Episode 322: Heroes, Villains, and Writing a Story That Matters — Interview with Ace Atkins

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Ace Atkins.

Ace Atkins is the author of twenty-six books, including ten Quinn Colson novels and eight New York Times–bestselling novels in the continuation of Robert B. Parker’s iconic Spenser series.

HBO has optioned the Quinn Colson novels with a series currently in high development and Atkins’ second novel for Robert B. Parker estate, Wonderland, was just made into a film with Mark Wahlberg and Winston Duke.

A former newspaper reporter and SEC football player, Ace Atkins also writes essays and investigative pieces for several publications, including Garden & Gun, the Wall Street Journal and Outside. Today we’ll be talking about his latest Quinn Colson novel: The Revelators

In this episode Ace and I discuss:

  • How his books stand for social justice but are not necessarily political in nature.
  • Why writers should be willing to voice their opinions and take a stand.
  • What makes a character a hero or a villain.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

Ace Atkins is the author of twenty-six books, including ten Quinn Colson novels and eight New York Times–bestselling novels in the continuation of Robert B. Parker’s iconic Spenser series. HBO has optioned the Quinn Colson novels with a series currently in high development and Atkins’ second novel for Robert B. Parker estate, Wonderland, was just made into the film Spenser Confidential with Mark Wahlberg and Winston Duke. A former newspaper reporter and SEC football player, Atkins also writes essays and investigative pieces for several publications, including Garden & Gun, the Wall Street Journal and Outside. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his family.

You can learn more about Ace by visiting his website, following him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Revelators 

In this gripping new crime novel from the New York Times-bestselling author, Quinn Colson returns to take down a criminal syndicate that has ravaged his community, threatened his family, and tried to have him killed.

Shot up and left for dead, Sheriff Quinn Colson has revenge on his mind. With the help of his new wife Maggie, rehabilitation, and sheer force of will, he’s walking again, eager to resume his work as a southern lawman and track down those responsible for his attempted murder. But someone is standing in his way: an interim sheriff, appointed by the newly elected Governor Vardaman, the man who Quinn knows ordered his murder. Vardaman sits at the top of the state’s power structure–both legal and criminal–and little does he know, Quinn is still working to take him down.

Quinn will enlist the help of his most trusted friends, including federal agent Jon Holliday, U.S. Marshal Lillie Virgil, and Nat Wilikins, an undercover agent now working for crime queen Fannie Hathcock. Since Quinn’s been gone, the criminal element in north Mississippi has flourished, with Hathcock enjoying unbridled freedom. Now as a bustling factory shuts down, a labor leader ends up dead, and Quinn’s own nephew goes missing, everything looks to be unraveling. Even an old friend from Quinn’s past, Donnie Varner, is out of jail and up to his own ways.

Quinn Colson and company have been planning for years, and now they’re finally ready to bust apart a criminal empire running on a rigged system for far too long. This is the Battle of Jericho, the epic showdown that’s been years in the making. Eventually, the war will end–for better or worse.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 322

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