Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I love reading as much as I love writing psychological suspense thrillers. Harlan Coben, Taylor Adams, Theresa Driscoll, Riley Sager, C.J. Tudor, and J.D. Barker are just a few of my favorite authors. I fell in love with books at an early age, but I was drawn in by the internet and subsequently achieved bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer information systems. When I’m not reading, writing, or programming, I’m on the road, running or cycling. I am fortunate to live next to the great Colorado Rockies where I have road cycled hundreds of miles and can fly anywhere in the USA in less than four hours. This is important because it decreases the travel needed to achieve my goal of running a marathon in each of the fifty states. As of 2022, I have eighteen more to go. Wish me luck. Also, as of 2022, I have written three novels, all set for publication this year. My wife, two children, and a Boston Terrier Ogre mix named Fiona tolerate my excessive behavior, and I love them for it.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
In the mid-2000s, my family and I lived in a cult on the edge of a protected forest for roughly three years. My latest novel, The Teaching, is a thriller mystery based on my experience there.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do much of my writing without a computer or a pen. I write in my head and type it up later. Inspiration often comes in the moments immediately after waking up or on long runs through my neighborhood.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
A.J. Finn’s “Woman in a Window,” Theresa Driscoll’s “I am Watching You,” Alex Michaelides “The Silent Patient,” and Rachel Caine’s “Stillhouse Lake” immediately come to mind. Less contemporary influences include Alfred Hitchcock, Shirley Jackson, and Edgar Allan Poe.
What are you working on now?
I’m finishing my third novel, The Excursion. In this “Rainman meets The Most Dangerous Game” thriller, a neurodivergent twenty-something disappears in the mountains of Colorado, and a madman goes on a hunting trip.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My newsletter goes directly to the people I care about most. There is no better promotion than honest, word-of-mouth exchanges between those who have enjoyed my writing.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Authors who truly love to write don’t need advice. They need time, persistence, humility, and encouragement. With that, everything will fall into place.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When you get knocked down, get back up again.
What are you reading now?
Every Last Secret by Alessandra Torre.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll be publishing three psychological thriller novels this year, and I plan to keep this cadence for the foreseeable future. Each of my novels explore mental concerns ranging from brainwashing to addiction to autism to narcissism to . . . stay tuned for more.
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?
Different Seasons by Stephen King, Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.
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T.O. Paine Website
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