Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Richard Jay Parker and I now live in Salisbury in the UK. I lived in London for fourteen years and in South Wales prior to that.

Tell us a bit about your latest book.

STOP ME begins with an email chain letter sent by the notorious Vacation Killer. It describes a girl and must be forwarded. If it ends up back in the killer’s inbox he won’t slit her throat. Nobody takes it seriously until the polished jawbone of a prostitute is sent to the police. The missing prostitute fits the description in the email.

In the UK, Leo Sharpe receives such an email but deletes it. Weeks later his wife, Laura, vanishes after only stepping out to the restroom.

John R Bookwalter claims to be the Vacation Killer and runs a website based around his delusion. He’s never left the state of Louisiana and the Vacation Killer has killed around the globe. He’s dismissed by the police as a crank but tells Leo he has Laura. She disappeared in London and the Vacation Killer was suspected because an email was circulated describing her. However, her remains were never sent to the police and Leo wonders why – did the email get back to the Vacation Killer’s inbox?

But as everyone around Leo gives up on Laura ever being found Bookwalter is the only person talking about her in terms of her still being alive. A bizarre internet relationship ensues and Bookwalter comes up with the most plausible theory of how she was abducted.

Leo has to decide whether he should accept Bookwalter’s invitation to fly to New Orleans to find out if there’s any truth in what he’s saying. It’s a story with a very unexpected twist and Leo is led down a lot of dark backstreets before he finds out what really happened to Laura.

What inspired you to write your latest book?

As a lot of people do, I receive email chain letters on a daily basis and it got me thinking about how I would react if one of them threatened somebody’s life if it wasn’t forwarded to ten people.

How did you come up with the title?

The title occurred to me while writing the first couple of chapters. I thought I might change it but as I got further into the book I realised it had a double meaning. More than the emails, it’s about being drawn willingly into something you know you shouldn’t.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

My aim with STOP ME was to continually surprise readers used to conventional thrillers so I guess staying a step ahead and keeping everything as plausible as possible was the real challenge.

What books have most influenced your life most?

There’s a noir thriller called FALLING ANGEL that I really love. It’s by William Hjortsberg and Alan Parker directed the movie (Angel Heart).

What book are you reading now?

I’m always on the look out for new writers so I’m about to read MEAT by Joseph D’Lacey.

What are your current projects?

The trade and mass market paperbacks of STOP ME are already available but on June 6th it will be available on Kindle and other ebook formats so I’m trying to get the word out there. Have had a lot of interest from readers in the US who have been waiting for the ebook.

Download and start reading STOP ME immediately here:
http://tinyurl.com/3rgyzps

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I don’t really have a favourite author but have a number of favourite books – A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess, THE WASP FACTORY by Iain Banks really influenced me when I was younger.

For more of Richard Jay Parker

Website: www.richardjayparker.com
Twitter: @Bookwalter
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1477645928

For readers who want the book outside the UK:
Book Depository do a great shipping deal – anywhere in the world for free:
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780749007072/Stop-Me

Or check out prices and reader reviews on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Me-Richard-Jay-Parker/dp/0749007133/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305138635&sr=1-1

For UK readers it’s available in and through all good bookshops as well as my publisher who do great discounts for book clubs:
http://www.allisonandbusby.com/

Obviously Amazon UK is a good choice for price and more reader reviews:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Me-Richard-Jay-Parker/dp/0749007079/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250668762&sr=8-1