tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144702556996032172024-03-15T00:00:35.276-07:00Dietrich KalteisThe home of Off the CuffDietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.comBlogger308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-27297871564082786362024-03-15T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-15T00:00:00.244-07:00Off the Cuff with Gabriel Valjan — Part 2<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiG3pHpnL7jlrAXx46uDap-fdV0TsqEotTc2jo1rwP3Fvy4sHM6NRj9S5raqN8v_nqPrsEPpEF1MdL1HUX71IsiN4JyRY_fjYXAyyEdr9n0iFJT0fybAxw04J_wv5Kpyo7aLNp96uu_N7fQtY32NA7GH1tMterEz_YPOjaP-Yf7NzdNDKxXy1CsFdgDYpDC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiG3pHpnL7jlrAXx46uDap-fdV0TsqEotTc2jo1rwP3Fvy4sHM6NRj9S5raqN8v_nqPrsEPpEF1MdL1HUX71IsiN4JyRY_fjYXAyyEdr9n0iFJT0fybAxw04J_wv5Kpyo7aLNp96uu_N7fQtY32NA7GH1tMterEz_YPOjaP-Yf7NzdNDKxXy1CsFdgDYpDC=w181-h200" width="181" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Dietrich:</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Gabriel is back with the second part of our interview, talking more about </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Big Lie</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, telling us how he came to write it.</span></span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: The Big Lie</i> is the fifth Shane Cleary Mystery from Level Best Books. Shane’s life has achieved some stability. His relationship with his lawyer-girlfriend is solid. His cat Delilah has a warm bed and a bowl full of kibble. Bonnie is tasked with a pro bono case at her firm, but the partners won’t give her a private investigator, yet expect fast results and good PR. Her case of a young African-American teen with a record isn’t open and shut. Mafioso Tony Two-Times needs a Latin tutor for his niece, and nothing is straightforward with Tony. What upends Shane’s life is another run-in with Jimmy, South Boston’s tenured psychopath. Jimmy’s dog is missing, and he asks Shane to find the pooch in exchange for a secret that Jimmy says will change Shane’s life. There’s the usual Boston color, wry humor, and menace in the air.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPWZcuBSGPETKg88bOvvnxdk5QByCmTyUUWhuBUpNES0nMkobRr44H47dwvYSJvezVrTGZmf675h-3Xf0buNvwBpmn2fMMk1iS6npcuSKpFklprdKOXF8fXu3OCzqMfjzFNaFdspE50GcC29iznNvMkLb1sjdVJUO2cpuwiqcVis9KtTL0RZ-0YtHAP47r" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPWZcuBSGPETKg88bOvvnxdk5QByCmTyUUWhuBUpNES0nMkobRr44H47dwvYSJvezVrTGZmf675h-3Xf0buNvwBpmn2fMMk1iS6npcuSKpFklprdKOXF8fXu3OCzqMfjzFNaFdspE50GcC29iznNvMkLb1sjdVJUO2cpuwiqcVis9KtTL0RZ-0YtHAP47r=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich</i>: So, what inspired <i>The Big Lie</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: The Big Lie</i> drew inspiration from one obscure slice of New England history, and recent revelations that I think many in law enforcement here in Boston would prefer remain hidden. I had stumbled upon a neglected slice of history concerning the juvenile system. It’s the stuff of nightmares, not on the scale of the Magdalene Laundries debacle in Ireland, but pretty close. Instead of the Catholic Church, we can lay the blame on the legal system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Young offenders were sent to the Cottages in Shirley, Massachusetts. The Cottages were created to stem juvenile delinquency in young boys and girls. The ideal was that kids were taught a trade and experienced a structured life. The reality was rife with abuse of all kinds. The abuse was so bad that police officers dreaded taking children there. The Cottages were shuttered in 1972. We may laugh now at how freaked out people were about juvenile delinquency, but revisit the teen angst films with James Dean, Marlon Brando in <i>The Wild One</i>, or <i>Blackboard Jungle</i>. Into the 1970s, cities ran Scared Straight programs to quash teen crime.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The other tangent of history that I worked with and will develop more if I continue the series is how the FBI ‘handled’ James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, the inspiration for my Jimmy character. For those who don’t know, Bulger worked as an informant for the FBI. One side of the story says that the FBI agent assigned to Bulger went rogue, and the two men masterminded both crimes and schemes to eliminate their competition. The flip side to the narrative—and the one I’m inclined to believe, given how long Bulger survived the criminal underworld—is that Bulger was ‘protected’ and eyes looked away from his crimes because law enforcement wanted to obliterate organized crime in Boston’s Italian North End. That crimes committed by informants were considered a ‘necessary evil’ and ignored is a recurring theme I’ve read about numerous times. Quite disturbing. In my opinion, I’m convinced controlling the Irish Winter Hill Gang was easier to do than clamping down on Cosa Nostra.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Was there a favorite part in writing it?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel:</i> I like all my characters, so what I enjoy most when I write them is developing their character arcs. I want to show readers that people are not all good or all bad. Jimmy, for example, is a killer, but he loves his dog and his mother. Tony Two-Times is a career criminal, but he’s hilarious, although I wouldn’t advise laughing in his presence. I write about friendships and relationships; the mystery is secondary. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You did mention you were working on two new novels, a mystery and a new installment in the Company Files. But, you hinted there was more?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel:</i> I have a couple of skillets on the burners. I’m editing a novel set in 1930s Shanghai, while writing the fourth Company Files novel, which deals with the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup d’état in Iran—the event that restored the Shah of Iran to the Peacock Throne, for the sake of Anglo oil interests, and ultimately led to the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Here’s the excerpt from <i>The Big Lie</i> that Gabriel would like to share. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">Comment</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">: readers later learn that the ‘drag queen’ had taught Tony’s late father how to sing, in an effort to help him recover from a stroke. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Tony snatched the guy by the throat, lifted him up, and kept him suspended in mid-air. While he writhed, Tony talked.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Listen to me, wannabe tough guy. He’s a friend of mine. He does his job, and I expect him to get paid for services rendered.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Tony dropped the guy. On all fours, on the floor, coughing, he gasped, “I don’t get it.” </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“What’s there to get? He works. You pay. What’s to understand?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“He’s a nobody. What concern is it of yours?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Like I said, he’s a friend.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“You’re friends with a drag queen?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“It’s a job. He’s an entertainer. Have you looked at your clientele most nights?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>The manager stood up. The light overhead highlighted the slick of sweat and oil, or both, on his bald head. He dared to justify himself. “I take a cut. Anyone who works here kicks a percentage from their tips to me. It’s the privilege of working The Other Side. You, of all people, should know how it works.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Then change the policy or make an exception,” Tony said. When he parted his jacket again, I worried. Tony took a step forward. “And another thing, don’t disrespect your employees the way you do.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“What the hell you talking about?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“You called them degenerates, freaks, and faggots.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>The guy looked genuinely shocked. “But your friend is queer, a drag queen.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>All six-six of Tony looked as if he were ready to drill the guy into the floorboards.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Let me enlighten you. The man you called a faggot and a degenerate isn’t any of those things.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>The man held up both hands. “He’s your friend. I get it. I get it.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“No, I don’t think you do. He’s a teacher. History and music are his subjects. He works this sewer because he needs the money. He has a lovely wife, and his kid has special needs, but the three jobs between the two of them don’t cover the bills for their kid. You follow?” The runt nodded while Tony laid into him some more. “That summers-off crap people seem to think is “The Life of Riley” of teachers isn’t. Rob him, and you steal from me. The next thing I want to hear is that you restored him.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“‘Restored him’? What the hell does that mean?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“As in, you made him whole again, paid him what you stole from him, and I’d appreciate if you kicked in extra for the inconvenience. If I hear otherwise, that sign over the door that says The Other Side will have another meaning for you. Are we clear?”</i></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Dietrich:</span></i><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Thanks to Gabriel for the interview. Remember, there's plenty more at his website: </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://gabrielvaljan.com" target="_blank">gabriel valjan.com</a></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-63881845557675102972024-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-01T00:00:00.133-08:00 Off the Cuff with Gabriel Valjan<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEji43H1K1C6ny4-t_NHmyn3eCPye1WfNFg3zYHryfkVOrti5dX9Bxpvq_WK5NBAD1RquC7yAkPdVe87D7FHYbfwniZTOQlWZjGpc46B8gHbZUN0a9GrgL83w5JqO5wLPOy4Py0y7HlLyCKhtZhOeZsPm2KzuEeX97JZBKFU6D-8OIGvWrZIxSoxtVuCOcuW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEji43H1K1C6ny4-t_NHmyn3eCPye1WfNFg3zYHryfkVOrti5dX9Bxpvq_WK5NBAD1RquC7yAkPdVe87D7FHYbfwniZTOQlWZjGpc46B8gHbZUN0a9GrgL83w5JqO5wLPOy4Py0y7HlLyCKhtZhOeZsPm2KzuEeX97JZBKFU6D-8OIGvWrZIxSoxtVuCOcuW=w181-h200" width="181" /></span></a></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Gabriel Valjan is the author of the Roma Series, The Company Files, and the Shane Cleary Mysteries. He has been listed for the Fish Prize three times, shortlisted for the Bridport Prize once, and received an Honorable Mention for the Nero Wolfe Black Orchid Novella Contest. Gabriel has been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, the Silver Falchion Award, and received the 2021 Macavity Award for Best Short Story. Gabriel is a member of the Historical Novel Society, ITW, MWA, and Sisters in Crime.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguaOAph5_ZEBLuc-vbyxVUZGtoTYCWHw6vRc0mxEVCbfOeVPBgjMZ6REeoRgS-fDgTXjEFXn-2zuP_t62VSkxlt-D4uEtDlg_8Nwq0wKDjbJ8mMmcAAGHSK26HC_YRKz2xwtD9pRfukfZRJTHhwe7JPl4ELaMsbFtd0OdpK-MwUkq8FE0jgV6-Y-flFGTx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="924" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguaOAph5_ZEBLuc-vbyxVUZGtoTYCWHw6vRc0mxEVCbfOeVPBgjMZ6REeoRgS-fDgTXjEFXn-2zuP_t62VSkxlt-D4uEtDlg_8Nwq0wKDjbJ8mMmcAAGHSK26HC_YRKz2xwtD9pRfukfZRJTHhwe7JPl4ELaMsbFtd0OdpK-MwUkq8FE0jgV6-Y-flFGTx=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome back, Gabriel. The new one’s called <i>The Big Lie</i>. Please give us the premise?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>Thank you for having me back, Dietrich. Let’s jump in, shall we?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Shane’s girlfriend Bonnie asks him for help with a pro bono case at her law firm. A young African-American teenager has been accused of burglary. In addition to his race, he is poor and has already been through the system as a juvenile offender. For some levity, Tony Two-Times, Shane’s mafioso ‘friend,’ asks Shane for a peculiar favor. Shane’s bar-owner friend John asks Shane to intercede on his behalf with Tony’s boss because he’s experiencing a shakedown from Irish thugs. At the heart of the novel, however, Shane’s being hired by someone who tried to kill him in <i>Liar’s Dice</i>. His ‘client’ offers to pay him to retrieve something stolen from him. The money is good, but what his nemesis dangles for incentive is better: proof that everything Shane thought about an incident in his past is a lie. Whether the truth pushes him into a dark place remains to be seen, but life will never be the same for Shane Cleary.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7B9YU1xHXseNgqXqXHeg6QZSuAtLHkUta0xjwzuMxE9_fT6VQLvBHo7PMqE6unpw9wJEvnU66XnY-oUXq0VLhACr_ZgrvI7S2b3f9LgeRVmBo8ca57V7gFMxg2i2RWgRytsbrK-b_E6wNuE4zA6Qku22LhtiZhazdejWtCEhgR9gYlN_xHNi7XO2k0lYZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="812" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7B9YU1xHXseNgqXqXHeg6QZSuAtLHkUta0xjwzuMxE9_fT6VQLvBHo7PMqE6unpw9wJEvnU66XnY-oUXq0VLhACr_ZgrvI7S2b3f9LgeRVmBo8ca57V7gFMxg2i2RWgRytsbrK-b_E6wNuE4zA6Qku22LhtiZhazdejWtCEhgR9gYlN_xHNi7XO2k0lYZ=w362-h400" width="362" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Last time around we spoke about <i>Liar’s Dice</i>. Having read the book, I came away with a vivid image of the character. Now that Shane Cleary’s back, let me ask, who should play him in the movie version?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>Wow. Nobody has asked me this question, but I’d have to say Colin Farrell because he, like Shane, has a certain mischievous sparkle in his eyes. Shane has a sardonic sense of humor and the way Colin carries himself is a good match to Shane.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Last time you mentioned that you like to include a piece of forgotten history. I like how you did this in <i>Liar’s Dice</i> without making it sound like a history lesson. Is there a piece of forgotten history in <i>The Big Lie</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>For readers who have not read <i>Liar’s Dice</i>, I weaved in American and Canadian organized crime history, along with an episode of Shane’s tour in Vietnam. In <i>The Big Lie</i>, I kept it to local history, such as the gay bars, now extinct, and Tony’s neighborhood of Nonantum, which remains to this day an Italian-American neighborhood, outside of Boston’s North End. I briefly touch on a notorious juvenile facility in Shirley, Massachusetts. The place was legendary for its abuse of kids sent there, to the point that cops dreaded bringing young offenders there. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As a rule, I have peppered the Shane Cleary series with tidbits of Seventies popular culture because I want readers to know how bad the Seventies were for women, for people of color, and for the LGBT+ community. We’ve come a long way and we need to be reminded of that, and that some prejudices remain with us today. The decade was a cynical one, and I maintain it’s the last hurrah before the AIDS crisis and before Reagan destroyed labor unions and the middle class.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
<i>Dietrich:</i> You mentioned that you don’t have a problem writing dialogue because you really get to know your characters. Do you find as you work through a draft that the characters start to take over and there’s a point where you feel like they’re writing their own dialogue?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>Yes. I believe most writers will tell you that once a character is developed, their personality, mannerisms, and tics come easily. They write themselves. You’ll hear the conversation inside your head. I’d think this is especially true for writers who write a series; it’s time spent with family. In writing dialog, my goal is to achieve what George V. Higgins did with <i>The Friends of Eddie Coyle</i>. Once the reader is familiar with the cast, they can open the book to any page, point to a line, and know who said what, without speaker tags. To ‘fall into page, into the dialogue’ is a real joy for the reader, and I want to do that for my readers.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Is there anything new or different in your approach from when you wrote the first book in the series?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>I would say that I was more ruthless about editing and revising <i>The Big Lie</i>. I know I’m hard on myself, but I scrutinize every sentence for clarity and whether it contributes to either character or plot. I’ll delete an image or a line that makes me pause, or if I think it will lose readers. When I wrote Chapter Two in <i>The Big Lie</i>, I agonized over the exchange between Shane and Tony because there’s humor, which is difficult to write, but it’s humor with an edge.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I wanted that razor’s edge, where you want to laugh but you know you shouldn’t because it’s deadly business. I fine-tuned the scene where Tony confronts a homophobic club owner. It has a sharp edge to it, but it also reveals Tony’s humanity. He gives a kid advice on confidence, and he talks about his father. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> As far as writing goes, who would you say are your biggest influences?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>Writers are influenced by everyone they read. I mean that. Let’s be honest, writers are thieves, and the best ones do it with ingenuity. After you read for pleasure, you start analyzing other writers, how they do their craft. The writers I’ve returned to are authors at two extremes, either they write the clean journalistic line of a Jimmy Breslin or with the lyricism of a Pete Hamill. Think of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, in terms of “literary fiction.” In applying the comparison to authors of crime fiction, it’s James M. Cain or Raymond Chandler. Each author I named demonstrated a talent that I admire but I approach with caution. Not all of Chandler’s similes and metaphors work, and Ray did not plot well. For dialog, I’ve looked to George V. Higgins, aware that he admired John O’Hara’s gift for dialog. The lesson there is to find balance between exposition and dialogue, otherwise it’s a script. Cain’s <i>Double</i> <i>Indemnity</i> is a perfect crime novel to me; it’s short, at thirty-thousand words, there’s no fluff. I admire writers who can make me “fall into the page” and forget the world. I mentioned earlier how humor is difficult to write. Another thing that’s difficult to write is elegance, the ability to say much with so little. John le Carré could create a universe and a depth of meaning in one sentence. I’m envious of that ability.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> So, what are you working on now? And what can fans look forward to next?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>I’m working on two projects: revising a mystery set in Thirties Shanghai; and drafting the fourth Company Files novel, set in the Fifties Borscht Belt.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt from <i>The Big Lie</i> that you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I’ve posted the first chapter on my blog: </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">https://gabrielswharf.wordpress.com/2023/10/25/excerpt-the-big-lie-a-shane-cleary-mystery/ </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thank you to Gabriel Valjan for the interview. You can visit him and find out more at his website <a href="https://gabrielvaljan.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-53744049749154286812024-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-15T00:00:00.141-08:00Off the Cuff with George Pelecanos<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBVF6h382IlUwapKGzJcEJGIjQo1Ii3NWVGnNw3_NqwV_5qpI6DGcWbzhG4utGdfo_NP52w043h5qLiea1Mzp_Lwr_qefIHIi_mNcbMbWO41pbcNjHgqzvLrpp6AkhWv7fIIoTXtL30N5z320wp5dk3BNAj-b-8Wb3Bgi3dH2ZLoZ6wpcY6y-lFjdiST9u" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBVF6h382IlUwapKGzJcEJGIjQo1Ii3NWVGnNw3_NqwV_5qpI6DGcWbzhG4utGdfo_NP52w043h5qLiea1Mzp_Lwr_qefIHIi_mNcbMbWO41pbcNjHgqzvLrpp6AkhWv7fIIoTXtL30N5z320wp5dk3BNAj-b-8Wb3Bgi3dH2ZLoZ6wpcY6y-lFjdiST9u=w181-h200" width="181" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">George Pelecanos is back to chat about his new novel, </span><i>Owning Up</i><span style="background-color: white;">, published by Little, Brown. He’s the best-selling author of twenty-three novels and story collections and the recipient of numerous awards. He’s served as producer on the feature films </span><i>Caught</i><span style="background-color: white;">, </span><i>Whatever, </i><span style="background-color: white;">and </span><i>BlackMale</i><span style="background-color: white;">, and was the U.S. distributor of John Woo's cult classic </span><i>The Killer</i><span style="background-color: white;">, and Richard Bugajski's </span><i>Interrogation</i><span style="background-color: white;">. He was also producer, writer, and story editor for the acclaimed HBO series </span><i>The Wire</i><span style="background-color: white;">, for which he was nominated for an Emmy for his writing. He wrote and co-produced for the World War II miniseries </span><i>The Pacific</i><span style="background-color: white;">, and worked as executive producer and writer on HBO’s series </span><i>Treme</i><span style="background-color: white;">. He’s also written for the series </span><i>Bosch</i><span style="background-color: white;">. And he co-created and wrote the HBO series </span><i>The Deuce</i><span style="background-color: white;">. Stephen King called him "perhaps the greatest living American crime writer.” He lives with his family in Silver Spring, Maryland.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBIHhY6ZdG1XhvcIxprr7bKQHsoT57F40BNhK-ZyzZyyKetQglyuTwYJeRmkz53v3uXdnLFJdgGbsLinSG_QOZWYII8ZOra7I-3LAIn1g2rBltJcCivVsYNzkRYGfPnYZ4s-yj4rJz7VcOgHWbYqYSJ8G1O3nlUPiEzNke93c3a5Jn3UvVjHknMlcu4kRk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="960" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBIHhY6ZdG1XhvcIxprr7bKQHsoT57F40BNhK-ZyzZyyKetQglyuTwYJeRmkz53v3uXdnLFJdgGbsLinSG_QOZWYII8ZOra7I-3LAIn1g2rBltJcCivVsYNzkRYGfPnYZ4s-yj4rJz7VcOgHWbYqYSJ8G1O3nlUPiEzNke93c3a5Jn3UvVjHknMlcu4kRk=w544-h318" width="544" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"> </span></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome back, George. Please tell us the premise of <i>Owning Up,</i> and how you came to write it?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>George:</i> <i>Owning Up </i>is a collection of four novellas, all set in and around D.C. Two are historical and two are contemporary. Ten years ago I actually started writing one of them, <i>Knickerbocker</i>, as a full-length novel set in the years 1919-1923. I wrote the first chapter and it was pretty tight, but I didn’t know if I could sustain the period elements for an entire novel. My agent wasn’t very enthusiastic about its prospects in the marketplace, and I listen to him, so I put it in a drawer. But I keep all of my research in files, and when I found the file about a year ago, I thought about it and figured out a way to make the material work as a novella. I wrote that one, and three more, during the WGA strike. I like the novella format. By that I mean I like to read novellas and I like to write them. If there’s a theme to this collection, it’s taking stock of one’s life with honesty and looking at the evolution of one’s soul. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_kMkZHVYJ6SXgw7SjVSp8vvzDpOmgz_Uvhba_wuA1i3QrjglWwvfV89LjmAiqqzdAsvAqaW2ffgPP-_l291yVLDT6FenLBTRvDjqwFwU6fzX3pRO_9bWEQoY5OfboMQ56pO-3k1Tn3zkPN7EQuQCQIwbyvSEb1zODQxGJGdueEmXCxf4d8DcY2Lxnucxh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="440" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_kMkZHVYJ6SXgw7SjVSp8vvzDpOmgz_Uvhba_wuA1i3QrjglWwvfV89LjmAiqqzdAsvAqaW2ffgPP-_l291yVLDT6FenLBTRvDjqwFwU6fzX3pRO_9bWEQoY5OfboMQ56pO-3k1Tn3zkPN7EQuQCQIwbyvSEb1zODQxGJGdueEmXCxf4d8DcY2Lxnucxh=w299-h460" width="299" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> There’s something very real about the streetwise working-class characters you create. In the new one, how much is based on personal observation and on the folks you’ve met along the way?