a psychiatrist, who tells Moran he is her patient and he’s been undergoing a hypnotherapy treatment based on the idea that with every choice he faces, he creates an infinite number of parallel universes. An infinite number of second chances, so to speak.

However, the parallel universes are unlocked and his doppelganger wants to claim his life. Will Moran reclaim the life that was stolen from him or will he lose it?

It’s an intriguing plot that addresses a question many wonder: What if you could go back in time and make a different decision? How would your life have turned out?

“This story has a real, emotional core for me,” Freeman said. “We are a product of the good and the bad decisions we make. That’s what makes us who we are. If you go back and pull one thread, you don’t know how that’s going to change you.”

Your life might turn out better, but it could very well turn out worse. There’s no way to know how those interconnected threads all relate to each other. While it’s tempting to want a chance to go back, it might not always be the best thing.

As for the upcoming film, Freeman recently spoke with screenwriter, Chris Morgan, known for his work with the Fast & Furious franchise. He feels his story is in good hands.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how it will unfold,” he said of his first book to film. “This is a situation where I’d like to be a fly on the wall. It will be fascinating to see how it all comes together.”

That’s not the only exciting news in Freeman’s life. He recently learned that “The Deep, Deep Snow” received the Minnesota Book Award. The Robert Ludlum estate chose Freeman to take over the Jason Bourne series; American book review magazine Kirkus Reviews named “The Bourne Evolution” one of the best mysteries and thrillers of 2020. The paperback version will be available May 25. Freeman’s next Bourne book, “The Bourne Treachery,” will be in stores July 27.

And if that wasn’t enough, “The Ursulina,” a follow-up to “The Deep, Deep Snow” will come out this summer. According to Freeman, the Ursulina is a mythical creature like Big Foot, Sasquatch or Yeti. Jonathan Strides fans can also look forward to the next novel in that series, due out this summer.

Writing

“My goal is to write books with haunting characters and a lightning-fast pace,” Freeman notes on his website. “My stories are about the hidden intimate motives that draw people across some dark lines. The twists and turns keep you turning the pages, and each piece in the puzzle give you new insight into the heroes, victims and villains.”

Freeman, a Chicago native who moved with his family to California, returned to the Midwest to attend Carleton College. He met wife, Marcia, and they’ve been in Minnesota for the past 35 years.

“You can take the boy out of the Midwest, but you can’t the Midwest out of the boy,” Freeman said.

Before his writing career took off, he was the director of marketing and public relations for an international law firm. He told The Journal he wrote five books before he broke through with “Immoral” 16 years ago.

“Those books are sitting in my nightstand drawer,” Freeman said. “I consider them as cutting my teeth creatively.”

His favorite childhood books were the Alfred Hitchcock & the Three Investigators young adult mystery series, which shaped his love of crime fiction. He also honed his writing skills by publishing a newspaper about his stuffed pandas, written with a Bic pen on lined notebook paper.

He encourages aspiring writers to keep writing; finish the book, don’t give up.

“Writers are their own worst enemies,” Freeman said. “They lose confidence and are demoralized. Keep at it and finish. One hundred percent of unfinished books are never published.”

Even if it’s not published, a writer can still have a sense of accomplishment, Freeman added.

Freeman’s writing process takes about six months. He likes to research as he goes along; a book’s course is not pre-determined. His days in a traditional office job have him keeping a 9 to 5 workday. That doesn’t mean he always leaves his work behind at the stroke of 5 p.m.

“I can’t always put it down at the end of a day,” Freeman said. “Characters and stories follow you throughout the day.”

Just how does an author decide on characters’ names? Some have significance, some are found in “wildly unexpected” places.

Jonathan Stride, the detective from Duluth, bears the name Stride because it symbolizes his dogged determination, to stride forward no matter what. Other characters might be named after readers, who have the chance to bid in fundraisers to have their name in a Freeman book.

“I warn people, they might end up a victim, a villain, a hero, you never know,” Freeman said.

Homicide inspector Frost Easton, another popular character with his own series, came by his name in an unusual way. Freeman and his wife were driving in southwestern Minnesota when he came across a sign directing travelers to two towns, in opposite directions. If you guessed the towns were Frost and Easton, you would be correct.

“I don’t like books where the characters are all good or all bad,” Freeman said. “I want them to live in the real world, where morality means tough choices and a lot of shades of gray. I hope that’s why readers relate so intensely to the people in my books.”

And relate they do. Freeman said readers’ emails remind him of words’ power, especially their power to lift people above their circumstances.

“Many people have told me they turned to reading to get them through this terrible time,” Freeman said of the pandemic. “It’s a tiny silver lining in this dark cloud. Nothing touches me more.”

To connect with Freeman, visit bfreemanbooks. com, or find him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

To access the RF Public Library program, visit www.riverfallspubliclibrary.org/libraryevents. html