Now Was After by Dan Lawton

In the follow-up to That Was Before, Randolph Spiers barely has time to breathe and recover from the con that changed everything—and he’s not alone.

Sheila Backe has vanished, and the chase is on. Foes become friends as Randolph and Benji Griffin team up as the most unlikely of partnerships goes international, following the trail to the South Pacific Island of Fiji.

INTERPOL investigator Gary O’Reilly has boots on the ground back in the States and feeds the duo information, and what they find on the island is a ruthless cat-and-mouse trail of deceit. Their search quickly morphs into something far more than they bargained for, and the hunters become the hunted.

Not only that, but trouble is brewing at home. Even as Randolph tries to put the past behind him, he can’t escape his problems and deepest fears-or the people behind them.

And he still doesn’t know who to trust.

Dan Lawton recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing his latest thriller, NOW WAS AFTER:

Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?

Since this is a sequel (the second book in a three-book series), the characters came first. Plot was a close second, as I knew what the journey would be.

Dan Lawton

What attracts you to this book’s genre?

It’s a good balance of an entertaining thriller—exciting plot, intimate relationships, and lots of suspense.

Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?

Even with the general idea known ahead of time—especially since it’s the second in a three-book series—the story goes places you never imagine. As a writer, that’s the fun you need to work around.

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?

I love John Hart’s work—the dark characters especially—and Harlan Coben’s exciting plots.

*****

Dan Lawton is an award-winning literary suspense, mystery, and thriller author from New Hampshire. He is an active member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) Organization. Awards include:

The Green House
-Winner, Fiction, 2021 New Hampshire Writers’ Project Literary Awards
-Bronze Medalist in the Adult Fiction E-Book category for the 2020 Independent

Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards)
-Finalist for the 2021 Montaigne Medal (Eric Hoffer Awards) for most thought-provoking book
-Finalist in Literary Fiction for the 2020 American Fiction Awards
-Finalist in the Fiction category for the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
-Finalist in the Mystery category for the 2020 Book Excellence Awards

Plum Springs
-Winner of the 2019 New Hampshire Writers’ Project Readers’ Choice Award for Fiction

Deception
-Named one of the best thriller novels of 2017 by the Novel Writing Festival

To learn more about the author and his work, please visit his website.