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>George: </i>The characters come from personal observation and the people I’ve encountered, or the <i>kinds</i> of people I’ve encountered, in my life. I’ve been fortunate as a writer to have lived a full life. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Did you find yourself having a favorite among your characters?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>George: </i>In all of my books? That would be Derek Strange. He’s the kind of generational Washingtonian I’ve known from living in this area my entire life. In this collection, it’s Jerrod Williams, from <i>The Amusement Machine</i>. We first meet him in the D.C. Jail, and track his emergence as an artist. I’m into his arc.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Last time here you said, “The evolution of the character during the process writes the book.” Can this steer you from where you initially thought the story would go, allow for some surprises, and perhaps lead to a different outcome than you originally thought?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>George: </i>Three of the novellas are based on actual events and situations, so I had that as a base and a timeline. But I didn’t know where any of the stories were going, and I didn’t want to know. I like to discover the story and its resolution as I write, via the characters. I’ve heard some writers get incredulous when they hear other writers say that they don’t outline. But everyone has their own process that works for them. On a TV show, all of the scripts have to be carefully mapped out in advance, scene by scene, because they are all interdependent. A novelist has more freedom. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Is there an awareness of pace as you write, or do you just let it roll by instinct?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>George: </i>You can get lost in the writing and sometime forget that you are telling a story. It’s instinct, for me. When I’m writing, at some point I become aware that something needs to “happen”. When I’m re-reading what I’ve done, if I find myself impatiently skipping through something I’ve written, I know I’ve made a mistake. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Was there a favorite part in writing and putting this collection together?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>George: </i>Because I’ve been busy with film and television projects, I haven’t written a book in a few years. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it. I like doing the research and I enjoy the process. I like making something that someday I can hold in my hand. It helped that the writing came easily. It was “on” in the way that it had been when I wrote my first books.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have any writing heroes, someone who influenced you, somebody you could just keep reading and rereading?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>George: </i>I guess I re-read Elmore Leonard more than any other writer, mainly to remind myself how it’s done. I got to know him a little towards the end of his life. We had some book events together in the South which were memorable. I know for a fact he didn’t waste a lot of time. He sat down every day and he wrote, which is what actual writers do. Joyce Carol Oates is another one who is writing even when she’s not. I read many of her books during the pandemic and was fairly astonished by her talent. I re-read Charles Willeford as well, a singular, deep, subversive writer working within the pulp format. I’ll pick up a James Salter novel and read passages for inspiration. Just beautiful writing. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich</i>: Is there something you’re working on now that fans of your work can look forward to in the near future?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>George: </i>I’m developing a couple of projects for HBO, my television home for the past twenty-some years. I plan to write fiction until I cross over to the other side. Lately I’ve been curating movie series at the American Film Institute Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland, which is a walk from my house. I introduce the films. As a lifelong movie freak, it’s something I’ve been wanting do for a long while. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Is there an excerpt from <i>Owning Up</i> you’d like to share? </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>George: </i>The passage that kicks off the novella <i>The Amusement Machine</i> is an excerpt from the David Goodis novel <i>The Wounded and the Slain</i>. It could be the darkest, most nihilistic passage in noir fiction. But it’s a head fake in terms of my story and my own world view. At the end of the novella Jerrod Williams returns to the jail where he was once locked up and talks to the inmates, and what he tells them… well, I won’t give it away. It’s enough to say that an artist “spits in the face of what is inevitable.” </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> It’s been a true pleasure. Thank you George for the chat. Fans can find out what he’s up to and more about his fine novels <a href="https://www.george-pelecanos.com" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-26019142139358321742024-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-01T00:00:00.137-08:00Off the Cuff with David Swinson<p style="color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKTVK-wguLycttAorZ40tdr1WBAFb13Sngy9Ixd4PPXz-uDeasR4hUvIilWR6XxIQALgRO-losQnuR0HVKiKmLv2jsPpLIKUNhjgjxS0W4gbsKegKIw_068W4v3C6V3IXOJdWmKC8PlCwpHCS048LJeaZRQ5-W7PKM2tovEm4f2qnCKECMqnTYLlRsU0i/s189/O%20Logo%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKTVK-wguLycttAorZ40tdr1WBAFb13Sngy9Ixd4PPXz-uDeasR4hUvIilWR6XxIQALgRO-losQnuR0HVKiKmLv2jsPpLIKUNhjgjxS0W4gbsKegKIw_068W4v3C6V3IXOJdWmKC8PlCwpHCS048LJeaZRQ5-W7PKM2tovEm4f2qnCKECMqnTYLlRsU0i/w181-h200/O%20Logo%20copy.jpg" width="181" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">David Swinson is a retired police detective from the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, having been assigned to Major Crimes. Swinson is the author of the critically acclaimed Frank Marr Trilogy — <i>The Second Girl</i>, <i>Crime Song,</i> and <i>Trigger</i>, and the standalone <i>City on the Edge</i>. He lives in Northern Virginia.</span> </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvjiokDEV1T0YMnq6MiGGu3iVAzufF3aZRIQ2FvlijTYRe3uOIA0qav_-7hUiqD42TiVuJxZ0NgKFNsyhUKbkeXbJyNoMUCMRDD2JjoIK0IAdwORzv0M-21wQtDkLNFH-stNUkfn5zgTMbcx9KVaJhD_ik0T4oNFvdpHLkLiumXelm0XIWHOmKwZ2jTI6/s768/IMG_5118-768x513.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="768" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvjiokDEV1T0YMnq6MiGGu3iVAzufF3aZRIQ2FvlijTYRe3uOIA0qav_-7hUiqD42TiVuJxZ0NgKFNsyhUKbkeXbJyNoMUCMRDD2JjoIK0IAdwORzv0M-21wQtDkLNFH-stNUkfn5zgTMbcx9KVaJhD_ik0T4oNFvdpHLkLiumXelm0XIWHOmKwZ2jTI6/w564-h378/IMG_5118-768x513.jpg" width="564" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome back, David. Please give us the premise for your latest, Sweet Thing?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>David:</i> Thanks for having me back, Dietrich. The book takes place in 1999 and opens at the scene of a homicide, where we find the main character, detective Alexander Blum, searching for evidence. He finds an old polaroid: the decedent, arm in arm with Arthur Holland, Blum's informant from years ago when he worked at the Narcotics branch. During the course of the investigation Blum finds out that Arthur has been missing for days. Blum’s only source: Arthur’s girl, Celeste—beautiful, seductive, and tragic—whom he can’t get out of his head. Blum is drawn to her and feels compelled to save her from Arthur’s underworld. As the investigation ticks on and dead bodies domino, Blum unearths clues with damning implications for Celeste. Swallowed by desire, Blum’s single misstep sends him tunnelling down a rabbit hole of transgression.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 14px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtRefPi9TAQ03adalo9dSV8PKMpqALxryXV0wSjecM7uBMcLlzpS007C9Q9sjVF7rTrGPnIjpPW5Ei1Z4GjcbogvGbwwxwFFQ4U4jOAATxDJE-_6IAnF2rCpATcAHPsZuuN0BdeIf8uh8LxX2jOgioz6qQ5Yx3DxvddxVCyC44J3agNK6Sj6UuLmfNv79/s960/SweetThing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="619" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtRefPi9TAQ03adalo9dSV8PKMpqALxryXV0wSjecM7uBMcLlzpS007C9Q9sjVF7rTrGPnIjpPW5Ei1Z4GjcbogvGbwwxwFFQ4U4jOAATxDJE-_6IAnF2rCpATcAHPsZuuN0BdeIf8uh8LxX2jOgioz6qQ5Yx3DxvddxVCyC44J3agNK6Sj6UuLmfNv79/w258-h400/SweetThing.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How did you develop your main character, Homicide Detective Alexander Blum? Tell us about him.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">David: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I like working with fallen characters. When I was in the police academy, the instructors kept drilling it into our heads the three things that could destroy you on the job – sex, drugs and money. I figured since I already did three books with a drug-addicted Frank Marr, I should develop a character who was taken down by sex. But seriously, it wasn’t all about sex for Alexander. It’s a lot more involved than that. His character has always been with me in one way or another. Most of the characters I like to write about are with me for a long time before I begin writing. I develop them in my head first, and then it’s just about sitting my ass down and writing by the seat of my pants.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What made you decide to tell the story in first-person?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">David: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I’ve always liked first person because it’s easier for me as a writer to get into the head of my protagonist. I’ve also always liked the idea of developing the other characters through the eyes of the main character. It makes everything more real for me.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> I know you love music, and I’m taking a leap here that the title has something to do with the Van Morrison song of the some name, one also covered by the Waterboys. Please tell us how the title came about?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">David: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I do love the Van Morrison song, but I was actually listening to The Waterboys version of "Sweet Thing" before I started writing and before I had a title. I like to make playlists for all the books I write, and "Sweet Thing" was the first song on it. It was more about the music and how the song felt for me than the lyrics. And I loved the title so had to use it.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What made you decide to set the book in the late ‘90s?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">David: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I simply did not want to have to deal with Covid. Also, 1999 was an interesting year for me as a police detective. Most of us thought the world was going to shut down in 2000. I liked working with that.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dietrich: What was the best part of writing the book?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">David: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The best part for me was the dialogue, and especially figuring out how to show action through the dialogue in the surveillance scenes where Alexander and Frank Marr were in their vehicle listening to the undercover officer. That was fun.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What are you working on now, and what can fans expect coming up next?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">David: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The working title for my next book is <i>Hound of Heaven</i>. I am heavily influenced by where I live. I live in Upstate New York now and have been affected by the landscape here and the small town that is surrounded by corn fields and bisected by the Erie Canal. Washington, DC will never leave me. I will always take part of it with me wherever I am, and so the character in it is a retired DC homicide detective who moves to this small fictitious town and, of course, finds trouble.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Is there an excerpt from <i>Sweet Thing</i> you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>I kissed her on the corner of her mouth, reached for the pack of cigs on the nightstand and offered one. I lit hers first and then mine. Grabbed the ashtray and set it on the bed between us. She blew a perfect smoke ring. I watched it as it lingered for a bit and frittered away. She grabbed the bottle of vodka off the nightstand at her side of the bed, took a hefty swig, passed it over to me. I did the same and handed it back and after another healthy swallow she set it back on the nightstand. </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>She snuffed her cigarette out and said, “I have to pee,” and slipped out of bed. </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>She walked like she was moving to a song in her head. Made love the same way. Always the end her back would arch, and she moaned like the gentle release of breath held, finally letting go. That’s what I liked most. The sound, the visual - how she lived at that moment. It was intoxicating. Addicting.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Her Death was like that too.</i></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Thank you to David for stopping by. Fans can find out more about him and his excellent books at his <a href="https://davidswinson.com">website</a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-59410591274206585222024-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-15T00:00:00.142-08:00Off the Cuff with Patrick Whitehurst<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD-UCrp7LM8o9YYN_bWDVGE2q3MjevZu1OpbGZ7IXVPfUrflpqWRIMO7WzzzNlBezUGrHvbnyVVU_AWjJm0KVaY_7iJAm1AmETVe-M8fqauv0Zx7f07To8bUlTMwg3TXNdOZj7LbI87svhK7CA3xfLxTakc9XqIqFAZjvAm4fSUKSR11AzE03DQnKrSdl/s189/O%20Logo%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD-UCrp7LM8o9YYN_bWDVGE2q3MjevZu1OpbGZ7IXVPfUrflpqWRIMO7WzzzNlBezUGrHvbnyVVU_AWjJm0KVaY_7iJAm1AmETVe-M8fqauv0Zx7f07To8bUlTMwg3TXNdOZj7LbI87svhK7CA3xfLxTakc9XqIqFAZjvAm4fSUKSR11AzE03DQnKrSdl/s1600/O%20Logo%20copy.jpg" width="171" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Patrick Whitehurst writes fiction and nonfiction, the latter of which includes the books <i>Haunted Monterey </i></span><i>County</i>,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Murder and Mayhem in Tucson</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and the forthcoming </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Eerie Arizona</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. He’s written three Barker books, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Monterey Noir</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Monterey Pulp</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Monterey Lies</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. His standalone speculative horror novel, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Berge Manor</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, was released in 2022. Patrick’s short stories have appeared in </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Punk Noir</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Shotgun Honey</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Pulp Modern</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Hoosier Noir</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Guilty Crime Story Flash</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Mystery Tribune</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Bristol Noir</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Switchblade Magazine</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. He’s been featured in the anthologies <i>Bitter </i></span><i>Chills</i><i style="font-family: inherit;">, Wild Violence</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and recently in </span><i>Trouble</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> in Tucson</i>. He’s also contributed short horror tales to the <i>Adrenaline Shots Mistress Morphine Presents</i> comic series.</span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTnPzrXXX-goJeLC0kdtqtzzvp-puvAMcGc6pdE9Ii07Y4Ta2b4shQxUhavZDxBGhh_Zft55rx7r3jym4u4JBrZjrrWztQniIHXcb3_4lFT-8BpeKncncO9zowcvdancBB4y0o1kGhZNwqRMtE-ttDu8koIj4HPfFwbM8gslV0Lm5GtGsKpj5HA64CLZJ/s512/cropped-off-the-cuff-pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTnPzrXXX-goJeLC0kdtqtzzvp-puvAMcGc6pdE9Ii07Y4Ta2b4shQxUhavZDxBGhh_Zft55rx7r3jym4u4JBrZjrrWztQniIHXcb3_4lFT-8BpeKncncO9zowcvdancBB4y0o1kGhZNwqRMtE-ttDu8koIj4HPfFwbM8gslV0Lm5GtGsKpj5HA64CLZJ/w375-h375/cropped-off-the-cuff-pic.jpg" width="375" /></a></span></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Dietrich:</b> Welcome back, Patrick. It’s always a pleasure to have you drop in. Tell us about your latest in the Barker series, <i>Monterey Lies</i>?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Patrick:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Thanks for having me back for Off the Cuff. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Monterey Lies</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is different than </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Monterey Noir</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Monterey Pulp</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, in that this one is a single novella-length story while the others are short story collections, all featuring a homeless, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">unhoused</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">amateur sleuth named Barker. Barker is different than my other recurring character, Sam the Thug, who appears most recently in </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Guilty Crime Story Flash</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The Barker stories are more traditional, albeit spicy, mysteries, while Sam lives in a darker world of crime fiction.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTu0NFWFe_zB_cAqjPrZ_usgRAqS-0QLOmQ1zXKiGN72pZbwDAxuNCQvaOIrsgHwIYNIpR8EDFsCSQaxFSy-9icPHhTt2f-a9R7v3agaknlH1t5skuXU4Wy2igIkzHW00t0MWYR6GPcwFUAKOufNAfrTQXzlyF5t323fJSoyGqt1u7znHxoYB2OdCueBcZ/s2204/Monterey%20Lies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2204" data-original-width="1400" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTu0NFWFe_zB_cAqjPrZ_usgRAqS-0QLOmQ1zXKiGN72pZbwDAxuNCQvaOIrsgHwIYNIpR8EDFsCSQaxFSy-9icPHhTt2f-a9R7v3agaknlH1t5skuXU4Wy2igIkzHW00t0MWYR6GPcwFUAKOufNAfrTQXzlyF5t323fJSoyGqt1u7znHxoYB2OdCueBcZ/w236-h372/Monterey%20Lies.jpg" width="236" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Dietrich:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> How has Barker evolved since you first released </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Monterey Noir</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Patrick:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i>Monterey Noir</i> was released in 2010 and <i>Monterey Lies</i> in 2023, which means my style has changed considerably, hopefully for the better, and my writing has become more streamlined, thanks largely to influential writers like you, Dietrich, and other greats in the crime fiction community.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Dietrich:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Did the story change at all through your drafts, or did you stick to a tight outline?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Patrick:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I had in mind a longer story in the beginning, with a lot more in the middle, but as I tend to do with writing, I wrote the beginning and the ending first, which led me to realize a lot of what I had planned in the middle was extraneous. I cobbled together an outline based on what I wanted to see in the book, such as chihuahuas, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">lots</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of chihuahuas, and an ending worthy of an action film, but I didn’t need Barker to languish in the middle, which I felt the longer version allowed, so a lot of fat went away. Throughout I wanted it to have a pulpy feel, reminiscent of a Doc Savage adventure with a mystery attached. Hopefully I came close to my goal.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Dietrich:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Is there a ‘best part’ of the writing process for you?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Patrick:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I’m always looking for an ah-ha moment in what I write, whether it’s long-form writing or flash fiction and, when I find it, it’s very satisfying. Of course, whenever I get uninterrupted writing time is precious to me too, being that I have a day job, so I treasure that as well.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Dietrich:</b> Has anything changed in your writing approach since you first started the series?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Patrick:</b> I’ve always had a set of dos and don’ts when it comes to recurring characters, whether it’s Barker or Sam. Sort of like a bible of rules I keep in my head. With Barker I had the hard and fast rule that I would hint at, but never reveal his past. Recently I’ve had a change of heart about revealing too much. I think, if anything, Barker deserves a full share. Sam the Thug, on the other hand, will remain somewhat mysterious to readers. Whether I’ll get a chance to share Barker’s full past is still up in the air, but someday I may write it.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Dietrich:</b> You’re very talented and versatile, writing in different genres and formats, and you’ve published several successful non-fiction books as well. Are you more comfortable writing in one style or genre, fiction, or non-fiction?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Patrick:</b> I seem to feel more at ease in the crime fiction community than any other. I’ve always wanted to excel at horror but am far less comfortable in that community when it comes to feeling that I contribute anything. I try to explore those areas of discomfort, however, and will go to my safe space, crime writing, more often than others but continue to stab at horror and, lately, cozy mystery writing with an edge. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Dietrich:</b> I believe you also have <i>Eerie Arizona</i>, a look at the stranger side of Arizona, coming out this coming October. What can fans expect in this one?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Patrick:</b> It’s been slow going, but I am currently hard at work on it. This book features non-fiction tales of UFOs, hauntings, unsolved crimes, and cryptids of the state of Arizona. It’s a project I’ve been lusting after for years and diving into some of these stories has been truly eye-opening. With the last book coming out during Covid, <i>Murder & Mayhem in Tucson</i>, I’ll be excited to see what the reception is like for Eerie. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Dietrich:</b> Lastly, do you have an excerpt from <i>Monterey Lies</i> that you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Patrick:</b> I’d be happy to. Thank you for being awesome, Dietrich!</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"> </p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He woke to the feeling of a small tongue on his cheek. At first, he figured it was Zero hoping to rouse him for breakfast or begging for a walk on the beach. The little shih-tzu often made demands on Barker by shoveling his snout under the homeless man's chin to shove his human into a sitting position. It usually worked. