Author Interview – E.J. Yerzak

1. For readers discovering you for the first time, can you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey into becoming an author?

Hi! I’m E.J. Yerzak, an indie author based in Connecticut. We’re a small state but I’m hoping to make a big splash! I’ve been a long-time reader and supporter of indie authors. But deciding to become an indie author myself? Well, that all started with a bedtime story…

I like to read to my son. Ever since he was young, I would always read to him. But one night, we had read all the books he had and it was late, so he asked me to make up a story. I started coming up with characters and making it up as I went. We would continue the story each night, picking up where we had left off. After about a week or two of that, I said “wait a minute!” If I’m going to be telling a story, I might as well write everything down. One thing led to another and I started writing a mystery that turned into a thriller novel.

But I’ve always had an interest in writing. I won my high school’s creative writing award. In college, I wrote a 150-page screenplay and then borrowed all this film and editing equipment from the college TV station, partnered with actors from the theater program, and turned it into a feature length movie. So I guess I’ve always had this pent up creative energy that was just looking for an outlet.

Writing novels is now that creative outlet for me. I get so excited coming up with stories!

2. You’ve written the Link Webber thriller series as well as the standalone novel 10 Rooms. What can readers expect from these stories?

When I wrote the first book in the Link Webber series, Access Point, I didn’t know it was going to be a series. But I had so many readers reaching out to me after it was published, asking for more. They liked the friendship between the two main characters and their humorous banter. They liked the suspense and mystery aspects. And they liked the fact that I tend to end every chapter on a mini cliffhanger. So after the positive reception Access Point received, I knew I had to keep writing.

In the Link Webber series, readers can expect a sort of Dan Brown meets Harlan Coben type storyline. The central themes I explore are ways in which new technology can be used to commit crimes and also help solve them. Think cell phones, fitness watches, social media, and more. The main character is Link Webber, a college professor who teaches cybersecurity. He’s an everyman who isn’t trying to be the hero but finds himself in situations where his background can be very useful to help solve a case. He’s good-looking but has his quirks. Link loves reality TV, for example, and can’t resist the urge to throw in a dad joke whenever possible. He’s usually been single but is navigating a new relationship with Aubrey, his girlfriend of 6 months. His loyalty is tested regularly because the woman who heads the FBI’s Cyber Division in Boston has a thing for him - one of the reasons she keeps calling on him to help with cases. Tension brews because Aubrey is smart and knows ulterior motives when she sees them. Link is clueless and thinks it’s all going to stay professional.

Readers can expect a fast-paced storyline in the Link Webber series. I try to keep readers on the edge of their seats with a suspenseful plot. And I like to keep readers guessing until the end. Readers can expect characters that they want to root for and root against. And I think they’ll find that these characters have depth. They’re nuanced, flawed, and not always going to make the right decisions. 

10 Rooms is more of a psychological thriller with a supernatural tilt. It features a 15-year old girl named Lacie whose father recently left. She starts to question whether he really abandoned his family or if he disappeared for another reason. It explores themes of memory, grief, family bonds, and even a little high school drama. Readers’ Favorite gave it a review that called it “hauntingly beautiful.”

3. What inspired the concept behind Access Point?

Technology is all around us. There’s no escaping it. You make a phone call, you go through a toll booth, you make a credit card charge. There’s a record and a digital trace of where you were. I wanted to explore what would happen if someone stumbled across a really big secret, but before they’re able to expose it, they’re being hunted. They’re used to working with digital things but they have to go outside their comfort zone and leave the tech behind and almost go off the grid so they don’t get caught while they try to figure out who is behind it all.

At the same time, I was dealing with several family members experiencing Alzheimer’s and related issues. The concept of memory is absolutely fascinating to me. And so I incorporated this into the storyline for Access Point. Without giving away too much of the plot, the book explores how Alzheimer’s can be weaponized. I’m not a medical doctor, but I’m friends with several doctors and I did extensive research while writing this book to make it as realistic as possible.

4. Your books explore the intersection of technology and crime. What drew you to writing thrillers centered around those themes?

I like to explore ways that today’s tech and even the technology that’s being developed for tomorrow can be used to commit new types of crimes but also help solve them. We all have devices and gadgets and everything is connected to the Internet. There’s no escaping it. Almost everything we do is leaving a little digital footprint somewhere, if you know where to look for the evidence. 

I have a background in tech, so I guess you could say I write what I know. But I also do a ton of research way before I ever start writing! In fact, for every book I write, I’m probably spending 80% of the time researching and 20% writing. It’s important to me that I get the details right. 

