Interview With Author Jay Hirschman
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
As an author, I’m a firm believer in the idea that you should write what you know. For me, what I know best is the world of accounting and auditing. I’ve been a Certified Public Accountant for years, starting my career at a Big 4 accounting firm and now working as an internal auditor for a Fortune 500 company. My professional life has been filled with everything from programming and systems analysis to the kind of high-stakes auditing that inspired this book.
This is my debut novel, The Auditors. It’s a project born out of a desire to show the world that my profession is far from boring. When I tell people I’m an auditor, I usually get a polite nod followed by a confused question about taxes. I wanted to write a book that completely shatters that stereotype.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, which is also my debut novel, is called The Auditors.
The inspiration for this book is something that has followed me for years: the blank stare I get when I tell people I’m an auditor. Most people think of it as a dry, boring profession, full of tax forms and tedious calculations. I’ve always found the reality of it to be a completely different story.
My career as an auditor has shown me a world of intricate puzzles, high-stakes decisions, and profound ethical dilemmas. I wanted to write a story that captures the hidden drama and importance of this work. The Auditors is a direct challenge to the stereotype. It’s a financial thriller that takes the meticulous work of an auditor and places it at the center of a corporate conspiracy so vast it threatens the entire world’s economy. The main character, Jase Mathews, isn’t just balancing books; he’s fighting to expose a web of deceit that goes to the highest levels of power, and he discovers that even his own firm might be complicit.
I hope this book shows readers that the world behind the numbers is anything but boring and that the pursuit of truth can be a thrilling and dangerous journey.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When people hear “author,” they often picture someone secluded in a quiet cabin, sipping tea and writing for hours on end. For me, the reality is a little more chaotic—and maybe a bit unusual. As a full-time professional and a dad to a seven-year-old daughter, my writing time is a precious commodity I have to fight for.
I’ve learned to be a bit of a literary scavenger. I don’t have the luxury of setting aside a full day to write, so I’ve become an expert at finding and using the small pockets of time I have. I often write during my lunch break, hunched over my laptop in a coffee shop or my car, trying to get a few pages in before my next meeting. Other times, I’ll wake up in the early morning, long before my family is up, to capture an idea while the house is still quiet. And then there are the sessions that stretch late into the night, after my daughter is asleep and the rest of the world has gone still.
It’s not a romanticized process, but it works for me. My writing habits are less about routine and more about persistence, born out of a passion to tell this story. I think it adds a unique layer of authenticity to The Auditors because every word was earned in the small, stolen moments of a very real, very busy life.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
When people ask what authors have influenced me, two names immediately come to mind: John Grisham and Michael Crichton.
I’m drawn to their work not just for the thrilling plots, but for how they masterfully use their professional backgrounds to create incredibly authentic and compelling stories. John Grisham, with his legal expertise, and Michael Crichton, with his medical and scientific knowledge, were able to turn their professions into the very foundation of their novels. They showed me that you don’t need to be a novelist by trade to write a great book; you just need to have a deep, specialized knowledge of a world that others don’t get to see.
That’s exactly what I’ve tried to do with The Auditors. My goal was to take my experience as a Certified Public Accountant and auditor and use it to build a financial thriller that feels real and lived-in. Grisham and Crichton inspired me to break the stereotypes of my own profession—to show that the world of accounting and auditing is anything but dry or boring. By using my firsthand knowledge, I hope to immerse readers in a high-stakes world of corporate intrigue and deception, just as they did with the worlds of law and science.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m already diving into my next novel, which is called A Glitch in the Cloud.
Much like The Auditors, this new book is inspired by another facet of my professional life, specifically the world of IT auditing. While The Auditors was about the financial side of things, A Glitch in the Cloud delves into the complex and often unseen world of technology audits.
The story follows a character named Leo Mathews, an IT auditor who has just made partner at his firm. His first major assignment is to audit a new Cloud ERP product, and what starts as a routine job quickly uncovers troubling connections and a web of deceit that runs deep within the companies involved. The book explores the high-stakes world where technology, business, and ethics collide, and my protagonist has to figure out who he can trust—including his most trusted mentor. It’s a natural progression from the financial world of my first book and a chance to explore a different, but equally compelling, kind of corporate mystery.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
That’s an excellent question, and honestly, if I had the perfect answer, I’d probably be a full-time marketing guru instead of an author!