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>But the ground smelled musty and dry, nothing like Bernie's Camelot. He soon recalled his trip with the dogs to the Carmel Mission. A throbbing pain danced at the back of his head and his muscles felt frail and hollow, complements of whatever drug had been shot into him. Opening his eyes, slowly at first, he stared into the snout of a small orange chihuahua. The miniature canine licked his cheek. Its tail wagged frantically. He smiled at the energetic little thing and scanned the room before struggling to his feet.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He was in a shack of some sort, no bigger than a storage shed. Old, bowed wood made up the walls. Everything, including the wood, looked gray and sickly. He saw no floor beneath him, only dusty earth. Chains and rope hung from dilapidated rafters over his head. Dust covered everything except the hyper chihuahua. Rays of hot sunlight shone through the decrepit walls, and dust particles swirled in the bright light.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Where am I, little guy?” he asked. “This place looks like a Petrie dish for the hantavirus.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The small dog continued to jump around him as Barker groggily made his way to the far wall. He realized he'd been stripped of all clothing save for his pants. His parka, his flannel shirt; they were all gone. He could see a hinged door leading outside. The air in the dusty shack felt warm and humid, far hotter than what he would expect in foggy Central California. A layer of sweat clung to his skin. He put his hand cautiously on the door latch. He could hear movement outside: voices, shuffling feet, and a cough here and there. There were several people outside.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Turning to the dog, he said, “I guess we'd better go out there and see what this is all about.” He flipped the latch and stepped out bare foot, shielding his eyes from the hot sun.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“There he is!” A voice shouted. “About damn time!”</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Barker found himself in a clearing surrounded by what appeared to be a large wooden corral. The chihuahua followed him out. It paused at Barker's feet. Old wood, like the shack he just stepped from, blocked off the clearing from the outside world. Other small shacks were located along the corral. He saw a herd of wily-looking men, dressed in jeans and t-shirts, some wearing only jeans, sitting atop the shacks. Many wore cowboy hats. Their shaded eyes turned on him. Barker counted them, noting six altogether. One, a younger man in jeans, black boots, and no shirt, stood in the corral opposite him. He faced Barker with all the silent ferocity of a grizzly bear. Tattoos were visible on his muscular upper torso. A large shark crossed the front of his chest. He appeared clean cut, unlike many of the cowboys outside. He wore no hat and his short brown hair had recently been buzzed. Next to him stood a bald man with three white scars on his chin. Both stared at Barker with murderous intent.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Dietrich:</b> Thank you Patrick for stopping by. Fans can find out more about him and his writing on his website: <a href="http://patrickwhitehurst.com">patrickwhitehurst.com</a> </span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-54262107449926332842024-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:002024-01-01T00:00:00.140-08:00Off the Cuff with Susan C. Shea<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtylAIPOPXpW1zVx6ryfVEbT5NqcnjvToap5vH-5hPLtQC2e79YAU1bG9B_ioWJb5xQIcXEID7etwxspNhR9WyNBkTG85hQXqOYQ3FIco-iTM2YSdiE7ChccgtDS8jMpBW8TQfJuSz0At_qi1S4f5EMeZtix9B7bXi2Rrhok27r-ebGCmnKlNzO13KhHPe" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtylAIPOPXpW1zVx6ryfVEbT5NqcnjvToap5vH-5hPLtQC2e79YAU1bG9B_ioWJb5xQIcXEID7etwxspNhR9WyNBkTG85hQXqOYQ3FIco-iTM2YSdiE7ChccgtDS8jMpBW8TQfJuSz0At_qi1S4f5EMeZtix9B7bXi2Rrhok27r-ebGCmnKlNzO13KhHPe=w181-h200" width="181" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Susan C. Shea is the author of the Château mysteries, the Dani O’Rourke Mysteries, and the French Village Mysteries. She’s a member of NorCal Sisters in Crime, a former member of the SinC national board, and a member of Mystery Writers of America. She lives in beautiful Marin County, but needless to say, she loves to spend as much time as possible in France.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLpszo0IYGZH6MeOcWpHlxd4_lZ8m4SEceB4ILFhW0LkwVY4nrqQIPwlACy6wd_FQUL8DuYdAvfv-0gW44uruCmy91rfkbvMSPC9anhlVZUkGNqp6gW7VRxLBW79z0QFSPhGURvhphNJWJpeaFuLo3MiiB-YwGpi_iUu9nxs_EWj5pBgSyV3lFD_Ay0wm9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="225" height="507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLpszo0IYGZH6MeOcWpHlxd4_lZ8m4SEceB4ILFhW0LkwVY4nrqQIPwlACy6wd_FQUL8DuYdAvfv-0gW44uruCmy91rfkbvMSPC9anhlVZUkGNqp6gW7VRxLBW79z0QFSPhGURvhphNJWJpeaFuLo3MiiB-YwGpi_iUu9nxs_EWj5pBgSyV3lFD_Ay0wm9=w338-h507" width="338" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What can readers new to the Dani O’Rourke series expect to find between the pages?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Susan</i>: Dani’s life sounds rather glamorous from the outside: A high profile career hobnobbing with rich people in an art-filled environment. She even has a past that sounds juicy: a recent divorce from a rich playboy who owns multiple Porsches, a mansion in San Francisco’s toniest neighborhood, and a pied a terre in Paris. Notice he’s an ex.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Please introduce us to Dani, and tell us how the character evolved?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> She’s a bit jaded because she sees the manipulations of the uber rich and has felt the sting of her ex’s behavior. Her voice in the stories carries a measure of cynicism, and her perspectives on the rich and famous are what one reviewer called ”wickedly funny.” She is a professional fundraiser as was I. Fine art has been a part of my life forever, but I have real problems with the machinations within the secondary art market, which is rife with crime and ego. So setting murder mysteries in this milieu was an easy fit.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaLvVg-WHRvU9qQXM_ernLQRA6_1cpcV1YGZoBhFyTw5bSpM7SJH6-HzRe1m6IcwJ53XaI9qXDozw73h3McH5St0x13crhVBDvUjS_jcEw8R3nCx6xp3DbbIDn2Q4DT-FEXTTpeaNGkGB5KOQthrCn_j39JJKVR9Zr0UtNkCGyM2era9FCDfiplP-4FnBa" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaLvVg-WHRvU9qQXM_ernLQRA6_1cpcV1YGZoBhFyTw5bSpM7SJH6-HzRe1m6IcwJ53XaI9qXDozw73h3McH5St0x13crhVBDvUjS_jcEw8R3nCx6xp3DbbIDn2Q4DT-FEXTTpeaNGkGB5KOQthrCn_j39JJKVR9Zr0UtNkCGyM2era9FCDfiplP-4FnBa=w252-h400" width="252" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What was the thinking behind republishing the series? The new covers are very eye-catching by the way.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Susan</i>: Thank you. I love the covers too. The young illustrator paid careful attention to the character and to each story. All three of the books were traditionally published, two by several publishers. They came out in just about every format. But while reviewers and the readers who found them loved them, they were allowed to drift into nothingness by the publishers. I was fortunate to get the rights to all three back and decided to give Dani another chance.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich?</i> Has your approach to writing changed since you first began writing the series?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Susan</i>: Well, I always hope I’m becoming a better writer with each book, but I can’t seem to improve my process. I tried Scrivener, which sounds brilliant, but which eludes me. I tried a bit of outlining, but that really doesn’t work for me. So, I do the same thing I always did: start on page one and just carry on.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQF-9jTGUb27cmB4zakqQwsrLfEv9p4Vp5JP5NypRIRvFqOO6PPckJGhlH7w2zIGBu7eAdVYeFDVDft_6ETJBRCOxL_onQy7iT9tb8Qx2nMYUVNnhIw2DiHMyL_-9gvzqdVbuqzUrjTI5g2mgHtnyphcvC4ATX9TKmVm-t-GI_WDJzDGsij-nHWx4RlIfz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQF-9jTGUb27cmB4zakqQwsrLfEv9p4Vp5JP5NypRIRvFqOO6PPckJGhlH7w2zIGBu7eAdVYeFDVDft_6ETJBRCOxL_onQy7iT9tb8Qx2nMYUVNnhIw2DiHMyL_-9gvzqdVbuqzUrjTI5g2mgHtnyphcvC4ATX9TKmVm-t-GI_WDJzDGsij-nHWx4RlIfz=w252-h400" width="252" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">
<i>Dietrich:</i> Publishing has sure turned some corners since you wrote <i>Murder in the Abstract</i>, first published in 2010. Aside from the fresh look of the covers, do you have new ways to market the series?</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> There are new businesses and consultants who have sprung up to fill the space left by publishers, who devote most of their marketing to the books they paid the largest advances to. I’m starting a newsletter, refreshing my web site, staying current on Facebook, doing contests, and I need to do more. I still have a traditional publisher for the French mysteries, but I need to spend some time and energy there. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Have you had thoughts on continuing the series? </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Susan</i>: I’d love to write a new Dani if the response to the re-publishing tells me there are new readers who’d enjoy that. The readers I already have ask me when the next Dani’s coming out. Maybe a short story first? I like the strong character and her charming and contrite ex-husband so much.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUYIjq-3kTmt6lOCUATw8QDj4coeMDHgN4G4DWjuC3ZTB-13aVc9hCO2KxCTymWwXbYE2oyFUaJX-bz-dBY_MsdOYu-7_A_dJawwhjeAiamzeWALRJ4FCfCzPiHgO6brBmoBSO0VJaTgspETba3NvYGmQ4K-4QkKc7RAvsC_KdKweEuBNk7ngZroS6mCZe" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUYIjq-3kTmt6lOCUATw8QDj4coeMDHgN4G4DWjuC3ZTB-13aVc9hCO2KxCTymWwXbYE2oyFUaJX-bz-dBY_MsdOYu-7_A_dJawwhjeAiamzeWALRJ4FCfCzPiHgO6brBmoBSO0VJaTgspETba3NvYGmQ4K-4QkKc7RAvsC_KdKweEuBNk7ngZroS6mCZe=w252-h400" width="252" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">
<i>Dietrich:</i> You also have a sequel to <i>Murder Visits a French Village</i> coming out in March 2024? Please tell readers what this one’s about?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Susan: I’m excited that <i><b>Murder and the Missing Dog</b></i> comes out in March 2024. When an old, eccentric woman who made a brief appearance in the first château mystery is found dead on the doorstep of Ariel’s friend’s shop, the police investigation points to homicide. But the woman’s dog, her constant companion, is nowhere to be found. Ariel is determined not to get mixed up in the murder investigation, but surely she can look for the dog without antagonizing the gendarmes? Of course, nothing’s that simple, and what comes to light eventually is a stirring tale of courage and historical importance.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Is there an excerpt from the Dani O’Rourke books you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Susan: Here’s a bit from <i><b>Murder in the Abstract</b></i>, the first book, that introduces Dani’s ex, who wasn’t even going to be in the novel until he surprised me with this walk-on.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Carlos pulled the walkie-talkie, which was starting to crackle, off his shoulder as Len and I hustled past the door, propped open with one of the caterer’s fancy waste bins. All of a sudden, I felt a warm breath on my neck and heard a murmur in my ear that still pushes my pulse into overdrive. “The building’s flooded with cops, someone’s screaming, and you and the general here are headed to your office at a trot. I figured you might need help.” So saying, Dickie smiled his patented crooked smile, put his hand on the small of my back, and steered me in that direction, following a fast-moving Len Hightower. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I didn’t have time to answer. The screaming had stopped by the time Len reached my office, but the alarm was loud in the enclosed space. Lisa Thorne, the wife of an artist on the invite list, was hunched in a chair, clutching her handbag in her lap and staring down at the floor. She didn’t even look up when we came barreling in. Teeni was perched on the edge of the couch, her hands over her mouth, her brown eyes wide open, staring at the open window behind my desk. I had never seen it open before. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Stay where you are,” Len said. Since the two women seemed frozen in place, it seemed like an unnecessary command, but that’s Len. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“What’s going on?” I asked. “Why is the window open? Teeni?” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She looked up at me and took a few noisy breaths. “I heard something and came in. The window was open and ... and ...” Teeni gulped and put her hands back over her mouth. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The sound of sirens and loud voices wafted up from the street, bouncing off the newer, taller buildings that surround and are beginning to dwarf the Devor’s stately Edwardian presence. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dickie, ignoring Len’s command the same way he ignores everything he doesn’t agree with, covered the few steps to the window behind my desk in two seconds, stuck his head out, then moved aside to make room for Len. The security chief leaned out and looked down. He jerked his head in suddenly, banging it on the frame. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Ouch,” he said, wincing. “Don’t touch the window frame, Mr. Argetter. It might have prints.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Before Dickie could reply, a voice from the door said, “Anything I can help with?” Rowland Reynold poked his head in. Len snapped, “How did you get in?” at the same instant Dickie turned and said, “It’s not pretty.” Reynold ignored Len, poor guy, and raised an eyebrow toward my ex. “Some guy is down there on the pavement,” Dickie explained. “He looks, well, I hate to say this, but he looks dead. Dani, take it easy.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">That last probably because I was sucking in air and blowing it out noisily. It was that or faint. Black spots in front of my eyes, ears humming like radio transmitters, I dropped onto the couch next to Teeni and put my head between my knees like they taught us in junior high. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Dietrich:</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Best of luck to Susan with the relaunch. Fans should check out her website </span><a href="https://susancshea.com" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"> for ordering details and for upcoming news.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p></div>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-78154505280668320312023-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-15T00:00:00.154-08:00Off the Cuff with Marschall Runge, M.D.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRlx_JTLEAtkaOSnC_FsLZhVRt6pu5zSgchPBeerBh-P8W5qWGcQ-RJW767XSR6J_TWnLBqiogBFKS6H6oLxvQLWS98tucYFhL2MWyn2vMsxzjOaQuUYqdjNMDP2SUxu6VtDqmIBCdJQDMPU_wrsZ0FNW1M5xCMUIusxn9JimUrmdE9a0gDQfT6S4gQBuL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRlx_JTLEAtkaOSnC_FsLZhVRt6pu5zSgchPBeerBh-P8W5qWGcQ-RJW767XSR6J_TWnLBqiogBFKS6H6oLxvQLWS98tucYFhL2MWyn2vMsxzjOaQuUYqdjNMDP2SUxu6VtDqmIBCdJQDMPU_wrsZ0FNW1M5xCMUIusxn9JimUrmdE9a0gDQfT6S4gQBuL=w181-h200" width="181" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Marschall S. Runge, M.D., Ph.D., is the executive vice-president for Medical Affairs at the University of Michigan, dean of the Medical School, and CEO of Michigan Medicine. He earned his doctorate in molecular biology at Vanderbilt University and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he also completed a residency in internal medicine. He was a cardiology fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He is the author of over 250 publications and holds five patents for novel approaches to health care. As a Texas native who spent fifteen years in North Carolina and an avid thriller reader, Runge has experienced so many you-can’t-make-this-up events that his transition to fiction was inevitable.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheXd4CGKkdu7nN7pYMcG_DIbX_E9IT1v56DNvMx9SKwqzJFTf2s-EtNSzinoebX4l_chND4dVZJl1NS92W98FRyzxTLYG5-tAVP2LzNiqsR6-9kMrbhotJStMzBtXciO_wHZJ3_VTNw-7_awEV_hIaLCe_W9Fuct_6axwlY9rT4Gb5csheqd8ghD0go0m6" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3819" data-original-width="2467" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheXd4CGKkdu7nN7pYMcG_DIbX_E9IT1v56DNvMx9SKwqzJFTf2s-EtNSzinoebX4l_chND4dVZJl1NS92W98FRyzxTLYG5-tAVP2LzNiqsR6-9kMrbhotJStMzBtXciO_wHZJ3_VTNw-7_awEV_hIaLCe_W9Fuct_6axwlY9rT4Gb5csheqd8ghD0go0m6=w292-h451" width="292" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome to the blog, Marschall. Please give us the pitch for the new novel, <i>Coded to Kill</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-kerning: none;"><i>Marschall: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">My primary goal in writing <i>Coded to Kill</i> was to write an exciting, fast-paced medical thriller. Almost all medical thrillers have a central theme of: 1) something going terribly wrong with a treatment or device; or 2) the potential downsides of new technologies. For <i>Coded to Kill</i> I tried to combine these themes. Technology has redefined medicine during my decades long career as a cardiologist and hospital administrator, and while most discussion of these advances properly focuses on how it has improved care, I wanted to highlight some of its darker sides, especially how it has contributed to physician burnout and compromised patient privacy. In thinking about these issues, a Eureka-flash premise for a thriller came to me one day: What if medicine’s greatest breakthrough was also the world’s most efficient killing machine?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In <i>Coded to Kill,</i> after a decade of development, Drexel Hospital’s cutting-edge Electronic Health Records system is about to become the national standard, revolutionizing health care. Housing the real-time medical records of every American, the EHR will enable doctors to access records with a keystroke and issue life or death medical orders through a finger swipe.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">No one wants the EHR to succeed more than Hugh Torrence, a former NSA honcho who sees it as a tool for undreamt of and unaccountable power. Aided by a crew of computer hackers working in an underground bunker, he is making sure Drexel’s system appears to be healthcare’s savior while perfecting it as a tool of blackmail and untraceable death.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The only thing standing in his way is a loosely knit group of Drexel employees with conflicting agendas and questionable loyalties including Dr. Mason Fischer, a physician with a taste for intrigue and a shadowy past; a street-wise techie named RT, and an internal medicine resident, Dr. Carrie Mumsford, the daughter of the hospital’s president and Fischer’s growing love interest.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">While they search for answers, the target on their back gets bigger and the suspicious deaths keep mounting as hospital administrators push for the reputational and financial rewards that approval of the Drexel EHR will bring to the hospital and to them personally. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhht8KOq5h4pY4s-gAe3YNoQai-nCppBXrvpIF0IVFf_SvyCF73_R44wupAJcpSfkkVvbamH7uGz8xKeiBYS3nS1VmWj88JU4tCcif-fYhyiIU-CZ38sx22cbcwPSIDzjteGEPrXnFAyaPaS_GYJ802uRQMCiPy6eD6hWRpXJzv-j2m4eFghYkhqFhcygo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="652" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhht8KOq5h4pY4s-gAe3YNoQai-nCppBXrvpIF0IVFf_SvyCF73_R44wupAJcpSfkkVvbamH7uGz8xKeiBYS3nS1VmWj88JU4tCcif-fYhyiIU-CZ38sx22cbcwPSIDzjteGEPrXnFAyaPaS_GYJ802uRQMCiPy6eD6hWRpXJzv-j2m4eFghYkhqFhcygo=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Introduce us to your main characters, and tell us how you developed them? </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Marschall:</i> My hero is Dr. Mason Fischer. Like me, he hails from Texas and became a cardiologist; unlike me, he was a star football player at the University of Texas. Since his mother’s death in a car accident when he was three, Mason has wanted to fix, to heal, the world. This desire brought him to medical school, where his special talents were identified by a longtime Dean of the medical school who had a secret side career investigating medical mysteries for the Department of Defense. His current concern is the Electronic Health Records system developed at Drexel Memorial Hospital in Durham, North Carolina (I was a longtime hospital faculty member, chair and administrator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). So he dispatches Fischer to see if his suspicions about its potential dangers are on target. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My chief villain is Hugh Torrence, a former NSA honcho who sees Drexel’s EHR – which could allow him not just to access but to change the medical records of every patient in the country – as a Holy Grail for spy craft. Torrence, who manipulates the EHR from inside a secret, high-tech bunker, understands that a system built to save lives can just as easily be used to end them.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I started with these two characters, sketches which became more complex as I continued writing. For instance, I always knew Torrence was evil, but as the story moved along, I realized that it was truer to life if he saw himself as being good; almost all of us are the heroes of our own stories. Likewise, I kept adding more complex layers to Mason; to be good he often has to deceive those around him. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I also found that Mason and Torrence could not do everything on their own, so I gradually created a supporting cast of characters. These included the brilliant hackers who work with Torrence in the bunker, and the loose collection of people whom Mason gets to help him, often unwittingly. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Hospitals, where I have spent my working life, are probably the most diverse and democratic places on earth; after all, everyone gets sick. So as I populated the world of “Coded To Kill,” I found, quite unintentionally, that it was filled with a wide variety of people, creating a multicultural cast. That said, I very intentionally created a love interest for Mason – Dr. Carrie Mumsford. Carrie’s father, who is the president of Drexel, doesn’t trust Mason as far as he can throw him. The trick with Carrie – who becomes a study in divided loyalties – and the rest of the supporting players was to imagine full lives for them, to give them as much complexity as Mason and Torrence have, in more limited space. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Being an avid thriller reader, have there been authors who influenced you to write fiction? </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Marschall:</i> The first medical thriller I ever read was “Coma” by Robin Cook. The conceptual framework that Cook created is one that I used as a basis for some of the characters in “Coded to Kill.” I also really admire Michael Crichton and Patricia Cornwell as great writers of medical thrillers. Finally, one of my all-time favorite thriller writers is Frederick Forsyth. Forsyth’s novels, which are not about medicine, are all masterpieces in bringing in layers of complexity and conflict for their characters and in putting the protagonist in impossible situations. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> With your medical background, you obviously know the subject matter well. With an in-depth knowledge, did you find yourself having to trim back some of the description for the average reader, and to keep the pace going forward?