also dipped into my early Lower East Side memories, loosely basing many of the characters in Bishop's War on the people I grew up with, and adapted many of my own experiences into the book as well.

Why did you choose the Thriller genre? 

I've been a life-long fan of the Thriller genre and I used to fly all the time for work and always picked up an airport Thriller for the ride. When I finally decided to sit down and write for the first time six years ago it never occurred to me write anything other than a Thriller.

Is there a book or author that inspired you to be a writer? 

Being a voracious reader of suspense thrillers, my writing career was definitely inspired by legendary artist-authors Elmore Leonard, John Sandford, Stephen Hunter, James Lee Burke, and Tom Clancy.

What can readers expect when they read Bishop's War? 

Just to give some context here... writing for me was purely a late night hobby that I started six years ago (I never had any thoughts of publishing my work) so I wrote Bishop's War purely for my own enjoyment. Now, to answer the question, readers should expect the same things I love in a story: great action, flawed and damaged characters (both good and bad), strong dialogue (I try to let the characters tell their story as much as possible), lots of twists and turns, with tragic moments and a lot of comedy mixed in. I laughed and cried while I wrote Bishop's War and I hope my novel touches readers even a fraction of the way it did me. 

Where can they buy a copy? 

On Amazon, you can get it here: http://bit.ly/BishopW 
On Nook, iBooks, Kobo, and everywhere else you get it here: https://www.books2read.com/u/3yZrDl

Are you releasing a new book anytime soon?

Bishop's Law, the second Thriller in the Bishop series, will be released Spring 2018.

What do you love about being an author?

I really enjoy writing and when not sitting at my desk writing I'm thinking about the next scene. What I really love though is when the magic happens. When my characters take over and it's not me writing anymore. They're speaking and the story just pours out while I type away. Doesn't happen everyday and sometimes months go by in between these magic moments, but when it does it's hard to put into words. The feeling is almost spiritual. Like being connected to something beyond yourself. 

What is your message to readers? 

Thank you! There are millions of books to choose from and I am deeply honored and grateful to every person who decides to read my work. Also, I'd love to hear from you so please give me your feedback (or just say hello!): rafael@rafaelhines.com



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