But it’s also a double-edged sword! I’ve found that sometimes I’m writing a story about some tech that isn’t out yet but could be one day. I’m trying to anticipate what new crimes can be committed down the road as new technology comes out. And I’ve actually had to scrap a book halfway through writing it because the brand new tech I was writing about not only came out, but was also used to commit a crime in the exact way I was writing about. I’m not going to take credit for predicting a future crime, but it was crazy! But that’s the level of realism I try to go for in crafting a suspenseful plot.

5. With your background in computer science and law, how do those experiences influence the stories you tell?

Computer science and law are similar in that they’re both very logic-driven pursuits. There’s a lot of “if-then” analysis involved in both disciplines. I bake some of that puzzle-solving ability into the main character. But then I throw a wrench in it by making him flawed. He doesn’t always make the right choices, and he has to live with the consequences of his actions. More of that if-then analysis coming through. If I do this, then what effects does that have on my relationships? On my ability to help solve this case? 

And my background is law has helped me see that things aren’t always black and white. Law enforcement doesn’t always have the right suspect. And things aren’t always what they seem.

6. Do you find that having technical expertise helps you build more realistic or complex plots?

Absolutely. I try to balance how deep I go in my books. In the style of Andy Weir, who is a fantastic writer in the hard science fiction genre, I like to include technical details where I think it’s relevant to help further the story. But I do it in a way that explains things in a little more common sense language. I want to assume my readers are intelligent, but I also don’t want them to have to be science majors or tech geeks in order to enjoy the story. So I aim for the right balance. Usually when I cover a technical detail, I’m doing it in the context of dialogue with a non-technical character. That way, the tech is explained in a way that’s more natural.

On the other hand, even though I have a technical background, I do a ton of research when I’m writing my books. I want to know how things work before I write about them. I want to know how a bar smells before I set a scene there. If I’m describing a building in downtown Boston, I want to know where in France the stones for that building came from. Those details help me describe scenes much more vividly. Readers have told me it feels like they’re really there, and that’s been one of the biggest compliments.

7. Technology evolves quickly—how do you approach writing tech-based thrillers while keeping the story accessible for readers?

I’ve never been asked this question before, and honestly I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me this! This is exactly why I think I’m going to remain an indie author for as long as possible. Tech does evolve very quickly. I’m well aware that the story I wrote 5 years ago could be obsolete in another 5 years. In the traditional publishing world where you get a book deal today and your book doesn’t come out for another 3 years, that timeline doesn’t work well!

At the same time, I try to write a story that’s compelling regardless of the specific technology featured in the plot. I do this by focusing on creating likeable characters, by giving them depth and backstories and nuance. They fall in love. They get jealous. They get scared. 

And one of the tricks I learned when trying to future proof my books is to not get overly detailed on certain things. For example, if I’m writing about a character who has an iPhone, I’m not going to say they have the iPhone 17. I’ll describe it as the “latest iPhone.” Otherwise, that description could become outdated really quickly. 

But I can’t predict every way that things will change. For example, in Access Point, the main character flies out of McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Six months after I published it, they renamed the airport Harry Reid International Airport.

8. 10 Rooms has an intriguing title. What can you tell readers about the premise of that novel?

Thank you! The main character is a 15-year-old girl named Lacie. Her father is out of the picture. She’s dealing with abandonment and grief when she encounters a way to revisit his memories. She quickly realizes that he may have disappeared under suspicious circumstances, and her only way of finding where he went is through these memories. There’s just one catch. She can only visit 10 of these memories, with each memory in a separate room off an endless hallway. She doesn’t know which doors to open. And some doors, she wishes she hadn’t. 

This is another story where I really delve into the intersection of memory and loss. And how one might try to change things if he or she had the opportunity to see an event through the eyes of another.

9. Many thrillers focus on high stakes and fast pacing. How do you balance suspense with deeper themes in your books?

Two words: short chapters. That’s a very intentional choice. I want each chapter to feel fast and tense. I want readers to keep saying “just one more chapter” when they see the short chapters. I’ve had readers tell me that they’ve finished my books in one night, which is incredible when you consider that they’re 300 to 450 pages each. That tells me that I’ve got the hook early on and the pacing just right to keep them going.

But it is a challenge, for sure! If every scene is tense and fast-paced, then no scene is tense and fast-paced because they’re nothing to balance it against. The trick to maintain that balance is multiple POV. Not too many POVs, but just enough to keep the reader engaged about what’s going on in several characters’ heads as their story arcs come crashing together.

The other way I capture the suspense is with a surprise twist or two at the end. I leave little clues throughout the book. 