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Marschall: </i>Not really. One of the things we learn early in our medical training is the importance of being able to communicate complex and often changing situations to patients through language that is both clear and precise. You have to simplify without dumbing-down in order to share an honest picture of what’s going on. I had a story to tell about the promise and perils of cutting-edge technology and the threats it poses to privacy; my job as a writer was to find the words to tell that story well without taking shortcuts that would have sacrificed the fullness of my characters and the richness of the plot. I have been so gratified that the book’s readers have really seemed to enjoy it.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I also had an advantage in that while medicine is a complex field, it is also very familiar to most people. Everyone goes to the doctor. So when I was writing about Electronic Health Records, I knew that even if readers weren’t familiar with the term, they knew that their physicians spend a great deal of time looking at screens during their appointments. They are also aware of how machines in all parts of life are performing more tasks once done by people – so that the killer machines I depict in the novel don’t require too much imagination.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The greater writing challenge did not involve the medical terminology but all the words. The first draft of my 304-page novel topped 900 pages! I spent a lot of time whittling and streamlining. I lost entire sections and a cast of characters. I tried to make every decision in service to the story – what was the best way to tell it – and the readers: how could I keep the action speeding along so they would be engaged. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> I imagine you have a pretty hectic schedule. When’s the best time for you to write? </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Marschall:</i> For the fifteen years I worked on <i>Coded to Kill</i>, initially as a concept and then developing draft upon draft, I mainly worked in the early mornings. During much of this time, our five children were still living at home and early mornings were about the only time I could have quiet, uninterrupted time without taking away from time spent with family. Since the kids left home to live their own lives, my writing is mainly on weekends, when I have time. Given the time demands of my job – I work an average of 70+ hours a week, generally starting early in the morning – my writing has to be secondary to work and I may go several weeks without being able to get back to writing. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> With your first thriller on store shelves, do you have ideas for the next one, something fans can look forward to?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Marschall:</i> Mason, Carrie and the gang will definitely be back and I am still formulating exactly what calamity will come their way. In the intersection between technology and medicine, there is so much to choose from! Seriously. Given the potential for generative AI and deep machine learning to disrupt what we currently do in many areas, including medicine, I think a plot that involves AI and other forms of machine learning is fertile ground. Much remains unknown about these technologies. So I’ve been pondering an area where there is great potential and great risk and come up with the current research on limiting or even reversing aging. AI and ML are big topics for academic medical centers and Michigan Medicine is no exception. Over the last six months I’ve immersed myself in understanding what is possible today and what looms in the future. My next novel poses the question: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-kerning: none;">Can these powerful technologies be used to slow aging and how might things go awry?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Is there an excerpt from <i>Coded to Kill</i> that you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Marschall:</i> Of course! In this scene, which occurs early in the book, the president of Drexel Memorial Hospital, Derrick Mumsford, is showcasing the capabilities of his cutting-edge Electronic Health Records system.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Today’s presentation was the latest — and hopefully the last — in a long road show that had taken Mumsford across the country. Key politicians were in attendance, including North Carolina’s governor. The rest of the nearly two hundred attendees included some of the wealthiest men and women in the Southeast as well as the CEOs of the biggest hospital systems — early sales targets. The most important had already been given private demonstrations by Drexel’s IT guru, Bud Burgess. Many already had equity stakes in DrexelMed, the umbrella corporation that would market the Drexel EHR, which would instantly be worth multiple millions when the stock was taken public. That, more than anything else, made it a done deal.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mumsford took a deep breath, straightened his back, and walked from behind the podium.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“I want to thank you all for delaying your tee times on this beautiful day to be with us here today. I promise it will be worth it. It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago, our nation, and our world, was at the mercy of COVID-19. Before we start, let’s take a moment to remember those who perished in that awful pandemic and salute the heroic health care providers, who delivered the care that saved even more lives.”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mumsford bowed his head and silently counted to thirty.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Thankfully, we humans are not only resilient, but ingenious. Today, we’ll see more evidence of those wondrous qualities as we demonstrate mankind’s next great step in the battle to control the forces of nature: the Drexel Electronic Health Records System. Our EHR is so robust that I cannot display all its capabilities to you today. In earlier presentations, I have shown how our real-time centralized data collection will allow public health officials to identify the next COVID-19 as it emerges—to spot and link the first cases seen in hospitals and doctor’s offices so we can nip epidemics in the bud. A few random fevers in Boston and Seattle suddenly form a lifesaving pattern. This central database will also provide researchers with the rich troves of data they need to quickly develop vaccines and other new treatments. A recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine recognized that our EHR could have spotted the coronavirus in December 2019, saving hundreds of thousands of lives. You can, of course, watch me detail these wonders on YouTube. Please follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest, and ask your ChatGPT to leave ringing comments on all our posts.”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The audience laughed.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“The Drexel EHR is much more than a national database. It utilizes state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and machine learning advances to quickly and accurately diagnose every human malady,” Mumsford paused for emphasis, “and select the very best evidence-based therapy in seconds.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Today, you will have a truly unique experience, something we have never done in a public setting: a real-time demonstration of the Drexel EHR in a clinical setting. I will show you how it makes our care of patients better, safer, and less expensive. By connecting all the medical devices we use for care, we increase the efficiency and speed of treatment, thereby reducing the amount of time any of us or our loved ones spend in the hospital. The Drexel EHR reduces the chance of complications that occur the longer you’re in the hospital which, in turn, lowers the cost of health care.”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Heads nodded throughout the audience. …</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dr. Justine Peterman, a revered sixty-ish internist, had a very different reaction to Mumsford’s address. She leaned over to Mason Fischer, whom she had come to rely on for his cardiology expertise, and said, “This all makes me ill. They talk about costs, but what they’re really talking is profits. What about the human toll?”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mason nodded but said nothing, so she continued.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Now we’re a doctor, a transcriptionist, a billing clerk—the whole shebang. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but I spend nearly two hours filling out paperwork every damned day when I get home. Two years ago, I was finished before I was in my car. Everyone talks about how the EHR produces better patient care—”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Every talking head, anyway….”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“—but I’ve yet to see a study showing that these so-called innovations have decreased medical errors or improved health care. And you’ve got to wonder how many more lives we might have saved during COVID.”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mason nodded but said nothing. If anyone had earned the right—and had the authority — to complain, it was Peterman. A “doctor’s doctor,” she was admired as much for the way she could connect with people as for her voluminous knowledge of medicine. She could talk finance with Drexel’s biggest philanthropists, the sorrow of death and loss to the poorest of the poor, and, when it fitted the situation, pepper her comments with locker room talk that was so pervasive in the largely male world she trained in. Her critique of the EHR was not old-school opposition to change, but deep concern about how it could compromise the delivery of patient care and physician health.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Does anybody think requiring us to spend 50 percent more time personally typing in every medical order and every abnormal test finding on our patients is somehow, magically, going to improve patient care? There are plenty of reasons why physicians suffer more burnout than anyone else, why more than half of us feel depressed or overwhelmed, and why our suicide rates are twice the national average.”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“EHRs,” Mason muttered. “With the glitz Mumsford showed today, the CNBC news feed will go into overdrive and Mumsford and Burgess and the EHR gang will cash in.”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Peterman jumped on his statement.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Exactly. I used to wonder about the profit motive in medicine, but not anymore. During the height of the COVID pandemic, everyone was afraid to go to the doctor, much less to the hospital. Insurance companies made out like bandits. The kept premiums the same but didn’t have to pay for half of what they would have paid for in a usual year. Did they refund anything? Hell no. They didn’t even reduce premiums the next year.”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“I know, I know,” responded Mason, hoping Peterman would calm down.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Now it’s the same shit but a different flavor. Doctors are getting pushed aside by this marvelous technology. Jesus, now they are tracking our “screen time,” with vague comments about compliance. Study after study has shown that stressed, overworked people make mistakes. I’d like to see the real data, not a fancy dog and pony show. A lot of good people are leaving medicine, and I almost followed them out the door. I was the dumb one—thinking I could do more by working from the inside, trying to help people understand not only the benefits of the EHR—and there could be plenty—but its problems. I’m telling you, I’ve about had it myself.”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px 36px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mason, trying to smile but his face showing anything but, replied, “Hang in there, Justine. This isn’t over yet.”</span></i></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-kerning: none;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thank you to </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Marschall Runge, M.D. for taking the time to chat about Coded to Kill.<b> </b>Readers can find out more at Books Forward <a href="https://booksforward.com/marschallrunge_codedtokill/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: blue; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-38433321595549417542023-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:002023-12-01T00:00:00.179-08:00Off the Cuff with Curtis LeBlanc<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6C4gWm3SVQAo79jj2dG65Ef1ZvB6V9d9FI_ss0tsBcwhNzPVUUmh7-yzndIGMX0ltzUQk8dddUX8t9QL18zw2MtLq3WzCbk9truRGETCawrOrG8LFbRLLDiCMxTXC6PdNgjLb4Pyt0qdiTnOfy2lK12Xn4rKb8Jz0MRudIoaezC3uqiaa6L1enbNp150J" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6C4gWm3SVQAo79jj2dG65Ef1ZvB6V9d9FI_ss0tsBcwhNzPVUUmh7-yzndIGMX0ltzUQk8dddUX8t9QL18zw2MtLq3WzCbk9truRGETCawrOrG8LFbRLLDiCMxTXC6PdNgjLb4Pyt0qdiTnOfy2lK12Xn4rKb8Jz0MRudIoaezC3uqiaa6L1enbNp150J=w181-h200" width="181" /></a></span></div>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Curtis LeBlanc is a poet and writer residing in Vancouver, BC. His work has appeared in <i>Joyland, Geist, The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, EVENT, PRISM International, Prairie Fire, Grain,</i> and elsewhere. Curtis holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. He is the recipient of the Readers’ Choice Award in the <i>Arc</i> Poem of the Year competition and has been shortlisted for <i>The Walrus</i> Poetry Prize. He’s also the co-founder and managing editor of Rahila’s Ghost Press. <i>Sunsetter</i> is his debut novel.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(25, 25, 25); color: #191919; font-family: Lora, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“The action moves slowly at first, but builds to an explosive conclusion. LeBlanc’s doomed young people put a human face on the horrendous impact of the drug crisis.” </span></p><p class="has-text-align-center" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(25, 25, 25); color: #191919; font-family: Lora, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700;">— </span><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Publishers Weekly</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuI-u6jMY5zc3MEVE1H9l9i9K3vMRiXu0431XEihKF_h8zhMDxjOk8wiahBWB8F7BM_KptF1rCbPisLhVlD80YkYhDPPfKZBueYRbbMhHtUNJ_m7wP8KIDTHav2arv_br5IbrBLlV-ZnoWWO8zJevrLQRgL8VzxTcOEWuWnqGISdYphO5cfVBr87Gf2Yi/s400/3dmNPnnC_400x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuI-u6jMY5zc3MEVE1H9l9i9K3vMRiXu0431XEihKF_h8zhMDxjOk8wiahBWB8F7BM_KptF1rCbPisLhVlD80YkYhDPPfKZBueYRbbMhHtUNJ_m7wP8KIDTHav2arv_br5IbrBLlV-ZnoWWO8zJevrLQRgL8VzxTcOEWuWnqGISdYphO5cfVBr87Gf2Yi/s320/3dmNPnnC_400x400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich</i>: Welcome, Curtis. What was it like for you, getting that first novel accepted?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Curtis:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Thanks so much for having me on the Off the Cuff, Dietrich! </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Getting <i>Sunsetter</i> accepted kind of felt like finally letting out a deep breath at the end of a roller coaster, where you’ve been holding it in the entire time and you didn’t even notice. I wrapped up the final draft before submission of the novel right at the beginning of the pandemic, so everything was strange, inside my apartment and outside in the world, in the publishing industry—and also very much strange inside my own head. Finding an amazing, generous editor like Jen Sookfong Lee and a fantastic publisher in ECW was such a relief in those <i>strange </i>times.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1okVacmgBUE3ZJnIm1af17E1lkY9IjpdowNjcqB1VemoEt-z02p24eouhn2jY7mNPRkNtbEoVwfpMORMuuW4M5HHmNFgdL3ESO0M3_XAx0XH2PtrRMyCr4iVHWa-iq5k_bDMpo8B5aC7lAI3H88DPeQF60O0pU-KWdQ4wJYJd0vJ8bYMUwjzL80-sux9/s1024/9781770416901-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="663" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1okVacmgBUE3ZJnIm1af17E1lkY9IjpdowNjcqB1VemoEt-z02p24eouhn2jY7mNPRkNtbEoVwfpMORMuuW4M5HHmNFgdL3ESO0M3_XAx0XH2PtrRMyCr4iVHWa-iq5k_bDMpo8B5aC7lAI3H88DPeQF60O0pU-KWdQ4wJYJd0vJ8bYMUwjzL80-sux9/w304-h469/9781770416901-1.jpg" width="304" /></a></span></div></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Please tell us what the book’s about?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Curtis:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The story takes place over three days in an unseasonably hot month of May. The annual Sunsetter Rodeo has taken over the town of Perron and everyone is out to let loose and have a little fun. It’s in this liminal space that tragedy befalls two people on the opening night of the midway, and two young locals are forced headlong into their anger and grief. Together, over the next two days, they try to get to the bottom of the nefarious enterprise operating in Perron.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Rodeos. Corrupt local law. The Opioid Crisis. What kind of research did you have to do to make it convincing?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Curtis:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The rodeo aspect of the novel is the portion that came most naturally to me. I grew up in St. Albert, Alberta, and we had a rodeo much like the Sunsetter that took place in our city every year. For much of the writing process, I was drawing on memories from childhood and my teenage years. Otherwise, I would consider myself to be an engaged citizen, and in that sense, I wanted to reflect, in the novel, some of the crises facing communities in the present day. I’m a strong believer that literature — at least the literature I’m going to write — should engage with the world in a critical way.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You’ve written poetry, as well as short stories. What inspired you to try a novel?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Curtis:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ve always loved fiction — especially short fiction. The parameters and condensed nature of short forms really appealed to me as an aspect of the writing process. Of course, I wanted to take my shot at a novel, but I knew I would have to really change the way I was used to writing if a novel was ever going to get done. I had to trust myself to arrive at a finished product that I was proud of through the revision process, with each draft being a better iteration of the last. I really had to just let the words fly in earlier versions, which was something I wasn’t used to as a poet and short story writer. If anything, the novel has given me another tool or method at my disposal for future projects.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Did the heart of the poet show up when you were writing <i>Sunsetter</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Curtis:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">What’s interesting is that the first few drafts of the novel were really bare bones. I had it sort of boiled down to important beats and actions and this was really reflected in the writing. Maybe I had one or two poetic flourishes from that original writing process that made it into the final draft, but it was in later drafts that I really tried to incorporate my love of experimenting with language, attempting to make the prose pop. At this point in the writing process, I felt I knew better where I wanted those ‘pops’ to be.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What are you working on now?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Curtis:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m working on another novel that I can’t say much about yet as I’m still early in the writing process. It has some elements of climate anxiety fiction and it takes place in British Columbia, where I’ve been living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples for the past 13 years. It’s going to take me a little bit of time as I’m actually in my first year of law school at the moment. It’s a notoriously heavy workload and it has not disappointed thus far.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt from <i>Sunsette</i>r you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Curtis:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I’ll share the very first paragraph of the novel, as I think it’s my personal favourite from the book. If anything, I feel like it does the job of setting the stage, especially atmospherically, for the <i>Sunsetter</i> rodeo.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“This month of May—the hottest in memory. The oil gone and the work gone with it. Gone, too: the colour of the paint on the abandoned workyard buildings and refineries, and the green of the earth around the open gravel pit on the south side. The rusted trucks and their trailers—<i>Carlsbad Company</i> in peeling red block letters—parked again on the outskirts of Perron. This weekend, a pulse reverberating from the Sunsetter Rodeo grounds outward, and Dallan and Brooks now at the centre.”</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thank you to Curtis LeBlanc for chatting about his novel, <i>Sunsetter</i>. Fans can find out more at his website <a href="https://cwleblanc.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: blue;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-31829545546322332812023-11-15T00:00:00.002-08:002023-11-15T00:00:00.145-08:00 Off the Cuff with Naben Ruthnum<p><br /></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><b><i></i></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0CVyc2OSEsk1fpMGKNZxzqYuASZCovVvvhK7NMb25uCNEkkVhw2JlX5EKTwcgYNQbpeLFe3tFyF5KGxp8fLh2DHPLxpjGckH6MYwyk7WVIqGVzRHeSUj2lp42JqgWM8Jtk7zz87WkUhhUR_5l5muMLZWXPhdJ7Y_UqYkBEfb4zesR7tXPbVkEKWh8-8_/s191/OTC%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0CVyc2OSEsk1fpMGKNZxzqYuASZCovVvvhK7NMb25uCNEkkVhw2JlX5EKTwcgYNQbpeLFe3tFyF5KGxp8fLh2DHPLxpjGckH6MYwyk7WVIqGVzRHeSUj2lp42JqgWM8Jtk7zz87WkUhhUR_5l5muMLZWXPhdJ7Y_UqYkBEfb4zesR7tXPbVkEKWh8-8_/s1600/OTC%202.jpeg" width="176" /></a></div></div></div></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>It’s always great to have </i><b>Naben Ruthnum</b> drop in, this time to chat about his latest, <b><i>The Grimmer</i></b>. He’s the award-winning author of the critically-acclaimed <i>Curry: Eating, Reading and Race</i>, <i>Your Life is Mine</i>, <i>A Hero of Our Time</i>, <i>Find You in the Dark</i>, and <i>Helpmeat.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxhGxOQD_VgGMIuY5YHMQjxoRUpeaO7F41RKCK2eqy1HieY-ekSfVhO8LuVaePhJW5x-5EHNC7zYO84-dJg7y4EL6mZjfaCKmQ4H4kEEd8qjEkLUaABvi1BpDhoOHJu12N_RB8zAbvG4bcJqvE2l1A0awNQgNjx0C5Am35prhBRIwsmReLLoEzYsu8v9L/s780/naben-ruthnum.png.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="780" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxhGxOQD_VgGMIuY5YHMQjxoRUpeaO7F41RKCK2eqy1HieY-ekSfVhO8LuVaePhJW5x-5EHNC7zYO84-dJg7y4EL6mZjfaCKmQ4H4kEEd8qjEkLUaABvi1BpDhoOHJu12N_RB8zAbvG4bcJqvE2l1A0awNQgNjx0C5Am35prhBRIwsmReLLoEzYsu8v9L/w559-h314/naben-ruthnum.png.jpeg" width="559" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="color: #202122; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome back, Naben. Let’s start with you giving us the pitch for the new book, <b><i>The Grimmer</i></b>?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #202122; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #202122; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Naben:</i> <i>The Grimmer</i> is a supernatural horror novel for young readers and nostalgic older readers, set in Kelowna in the 1990s. It's mainly influenced by the horror-for-kids of an earlier era, by authors like John Bellairs, Phillipa Pearce, and Robert Westall, but it's also full of heavy metal and occasional lashings of body horror. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Please introduce us to your main character Vish Maurya, and tell us how you developed the character?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Naben: </i>Vish borrows a lot from my own youth in Kelowna, and is dedicated to music and reading. He also struggles with a difficult home life, a sense of being isolated (nothing new for teens, but for a brown kid in 1996 Kelowna, that isolation is right on the surface), and isn't a messiah-like hero in any sense: just someone who hopes he can draw on courage when it matters. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekYAqvOnqF51qcTC73LYG489GRBbYvaktYBPffgLSkr7X-GbJpU6v9T1ceRtyqXqpCQSIRYChpvPIHKMDdk0CQGG376UFIdf7RNzMcMNZ0uyroxZHros__CMPUAYukMGkxSZktZS1phH1lw-q4TCnXTauVT8k9kUZC3nWl7Kcf0ZCiP_E4chY02y_m0L8/s1024/9781770417045_web_1024x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="662" height="541" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekYAqvOnqF51qcTC73LYG489GRBbYvaktYBPffgLSkr7X-GbJpU6v9T1ceRtyqXqpCQSIRYChpvPIHKMDdk0CQGG376UFIdf7RNzMcMNZ0uyroxZHros__CMPUAYukMGkxSZktZS1phH1lw-q4TCnXTauVT8k9kUZC3nWl7Kcf0ZCiP_E4chY02y_m0L8/w350-h541/9781770417045_web_1024x1024.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> In a past interview, you mentioned “The process that works for me is writing quite freely for the first 100 pages, stopping, and looking in horror at the mess of story I've created. At that point, I make a very rough outline for myself, but leave the ending open.” Is this how it went with <i>The Grimmer</i>? Do you sometimes take a different approach?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Naben: </i>I did use this process, yep! I only outline strictly when I'm doing screenplay work. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You’ve written thrillers and non-fiction, and <i>The Grimmer</i> is a supernatural YA thriller, a departure from last year’s <i>A Hero of Our Time</i>, described as a wry comic novel with an acerbic wit. You certainly show that you’re right at home writing in different genres. Do you have a genre that feels most comfortable, or do you like the challenge of trying something different every time out?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Naben: </i>Literary fiction is where I'm most comfortable, but that's because it has such great areas of overlap with crime and horror fiction. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> When you finish a novel, do you sit back, catch your breath and wait for another story idea to come along, or do you have a bank of ideas waiting and jump right into the next one?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Naben: </i>Really depends! I did three in quick succession, but since that period a couple of years ago, most of my writing has gone into screenplays. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thank you Naben for the chat. Readers can find out more about him and his writing <a href="https://ecwpress.com/products/the-grimmer"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">here</span></a>. </span></span></p><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-40897868154994726532023-11-01T00:00:00.027-07:002023-11-01T00:00:00.173-07:00Off The Cuff with J. Lee<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoSVwxkmw2ajqCPhKGMmUhU0RVIsROYxqDG520m5tZmmt8Q-dDSNn6fn9KMmATw-DW-VTmk6JhBk5AN-ghPG8QJV9ABGPUNcJEZ-2D6QEoXPEXg4J9rSmhY5ZQb2CcQ2d2WvoqBT3Ce_ZbK3JrqjW5NJaln3Et8zqDu2ZwxWsDeQMsQUH3EBub2csqQCLa" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoSVwxkmw2ajqCPhKGMmUhU0RVIsROYxqDG520m5tZmmt8Q-dDSNn6fn9KMmATw-DW-VTmk6JhBk5AN-ghPG8QJV9ABGPUNcJEZ-2D6QEoXPEXg4J9rSmhY5ZQb2CcQ2d2WvoqBT3Ce_ZbK3JrqjW5NJaln3Et8zqDu2ZwxWsDeQMsQUH3EBub2csqQCLa=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: inherit;">J. Lee’s debut novel, </span><i style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: inherit;">The Hubley Case, </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: inherit;">won the New York City Big Book Award® and The Best Book Award for Best Thriller, which he followed with the second in the Ben Siebert series, </span><i style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: inherit;">The Silent Cardinal</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: inherit;">. J. Lee’s upcoming thriller, </span><i style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: inherit;">The Deadly Deal</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: inherit;">, steps away from fan-favorite Ben Siebert and jumps into a fast-paced tale of conspiracy.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqDelVvJBG-foqSXvDrCCHqxdieCu--__OlKQbkQ3GC3wpJAth2NQUxmwhOX-bbPp2HC3oCMnxNBI2oL03LUl3QgQ1p5LNBHReuwtr6Cg77TjoEV6FxifhRAifE-1vsarqGk2IeIk51Mdvs3CWLrBTFai0gCeFAodu7T2CYfzIosDL0UO3WjJIKDp55BL9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4368" data-original-width="2912" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqDelVvJBG-foqSXvDrCCHqxdieCu--__OlKQbkQ3GC3wpJAth2NQUxmwhOX-bbPp2HC3oCMnxNBI2oL03LUl3QgQ1p5LNBHReuwtr6Cg77TjoEV6FxifhRAifE-1vsarqGk2IeIk51Mdvs3CWLrBTFai0gCeFAodu7T2CYfzIosDL0UO3WjJIKDp55BL9=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Dietrich:</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> I understand that you penned your first draft to </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The Deadly Deal</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> nearly twenty years ago. Please tell us how you evolved the story?</span></span><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>J. Lee:</i> It’s been a wild ride. <i>The Deadly Deal</i> was written (first draft) seventeen years ago, when I worked in an industry tangential to the FDA. At that time, I’d obtained my first literary agent and was two weeks away from submitting to publishers when my agent was diagnosed with cancer and soon after passed away. When that happened, I shoved the manuscript in the proverbial drawer. But as time moved on, and after publishing my first two books, I decided to reread it and just couldn’t shake the idea. The FDA approval process has changed a bit since, but the premise of the book felt fresh and compelling to me. The plan was to “dust it off, make a few very minor edits,” and pursue publication. What happened instead was a massive rewrite of the entire story, including the title. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg16nqLumb3TNbONUJeZhLQ7yg3oPVqMG94SUUGw7TdZ-Zqfz6oSXb8Yn5dwZwklwRgbUTyEeT39Xn3u5t0XKVFCLiWCnDrH-iKSpXSa-iqhxP_AC0mblu3uu--N8b1LPHkHrS5I8WdtPjogrIbdkk55F19A6hPrA4cdIuAk1TQApMhG6RK61jFmpdLW3zY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg16nqLumb3TNbONUJeZhLQ7yg3oPVqMG94SUUGw7TdZ-Zqfz6oSXb8Yn5dwZwklwRgbUTyEeT39Xn3u5t0XKVFCLiWCnDrH-iKSpXSa-iqhxP_AC0mblu3uu--N8b1LPHkHrS5I8WdtPjogrIbdkk55F19A6hPrA4cdIuAk1TQApMhG6RK61jFmpdLW3zY=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Please introduce us to your protagonist David Centrelli, and tell us how you developed the character?</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: large;">J. Lee: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I wanted David’s character to be an everyday businessman who suddenly got thrust into extraordinary situations he knew he wasn’t equipped to handle. In my previous two books, <i>The Hubley Case </i>and <i>The Silent Cardinal, </i>the protagonist, Ben Siebert, was a former Marine specially trained to handle such situations. Part of the appeal for me of <i>The Deadly Deal</i> was acknowledging that David wasn’t. I think that’s a more relatable scenario for most of us. To round him out I added some backstory and character flaws. We all have them, and above all I wanted him to be relatable. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So how does that prepare David to handle the conspiracy? Not particularly well at the beginning for sure. That’s where Anne comes in, as well as the development and evolution of David’s character. She gets him to see that in life we really do need others to help us from time to time, even if we’ve been burned before and have developed a hard shell. The contrast between the characters was fun to write because it felt so relatable to everyday folks like you and me. Thus, David changes over the course of the book. In the midst of running for his life and trying to figure a complex situation out, he learns a lot about himself, more so than any other character I’ve written. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What sort of research went into the corrupt and real-life world of big pharma?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;"><span style="font-size: large;">J. Lee: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The research I do as a general rule falls into two “categories” that I label as:</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<ol>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The big picture </span></span></li>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The nitty-gritty </span></span></li>
</ol>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For the big picture, it starts with understanding the interplay of forces, actions and characters in the story. In this case: How does the FDA approve drugs? What process and controls go into verification? How does the government’s separation of powers ensure it acts in the best interests of the people? What about the development process? How do drugs go from an idea to a tangible product? And how does insurance fit into all of this? We all know it affects the pocketbooks of both companies and consumers, but when does that start and how does it work? </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Having worked in a tangential industry when I first wrote the initial draft provided me a strong base going in. I understood the regulatory process, objectives of several of the procedures and controls, and had enough understanding to be able to accurately communicate the ins and outs of it. But it also provided me with some connections to people who are still in the industry and were happy to help me fill in the blanks on what had changed between draft one and today. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For the nitty-gritty, there’s good and bad news.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The good news is the information is readily available and can be verified with multiple sources on the web. Some readers think I’m a gun guy because my books (including <i>The Deadly Deal) </i>have lots of them, used by good guys and bad guys. My first novel, <i>The Hubley Case, </i>even has the protagonist holding one on the cover. But the truth is, I learned what I needed from reading online. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When I described an intersection, Street View gave me context that complemented my site visit. The data is available, and you don’t have use old-fashioned encyclopedias that might be outdated or be an Internet savant to get it…you just need to make the commitment to do the work. </span></span></p>
<p style="color: red; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The bad news is it’s <i>work</i>. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When I wrote the scene with two guys chasing another through a boathouse, I didn’t necessarily <i>want </i>to look up types of boats, how boathouses are winterized, how big they are, what the floor material is, what the temperature might be, etc. But those details help set the scene. And answers are out there; it just takes time to get them. And in the end, it’s worth it. Your final product is that much better, and your readers deserve it. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLW5vU2MragXh0nUeMHaHoTK34mpSzcg3eP7Z2xJoN57zSWKYsPMmbNDohX1Dtp9dz7xVFY5ZPUHn9P4361ielggFIDST2eOqR9XJSL8OYLiIDe6WH2Qae8QvgYN70x-Z3sdxtWZi6hoUZqulNGgYfUwBqNUTRxix5t9CsMGxXOtXrP-xlWBT0R359HJ19" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLW5vU2MragXh0nUeMHaHoTK34mpSzcg3eP7Z2xJoN57zSWKYsPMmbNDohX1Dtp9dz7xVFY5ZPUHn9P4361ielggFIDST2eOqR9XJSL8OYLiIDe6WH2Qae8QvgYN70x-Z3sdxtWZi6hoUZqulNGgYfUwBqNUTRxix5t9CsMGxXOtXrP-xlWBT0R359HJ19=w514-h385" width="514" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How do you know after several or even numerous drafts that a novel’s finished and it’s time to submit it?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;"><span style="font-size: large;">J. Lee: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If plotting is my favorite part of the writing process, editing is its necessary evil. I know it makes the book better, and I know it’s something I should look forward to. But by the time I’m into the thick of the editing phase, I’ve already rewritten the story five times and am ready to move on to the next idea. It really helps that my wife, a voracious reader who seeks strong character-driven stories, edits every single page. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As a general rule, I rewrite every book at least once or twice anyway, and that’s even before the editing phase. But <i>The Deadly Deal</i> was even more extreme because the first draft was written so long ago. Now at the end of a long process, I must say that it’s been pretty special to reflect. I look at the story today and remember writing some of it nearly twenty years ago, and a lot of life happened in between. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But … when does the editing finally end? </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I suppose the answer’s different for every author and every book, but for me that point happened on <i>The Deadly Deal</i> when I went through it closely and realized there weren’t any further changes I wanted to make that popped out. I could always <i>create </i>the need for a change, likely some that would improve the story, but after almost thirty re-reads I finally reached that point where it was as “final” as it would ever be. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And I smiled. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How do you balance your work life with writing thrillers?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i style="background-color: transparent; caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;"><span style="font-size: large;">J. Lee: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">What a good question. Honestly, it takes a lot of effort from me on a daily basis, and I often struggle. Between a loving family (wife and two small children, ages six and eight) on top of a full-time job that consumes fourteen hours a day and often involves travel as well as various social activities, religious commitments, and the day-to-day aspects of everyday life, it has become more important than ever to me to never lose sight of my work-life balance. Writing is my passion. I do it because I love it, and it helps balance me out, but it’s also a big commitment. And I consciously work hard to not let it take priority over my family or my job, because that’s putting food on the family table and needs to come first. How? Well, I do my best with the aid of a rigorous schedule. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Generally speaking, I write early in the morning before the house and most of the Western Hemisphere is awake. I target two hours each day but am happy with ninety minutes. Then I shift into Dad mode for a bit before heading into the office with breakfast and some games. Because my wife is such a good mom who stays home with our kids, I’m able to focus on the job all day before heading home for dinner and family time without worrying about them. Once the little ones are in bed, I return to my writing for a few minutes but often times I’m too tired and end up closing my eyes in front of the TV. It’s become the routine that we are used to, but it’s not without its sacrifices and consequences. As a result, I try very hard to hold myself accountable to ensuring that balance is really right for the family and me, and as long as it continues to be, I will try to honor it every single day.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What is the advantage of telling a story from the multiple perspectives of your characters?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i style="background-color: transparent; caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;"><span style="font-size: large;">J. Lee: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Short answer: because it makes it more fun to write and for me, more fun to read. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.1px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.1px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Long answer: There’s something simplistically intriguing about a story that lets the viewer try to figure something out before its conclusion. Call it a mystery, thriller, suspense novel or even in the movies, when the audience gets to play along with the protagonist to help solve the riddle, there’s a connection to and investment in the story that isn’t there otherwise. Having multiple perspectives and putting the reader in the head of different characters helps me as the author facilitate that connection. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I’ll balance that with the fact that I’ve been told my plots are complicated and it can be hard to follow all the characters I use. I find truth in that feedback, and I have been trying to apply it to my writing. I won’t write simple plots that don’t have moving parts, but if it’s not clear enough for people to follow, it needs to be addressed. Finding that delicate balance is both the challenge and the fun for me. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgomT_EoGELwcqYkOlnsXWdAgiKD3bgBoI6LpS8oAhCwZtsEkbixjaV6dNsa03TYcGgTFZOcT0Z2_754EJme-95jcsNJBW-T0ATu7YFgpzupwDnbYy36G8nORI5eSodmHoqBF1Uw_hsMrm6lmmwTSqJdbD4dFdynkpxCHE5yS-62ZbBQBXoefdPJJja51I1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgomT_EoGELwcqYkOlnsXWdAgiKD3bgBoI6LpS8oAhCwZtsEkbixjaV6dNsa03TYcGgTFZOcT0Z2_754EJme-95jcsNJBW-T0ATu7YFgpzupwDnbYy36G8nORI5eSodmHoqBF1Uw_hsMrm6lmmwTSqJdbD4dFdynkpxCHE5yS-62ZbBQBXoefdPJJja51I1=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What can fans of your work look forward to next?</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-size: large;">J. Lee: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Thanks for asking! While I don’t want to give away too much too soon - and the fact is it’s all subject to change — so stay tuned — some announcements may be coming out and a chapter or two may be made available in the near future. I’ve been kicking around two or three different premises, including a historical fiction concept as well as another Ben Siebert novel. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(31, 31, 31); color: #1f1f1f;"><span style="font-size: large;">J. Lee: </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Of course, and thanks for asking this as well! There are excerpts on my website already waiting for you at <a href="http://www.jleethrillers.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: blue;">www.jleethrillers.com</span></a>. You can also find additional information any of the three books including various reviews, info, etc. as well as myself. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For <i>The Deadly Deal </i>excerpt directly, you can go to <a href="https://www.jleethrillers.com/deadly-deal-free-preview"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: blue;">https://www.jleethrillers.com/deadly-deal-free-preview</span></a> or just click <a href="https://www.jleethrillers.com/deadly-deal-free-preview"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: blue;">HERE</span></a>. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Thanks so much to Dietrich and the entire Off The Cuff Team.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-23197049577016376392023-10-15T00:00:00.001-07:002023-10-15T00:00:00.145-07:00Off the Cuff with Winona Kent<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinljESZX4lh39DSUYjsX6vQOaVTreepAIqbFeVWFHZnek6v09TnDhMmylqQINqQOpczTwxUm-wQmG_DzPIGzkd1a8ncpq2qC1i7Jil8RMh63CydUXcLU-l2eU2xvjO5lWx8el3wbXOZFqbE0EZ35BAg1Dwp_qtWbpJATmFV9Hf-BENhy1x9kEdgxFFUJVL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinljESZX4lh39DSUYjsX6vQOaVTreepAIqbFeVWFHZnek6v09TnDhMmylqQINqQOpczTwxUm-wQmG_DzPIGzkd1a8ncpq2qC1i7Jil8RMh63CydUXcLU-l2eU2xvjO5lWx8el3wbXOZFqbE0EZ35BAg1Dwp_qtWbpJATmFV9Hf-BENhy1x9kEdgxFFUJVL=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Winona Kent is the award-winning author of the Jason Davey mystery series. Her latest is </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Ten Stories That Worried My Mother</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. It’s a collection of short stories from 1982 until the present, including four prize-winners, three mysteries, two previously unpublished works, and one where the hero manages to spare-change John Lennon at the premiere of </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">A Hard Day's Night</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in 1964.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiPx7ViQc5ZZP-mIAAwi9Qbj5J2RgUtjCUcb4Nzh9RFsWWhYMKIx0uuxsiogryb4mQ6eJK-I4Nonci9XaIbkqRq1aJeIN31QebUJwXml5LrikfcgzO5hJiAVaihc3_0KyIesO4D5LJKhnuMHb4EeNbmDgyk5If8W2FZyF53_ucklJqsB7o1lNnwNnnuIJB" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="204" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiPx7ViQc5ZZP-mIAAwi9Qbj5J2RgUtjCUcb4Nzh9RFsWWhYMKIx0uuxsiogryb4mQ6eJK-I4Nonci9XaIbkqRq1aJeIN31QebUJwXml5LrikfcgzO5hJiAVaihc3_0KyIesO4D5LJKhnuMHb4EeNbmDgyk5If8W2FZyF53_ucklJqsB7o1lNnwNnnuIJB=w400-h389" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome Winona. Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed these stories. Tell us what inspired the collection?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Winona:</i> Thank you! Most of the stories had been published before, but half of them were in magazines that have long since disappeared, and I thought, why not make them available again? I was particularly proud of the ones that had won prizes, especially "Tower of Power", which was actually my first published short story. I called the collection <i>Ten Stories That Worried My Mother </i>because she really did worry a lot about me being a writer — what would the neighbours think? What would the family think? What if I put those family members and neighbours into my stories and they somehow recognized themselves?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNlGXwUgZ201vwA2IpW4mDv-d1mPEVWN2DoSLfsnmV5mBcd7tLyGWxXI5D5FqryhAzuJ_-to5xabQs0BSh2vDHTu-B98dc-ZRHQPy6fqIkAcd5JLO0NdCrtmGkRpR-uYp8ZY4ImhkRMcCTc0g0yd2h6zBArx-_oSOlP4_rJ2nAizSWVgtN0HUhCtP3GTVB" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="186" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNlGXwUgZ201vwA2IpW4mDv-d1mPEVWN2DoSLfsnmV5mBcd7tLyGWxXI5D5FqryhAzuJ_-to5xabQs0BSh2vDHTu-B98dc-ZRHQPy6fqIkAcd5JLO0NdCrtmGkRpR-uYp8ZY4ImhkRMcCTc0g0yd2h6zBArx-_oSOlP4_rJ2nAizSWVgtN0HUhCtP3GTVB=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How do you feel your writing style has evolved over this span of time? Are there aspects of writing that have become easier for you over the years?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Winona:</i> I started out my writing career with short stories and freelance articles in local newspapers and magazines. More than half of the stories in the anthology were published before my first novel, and I recall one of the biggest problems I struggled with, as young novelist-in-waiting, was structure. So I basically learned about structuring a plot by working on those short stories. And once I'd got a handle on that, everything else seemed to fall into place when I applied myself to longer fiction. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I also used to be afraid of conflict, which makes no sense if you want to write fiction, because conflict is the backbone of the story, it's what moves the narrative forward. But I hated any kind of conflict in real life, so, of course, I had to work hard to incorporate it into my writing. In fact, it's kind of interesting that many of the characters in the earliest stories are doing their best to avoid conflict. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The last four stories in the anthology were written after I'd got a few novels under my belt, and I'm a much more confident writer in those —embracing conflict full-on. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So, yes, over the years, I can definitely say I've got a handle on structure (it's second nature to me now). But I still have a bit of that "avoid trouble at all costs" ethos floating around. My current mystery series is about a professional musician who is also an amateur sleuth, and he's actually always really reluctant to get involved in a potential job. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As for writing style, I think I've matured a lot since my first short story was published in 1982 (I was 28 years old at the time). I've become a lot more confident, and much more of a risk-taker, I think. And I treat each new project as an opportunity to learn something new about the craft, rather than just coasting on past experience.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Has winning awards along the way inspired you, or does it put pressure on you to do more or better the next time out? </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Winona:</i> It definitely inspired me, because when you win an award, it provides you with some much-needed validation. And back in those days (the 1970s, 80s and early 90s), there just weren't a lot of opportunities to be published and to develop a readership. You had printed magazines, newspapers, and traditional book publishers, and that was it. And when it came time to try and land that first publishing contract for a book, if you could put on your CV that you'd appeared in some literary journals and popular magazines, and, on top of that, your stories had been recognized in national contests, that all counted for something. Nowadays, with indie publishing, with so many authors jumping up and down, waving their hands in the air and trying to be noticed, an award or two really does help with your exposure. And it provides another immediate kind of inspiration, because, again, it's validation that what you've written really has made an impression somewhere. I don't find that it puts pressure on me. But it does provide me with something to aspire to every time I start a new project. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have a preference to writing short stories or novels? Tell us about the mindset you bring to each?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Winona:</i> I think it depends where I am in my writing life at the time. A short story is much less work than a novel, but it's also much more focused and needs to have everything developed and wrapped up in a much smaller "container", for want of a better word. I tend to be a long story writer. If I see a call for submissions asking for something that's 1500 words or less, I run the other way. I've just written a story that's 6,000 words long, and even then, I had to trim about 1,000 words to make it fit the submission rules. My story "Salty Dog Blues", which was originally published in an anthology put out by Sisters in Crime-Canada West, was 8,000 words. And that was long enough to qualify it as a novella entry in the Crime Writers of Canada's Awards of Excellence, where it was shortlisted as one of the finalists. I think the average length of most of the stories in the anthology is around 2,000 to 3,000 words. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I actually prefer writing short stories if I'm stuck somewhere in my creative process and I need a change of pace or just a change, period. The exercise of working towards that maximum word limit, and forcing my imagination to focus more keenly and briefly on a singular plot with a small number of characters, and making every word, every description, count, is something I find incredibly useful. It's also good remedy for writer's block. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If I'm not stuck in my creative process, I'll always defer to novels. I always wanted to write books, even when I was a child. And I definitely use long fiction as a way to make sense of the world around me. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Some of the stories in the collection are inspired by real life, while some are fantasy. What are your thoughts on allowing for some imagination into the real-life stories, and letting in some real-life into the fantasy stories? </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Winona:</i> I'm a firm believer in mixing things up. I've never bought into the idea that if you embrace a certain "genre", you have to stick to well-established rules. I guess I'm like a lot of writers who are always looking for ways to incorporate what they experience in real life into their fiction. It's become almost second-nature to me now. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I can honestly say that five of the ten stories in the anthology ("Tower of Power", "Dietrich's Ash", "True Confessions", "Creatures from Greek Mythology" and "Herd Maintenance") were fictionalized accounts of incidents that either happened to me personally, or I observed them happening to someone else. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"The Man in the Grey Eldorado" was inspired by my love of the old TV series, <i>The Man from U.N.C.L.E.</i>, along with a glorious week I spent at a creative writing retreat at an old TB sanitorium in the Qu'Appelle Valley near Regina, Saskatchewan (and the plot was entirely made up). </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Perhaps an Angel", which is a time-travel story, has absolutely nothing in common with anything in my life, other than an interest in Taro cards and a very strong passion for family tree research. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Easy When You Know How" is another time-travel story, with the same two main characters, which draws on my very strong attraction to London in the Swinging Sixties, and a real-life episode from 1968 when my sister and I were caught in the crowds gathered at Piccadilly Circus for the premiere of the Beatles' movie <i>Yellow Submarine.</i> I borrowed from that event, moved it back to 1964 and the premiere of another Beatles' film, <i>A Hard Day's Night</i>, and had my main character end up spare changing John Lennon for ten pounds at the event :-) </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"Salty Dog Blues" came about because my sister worked for Princess Cruises as a Captain's Secretary. I travelled with her a number of times and got to see life below decks, as well as on the passenger decks. The ship in the story was based on an ocean liner I sailed on when I was a teenager, the <i>Empress of Canada </i>(which eventually became Carnival Cruise Lines' very first ship, the <i>Mardi Gras</i>). </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And "Blue Devil Blues" was completely inspired by another one of my longstanding passions, the London Underground, and abandoned tube stations. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So I'm not sure if I've answered your question, but I have sort-of explained how real life always informs my fiction. Sometimes it's an incident that really happened. Sometimes it's just bits of knowledge that I've picked up, or research that I've done along the way, or things that I've got a passionate interest in, that I use to make the story that much more entertaining.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> And lastly, I have to ask, why would you worry your mother like that?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Winona:</i> Ha! Well, as I said, she always did worry about me being a writer and drawing attention to myself. A lot of unlearning had to go on there, because, as you know, writers need to promote themselves. She worried constantly when I gave interviews, or revealed little tidbits of information about my personal life. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I did actually promise her that while she was alive, I wouldn't write about her or the family. I broke the promise slightly when I wrote "Dietrich's Ash", which was based on a real conflict that happened between my dad and our neighbour. She didn't have a lot to say about that when it was published. But, otherwise, I did keep the promise. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She died in 2021 at the age of 95. I'm really pleased that, a few months before she died, I read "Salty Dog Blues" to her, aloud. When I was finished, she, of course, worried that I'd get my sister into trouble with the cruise ship company (in spite of the fact that she hadn't worked for them for 15 years) and in spite of the fact that they didn't have any ships in their fleet that were remotely similar to the one in the story. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So really, in a roundabout way, this anthology is actually a tribute to my mum. Really. It is. :-)</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Well, I usually sum up by asking what’s next, but I already know that you’re polishing up your new novel Bad Boy. What can you tell us about it in advance?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Winona:</i> <i>Bad Boy</i> is the fifth novel in my Jason Davey Mystery series. Jason's a professional musician and an amateur sleuth, and the story takes place in 2018, a few days after the end of the Figgis Green tour of England I wrote about in <i>Ticket to Ride </i>(novel #4). </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">After the suicide of an enigmatic thief, Jason follows a trail of clues which leads to a collection of compositions by British composer Sir Edward Elgar — musical scores that the thief stole to order — and which Soho crime lord Arthur Braskey (who I introduced in the novel <i>Notes on a Missing G-String</i>) desperately wants back.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I'm currently writing the third draft, and I'm aiming or a release in March 2024.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt from Ten Stories That Worried My Mother that you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Winona:</i> Yes, here's the beginning of "Blue Devil Blues", the last story in the anthology. It's a bit of a murder mystery, and it features the main character in my current series, Jason Davey. It tells the story of how he actually got his gig at The Blue Devil jazz club in London's Soho.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">BLUE DEVIL BLUES</span></b></span></p>
<p style="color: #2e74b5; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Can you sing?” the man asked. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">His name was Howard Parfitt and he was wearing a wig. Not a toupee or a topper. A full wig—the sort of thing older men put on their heads when the Beatles were just starting to make it big in the early 1960s and they wanted to be “with it” and “trendy” but they didn’t have enough hair of their own to pull off the classic mop top with a fringe. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It was a black wig. It made him look ridiculous, quite frankly, but it was his club—Diamonds—and Diamonds featured vintage rock and roll, with a special emphasis on the Swinging Sixties, and he was legendary for looking the part. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Howard Parfitt was about 70 years old and he’d been running Diamonds since 1990, when he’d taken it over from his dad. Peter Parfitt had opened the club in 1965, a rock and roll mecca in the heart of London’s Soho, three minutes from Carnaby Street and <i>the </i>place to mingle (if you could get in) for any number of years. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Those heady days were long gone, however. And Diamonds was struggling. I knew it was struggling when I turned up for the audition. I was struggling too. It was 2016 and I’d come back to England after a couple of years abroad and I needed the work. I’d done the rounds. I’d approached managers and agents and record producers and the owners of other clubs. I’d even resorted to busking. I was losing faith in my talent and I was scared to death I was going to end up a sad guitar-player in a tunnel somewhere, playing “Smoke on the Water” for spare change. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This was my very last shot. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“I can sing,” I confirmed. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Howard Parfitt sat back in his chair and waited. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I’d brought along three of my mates who were also musicians. Like Harry in “Sultans of Swing” (and unlike me) they had daytime jobs and they were doing all right. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">They usually played jazz. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I usually played jazz. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We’d run through our collection of rock and roll instrumentals. “FBI”—made famous by The Shadows, but I preferred a lesser-known arrangement by The Apaches—it rocks and has lots of cheeky key changes; “Short Trip”, by Little Louie, from 1964—which nobody’s ever heard of except me; “Hall of the Mountain King”—a sax-drenched favourite, a classic by Grieg made famous by Sounds Incorporated, who used to open for The Beatles when they went on tour; “Side Winder”—the signature tune of a Canadian band, Wes Dakus and The Rebels, which was Keith Hampshire’s theme when he was a DJ aboard the pirate ship Radio Caroline; and “Because They’re Young”, the Duane Eddy hit I’ve always really loved because of its solid twangy lead guitar and its full orchestra backing—which Dave emulated magnificently on his portable keyboard. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Please,” said Howard Parfitt, gesturing with his hands. “Sing.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We’d considered the possibility that this might happen and, fortunately, we’d rehearsed a party piece. Rudy, Ken and Dave played me in and I launched into my absolutely stonking rendition of “Fireball XL5”. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Howard Parfitt burst into delighted laughter. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Fireball XL5 </i>was a Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced Supermarionation kids’ show that aired on British tv in the early 1960s. I shared Neil Gaiman’s fond recollection of a childhood informed by “bad puppet science fiction.” And I loved its closing theme, which was sung by Don Spencer, an Australian who’d gone on to accomplish great things in children’s television and whose daughter had grown up to marry Russell Crowe. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Thank you,” Howard said, still grinning, as we finished. “You’re not very good, are you?” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This, coming from a 70-year-old man wearing a black Beatle wig, an egg-stained blue paisley tie and scuffed brown suede boots with Cuban heels and pointy toes that my mum used to refer to as “winkle pickers.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">He was shortly going to turn up dead—still wearing his wig, the winkle pickers and his blue paisley tie. But of course, I had no inkling about that. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I glanced doubtfully at Ken, Rudy and Dave. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“I mean,” Howard said, looking at me, “you’re good.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Then he nodded at my band. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“You aren’t.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“They are good,” I objected, “but they’d really rather be playing jazz.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Not my thing, unfortunately,” Howard replied. “My brother Harry’s quite a fan though.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If I’d known then what I found out later, I’d have warned him about his brother’s branch of the family. But, hindsight. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Does Harry have a nightclub?” Ken asked. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Howard laughed again. “Sorry. No. He’s my accountant.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Could we play some jazz for you?” Dave tried. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Howard checked his watch. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Oh all right. Go on, then.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We did an old standard from 1929, “Blue Devil Blues”. As originally written it’s in C minor and has a slow rhythm, but we’d perked it up and given it a catchy beat and whenever we played it (in pubs and the odd club gig) the punters loved it. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I like to think Howard was appreciative. Last impressions and all that. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Much better,” he said, when we were done. “Thanks.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dave looked happier. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Anyway—thanks for coming.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And that was that. We unplugged our instruments from the club’s sound system. Rudy packed up his drum kit and we helped him carry all his cases out. I remember feeling particularly deflated. I really wasn’t looking forward to setting up my pitch in Covent Garden again. You can take in a decent amount of money on a good weekend when there are lots of tourists around and you’re playing tunes they recognize. But it’s not a steady income and sometimes it rains and I was well past the young and adventurous and living-off-tinned-beans stage in my life. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Another band was waiting in the foyer. They were dressed identically in collarless grey suit jackets and tightly-knotted ties and trousers with drainpipe legs and collectively they looked about 19 years old. I held the door open for them as they trekked into the venue with all their gear. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Rudy, Ken and Dave took their leave, but I decided to stay. I wanted to hear if the Beatle boys were any better than we were. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I sat down in a comfy chair in the foyer to listen to their version of “Love Me Do”. Their grandparents hadn’t even been born when that song had charted in 1962. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">They were in the middle of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” when a woman came into the foyer from the street. She had an old acoustic guitar with her—not in a case—and she was wearing a leather vest with fringes on it, a blue t-shirt that advertised the 2012 London Olympics, a pair of jeans with the knees frayed out and torn and a blue Zorro hat. She had short straight blonde hair. I reckoned she was in her mid-twenties. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“You waiting too?” she asked, sitting in the chair beside me. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Just finished,” I replied. “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Sounds familiar.” She stuck out her hand. “Evie Parfitt.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Jason Davey,” I said. “You related to Howard?” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“His niece,” she said. “My dad’s Harry Parfitt. The accountant.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“And your uncle’s making you audition?” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Sadly. But he’s keen to save me from ending up as a rootless, aimless person with no purpose in life.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I had to admire Howard’s sense of fair play. I hate nepotism. I’ve spent my life consciously trying to avoid it. I was certain if I’d mentioned my musical pedigree and my real name to Howard, he’d have bent over backwards to accommodate me. But that’s not how I roll. Or rock. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Show me your guitar?” Evie asked. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I unlatched my case and let her have a look. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Very nice,” she said. “It looks old. An original?” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Very much an original,” I replied. And I told her about its history. The fact that my dad and mum were the founding members of Figgis Green, a folky pop band who were big in the 1960s and 1970s. My dad, Tony Figgis, had died in 1995 and my mum had given me two of his guitars. One of them—a Sunburst Strat—went to the bottom of the Gulf of Alaska in 2012 when the cruise ship I was working on caught fire and sank. This was the other—a Lake Placid Blue Strat. I was glad I hadn’t taken it to sea. I was counting on it to bring me some luck. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Worth a few bob, I imagine,” Evie said. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“I could never sell it.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Evie, in turn, told me her story. All her life she’d wanted to be a singer. But she hadn’t been very successful. The Parfitt name had opened doors…but she hadn’t managed to make any headway once she’d stepped over the threshold. She’d performed in pubs and clubs, at farmer’s markets and store openings. She was passionate about her craft. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She was passionate about the London Underground, too. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“I write all my own songs,” she said. “A lot of them are about the tube.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She sang one of them for me, accompanying herself on her old battered acoustic guitar. It was about an out-of-work musician riding around all day on an Underground train. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It wasn’t very good. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She sang me a second song. It sort-of reminded me of something from <i>Starlight Express</i>. It was about an Underground train as well. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And it wasn’t very good either. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“You do know that your Uncle Howard’s looking for a rock and roll act,” I said. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Of course,” Evie replied. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And then she sang “Love of the Loved”. The one written by Paul McCartney that Cilla Black recorded for her debut single in 1963. It was dreadful. But at least it wasn’t about an Underground train. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The band that was auditioning inside the main venue for Evie’s Uncle Howard had fallen silent. They’d been playing “Yellow Submarine.” I wondered if they were undergoing an existential crisis and were looking for a handy Maharishi and the opportunity to play on a nearby roof. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And I needed to use the loo. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Any idea where the Gent’s is?” I asked. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“In the cellar,” Evie said, nodding at a staircase at the end of the foyer. “Turn right at the bottom.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She was obviously well-acquainted with Uncle Howard’s club. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I left my guitar in its case beside my chair and went downstairs in search of the toilets. The cellar wasn’t all that inviting. It was dark and it smelled like mildew. There were lit-up emergency Way Out signs, but that was it for the corridor. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And the toilets had seen much better days. Fluorescents flickered in the ceiling and the walls were covered with shiny white fired clay tiles, but a lot of them had been chipped and cracked by the passage of time and many had simply come loose and fallen away. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I relieved myself and went back upstairs. The band still weren’t playing—but I could hear them chatting and laughing on the other side of the closed doors. They’d probably got the gig. Bastards. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I didn’t see Evie. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She’d disappeared. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And so had my dad’s Lake Placid Blue Strat. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I really hoped she’d just popped in to chat with the guys in the Beatle suits. I opened the door. They were lounging around the stage. One of them was smoking, in spite of the signs prohibiting it. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But she was not there. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Haven’t seen her, mate,” Ringo said, in answer to my question. