PopSyndicate.com

This month, author Austin Camacho stops by Pop Syndicate to tell us about his latest Hannibal Jones novel, and what keeps him motivated to write.

Before the Web, it took some digging to find out when and where your favorite authors were on tour. Then, it wasn’t always easy to get to the venue.  If you were lucky enough to make it, then chances were you could not get any good face time with the author because of the line of people also waiting for an autograph and a handshake.

The Internet has changed that. Now, authors are only a Google search and button click away. We meet them on MySpace, share jokes with them on FaceBook, and find out what they are reading on Shelfari. With the invention of the blog, we can now hear from them directly and learn about their lives and latest projects via virtual book tours.

The Pop Syndicate Book Blog is proud to be a virtual book tour sponsor. Throughout the year, we will bring authors to you through interviews, columns and articles about their latest works. Be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed, or become a MySpace friend, so you don’t miss a tour.

For our inaugural debut, we feature Austin Camacho, author of two book series, including the popular PI Hannibal Jones series. I first met Camacho at the Love is Murder conference in Chicago last year. What struck me was his enthusiasm for the craft. He always has ideas for new stories – and he makes the time to write them down and pursue his dream of being a published author. His background adds authenticity to his work. He had to quit college early because of cost, then went to factory work, sold insurance and ended up in the U.S. Army, where he trained to be a broadcast journalist. That’s where he developed his writing skills and a taste for news and PR. While in the service, Camacho lived in Maryland, Georgia, Missouri, California and Belgium, and he spent time in Iraq during Operation: Desert Storm. He started writing fiction based on the exotic locales he visited in the military.

Camacho’s signature character, Hannibal Jones, has his own Web site and podcast. Described as a “troubleshooter,” Jones just likes to help people out of tight places. He’s the strong silent type – and a one-woman man.

Later this week, we’ll chat with Camacho about Hannibal Jones and what keeps him writing.

Find out more about Hannibal Jones: http://hannibaljones.blogspot.com/
Austin Camacho’s website: http://www.ascamacho.com/