Now to incorporate deeper and in some cases darker themes into a book while also keeping the suspense factor high, I really focus on emotion. Raw feelings in all their messiness. 

10. One of the themes you explore is memory. What inspired you to incorporate that concept into your stories?

A few reasons come to mind. No pun intended. My background is in computer science, which is really built on the concept of memory. Your hard drive has memory. Computer chips have memory. It’s where all the data gets stored and all the instructions for what to do get stored. I’ve always been fascinated by the concept that a sentence on a page is stored as ones and zeroes which is then stored as a little electrical signal being on or off. In a sense, it’s the technical version of how we store memories in our minds. 

I’ve also had several family members go through Alzheimer’s and related memory illnesses. And to watch someone you love no longer remember who you are or what your name is, despite knowing that your name is still in their brain somewhere, is equally gut-wrenching and incredible. 

And so I find that I gravitate towards telling stories where memory is a central theme, if not a character itself. So much of our human experience is connected to this concept of memory. An unreliable narrator - are they remembering what happened correctly or not? A jealous ex - they’re jealous because their feelings are tied to their memories of you in happier times. A person experiencing some form of trauma - those memories are sometimes repressed as a form of self-preservation. And some experiences are so intense that our recollection of them is so vivid, down to how things tasted or smelled.

I feel like the topic of memory lends itself to some really compelling stories that can be told.

11. Your support for Alzheimer’s research through donating proceeds from your debut novel is incredibly meaningful. Can you share more about that decision?

While I would love to be a successful author able to live off my earnings as a writer, the fact is that I have a day job which pays the bills. I write because I really, really enjoy writing. I enjoy the art of storytelling. And so when I released Access Point, I saw it as an opportunity to do something different. Something meaningful. I said I’m going to donate the proceeds from this book to two charities, one being the Alzheimer’s Association. 

Alzheimer’s research and finding a cure is a cause near and dear to my heart. I wanted to make an impact. I figured if my book only sells a few copies, then worst case scenario, I make a small donation to the charity and that’s still good. What I didn’t expect was the overwhelming support that Access Point received when I launched it. Thousands of copies sold across over a dozen countries.That tells me that either the story or the characters really resonate with people, or the feeling of knowing that you get to read a book and help with Alzheimer’s really resonates with people. Or maybe a little bit of both. It’s a form of mission-driven writing. Writing for a purpose.

In a nutshell, I wanted to use my platform as an indie author to do some good in the world, and maybe even entertain a few people along the way.

12. You also advocate for animal rescue. How important is it for you to connect your work with causes you care about?

It’s so important to me to connect my work with charitable causes. But I try to do it in a way that’s not forced. I want it to be genuine. And so I make it a point where, if I’m donating proceeds from one of my novels to a particular cause, I incorporate that cause into the plot. The main character in the Link Webber thriller series - Link Webber - has a rescue dog named Newton. It’s a nod to the town in Massachusetts, where Access Point takes place, as well as a nod to the inventor and the cookie!

I donated some of the proceeds to a local animal rescue. And I made it a point to go meet with the owner and get to learn more about her shelter. Whenever possible, I reshare her posts to try to find loving homes for these beautiful animals. I back up my words with my actions.

13. Do you have a favorite character from the Link Webber series?

Oh wow! This is a great question! I had a favorite character who doesn’t survive book two. It was such a fun character to write because readers love to hate him. Which made it all the more satisfying for them when he meets an untimely end.

But I am constantly introducing new side characters into each book. The ones whose personalities really shine and hit home with readers get to come back in the next book.

The other way I’ll answer this is that I wrote a sort of love triangle drama element into the second book. I introduce it in Access Point, then expand upon it in Denial of Service. I’ve had some readers get mad at me because they wanted Link to end up with one person, and other readers tell me they were so happy that he end up picking who they thought was the right choice! Which goes to show that you can’t make everyone happy all the time! But it also told me that I wrote these characters with enough depth that readers felt drawn to one or the other.

And I worked with a female editor who really helped me make sure that Link doesn’t come across as a player, that he remains a character who really is trying to do the right thing even if he screws up sometimes. He very much has to live with the consequences of his actions. 

14. When starting a new book, do you begin with the plot, the character, or the central idea?

I’m a very plot-driven writer first. I outline the plot, because it’s important to me to get the timing right for when to introduce various aspects and clues, and when to throw in the surprise twist. Having an outline of where the story is going to go helps me keep the pacing tight.

