Virtual Book Tour - Don Bruns' Bahama Burnout

Welcome to this stop on the virtual book tour for Don Bruns and his latest book in the Mick Sever series. As you can tell from the picture, it is called Bahama Burnout. If you want to check out any of the other stops on this tour, the tour schedule can be found at Don Bruns: Author Book Tour. Check at the end for information regarding a book giveaway.


MR – Congratulations on the release of Bahama Burnout – the fifth book in your series. How did you get started writing this series?

DB - There are now five books in the South Florida/Caribbean series. Eleven years ago I took a trip to Jamaica and when I got home I called my accountant and asked him if I could write some of the trip off for business expense. He said..."Sure. All you have to do is write a book about Jamaica and sell it." So, I did.

MR - How did your idea for this book / story evolve?

DB - A guy came up to me at a signing and said he used to be a sound engineer in L.A. He knew I wrote about the music industry and he wanted to know if I was aware of a studio in Teluride, Colorado that used to be big in the 70's. The studio hosted The Eagles, America, Crosby,Stills, Nash and other well known acts. He told me it mysteriously burned to the ground, and when they rebuilt it, strange things began to happen. Recording sessions were erased, instruments were broken, machinery came up missing...so music acts quit booking the studio. I asked this guy what had happened. "I don't know. They never found out." He shrugged his shoulders. "You're a writer, you tell me what happened." So, I moved the studio to Nassau in the Bahamas, put my protagonist, Mick Sever, on the case, and I solved the mystery in Bahama Burnout. Writers can do that.

MR - What has been your biggest challenge in writing?

DB - I'm not so sure that I find a challenge in writing, Dennis. There's more of a challenge in keeping up with marketing. Obviously the publishing industry, even in good times, is struggling and a writer is more and more involved in marketing their work. Electronic marketing with Face Book, Twitter, My Space and all the other internet media is almost a full time job.

MR - I can imagine what you are saying. Do you want to tell us about your most rewarding moment as a writer?

DB - I've received numerous awards and some really great reviews but the biggest reward is always when someone wants to engage in a discussion of one of the books. I mean, that validates any writer. You want to know that someone actually took something away from their read.

MR - Have you written anything else? (Feel free to tell us about it.)I

DB - I've written two series. The Caribbean series with Jamaica Blue, Barbados Heat, South Beach Shakedown, St. Barts Breakdown and Bahama Burnout, and a series about two clueless 24 year old guys in Miami. This is a murder mystery series with a humorous bend. Stuff To Die For, the first book in the series, won USA Books best mystery 2007 and Foreward Magazine's Best Thriller award. The second in the series came out last year, Stuff Dreams Are Made Of, and Stuff To Spy For will release this October.

MR - Do you have a favorite kind of book you like to read?

DB - Mysteries and biographies. I love interesting characters and obviously both types of books give me interesting characters.

MR - Would you like to tell us anything else?

DB - Just that research is a real chore. You have to go to some exotic island, learn all about the beach life, the night life, eat and drink the local food and drink. But hey, somebody has to do it. I do all the hard work, then write about it so the reader doesn't have to. When you buy one of my mysteries it's like taking a $4000 vacation for $24.95.

MR – Again thanks for letting me ask these questions for the virtual book tour.

“ Don Bruns is giving away a signed copy of his book, Bahama Burnout, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to Don’s book tour page, http://don-bruns.omnimystery.com/, enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 5912, for your chance to win. Entries from this blog site (Mystery Reader Discussion) will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow - March 15th. No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on Don’s book tour page next week.”