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I ran outside but I knew it was hopeless. She had a five-minute head start on me and it was mid-afternoon, it was July, and Soho was teeming with tourists. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">To say I was devastated would be an understatement. That was my dad’s guitar. He’d loved it and nurtured it and I’d kept it safe all those years since he’d died…and now I’d lost it. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My plummeting mood was replaced by rising anger. I knew who Evie was—she’d given me her name. Howard Parfitt was her uncle. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I ran back to the venue. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“He went that way,” Paul said, pointing at a door that I guessed led to backstage storage and dressing rooms. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I wasn’t wrong. The main lounge was a bit tatty-looking and in dire need of some renovations. Its backstage area, which the punters never saw, was even worse: a narrow hallway scattered with microphone stands and lights and bundled electrical cords, broken chairs and three-legged tables, stuff from behind the bar, cardboard boxes, wooden crates. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I didn’t hear any voices and I wasn’t sure where Howard had gone, so I went looking for him. I checked all the doors. Storage. Dressing room. Dressing room and storage. Toilet. I was down to the last door on the right. I opened it. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It was another dressing room and the lights were on. It was very small. There was a counter against the wall and above it a big mirror and below it a chair. There were pictures on two of the other walls of some of the big-name British performers who’d played at Diamonds in its heyday. Adam Faith. Marty Wilde. Tommy Steele. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Howard Parfitt was lying on the floor. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">He had a very large knife wound in his chest roundabout where his heart was. Quite a lot of blood had exited his body and pooled on the floor around him. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I rang 999 on my mobile and told them what I was looking at. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">They asked me to check if he was breathing. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">He wasn’t. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">They asked me to check his neck for a pulse. I did. Very carefully. Mindful of the need not to interfere with the scene of the crime. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There was no pulse. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I really hoped they weren’t going to ask me to start CPR while we waited for the ambulance and the police to arrive. I knew how to do it. I’d done lifesaving training as part of the stuff I needed to know when I was working as an entertainer aboard the <i>Star Sapphire</i>. How to launch an inflatable life raft. How to leap off a sinking ship (fold your arms across the front of your lifejacket and hold your nose). How to revive someone who’s drowned. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Not stabbed through the heart, though, and missing most of his blood. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Are you in a safe place?” the woman asked. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It hadn’t occurred to me but there was always the possibility that Howard’s killer was still in the building. I might have put myself in terrible danger. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I looked up. There was nowhere for anyone to hide in the dressing room. There were no cupboards or concealed spaces. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“I’m in the room with the victim,” I said. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“If you wouldn’t mind waiting outside,” the woman said. “Try not to disturb anything. The police and the ambulance will be there shortly.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-indent: 36px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Dietrich:</span></i><span style="font-size: large;"> Many thanks to Winona Kent for the interview. You can find out more about her and her writing at her website <a href="https://www.winonakent.com/tenstories.html">here</a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-33658166144862295582023-10-01T00:00:00.001-07:002023-10-01T00:00:00.145-07:00Off the Cuff with John Lansing<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvVfqoZpK6wTs8OdekGzF_F6slP1_SHgerElB0BuOrHYETUWm2c7qeV6kEdL6OyBeO2MSU062bHy2-hjXiW9ZbFxJLiYdugm4-Up_HmXRtrzd74WERlpBnFyUJjDezFp6vGrFQe20yJp2qGiO-uwRs-eYVcSZK_QDyVwUOOtqUm0pVdML91F2Tb3VtZa98" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvVfqoZpK6wTs8OdekGzF_F6slP1_SHgerElB0BuOrHYETUWm2c7qeV6kEdL6OyBeO2MSU062bHy2-hjXiW9ZbFxJLiYdugm4-Up_HmXRtrzd74WERlpBnFyUJjDezFp6vGrFQe20yJp2qGiO-uwRs-eYVcSZK_QDyVwUOOtqUm0pVdML91F2Tb3VtZa98=w181-h200" width="181" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It’s always a real treat when I find out that one of my favorite series has a new installment coming. John Lansing writes the Jack Bertolino series, and it’s one of the best crime fiction series out there, bar none. And I’m thrilled to hear there’s a new one coming, and it’s called <i>25 to Life</i>. </span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLgEIMgNZX5O4m-MJoLgfWtqFTjEPvnCEJHUIbv8FnTqdmDGrvHhK39zT3l4yXOAqn44CxyI9raMuSPZjUZXqawvX-ewTJ5sCxci7mX_iqJ3RlS26qgwmJbGb7IVmPOYZ1k0qfaYmE0VNkrLnzj7aPUrBKK-4GhiYL8MVhkc4RLuDdVo8-U_OC533YO2r1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLgEIMgNZX5O4m-MJoLgfWtqFTjEPvnCEJHUIbv8FnTqdmDGrvHhK39zT3l4yXOAqn44CxyI9raMuSPZjUZXqawvX-ewTJ5sCxci7mX_iqJ3RlS26qgwmJbGb7IVmPOYZ1k0qfaYmE0VNkrLnzj7aPUrBKK-4GhiYL8MVhkc4RLuDdVo8-U_OC533YO2r1=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Jack Bertolino is back! That’s great news, John. Please tell us about the new one, the fifth in the series, <b><i>25 to Life</i></b>?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>John:</i> Thanks for having me, Dietrich. In <i>25 to Life,</i> Gloria Millhouse, a beautiful African American law student is a rising star at Project for the Innocent. She’s done extensive research on inmate Carl Forbes, who she believes was wrongfully arrested, convicted, and incarcerated for the sexual assault and brutal murder of a teenage girl twenty-three years ago. Gloria dies in a car crash on Malibu Canyon Road after questioning powerful men who were witnesses at Carl's trial. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My series protagonist, Jack Bertolino, is brought on to the case. Jack doesn’t believe her crash was a random accident. He thinks someone wanted to prevent Carl from getting a new trial. The action blows up as key witnesses are found murdered and the biggest target is now on Jack. It becomes clear if he can find Gloria's killer, he’ll also find the man responsible for the teenager's murder all those years ago. And Carl Forbes can walk out of prison a free man.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxkGZA3uLnzQQNmowQ2APi6dTPUvzCNuEMnercpMJ5sR3kqaQNOG3zUx9JrXbWX63muRAQExVGUWpgYSv68Y7kBvEEJXeRmpyWkj3vEydSYjokfzCmFdJJRlWpF1zstbDPclvNKNv8V0itn0S5GGHRgcRTCrsjmXkvuGmPfjFsTKdAGAJwcHod9hhNW_SP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxkGZA3uLnzQQNmowQ2APi6dTPUvzCNuEMnercpMJ5sR3kqaQNOG3zUx9JrXbWX63muRAQExVGUWpgYSv68Y7kBvEEJXeRmpyWkj3vEydSYjokfzCmFdJJRlWpF1zstbDPclvNKNv8V0itn0S5GGHRgcRTCrsjmXkvuGmPfjFsTKdAGAJwcHod9hhNW_SP=w250-h400" width="250" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Tell us how you took this from the spark of an idea to a completed novel?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>John:</i> I went to a West Coast Writers lunch a few years ago. The main speakers worked at Project for the Innocent. There were two lawyers and their guest of honor, a recently exonerated man who’d been arrested for murder, and wrongfully incarcerated for twenty-four years. The man’s story was horrific, heartbreaking, and enlightening. We were asked to spread the word about the work Project for the Innocent had done exonerating 700 wrongfully convicted inmates. They asked us to use the organization in our television episodes, our movies, our novels, and let people know about the lives saved. I sat at the bar after lunch with a good friend, and by the time I hit the road I had an idea. I found a way to organically pull Jack Bertolino into a story using Project for the Innocent as a major player.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Tell us about the research that went into it, and were there any surprises along the way? </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>John: </i>Leslie S. Klinger, a writer, and lawyer, who had organized Project of the Innocent luncheon, kindly opened the door for me at Loyola College where the organization is housed. I was lucky enough to sit in on an extended meeting with the same exonerated inmate during a three-hour discussion between the students — who are the blood and soul of the organization — and their professors who talked about the legal process involved in winning a case.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>The last time you were here you mentioned that past conflicts and attitudes are carried over from one book to the next, and even though each novel operates as a stand-alone, the emotional depth you mine keeps expanding. Has that been the case with <i>25 to Life</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>John: </i>It has. But in <i>25 To Life,</i> it had more to do with two strong female characters. They were both love interests in Jack’s life at different times, and then they both came back into his life at the same time. I wasn’t sure how Jack was going to deal with the awkward situation, but enjoyed the conflict I’m always looking for when writing a story.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> And I believe you’ve got some good news to share on the pilot for the Jack Bertolino series?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>John: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Yes. Before the strike, I sold and wrote the first draft of the pilot for my first book, <i>The Devil’s Necktie.</i> It’s now in development at Andria Litto’s Amuse Entertainment, with Litto, and Barbara DeFina attached as producers. I’m grateful to be working with these two powerhouse women.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Congratulations! Aside from length and formatting, do you take a different approach when you’re writing a novel, as opposed to writing for the screen?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>John: </i>I have a miniature wooden barrel on my desk that holds my pens, pencils, and a pair of scissors. It has a yellow post-it note stuck to the side of the barrel with a red-ink hand written sentence. “If you can’t see it … it doesn’t belong in the script.” After writing books for the past eight years or so, it was a challenge having to slip back into my script writing days. I needed the reminder.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> With all the success you’ve had, do you find it gets easier, or does it feel like the bar keeps getting set higher?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>John: </i>I still have moments when I know where I’m going and the book almost writes itself. There are also times when I’m lost and feel like I’ve written myself into a corner. And sometimes the characters start talking to me, then I’m in the zone, and all is right with the world. I’m not sure if that answers your question.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Yes, it does. And lastly, can you tell us what you’re working on, and what we can look forward to coming next?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs4KnhBYeMoxdY23-2bABoOSimcm5Um15v-nxt9UsBv6IkuR6T322dlGlwgyda18EIUvte2sfEjImBR4sPWUgDdOZHCOI3GYEsjoWM_aYp798C7vBNRr1gEfLfxzuE9MtHBN1JwFLmfWUMwx9r0xbG5cBvvjbkQ9qh-Uznvj8T4SiqhpJCVOomFiJh1Uk4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs4KnhBYeMoxdY23-2bABoOSimcm5Um15v-nxt9UsBv6IkuR6T322dlGlwgyda18EIUvte2sfEjImBR4sPWUgDdOZHCOI3GYEsjoWM_aYp798C7vBNRr1gEfLfxzuE9MtHBN1JwFLmfWUMwx9r0xbG5cBvvjbkQ9qh-Uznvj8T4SiqhpJCVOomFiJh1Uk4=w255-h400" width="255" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>John: </i>In <i>The Devil’s Necktie</i>, one of Jack’s confidential informants, Mia, comes to an untimely death. For years readers have wanted to know more about her. They lamented her passing, thought she was cool, and wondered why I killed her off. To all those people, I’m working on a prequel to the Jack Bertolino series. Your questions will be answered.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thank you to John Lansing for the chat. Fans of his work can find out more about him and what he’s up to at his website <a href="https://www.johnlansing.net">here</a>. <br /><br /></span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-57781696428794330172023-09-15T00:00:00.001-07:002023-09-15T00:00:00.142-07:00Off the Cuff with Lyn Squire<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #373e3e;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9952FCxhWF8HCI7ik5qTuKn7B2dAEb_d5nJ7zJL1Z-KVuFjc1jfL8JbcKnkcTZGm8C5D7tzFyGIXVXr5Sz2EexhCLJtn25YvQ51JRwZg64S7Eaeqkdx9oasnScL5bGG5l4Xd1A46I6KNd7ZNoMGQh303Nt1rOK_orTiHonJHi9yMXtX6bmneVAU_fmFk6" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9952FCxhWF8HCI7ik5qTuKn7B2dAEb_d5nJ7zJL1Z-KVuFjc1jfL8JbcKnkcTZGm8C5D7tzFyGIXVXr5Sz2EexhCLJtn25YvQ51JRwZg64S7Eaeqkdx9oasnScL5bGG5l4Xd1A46I6KNd7ZNoMGQh303Nt1rOK_orTiHonJHi9yMXtX6bmneVAU_fmFk6=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #373e3e; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Lyn Squire is a Welshman with a Ph.D. from Cambridge. He claims to have written some of the most boring economics books ever, and now he’s writing mysteries for fun, and residing in Springfield, Virginia.</span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome to <i>Off the Cuff</i>, Lyn. Please give us the premise for <b><i>Immortalised to Death</i></b>?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKm39S7NBGGi2Hvz9BTkTLGK-Us3FCYPuHYoskiA8u71yKUDXcl027irYxXp0S5ilSUZ6EuiVvQq1pELZIfuwyRiLIWTeJHsjWgoh6mzzAOwG5ugrevpzgbPSFE4PXoPP1P82QoP6x4lTLatFGgPU-7hvpU6iahUMH3dY5i-d8oKCOj7mFyisP9x-asXvI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4620" data-original-width="3696" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKm39S7NBGGi2Hvz9BTkTLGK-Us3FCYPuHYoskiA8u71yKUDXcl027irYxXp0S5ilSUZ6EuiVvQq1pELZIfuwyRiLIWTeJHsjWgoh6mzzAOwG5ugrevpzgbPSFE4PXoPP1P82QoP6x4lTLatFGgPU-7hvpU6iahUMH3dY5i-d8oKCOj7mFyisP9x-asXvI=w320-h400" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lyn:</i> Thank you for the invitation. <i>Immortalised to Death</i> opens with the death of Charles Dickens, his latest tale only half told. Believing the novelist was poisoned to prevent him from completing <i>The Mystery of Edwin Drood</i>, Dunston Burnett, a distant relative and unlikely detective, scours the half-finished manuscript in search of pointers as to how the story might unfold and whom it might threaten. Knowing the writer’s story-telling tendencies better than anyone, he eventually figures out the intended ending — a chilling, prison-cell confession. Better yet, he recognizes the real-life counterpart behind the damning portrait of the villain. But, has he found the killer? A second murder opens the literary sleuth’s eyes to the real confession in the story’s final chapter — the author’s disclosure (as envisaged by Dunston) of his own shameful secret. Armed with this new insight, Dunston follows a series of tenuous clues across London until he finally tracks down the guilty party. A satisfactory outcome, it would seem, except for one tiny detail, amateur detective Dunston still hasn’t come anywhere near the full truth behind the novelist’s murder.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGY0rxb37_U5_WgEyb6sTa_g41XoX1nO1MqhoeYrOdGz-EJLLp8U8DXocyZIesiVv7IpfD3yQD7p401qN7WexDZk4cHufah5VOf_mHfZeJn6D2HpV1bF_p-vZLakYFZIBbUOgjLKbywFf-T-tyDgPcmAhTs2KvSXiNjvp4VkpqUdpS4WjVYzFjWlwlIeP3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGY0rxb37_U5_WgEyb6sTa_g41XoX1nO1MqhoeYrOdGz-EJLLp8U8DXocyZIesiVv7IpfD3yQD7p401qN7WexDZk4cHufah5VOf_mHfZeJn6D2HpV1bF_p-vZLakYFZIBbUOgjLKbywFf-T-tyDgPcmAhTs2KvSXiNjvp4VkpqUdpS4WjVYzFjWlwlIeP3=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> The book was inspired by a story contest of everyday readers and writers wanting to finish or solve Dickens’ last story <b><i>The Mystery of Edwin Drood</i></b>. Please tell us about that?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lyn: </i>The contest was implicit rather than explicit but extraordinary nonetheless. Everyone who reads Charles Dickens’ unfinished <i>Mystery of Edwin Drood</i> is desperate to solve the mystery. The Edwin of the title disappears, but was he murdered? And if so, by whom? In the one hundred-and-fifty years since the novelist’s death, numerous attempts, ranging from the ingenious (a Sherlock Holmes pastiche) to the absurd (<i>The Mysterious Mystery of Rude Dedwin</i>), have been made to discover the ‘true’ ending. A 600-page bibliography published in 1998 listed almost 2,000 attempts to unearth clues in the text, decipher how the plot might evolve, and, of course, reveal what happened to Edwin. One might have expected interest to be strong in the nineteenth century and then to gradually tail off in the twentieth. That obviously did not happen, and in fact, interest has continued into the twenty-first century, including a Broadway musical in 2012 in which the audience chooses the ending, a PBS Masterpiece production also in 2012, and in 2014, a one-day academic conference in Senate House in London. And these are only the ones I have come across after a perfunctory search. Why has interest been so massive over such a long period? Well, partly it must be because this is the last story by the master, and the only mystery he ever wrote. But, it is also because he gave us a truly intriguing puzzle to solve. So, I encourage everyone to grab their meerschaum pipe, put on their deerstalker and try their hand. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Please introduce us to Dunston Burnett? And tell us how you created the character?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lyn: </i>Having reviewed over one hundred mysteries for City Book Review (Sacramento), I observed that detectives fall into two broad categories. One is the classic sleuth exemplified by the magnificent Sherlock Holmes with his extraordinary powers of observation and brilliant, never-wrong deductions. The other is the tough, hard-boiled private eye like Mike Hammer or Sam Spade who could be beaten to a pulp in one chapter and yet be back on their feet in the next, ready to go. Of course, there are many variations on these stereotypes. In my case, I wanted someone who was far from typical detective material. This thought led me to my protagonist, Dunston Burnett, a diffident, middle-aged, retired bookkeeper. For a quick mental (Dickensian) image of him, think of a latter-day Mr Pickwick. He does however have two talents. He has what his policeman friend calls ‘pre-ductions’, insights that jump well beyond the known facts and may or may not prove prescient. And once he gets his teeth into something, he has the perseverance of King Bruce’s spider. The question confronting Dunston (and the reader) then, is this: Are his limited detective skills, his pre-ductions, and his tenacity anywhere near enough to unravel the apparently perfect murders he encounters?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How important was insuring historical accuracy? And what lengths did you have to go to to achieve that?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lyn: </i>Novelists writing historical fiction almost invariably draw on real people who live in real places and through real events. The more famous the subject of the story, the more likely that the reader will know something, and possibly a great deal, about that person. If too many historical inaccuracies creep in, the reader will be jarred out of his enjoyment of the story. In my case, the person in question was England’s most celebrated and beloved novelist, Charles Dickens. Ensuring historical accuracy, then, was a top priority for me. Here’s what I did. I first read several biographies of the author (including the 900-page monster by John Forster, his literary advisor) and several other biographies of secondary characters. I also read all of his novels because I wanted to make sure that when Dunston wrote his continuation of <i>The Mystery of Edwin Drood</i>, he stayed true to the literary tendencies of the great author himself. And I visited Gadshill Place, Dickens’s home in Kent, to make sure that the book’s description of the house was as faithful to the original as possible. I actually stood in his study where the murder in my novel is supposedly perpetrated. Finally, I submitted a key point in Dunston’s solution to <i>The Mystery of Edwin Drood</i> to the <i>The Dickensian </i>(a UK publication devoted entirely to Dickens) where I knew it would be subject to rigorous scrutiny by Britain’s foremost Dickens scholars. Happily, it passed this test. This may sound like a lot of work, but to my mind it was more of an opportunity to learn about a truly fascinating man who accomplished so much in his fifty-eight years. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Were there any surprises while researching or writing the book?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lyn: </i>The surprise was that I wrote a novel at all. Throughout my twenty-five year career as a development specialist, I wrote over thirty articles and several books within my area of expertise. Illustrative titles are: <i>International Development: Is It Possible?</i> (joint with Nobel Laureate J.E. Stiglitz, Foreign Policy), and <i>Fighting Poverty</i> (American Economic Review). I was also lead author for <i>World Development Report, 1990</i>, which introduced the metric — a dollar a day — still used today to measure poverty worldwide. Then I read <i>The Mystery of Edwin Drood</i>. I had always been an avid reader of whodunits, but it was the thrill of solving Charles Dickens’ unfinished story that convinced me to put aside my development pen and turn to fiction.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Aside from Dickens, have there been authors who inspired you to begin to write?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lyn: </i>As I explained, it was serendipity that led me to fiction rather than admiration for any particular author. That said, I am a big fan of several twentieth-century British authors, especially Somerset Maugham (<i>Of Human Bondage</i>; <i>The Razor’s Edge</i>) and Graham Greene (<i>The Quiet American</i>, <i>Our Man in Havana</i>). Among present-day writers, I love Louis Bayard’s <i>The Pale Blue Eye</i>, and newcomer, Alex Pavesi’s <i>The Eighth Detective</i>. What characterizes all of these books is the superb story-telling and the powerful prose. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> <b><i>Immortalised to Death</i></b> is the first in the Dunston Burnett trilogy. Please tell us about your plans for <b><i>Fatally Inferior</i></b> and <b><i>The Séance of Murder</i></b>?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lyn: Immortalised to Death </i>is scheduled for publication on September 26 of this year. The adventures of Dunston Burnett continue in <i>Fatally Inferior</i>, scheduled for publication in September 2024, and <i>The Séance of Murder, </i>scheduled for publication in September 2025. As in <i>Immortalised to Death</i>, both stories pit Dunston’s limited detective skills against apparently impossible-to-solve murders. Does he succeed? Well, yes and no. <i>Fatally Inferior </i>is set against the background of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The scientist was bombarded with scathing reviews in academic journals, blistering editorials in the leading newspapers and crude cartoons in the cheaper broadsheets. In my version of events, Darwin’s daughter is mysteriously abducted. Dunston unearths the <i>why</i> and the <i>how</i> of her disappearance, but is that enough for him to prevent a long-planned murder? And in <i>The Séance of Murder</i>, the situation is even more dire. Can Dunston, caught up in Victorian society’s fascination with spiritualism, expose the murderer of the heir to the Crenshaw Baronetcy before he himself dies? </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt from <b><i>Immortalised to Death </i></b>you’d like to share? </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lyn: </i>Here’s the concluding paragraphs of the opening chapter:</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The minute hand on the study’s eight-day chiming clock dawdled through a quarter-turn before the sun, energy restored, burst from its retreat, its brilliance revitalising the study… and the sorry shape draped across the desk. Like a mummy rising from its sarcophagus, the stricken man struggled to raise head and shoulders, a trivial task for most, but monumental for this wreck of a human being. He pushed himself upright and sat there unmoving, gasping for breath, head bowed, eyes unfocused.