{"id":927,"date":"2026-06-15T19:03:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T19:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=927"},"modified":"2026-06-15T19:03:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T19:03:50","slug":"page-turning-thrillers-and-the-stories-behind-the-stories-a-conversation-with-local-author-john-david","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=927","title":{"rendered":"Page-Turning Thrillers, and the Stories Behind the Stories: A Conversation with Local Author John David"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On Episode 13 of <\/span>The Miami Book Hub <\/span><\/i>podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Pinecrest author <\/span>John David<\/b>, whose Pete Lamaster thriller series has already begun turning heads well beyond South Florida.<\/span><\/p>

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John is a public relations strategist and crisis communications consultant by day, and\u2014like many of us trying to balance careers, families, and creative dreams\u2014an author by night. His professional background gives him a unique lens through which to write fiction, particularly fiction centered on journalism, media pressure, public narratives, and the dangerous speed at which stories can take on a life of their own.<\/span><\/p>\n

His first thriller, <\/span>The Bystander<\/i><\/b>, introduces Pete Lamaster, a television reporter who unexpectedly captures a shocking act of violence on camera. As John described it, Pete is \u201ca happy-go-lucky reporter\u201d covering a festive college football weekend when \u201cthere\u2019s an active shooter incident,\u201d and the footage he captures quickly goes viral. An armed bystander is hailed as a hero, but, as John put it perfectly, \u201ceverything is not as it seems.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That premise launches a fast-paced mystery that touches on gun rights, veterans issues, media ethics, and misinformation without, John emphasized, becoming preachy. \u201cI wrote a work of fiction,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a mystery novel. It\u2019s meant to be fun. It\u2019s meant to be escapist. But when you touch on the issues of the day, it makes it more interesting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bystander<\/span><\/i> won the 2025 Page Turner Award in the mystery category, was a Storytrade Award finalist, and was named one of the best thrillers of 2025 by BestThrillers.com. His second book, <\/span>The Pawn<\/i><\/b>, was released this May, and the third installment, <\/span>The Pretender<\/i><\/b>, is already in developmental editing and scheduled for release in March 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was John\u2019s take on journalism in today\u2019s fractured media environment. Pete Lamaster may begin as a more casual local reporter, but over the course of the series, John said, he becomes \u201ca little bit more serious about his craft.\u201d That evolution feels especially timely in a world of social media, commentary masquerading as news, viral clips, AI-generated content, and click-driven coverage.<\/span><\/p>

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John also offered generous advice for aspiring writers. His first rule: find the process that works for you. \u201cSome people have to write every day,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I can\u2019t write every day. I have day jobs.\u201d For John, dictation has become a useful tool because, as he explained, \u201cideas come from my brain to my mouth quicker than they can come to my hand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His second rule was even simpler: \u201cYou start by starting.\u201d Whether that means an outline, a first chapter, a character sketch, or a rough idea, the important thing is to begin, and then power through the inevitable self-doubt. \u201cThe DNA is there,\u201d he said of those early drafts. \u201cThe idea is there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to book promotion, John\u2019s public relations background helps, but there is no magic formula. His advice: knock on as many doors as possible and experiment. \u201cIf we all knew what was working, we would all be doing it,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Readers can learn more about John David, his books, and his newsletter at <\/span>ByJohnDavid.com<\/b>. His novels are available wherever books are sold online.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can watch this and other episodes of <\/span>The Miami Book Hub<\/span><\/i> at <\/span>YouTube.com\/@J.AdrianBetancourt<\/b> and listen to it on <\/span>Spotify<\/b>. Please like, subscribe, and share with your friends and family.\u00a0 Until next time\u2026 keep reading, keep writing, and stay curious, Miami!<\/span><\/p>

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On Episode 13 of The Miami Book Hub podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Pinecrest author John David, whose Pete Lamaster thriller series has already begun turning heads well beyond South Florida. John is a public relations strategist and crisis communications consultant by day, and\u2014like many of us trying to balance careers,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miami-dade-community-news","tag-miami-dade-community-news"],"yoast_head":"\nPage-Turning Thrillers, and the Stories Behind the Stories: A Conversation with Local Author John David - Miami Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=927\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Page-Turning Thrillers, and the Stories Behind the Stories: A Conversation with Local Author John David - Miami Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Episode 13 of The Miami Book Hub podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Pinecrest author John David, whose Pete Lamaster thriller series has already begun turning heads well beyond South Florida. 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