Brian Freeman – the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 thrillers, including the Duluth-based Jonathan Stride series and multiple standalone novels – is set to present at this year's virtual Chippewa Valley Book Festival from Oct. 24-29. In 2019, Freeman was selected by Robert Ludlum estate to take over the iconic Jason Bourne series, and his novel The Bourne Evolution was named one of the best mysteries and thrillers of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. He is slated to present “A Thrill a Minute: The Twists and Turns of Mystery Writing” on Oct. 27, streaming from The Pablo Center at 7pm. Freeman will discuss his creative process, changes in the book world for both writers and readers, and some of the challenges he faced while taking over the development of an iconic hero such as Jason Bourne. 

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

One day your photo and Robert Ludlum’s photo will appear side by side on book covers. That’s pretty amazing.  

What do you hope readers learn from your books?

What I want readers to do with my books is get caught up in the sweep of the stories and the characters – to get carried away and not be able to put the book down. The great power of books is to lift you out of your current circumstances and take you somewhere completely different.  

What book would you most want to read again for the first time?

The Magus by John Fowles was one of my favorite novels growing up. Its take on alternate realities inspired my recent stand-alone thriller Infinite. 

What are you reading right now?

I mostly read nonfiction myself — history and biographies. Right now I’m reading Agent Sonya by Ben Macintyre about a World War II Russian spy in the U.K. Nonfiction is actually very helpful for fiction writers. It gives you a lot of insights into human behavior.  

Do you have a favorite quote about reading and/or writing?

I always tell aspiring writers: “100% of unwritten books have never been published.” In other words, get busy!

Learn more about Brian Freeman at bfreemanbooks.com.