Interview with Joseph Lewis

In my latest author interview, I talked with Joseph Lewis about crime and mystery writing, his love for the Green Bay Packers and all Milwaukee sports, starting a writing career later in life, and his latest Black Rose Writing novel, Blaze In, Blaze Out.

I saw on your Facebook page that you’re a Green Bay Packers fan. How did you get into rooting for the Packers? What is your favorite memory of the Packers?

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, so rooting for the Packers (and Brewers and Bucks) came naturally. There are so many fond memories. One Christmas, Kim and I bought tickets to a Vikings game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay for us, for my daughter and her now husband, and my other daughter and her boyfriend. It was the coldest game I’ve ever been to, and with Rodgers not playing because of an injury, the Packers lost. But what made the game and evening special was that Kim and I shared that experience with Hannah and Alex, and Emily and Q.

Let’s talk about your background. You’re a retired teacher and basketball coach. How do your experiences influence your writing?

You can find me all over the pages of my books. The first four books were a direct result of my work as a counselor and my work with the Wetterling Foundation for missing and sexually exploited children. I worked as an adjunct educator speaking to parent groups, school assemblies, teacher groups, and various organizations on how to keep kids safe and what to look for. Because Kim and I had our own children, instead of picturing Johnny Gosch, Elizabeth Smart, or Jacob Wetterling, I began picturing my own kids, Wil and Hannah. I felt I had to step away, but I always felt the need to give back and tell the story of sexually abused and exploited kids and missing children. The books: Taking Lives, Stolen Lives, Shattered Lives, and Splintered Lives directly resulted from my work with the foundation, my work as a counselor listening to kids and their parents, and the hours of research I put in to make myself smarter and a better counselor and speaker.

My latter four books: Caught in a Web, Spiral Into Darkness, Betrayed, and my newest, Blaze In, Blaze Out, result from my working with kids for 46 years and counting as a teacher, coach, counselor, and administrator. I listened to kids, watched kids. As much as…