The Reading Bud

Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome Miles Joyner, author of Bazaar, for an author interview with The Reading Bud.

About The Author

Miles Joyner

Miles shifted to novels after years of filmmaking and editing television in the Washington, DC area. He particularly loves the technothriller genre at the moment and is an active member of International Thriller Writers where his first novel, Bazaar, was selected for their Debut Authors program. He also attends monthly meetings for the writer’s group, Novels in Progress DC. 

You can find author Joyner here:
Author Website | Publisher’s Website | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube

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Interview

Welcome to TRB! Please give our readers a brief introduction about yourself before we begin. (We’d love to know beyond what your Author Bio says about you.)

I’m a writer who primarily writes novels and screenplays. I love most genres, but if I had to pick a favorite it’d probably be technothrillers. Nothing much else to say about to me other than what’s in the book 🙂

Beyond the official blurb, could you offer us a unique insight or a behind-the-scenes glimpse into your book?

I first came across the concept of an assassination market in the early 2010s, specifically the one conceived by the controversial engineer Jim Bell which is the basis for how the Bazaar in the novel functions. I was pretty surprised that even though the concept of crowdsourced assassinations may have been used in fiction, I couldn’t find a story based around Bell’s concept about a Crypto-backed dead pool revolutionizing politics. I had always wanted to write something about a tactical squad and I realized the area I grew up in would serve as the perfect backdrop for a dark scenario where Bell’s vision is a reality.

Every book has a starting point. What was the spark or pivotal moment that inspired you to write this one?

Bazaar was originally a TV pilot I wrote. It did pretty well in some screenplay contests, however it was constructive feedback that gave me the idea it was fitting to write the novel. A reader had remarked that while the idea had limitless potential, the characters felt a bit flat except for the anatgonist, Aaron. I wrote the first chapter sometime in late 2019 and it immediately became an addiction.

Is there a core message or theme in your book that you wish readers to discover?

The major theme that seems to fascinate me the most during the writing process is entrepreneurship. In a way, both Aaron and Yemi are entrepreneurs with a common goal, financial freedom. They’re just on opposite sides of the law. One is a contract killer and the other a contract bodyguard. They pursue their goals relentlessly as rapidly evolving technology and widespread sharing of information show the cracks in the modern political system. Other things such as class, corruption, and power are also mixed up in there, but I’m not trying to preach anything. My favorite raction so far has been certain readers wondering if this could really happen given the direction society is going.

Of all the characters in your book, do you have a personal favourite? What makes them special to you?

I love them all for different reasons, but I think my personal favorite may be Damien. He only appears in one scene in the latter half of the novel, yet he has two very different sides to his personality, one he thought he left in the past but is forced to make an appearance when he is faced with the potential for violence. Hopefully this doesn’t spoil the story, but I like how he’s pretty much the only person who humbles Aaron.

How do you approach character development, ensuring they resonate with readers and feel authentic?

I base characters off real life people I’ve met that intrigued me in some shape or form. Even if I didn’t get a long with them. It’s impossible to write something that appeases everybody, so I just focus on creating characters I personally find fascinating or interesting.

What was the inspiration for this book? Was it an idea, an anecdote, a dream, or something else?

That’s hard to pin down, but I pretty much tie it to my fascination with stories centered around squads whether it be video games, films, or novels combined with me learning more about how an assassination market works.

Thank you, author Joyner, for taking the time to answer our questions and for all your insightful and interesting answers!

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About the Book

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