From that rough outline, I work on the characters. I jot down detailed notes and make a character profile for each character. Even if certain details never make it into the story itself, I need to know what each character likes to eat, how they dress, what their favorite songs are. The more I know these characters, the better I can portray them and the better I can stay consistent in how they each respond to a given situation.

15. Are you more of a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between when writing?

Interestingly enough, I’ve tried both because I was curious which I would enjoy more. For Access Point, I was a plotter the whole way. My initial outline became a detailed chapter by chapter outline which then led to the entire story. 

With Denial of Service, the sequel, I started with a basic plot and then happily pantsed my way through the entire book. It was surprisingly fun! This sort of hybrid approach let me keep the plot arcs moving throughout the book while giving me more freedom to build out the characters more. As a pantser, I was able to dive into backstories and really round out the main characters’ motivations.

16. What does your writing routine typically look like?

I’m very time of day oriented when it comes to certain aspects of writing. I do my best research at night. I do my best creative writing early in the morning. When I wrote Access Point, I tried to get at least 20-30 minutes of writing in every day. Now, I tend to write in bursts. I may go 2 weeks without writing a single word as I let an idea marinate until I really like it, and then I’ll write several chapters in one sitting.

17. What part of writing thrillers do you enjoy the most?

I really enjoy writing multiple POV because it keeps the pace moving fast while letting me have fun writing different characters and how they’re feeling and reacting. 

18. What part of the process is the most challenging?

I’m sure any author would agree - writing is the fun part. Marketing your book is the most challenging. Having the opportunity to discuss your book on an incredible podcast like yours is the dream for an indie author because without you, it’s very hard to get noticed among all the amazing books out there. 

19. What authors or books have influenced your writing style the most?

I love this question! I think the best authors are those who read the most. I remember reading Stephen King’s “On Writing,” and he mentions that he regularly reads 3-4 hours a day to stay in the right head space for writing. Some readers have said my Link Webber series reads a little like Harlan Coben in terms of the writing style, which blew my mind because I love Harlan Coben’s books. But with one notable exception. I actually don’t include any curse words in the Link Webber series, aside from maybe a “damn” here or there. I wanted my books to be approachable to both adults and young adults.

I also love Andy Weir. The Martian and Project Hail Mary are very detail-heavy in terms of the science that’s described. While I enjoyed them, I try to take my descriptions up a  level or two so that I can keep my readers’ attention even if they aren’t science nerds.

Dan Brown writes incredibly suspenseful books with very short chapters, and so I think I subconsciously emulate that short chapter format in my books. I’m not against having a chapter that’s only one page long, and I’ve seen Dan Brown do the same.

I also read a lot of Freida McFadden and a ton of books by indie authors.  

20. What advice would you give to writers who want to write technology-driven thrillers?

Have fun with it! While it’s always engaging to read about things that are in the realm of possibility to actually happen, it’s also fun to read about some really new tech that’s purely imaginative. And I would say if you want to write a tech thriller, write a tech thriller. Don’t feel compelled to write in a different genre just because that other genre is more popular. Write the story you want to tell. Write the story you’d love to read.

21. You mentioned that your third book in the Link Webber series is currently in the works. What can readers look forward to?

I’m currently writing book 3 in the Link Webber thriller series. And for that, I’m sticking with what I did for book 2. I have about a 4 page outline of the plot (and 2 sub-plots), but I’m going with the pantser approach to let the creativity flow. I’m super excited for the antagonist that I created for this book! It’s based off a good friend of mine. I already warned him that he’s going to be a really horrible person in this book. So the lesson here is - be nice to authors! They can write you into their books, AND write you out of them!

Book 3 is tentatively titled “Livestream.” For what it’s worth, my titles in this series always need to have a word with the letter “i” in them because the silhouette of the figure carrying the briefcase is part of the brand story and always replaces the letter “i” in a word in the title.

22. Your son has also written and published a book about a dragon—that’s amazing! What has it been like sharing a love of storytelling within your family?

It’s been amazing! I started reading to my son the day we brought him home from the hospital. I’ve been reading to him almost every night since. He’s 12 now, so it’s changed. Now, instead of reading to him, I read with him. We pick a book out together and we read a chapter a night. He’s inquisitive. He questions the characters’ actions and motives. He’s actually found a couple plot holes in some well known books. So it’s like my own mini book club!

He wrote a book about a dragon when he was only 8 years old. He saw me release my debut novel right in the middle of the pandemic. His school had gone to remote learning for a little while, and so he got really good at using a computer at a young age. One day I came into the room and he was typing in Google docs. I asked him what he was doing, and he said, “writing a story.” I showed him how he could even click the microphone button and dictate his story. He’s very creative. His book features a friendly, time-traveling dragon named Smoky and an evil witch named Witchy-Poo. At 8 years old, he managed to write 116 pages which blew me away.