The truth is, I’m still trying to figure that out. Navigating the world of publishing and marketing a book is a completely different beast than writing it—and I can tell you, it’s definitely not as enjoyable. I’ve been doing a lot of research, talking to other authors, and experimenting with different approaches. I’m building my author platform, trying to get the word out on social media, and learning about things like keywords and algorithms, which feel a lot like the complex systems I analyze in my day job, but with a different kind of payoff.
Ultimately, I believe the best method is a combination of things. It’s about connecting with readers who love this kind of story, and for me, that means focusing on a niche that appreciates authentic, high-stakes thrillers with a professional backdrop. I’m hoping that by being open and honest about my journey, readers will connect with me and be just as excited to read my book as I was to write it.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a debut novelist, I’m probably the last person who should be giving advice! In fact, I’m still very much in the process of learning and welcome any advice others can offer me. The whole journey has been a lesson in itself.
If I had to share one piece of wisdom that has resonated with me, it’s this: write what you know. There’s an authenticity and a confidence that comes from building a story in a world you truly understand. For me, that meant tapping into the unexpected drama of accounting and auditing. For you, it might be something else entirely—a hobby, a passion, or a different career.
Don’t be afraid to take something that seems ordinary or boring to others and find the extraordinary within it. That’s where you’ll find your unique voice and, I believe, your most compelling stories.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I’ve ever heard wasn’t actually about being an author, but it’s advice I find myself applying to every part of my life, including my writing journey.
That advice is simple: Be authentic, because people can spot a faker a mile away.
I believe this holds true in everything you do. In my professional life, it’s about integrity and transparency, and in my writing, it’s about being genuine. I could have tried to write a book about something I thought was “hot” or popular, but it wouldn’t have felt real. Instead, I chose to write about a world I know intimately—the world of accounting and auditing. I didn’t try to glamorize it in a way that felt fake. I focused on telling a story that was true to my experiences, highlighting the real drama and high stakes that exist behind the scenes. Readers are smart. They know when a writer has a deep passion and knowledge for their subject matter. My hope is that by being authentic, I can connect with them on a much deeper level and make the story that much more compelling.
What are you reading now?
At this exact moment, my days are completely consumed with the final editing process for The Auditors, so I’m primarily reading and rereading my own work, which is a surprisingly intense and all-consuming task.
But when I do get a chance to take a break from my own manuscript, I’ve been listening to the audiobook of Stephen King’s Finders Keepers. As someone who was so inspired by authors who write from their professional experience, I’m fascinated by King’s ability to move between genres while maintaining that sense of authenticity and high-stakes drama. Finders Keepers is a perfect example of his ability to craft a suspenseful story, and it’s been a great way for me to get a dose of my favorite kind of reading while still being productive with my own project.
What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next for me as a writer is diving deep into my next novel, which is currently titled A Glitch in the Cloud. It’s another thriller that draws from my professional experiences, this time focusing on the intricate and often high-stakes world of IT auditing. The story follows a character who uncovers a digital web of deceit while auditing a new cloud-based software system.
Beyond that, the ideas are constantly flowing. My full-time job and my observations of the corporate world inspire me every single day. I see potential stories and characters in the complex systems I analyze and the challenges I face. Whether it’s another financial thriller, a book about a new kind of fraud, or a different kind of corporate mystery, I’m always taking notes and letting these ideas ferment. My goal is to continue to pull back the curtain on these seemingly dry professions and show readers the thrill and intrigue that can be found in the most unexpected places.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
If I were to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to bring a few books, my choices would be highly practical, with one exception for a book that’s very close to my heart.
First and foremost, I’d bring a book on desert island survival. I’m an auditor by trade, so my nature is to be prepared and methodical. I’d want a comprehensive guide on building shelter, finding water, and foraging for food. Let’s face it, my auditing skills aren’t going to be much help against a hurricane or a coconut shortage.
Next, I’d pack a book on navigation and celestial mechanics. I’d want to learn how to read the stars to figure out where I am, and more importantly, how to signal for help or build a raft that’s headed in the right direction. It’s the ultimate problem-solving puzzle, and I’d need all the help I could get.
And finally, my last book would have to be my debut novel, The Auditors. It’s the one thing I’ve poured so much of myself into, and it feels like a piece of me. If I’m going to be stranded, I want to have something with me that reminds me of all the work I’ve done, and all the possibilities that are waiting for me back in the real world.
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