John R. Beyer spent nearly ten years in law enforcement in Southern California as a street cop, a training officer and a member of the elite SWAT team. After leaving the force, he continued in public service entering the field of education. During his tenure, he served as classroom teacher, school administrator and district administrator, and was an integral part of the gang and drug force in San Bernardino. While in both worlds he earned a Doctorate in School Administration and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
During all those years, he never gave up the passion for writing – both fiction and nonfiction. He has been published in numerous magazines, newspapers and the like for decades, writing on a variety of topics. His latest short stories in the past year can be found in Foliate Oak Literary Magazine (2016) and GNU Journal (2017). He is also the author of three highly praised internationally known novels – Hunted (2013), Soft Target (2014) and Operation Scorpion (2017).
He won the 'Write Well Award' in October of 2018 from the Silver Pen Writer's Association for a fictional short story.
His newest novel, ‘Iquitos – the Past Will Kill’, was released in November of 2018 by Black Opal Books bringing two of his protagonists together for their first investigation. Jonas Peters and Frank Sanders will work hand in hand with an international incident which left undetected could cause a catastrophic issue for the United States. They are friends and they are good at they do. Catching the bad guys.
Website Address: http://johnrobertbeyer.weebly.com/
Blog Address: https://jandlresearchandexploration.blogspot.com/
Twitter Address: @Drjohnrbeyer
Did you like crime fiction when you were growing up?
I enjoyed crime fiction as well as westerns when I was younger, and still consider these my favorite genres. I liked the solving of crimes with a smart but sometimes personally flawed detective – it made it more real for me. I also liked westerns because I grew up in the Southwest and still reside here. Strong individuals, both male and female, making the best of a rough life as they hone their skills in a new land. Strong people often meant strong stories.
What was the first story in that genre that you wrote?
I’ve been writing since I was young and experimented with different genres but my first novel in crime fiction that was published was Hunted. It is based on a homicide detective who made the mistake of making a negative comment against a suspect and then the suspect starts to hunt down the detective leaving a steady path of dead bodies. I based some of the events in novels rather loosely on experiences I had during my years in law enforcement in Southern California.
What is your favorite part of writing in this genre?
I love asking myself – what if? What if this crime occurred? Who may be involved? Why would they commit the crime? And who would solve the crime and how will the crime be solved? Getting behind the keyboard and letting the story unfold in front of me allows me the chance to really stretch my imagination and creativity. I especially enjoy delving into those crimes that deal with the flaws of humanity and the perverted egos of those committing those crimes.
What do you find most difficult about writing in this genre?
Realizing that even though I am writing fiction and creating worlds that are not real, that these events – these tragic events that I describe happen to people all the time in this real world. I put real human emotions in all my characters and I can feel their pain. Sometimes tears come to my eyes as I write about their particular human tragedy. My writing mantra is that you must write fiction as though it is non-fiction – it is difficult at times to do that without feeling the raw emotion coming to life through the clicking of the keys by your own fingers.
Is there an author in this genre that you admire most?
There are so many authors that I admire it is not an easy choice to pick out just one. I would say a contemporary writer I enjoy is James Patterson. I like his characters, plot and fast-paced action. I do not try to write like him, since I have my own style, which, I believe, works for me, but I’ve been a Patterson fan for quite a while.
What is up next for you?
To keep writing. I have two new works in progress. A police thriller but with a bit of a twist: a more introspective into the life of a homicide detective from Chicago who must face his past in his hometown in Southern California. The other is a historical fiction dealing with Vlad Dracul – the very real man who became the fictional character brought to fame by Bram Stoker. He was the last crusader for the Roman Catholic Church in the 15th Century – should be great reading but not easy to write. Despite being an avid researcher into all things historical, I have never attempted this genre before.
Do you have anything to add?
I would just like to ask readers to keep reading so we writers have an audience, and I want to ask writers to keep writing tales that will keep our readers fingers flipping the pages.
Thank you.
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