A professional basketball player must intentionally throw the NBA Finals to save his brother’s life.
That’s the premise behind SHOT CLOCK, an action-packed, race-against-the-clock thriller by bestselling James Patterson co-author Andrew Bourelle.
The Dreamscape team was thrilled to have an exclusive Q&A with author, Andrew Bourelle, who answers a few of our burning questions about writing, basketball, and audiobooks.
Q: SHOT CLOCK is an action-packed thriller centered around a professional basketball player who must race-against-the-clock to save his brother the NBA Finals. How do you find inspiration for characters and storylines like this?
I wanted to create a book with two protagonists racing against the clock, one off the court and one on, both who needed to be at the top of their respective games. And once I had that idea, I started to think about the characters. Garrett Streeter is a professional basketball player being coerced into fixing the NBA Finals because his brother is kidnapped. Garrett turns to his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin Glass, and asks for help finding his brother. She was once on the same path as him, a college athlete hoping to go pro, but her dreams got sidelined and she became a police officer instead. I liked the idea of Garrett—someone who has everything Caitlin ever dreamed of—coming to her for help. I knew their history and their vastly different lives could add another layer of pressure to an already tense plot. For me, the recipe for a great thriller is not just a cool premise and fast-moving story. For me, there must be compelling characters the reader can’t help but root for. And worry about!
Q: Ensuring the authenticity of the basketball elements in this story was probably a job in itself. Did you draw on any personal experiences on the court or did you have to do some research?
Basketball has always been my favorite sport, both to play and to watch. I never played in high school, but I played a lot of intramural and pickup games in my twenties and thirties. I was never particularly good, but I always had fun. When writing SHOT CLOCK, I mostly just drew from what I already knew from being a fan, watching lots of basketball over the years. I did research—if you can call it that—like streaming sports documentaries and going to a couple of NBA games, but none of that felt the least bit like work. A lot of writers will tell you that much of their research never makes it onto the page, and that was the case here. I included more basketball in earlier drafts, everything from detailed descriptions of pre-game warmups to conversations between characters submerged in post-game ice baths. But I wanted this book to be for readers who don’t care anything about the sport of basketball as much as for fans, so a lot of that basketball stuff ended on the cutting room floor. I tried to find a balance that will hopefully please fans and non-fans alike.
Q: Are there any scenes or characters from SHOT CLOCK that you found particularly challenging or enjoyable to write? How did they differ from other characters you’ve written in the past?
In basketball—and in any sport really—I love it when a good player steps up and has a great game. So I liked the idea of both Garrett and Caitlin needing to perform better than they
realized they could. It was a challenge for me to create characters who were good at what they did, but who were in situations where they had to be better than good. For example, Caitlin is a police officer, but she works in a small town and she’s not a detective and not used to investigating the kinds of criminals who might be behind this kidnapping. Likewise, Garrett is an amazing basketball player by any normal person’s standards, but he’s not a superstar, not a LeBron James or a Steph Curry. And if you think about it, trying to fix a basketball game—and for it not to be obvious to anyone watching—has to be really hard. Everyone else is just focused on the idea of winning or losing, but Garrett has to control the point spread. Both of them are in over their heads, but maybe, just maybe, they’re good enough at what they do to make it through this.
Q: You have written alongside James Patterson on a few thrilling titles, including your recent shared release, THE TEXAS MURDERS. What is co-writing a thriller like compared to writing one on your own?
James Patterson’s collaborative process is a well-oiled machine that he’s perfected over many, many books. It’s fast and fun to be a part of. There’s pressure, with regular deadlines, but I like working under those pressures, and I think it produces really strong work. I’ve tried to emulate a similar process and schedule with my own books, but it just doesn’t work when the deadline isn’t real or without Jim’s guiding hand. One thing about working with Jim is that there’s no second-guessing. He’s been doing this a long time, so he always knows what the right thing to do is. With me, there’s a bit of extra work as I try different things, revise, cut, try again, rethink myself. There’s more trial and error. I believe the end result is still a very good thriller, but it takes me a little longer to get there.
Q: People often share that the audiobook version adds its own flair to the story – especially thrillers with high stakes like this one. What was your initial reaction when you first heard the narration?
I thought Emma Love did a fantastic job narrating SHOT CLOCK. I rarely reread my own books once they’re published, but I do like listening to the audiobooks to experience the story in a new way. If I may be permitted to use a metaphor from a different sport than basketball, Emma knocked it out of the park!
Q: Audiobooks offer a unique way for readers to experience a story, especially considering SHOT CLOCK is only available in audio currently. How do you think the auditory format influences the reader’s engagement with the text? How do you feel Emma Love’s narration enhances the storytelling experience?
Garrett is almost a co-lead in the story, but it’s Caitlin who is really the protagonist. SHOT CLOCK is more her story than anyone else’s. I wanted her to be tough and able to kick butt, but I also wanted her to have moments of doubt and vulnerability. Honestly, I chose her last name because Glass can be sharp, it can cut you, it can be dangerous, but it can also be fragile and can break if you’re not careful. What I love about Emma’s narration is that she was able to capture both sides of Caitlin’s character, both the toughness and vulnerability. I think when you hear Caitlin’s voice through Emma’s narration, Caitlin comes across as someone who can cut like a knife, but who also might break under the pressure she’s under. You have to keep listening to find out which side of the dichotomy prevails.
SHOT CLOCK is available NOW everywhere you listen to audiobooks
Follow the retailer links below to add to your TBR today!
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