Interview With Author John Beaufort Somerset

  

1. What inspired you to write LASSETER’S TRUTH? I have spent my working life in ‘real’ jobs in marketing and advertising but now that I am retired have embraced my first love of writing. Have always been fascinated by the Australian legend of Lasseter’s Reef, a huge lost gold reef in the Great Australian Desert and have used that as the background in the LASSETER’S TRUTH thriller. 

2. What exactly is LASSETER’S TRUTH about, and who is it written for? LASSETER’S TRUTH is a thriller - romance, tracking the life and times of ad man Jack Johnson, falsely accused of sexual assault and chased into the desert in search of Lasseter’s Reef resulting in murder and mayhem in Australia’s outback. It is essentially an ‘easy read’ novel that nonetheless contains a message to the #metoo movement – get it right before you pile on to condemn a man and ruin his life and career! A tale of love and adventure,  written for relaxing in front of the fire or reading in bed.

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading LASSETER’S TRUTH? An exciting read that will keep you up all night. 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The title taps into the popular Australian myth of Lasseter’s Reef – was Harold Bell Lasseter a con man, or is the reef really out there? The cover is an actual shot of a sunset over the Great Australian Desert, taken by award-winning photographer Bruce Postle. I have seen many such desert sunsets myself and they never cease to amaze.  

5. What advice do you have for fellow writers other than run? Have fun and write about what you know. LASSETER’S TRUTH contains a number of characters based on my life experiences, my friends and my enemies – they all know who they are! 

6. What trends in the book world do you see – and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? I have become dismayed to see an increasing plethora of woke-inspired books that push political correctness and lecture us on how to live plus address, placate and apologize to militant minorities, with their tales of woe. LASSETER’S TRUTH is a throwback to the good old adventure novel – fun, action and even a bit of sex! 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing LASSETER’S TRUTH? I am fortunate to have grown up in the early age of surfing in the 60’s. Me and my friends discovered and surfed many now-famous waves for the first time ever. Other experiences concerned surviving boarding school, girls, drive-in movies, the advertising industry during the greed and excesses of the 90’s and 4WD trips into Australia’s northern deserts – all there in LASSETER’S TRUTH! 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? Like many others, I have tried to model my writing on Ernest Hemmingway, using the language of the people. LASSETER’S TRUTH would suit fans of Wilbur Smith, Bryce Courtney and Clive Cussler. 

9. What challenges did you overcome in writing LASSETER’S TRUTH? Although LASSETER’S TRUTH is essentially an adventure-romance novel, it also challenges the excesses of the #metoo movement and Australia’s draconian laws on euthanasia – serious messages buried amongst the action. 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be THE EXCALIBUR FILE? Because it is a prediction of war with China and who wins. 

About The Author: John Somerset was born in Melbourne, Australia and spent his childhood on the Surf Coast of Victoria. He spent his working life in international marketing and latterly in advertising. He is a winner of the Hoover Award for Marketing, Australia’s leading marketing award of its time and is a qualified Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) scuba diver. He lives and writes in Anglesea, Victoria. for more info, please see: http://johnsomerset.ampbk.com

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.