What makes the perfect beach book? @djwilliams316, author of Waking Lazarus, divulges

I’ve got a treat for you today. D.J. Williams, the author of Waking Lazarus, reveals what makes the perfect beach book:

When summer rolls around we’re ready for long vacations, blue skies, sparkling oceans, and sand wedged between our toes. It’s that time of year where we escape the day-to-day routine, recharge our batteries, and catch up on the stories we’ve been wanting to read. Now, all we have to do is pick where to start.

So, what makes for a great summer read?

I’ve found that I’m drawn to characters who are compelling and entertaining. I’m always on the hunt for characters that grab and pull me into their world. And when I find those characters, I’m hooked. I’ll read day and night while the waves crash against the rocks, or roll up on the shore. I think of characters like Harry Bosch, Jack Reacher, Harry Potter, Jason Bourne, and others who captured my attention from the first page.

Some might think carrying a Harry Potter book to the beach is like carrying a brick in your carry-on, but that’s why we love ebooks, right? Believe me, I’ve carried a Harry Potter book in my carry-on, and it resulted in airport security scanning my bag for an explosive device, as the book was tucked next to my cell phone and watch. But with ebooks, we can take an entire library with us on vacation without risking being held in an interrogation room.

Now, once the character grabs me and I’m on the journey, I’m searching for a plot that keeps me flipping through the pages. Mystery. Suspense. Plenty of twists and turns. I’m a sucker for the writing style of James Patterson, who writes each chapter like a scene in a film so the chapters are short. Especially when I’m on vacation, shorter chapters keep me engaged. If the plot is a page-turner, I’ll be obsessed with finding out how the story ends.

I also look for stories that are an escape from the world around me. I want to be taken to another place much like the worlds of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, or the Narnia novels. And I’m especially captured by stories that have messages woven within that open my eyes to a greater cause, whether that be the fight against slavery, the forgotten in the world, or political issues that blur the lines between reality and fiction.

When I’m headed off for summer vacation, I’ll search for novels set in the place where I’m traveling or even places where I’ve been. Location. Location. Location. I love finding mystery and suspense stories where I’m walking alongside the characters on the streets of Paris, dark alleys of London, slums of the Far East, and even behind the Hollywood curtain. I’ve always believed that locations in a story are a character unto themselves.

Characters. Plot. Location.

It’s the trifecta for a great summer read.

Get the #1 Beach Read for Summer 2017 – Waking Lazarus ($14.99) by D.J. Williams.

~ Synopsis ~

Jake Harris’ life hasn’t turned out the way he planned. Battling his addictions, and the shattered pieces of his family, he is hired to ghostwrite a memoir. From the 1920’s story of a controversial evangelist, to the present day mystery of a former District Attorney, everything changes when his search for the truth leads to an atrocity hidden from history. With a past he can’t remember, he begins to discover that he is not the person he believed himself to be. Rather, he is a threat to a secret society that has remained in the shadows for nearly a century. Jake is drawn deep inside a world he never knew existed that brings him closer to his own extraordinary destiny.

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~ About the Author ~

With the DNA of a world traveler, D.J. Williams was born and raised in Hong Kong, has ventured into the jungles of the Amazon, the bush of Africa, and the slums of the Far East. His global travels have engrossed him in a myriad of cultures, and provided him with a unique perspective that has fueled his creativity over the course of a twenty year career in both the entertainment industry and nonprofit sector.

In this latest novel, Williams has written an epic global adventure filled with riveting characters and page turning twists and turns. Think Jason Bourne meets Homeland. It is a brilliant follow up to his previous novel, The Disillusioned, that garnered the praise of Hollywood’s elite, including Judith McCreary, Co-EP, Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, and CSI, who said, “The Disillusioned is a fast-paced mystery…you won’t put it down until you’ve unlocked the secrets and lies to find the truth.”

With the release of Waking Lazarus, Williams is once again capturing the attention of industry veterans including Peter Anderson (Oscar Winner, Cinematographer), who has already endorsed this latest adventure, “Waking Lazarus is a captivating visual story with a colorful narrative. Once I started reading, it was hard to put down.”

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