Author Name: Ryan Wick

Book Title: Safecracker

Book Genre: Crime Fiction / Thriller

Release Date: August 11, 2020

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin’s Press

How would you describe your novel?

A professional thief inadvertently witnesses a murder and finds himself being pursued by a relentless female assassin working for the Sinaloa drug cartel.

How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do have to do any research?

All in, it probably took me about two years to write. And then of course some additional months for rewrites and publisher revisions. Research played a huge part throughout the process. I had to learn about lockpicking, the different ways to crack a safe, how to bypass security systems, weapons training, and of course I had to make sure I was keeping up to date with everything happening in Mexico with the ever-shifting landscape of the cartels and how they operate.

For you, what’s the hardest thing about writing?

Finding the time to actually do it. Working on set all day (sometimes 10 – 14 hours at a clip) is exhausting, both mentally and physically. Plus in my line of work, I’m also traveling constantly so it’s hard for me to get in a regular routine where I can sit down and crank out a substantial word count. A lot of my weekends are spent playing catch up with my personal writing goals.

What do you love most about it?

The best part about writing is hearing from readers who are genuinely excited about the stories that I’m telling. To me, there’s no better feeling than getting a positive review or message from someone who says your work inspired them or at the very least allowed them to take a little “escape” and disappear into a story for a little while.

If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Safecracker?

I feel like my book is for anyone who loves edge-of-your-seat suspense. The primary goal in writing this, aside from creating a protagonist that people would love and root for, was keeping the story moving at a hundred miles an hour, with enough twists and turns that it would be incredibly hard to put down. Personally, I love books where you keep saying to yourself “ok, just one more chapter…I need to find out what happens next…” until, before you know it, it’s 3 o’ clock in the morning and you’ve finished the whole thing.

How does your day job inform your novel writing?

I’ve been a director for about fifteen years now so I’m used to telling stories visually. With a book, I had to learn how to build upon that and highlight not only the world I was creating but what my characters were hearing and touching, what they were smelling, as well everything going on inside their heads. It was actually incredibly cathartic not having to worry about budgets or executives in a room giving notes for a change. For once, the only thing that dictated where the story was headed was what made the most exciting narrative and what my characters ended up telling me as I wrote them.

Are you working on a new project?

I am. I’m working on the follow up to Safecracker as well as several other projects at the moment. A couple TV pilots and a feature.

Where can readers find you (website, blog, social media, etc.)?

My website is www.ryanwickbooks.com and on social media, readers can find me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook under @ryanwickbooks.

Thank you, Ryan! Safecracker is now available for pre-order.

Safecracker

“Safecracker is a blisteringly original slice of contemporary noir as channeled through both Donald Westlake and his alter ego Richard Stark. Ryan Wick’s sterling crime thriller, also reminiscent of Lawrence Block and George Higgins at their level best, is part heist story and part cat-and-mouse game with a clock ticking loudly in the background. A wise and wonderful tale distinguished by razor-sharp dialogue and spot-on narration, Safecracker is a must for all readers who like their crime stories done fast and hard.”
―Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of the Murder, She Wrote series

Author bio:

Ryan Wick is an author, award-winning director, screenwriter and Filipino martial arts instructor. A member of both the Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers, when Ryan isn’t hunkered down writing in his apartment in New York, he still teaches Filipino Martial Arts, travels the world and enjoys scuba diving. If you buy him a glass of whiskey or wine, he’ll be more than happy to regal you with embarrassing or unbelievable celebrity stories from his fifteen+ years of working in entertainment.