I told him if he finished the story, I would help him get it published. He asked me to illustrate it too, so if you read the book, you’ll see some of my hand-drawn illustrations. I did explain to my son that it would look better if we got an actual illustrator and not me, but he insisted that I be a part of his book. I think publishing a book gave him confidence. And it let him experience firsthand the joy of being able to create something and put it out into the world. 

He got a call from a local newspaper and was interviewed about the book. All his friends and teachers bought the book. I’m really proud of him. 

23. What has been the most rewarding moment of your author journey so far?

Initially, my goal was to sell 100 copies. I had researched and found that something like 90% of indie authors don’t sell more than 100 copies. I’m an overachiever. So of course my goal was 100 copies. I think I hit that mark in the first month. Initially, that feeling was incredibly rewarding. Knowing that I had put something out there that maybe didn’t suck. Maybe it was actually a story people were interested in reading.

Two of my books received awards. I would have thought that would be the most rewarding, but it wasn’t. It was validation, sure, but not the pinnacle of that rewarding feeling.When I sit back and think about it, the most rewarding moment so far hasn’t been a specific moment. It’s been a series of moments where I’m connecting with the incredible people I’ve met in the indie author community. Everyone from authors to editors, podcasters, booktok influencers, and even readers just reaching out directly to say they loved the books. That feeling of being able to connect directly with people like that is what makes being an author today so rewarding.

24. What are you most excited about in the future of your writing career?

I’m excited to keep creating. Both in terms of my books and my social media posts. I used to film quirky videos back in high school, and I’ve always enjoyed being able to just be myself and be creative. That’s when I’m happiest.

Now that I have two books in the Link Webber series, and a third on the way, I’m excited to see how far I can keep going with the series. While each book can be read as a standalone thriller even if you haven’t read the others, there is some continuity from one book to the next. The characters get older. They date. They experience things that make them feel real.

I have ideas already for the next several books in the series. I had to abandon one book part way through because real life caught up to where I was going with a made up story. It involved electric vehicles being used as weapons. And when that actually happened, I said, “nope. Time to write something else.”

And I’m also excited to keep writing books outside of my series. I know every author coach and publisher out there would probably say don’t do that. Stick to one genre and do that genre really well. But I love to challenge myself. 10 Rooms is more of a psychological thriller and I’d like to write another book like that. 

Who knows, I might even write a romance novel one day. If I do that, it would be under a pen name though. The screenplay I wrote back in college was more focused on dating and relationships, so I have written those types of scenes before.

25. Where can readers connect with you and keep up with your books?

First, I’d love for readers to follow my journey and my quirky videos on TikTok. My account is @indiebooktok. I post about my writing experience, but I also frequently share posts about other indie authors who are writing some really incredible books. So, @indiebooktok is where you mostly find me. 

And all my books are on Amazon. Paperback, ebook, and audiobook. 

Access Point is the only one that’s also available at Barnes and Noble. That one is in hardcover format. It has a really cool dust jacket that a designer created for me. But Amazon is where my books are in the most formats.

And finally, my website: easy to remember. It’s just my name. ejyerzak.com.

If you go to ejyerzak.com, you’ll see all my books and I’ll be posting a place soon to sign up to be an ARC reader for my latest book.

 

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Rapid Fire Fun 🔥

26. Coffee or tea while writing? Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee!
27. Morning writer or night writer? Morning. It’s when I do my best creative work.
28. Favorite thriller or mystery author? Harlan Coben. And lately, indie author Travis Wake. He’s got some amazingly good books.
29. Paperback, ebook, or audiobook? Paperback if I’m at the beach. But mostly ebook because I’m on a lot of airplanes and the Kindle is just easier to take.
30. Favorite place to write? I love to write outside. Being in Connecticut, that’s hard though. In winter it’s too cold. In summer, it’s too hot to write outside.
31. One word to describe your books? Thought-provoking. Oh wait, that’s two words. But I hyphenated it, so I’m counting it as one.
32. Favorite writing snack? Nuts.
33. Music while writing or silence? I know I’m an outlier here, but I write without music.
34. Favorite fictional detective or investigator? I can’t pick one. I love a good cozy mystery where your average, everyday person in the neighborhood tries to solve a case.
35. One thing readers might be surprised to learn about you? I’m shy. Being on TikTok talking about my books is so out of my comfort zone, it’s crazy. But I force myself to get over it.