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Several minutes passed before his right arm reached out, combing the desktop, circling blindly like an eyeless tentacle, not resting until his trembling hand grasped its prize. He leaned forward, dipped the quill into the inset inkpot, and with the spirit of a life-long writer burning in his breast, sought to record his final words. </span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But it was not to be, his dying effort to document his passing cut cruelly short by another more destructive wave of pain, striking him before he’d completed even a single word. The gutted effigy stared for a woeful moment at the four letters he’d scribbled and then slumped forward like a weathered gravestone toppling to its final resting place. </span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Struck down well before his three score and ten, Charles Dickens, his latest tale only half told, lay dead at his desk, a barely legible scrawl his final message to the world.</span></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Many thanks to Lyn Squire. Best of luck with the trilogy. Readers can find out moreabout Lyn and his books <a href="https://www.lynsquiremysteries.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0563c1; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">here</span></a>. </span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-76507494841665968262023-09-01T00:00:00.001-07:002023-09-01T00:00:00.151-07:00Off the Cuff with Dana King<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgA7HtbDdGpja3WgFr0q9JFCWnathNj9pLwBk7dxcIfHYW5Yr43u9uuKU_HWW-RClD81YSCkEA5Kq53TFlrxkMfywgFgypKZfWA5AbngmfPy7UiPaZ7ZLyrKS22vvHTD4ngRjy4RXithSNRieFH9OBNzLmEF0QfxEeQtT_fF1WzkDmlo2nrcGhjJiVg8T2D" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgA7HtbDdGpja3WgFr0q9JFCWnathNj9pLwBk7dxcIfHYW5Yr43u9uuKU_HWW-RClD81YSCkEA5Kq53TFlrxkMfywgFgypKZfWA5AbngmfPy7UiPaZ7ZLyrKS22vvHTD4ngRjy4RXithSNRieFH9OBNzLmEF0QfxEeQtT_fF1WzkDmlo2nrcGhjJiVg8T2D=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A big welcome back to Dana King, who by now hardly needs an introduction at </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Off the Cuff</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">He’s the author of the very fine Penn River series, one of my very favorite series being written today. He also writes</span> the Nick Forte series, along with some outstanding standalones. <span style="font-family: inherit;">If you haven’t checked out his work, then you’re really missing something special.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh69ypgtHb1nsCnXzE7MzUQPeUkzSdlGZYaammNqXBKUQp3N4x5WC664-L1gs5wdSJn3na3SJfDzcwlB-z4yYXt6C2nfm8QBYQ-ZeOA6U29la_qrJEkbhLOeuSxEnRgwmCXl3WBsOX_bL8Uke9S1XJNr2WmgC7O7ipWXhH0RE5yYEYw0ReZzeNucDSxla1a" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="391" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh69ypgtHb1nsCnXzE7MzUQPeUkzSdlGZYaammNqXBKUQp3N4x5WC664-L1gs5wdSJn3na3SJfDzcwlB-z4yYXt6C2nfm8QBYQ-ZeOA6U29la_qrJEkbhLOeuSxEnRgwmCXl3WBsOX_bL8Uke9S1XJNr2WmgC7O7ipWXhH0RE5yYEYw0ReZzeNucDSxla1a=w285-h400" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit;">Dietrich: </i><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit;">Welcome back, Dana. I always look forward to taking that next trip to Penns River. And it’s always a pleasure when you drop by to chat about your latest novel, this one’s called </span><b style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit;"><i>The Spread</i></b><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit;">. Please tell us the premise, and how it went from idea to novel?</span>
</span><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dana: </i>High school football is a big deal in Western Pennsylvania, and I decided to play with the idea of some local taking bets on the kids’ games. He’s inexperienced, under-financed and has no clue about setting point spreads. What could go wrong?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Once I had that idea clear in my head, it dovetailed nicely with something else I’d been thinking about. The Penns River cops are all good guys, and I’m a firm believer that the overwhelming majority of real cops are, too. Not all of them, though. <i>The Spread</i> is my doorway into looking at the other side in more detail.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijzbOhgSDLpIxPrKRC8umP_DZ2r9jb85zlA0x2NPXWYAyVHUnPlx-FRqXTm-kQ7ZjR0oC_mkf_anA-M-7cXR2aO7l6J7RJ9cDI243JiXgsgTdJsBmqYS_eOK9qJF5SLmbXEfcMnpwn-hAsMTRgrLca_xXy5DgSPqZZYW_5SHFaK8o_WpEjC1vlGTYH5udM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="323" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijzbOhgSDLpIxPrKRC8umP_DZ2r9jb85zlA0x2NPXWYAyVHUnPlx-FRqXTm-kQ7ZjR0oC_mkf_anA-M-7cXR2aO7l6J7RJ9cDI243JiXgsgTdJsBmqYS_eOK9qJF5SLmbXEfcMnpwn-hAsMTRgrLca_xXy5DgSPqZZYW_5SHFaK8o_WpEjC1vlGTYH5udM=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How much did you have to learn about betting, point spreads, baby showers, and biker gangs for this one?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dana: </i>Growing up in football country, I knew about point spreads, including something a lot of people don’t: the spread has nothing to do with which team is better. All that matters is how much money Vegas thinks will be bet on either side. That’s why betting lines change during the week, as unexpected amounts of money come in.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I knew that much, but <i>grazie molto</i> to my literary Godfather, Charlie Stella, for giving me a master class in how bets get taken and debts paid.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As for showers, that part of the book is based on an actual occurrence in the towns on which I based Penns River. It was quite a shock. No one would dream of taking a gun to a shower when I lived there. Brass knuckles or maybe a small knife were more than sufficient.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Like a lot of people, the TV show <i>Sons of Anarchy</i> kickstarted my interest in bikers. (See what I did there?) Hunter S. Thompson’s entertaining book <i>Hell’s Angels</i> is a fascinating. but dated (and gonzo) look inside the most famous gang. There are also books by “reformed” bikers who turned state’s evidence that lay out the internal workings of outlaw clubs. It was fascinating research, though showers were often called for after a day’s reading.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Were there any surprises that you hadn’t counted on while you were either researching or writing the novel — something you hadn’t planned from the start?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dana: </i>There’s a secondary plot where a gay patrol officer is accused of sexually harassing a woman during a ride-along. There was a lot more to unpack about how such an investigation would be conducted, and how he would respond, than I expected.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Who have been some of your influences, and outside of their books, from where do you draw inspiration?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dana: </i>My primary influences evolved over time. For the procedurals, Joseph Wambaugh and Ed McBain are still the gold standard, and I read at least one of each of their books every year. George V. Higgins repeatedly surprises me with how much can be done through dialog. I’m in the process of reading all of Hammett’s Continental Op stories, and they’re a treasure trove of tight writing. James D. F. Hannah has given me some idea about how to push the envelope beyond big city PI stories. And James Ellroy, if only for his tendency to place speech attributions before the dialog, so there’s no question who’s speaking.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I try to write visually, so I also draw on a lot of TV and movies. A reviewer said one of my books read like a cross between <i>Justified</i> and <i>The Wire.</i> I hadn’t consciously set out to do that, but I considered it a high compliment. I sometimes toy with the idea of a story that develops because a cop gets a bug in his ear and follows someone who strikes him as dirty, a la <i>The French Connection.</i> Or have a big shootout at the end similar to <i>L.A. Confidential</i>.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Has the way you approach writing changed from the time you started? Any thoughts on AI’s place in creative writing?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dana: </i>My process has changed a lot. I used to do seven, eight, however many drafts until I couldn’t bear to look at it anymore. Now, once I have the outline, the first draft looks like a screenplay, mostly dialog with slugs to let me know what I want to put around the speech. Then a complete rewrite for description and narrative, and to clean up the dialog. One good solid edit, then a detailed polishing process and I’m done.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I guess you could say I use AI for editing, as I’ll have Word read aloud to me as part of the polishing process; I also run the book through its editor for spell check and egregious grammar issues before sending it in. I have nothing good to say about the use of AI on the creative side of the process.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Of all the interviews we’ve done, is there that one burning question you wished I had asked, but haven’t yet? (Here’s your chance)</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><i>Dana: </i>Q: How much of Ben Dougherty and Nick Forte is actually Dana King?</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">A: James Ellroy once said Chandler wrote about the kind of man he wanted to be, while Hammett wrote about the kind of man he was afraid he was. Ben Dougherty is the man I’d like to think I’d be in similar circumstances, while Nick Forte is the man I’m afraid I would be.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Last time we chatted you mentioned you finished a first draft of a Western that you’ve been working on. And after this Penns River you thought it might be time for private investigator Nick Forte to make another appearance. Is that still the case?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dana: </i>I have already finished the book that will come out after <i>The Spread</i>, and it’s a Nick Forte story titled <i>Off the Books</i> that deals with Forte stumbling onto an operation that uses undocumented workers as slaves labor. The Western you asked about has been shelved for reasons I won’t get into here. Right now I’m researching a completely different Western I’m enthusiastic about. That will be the next book I write.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> And lastly, do you have an excerpt from <i>The Spread</i> you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dana: </i>Since you brought up baby showers, here you go:</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Doc Turned to Sisler. “Tell me.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Sisler looked back toward the firehall, organizing his thoughts. “You heard right. There was a baby shower here.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Doc still didn’t have his head around it. “An honest to Christ baby shower? With gifts and cake and soft beverages and shit?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Yep.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“And someone brought a gun? A bachelor party, sure. But a baby shower shouldn’t require more than a knife. Must be his first kid.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Apparently the guest of honor didn’t trust everyone they invited.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“The guest of honor? The baby didn’t bring the piece, did he? Not even your calls are that fucked up.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“I mean the father-to-be. He appears to flatter himself as some kind of badass.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Where is he?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Witnesses say he went home.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>A voice from the crowd said, “We been telling you, motherfucker. He took his ass back to the crib before the cops even showed up.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Doc put an arm around Sisler’s shoulder, led him away from the distraction. “Let’s hear it.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“The guests were of the opinion we should’ve engaged in hot pursuit once they told us ‘he went that-a-way.’ We chose to do all that police procedural shit like securing the building, taking statements, and not going off half-cocked.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“The mom here?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Sisler shook his head. “She—Vernice Wilmore—left with the shooter, one Jamal Whitlock.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Doc stopped walking. He and Sisler eyed each other peripherally. Doc said, “So I understand, the parents arrived together?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Sisler nodded.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Everyone parties, then Dad shoots… how many people?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Three.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Dad shoots three people, then, what? He holds the door for Mom while she gets in the car and they drive away with their baby gifts?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Gifts are still here.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“So they left without the gifts?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“That’s what the argument was about. Taking home the gifts.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Doc waved his fingers toward himself. Give.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Mr. Whitlock didn’t think transporting gifts bought for his child should be his responsibility.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“He figured his work was done once he knocked her up?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“That’s the impression I’m getting. Anyways, the argument escalates until Mr. Whitlock decides to settle it by shooting two guests.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“I thought there were three shot.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“The third took a hit while a bunch of them tried to take the gun away.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Doc looked toward the ambulances. No frenetic activity, but he didn’t know if one had left already. “Anybody hurt bad?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Check with the EMTs, but all but one were ambulatory and the one that wasn’t had a superficial leg wound.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 19.2px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Doc had the frame of the puzzle. Now he needed the other pieces. “From the beginning. What started the fight?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1e1915; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dietrich: Many thanks to Dan King for dropping in. Please check his <a href="https://danakingauthor.com" target="_blank">website</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">for updates on his books and appearances.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-55503986175539956002023-08-15T00:00:00.001-07:002023-08-15T00:00:00.138-07:00 Off the Cuff with Andrew Nette<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOMQiHoQlx4ajYFSby8zpcC_cKjmV3z8gXWHLtD1nCQTWqPN0sW9wAKTLyuyXf8aVzxjWx8d1_cS_t4BcRbuJg3_AXsrCzvck3iU9VpkQJ2LAHoamqpc2hz-ovQtLatXa7WVYqABHnvNJcgM7jYK6sP0n2W_Ho3YFsRi8X0RaIs4Q2Hf597dUZbLjaOqYD" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOMQiHoQlx4ajYFSby8zpcC_cKjmV3z8gXWHLtD1nCQTWqPN0sW9wAKTLyuyXf8aVzxjWx8d1_cS_t4BcRbuJg3_AXsrCzvck3iU9VpkQJ2LAHoamqpc2hz-ovQtLatXa7WVYqABHnvNJcgM7jYK6sP0n2W_Ho3YFsRi8X0RaIs4Q2Hf597dUZbLjaOqYD=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Andrew Nette is a Melbourne crime writer and freelance journalist. He is a founder and one of the editors at Crime Factory Publications, a Melbourne-based small press specializing in crime fiction. He is the author of two novels, </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Ghost Money</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">, and </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Gunshine State</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">. His new one, </span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><i>Orphan Road</i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">, is the sequel to </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Gunshine State</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">. His short fiction has appeared in a number of publications, including </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Phnom Penh Noir</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">The One That Got Away</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Beat to a Pulp: Hardboiled 3,</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> and </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Shotgun Honey Presents: Both Barrels</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">. He is co-editor of </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Beat Girls</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Love Tribes,</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> and </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Real Cool Cats: Pulp Fiction and Youth Culture, 1950 – 1980</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIVWIAqr1fxGE0phdZkh8HohKKJogFIyhfziDcE67bfMswt93gDBjKJd3LvkQ_YM7FejwFAD5t31eHhE6FbqBGQ5xS0CPbIsnrHgOh9BhroCqHcLh8W10-fOUapg4j-FB7S0yH4XguOULXXvYLFmjuaOj3lg31M2-vAgWhCpf3xbyV4jUE9Tgt6ZYvQ_X2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1667" data-original-width="2500" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIVWIAqr1fxGE0phdZkh8HohKKJogFIyhfziDcE67bfMswt93gDBjKJd3LvkQ_YM7FejwFAD5t31eHhE6FbqBGQ5xS0CPbIsnrHgOh9BhroCqHcLh8W10-fOUapg4j-FB7S0yH4XguOULXXvYLFmjuaOj3lg31M2-vAgWhCpf3xbyV4jUE9Tgt6ZYvQ_X2=w541-h360" width="541" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Dietrich:</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> Welcome, Andrew. Please give us the premise for </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Orphan Road</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333; font-kerning: none;"><i>Andrew:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Orphan Road</i> occurs sometime after my first Gary Chance book, <i>Gunshine State</i>. In the wake of yet another failed criminal endeavour Chance is offered a job by a former employer, an aging owner of a failing Melbourne S&M club, Vera Leigh — who first appeared in <i>Gunshine State</i>. Leigh’s business is gradually being squeezed out of a rapidly gentrifying Melbourne. But she has a plan to get out of her problems that involve one of Australia’s biggest heists, Melbourne’s Great Bookie Robbery in 1976. Leigh has intelligence about a cache of stolen diamonds never recovered from the robbery. She asks Chance to help her find them. Of course, they are not the only people searching for stones.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnTr29IIibmjPxO7kve98tQBZ5HQ1in0l78t4DnLKLJvXQarcWBne43_zIGIQXJ6a4YQIB868KOAch7pbE7nwA0xs1LSQJziOWFlp3Cbp9CnmBUEq5i3vOYEOzf9ha4X_ZzFz8LxSu5SzTJraZ4UvkanrXn01wGYr5sQGemcPXGMJvvPJIrpzZpzUSZkJ8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnTr29IIibmjPxO7kve98tQBZ5HQ1in0l78t4DnLKLJvXQarcWBne43_zIGIQXJ6a4YQIB868KOAch7pbE7nwA0xs1LSQJziOWFlp3Cbp9CnmBUEq5i3vOYEOzf9ha4X_ZzFz8LxSu5SzTJraZ4UvkanrXn01wGYr5sQGemcPXGMJvvPJIrpzZpzUSZkJ8=w258-h400" width="258" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Please tell us about your protagonist, Gary Chance, and how you developed the character?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #333333; font-kerning: none;"><i>Andrew: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Gary Chance is an ex-Australian army truck driver, then bouncer and now a professional thief. When I first wrote Chance, I had in mind an amalgam of literary influences, Donald Westlake’s Parker, Australian author Garry Disher’s Wyatt and Wallis Stroby’s Crissa Stone. And although it appeared well after the release of <i>Gunshine State</i>, now that I’ve watched the television show, <i>Mr Inbetween</i>, Chance is now very firmly fixed in my head as like the show’s main character, the bouncer and hitman Ray Shoesmith. I particularly appreciate the way <i>Mr Inbetween</i> bounces between full-on violence and pitch-black humour, which is something I see as very Australian. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What was it like working the fiction around the actual events of Melbourne’s Great Bookie Robbery? </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Andrew: </i>I certainly am fascinated by the criminal history of Melbourne, probably because it has changed so much and become so gentrified. <i>Orphan Road</i> only peripherally touches on the Great Bookie Robbery because I didn’t want to burden readers with too much detail. And believe me, that was very tempting to do, as the history of the robbery and what happened afterwards is fascinating. The money that was stolen, a fortune by 1976 standards, was never recovered and no one who was every involved in the crime ever did any jail time, for the robbery anyway. Instead, in the best tradition of the heist it always goes wrong, the thieves, whose identity was an open secret in Melbourne underworld at the time, fell out among themselves and in the years that followed left a trail of corpses in their wake. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i></i></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIioaQlldJRcjaJ5Rlc77D7CGj--odrGmEKgvA5ILxBDDUqLA1zcOy3nDXCJ7yuJTwztVy8jSGORESJPIX51fM2pvT_rxFE-q-tdIAjOmrnYar_84vo2QUXM79dDCoFJOQ16KJB2JZkxzWDaZQoIwxpcP0GrI2J7a87Mk8fohsPAU8jxv5iBmDgwrQx50O" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIioaQlldJRcjaJ5Rlc77D7CGj--odrGmEKgvA5ILxBDDUqLA1zcOy3nDXCJ7yuJTwztVy8jSGORESJPIX51fM2pvT_rxFE-q-tdIAjOmrnYar_84vo2QUXM79dDCoFJOQ16KJB2JZkxzWDaZQoIwxpcP0GrI2J7a87Mk8fohsPAU8jxv5iBmDgwrQx50O=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Did you plan this novel while you were writing <i>Gunshine State</i>, or did the idea come to you later?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Andrew: </i>If my memory serves, I started to think about the book that would become <i>Orphan Road</i>, soon after I finished <i>Gunshine State</i>, but I certainly didn’t have many details about the plot, etc. In terms of the initial inspiration, the only thing I had, apart from the loose idea of linking it in somehow to the aftermath of the Great Bookie Robbery, was the ending. This seems to be part of writing process. The first thing that comes to me is a strong ending and then the book comes later and leads to that.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What was your favorite part of writing this one?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Andrew: </i>As I said earlier, Melbourne, like all cities, it seems, is changing. In particular, it is become more gentrified. Part of the older and sketchier parts of the central business district are making way for new developments. One of the latest casualties is the city’s last dedicated adult theatre, the Crazy Horse, which closed last year. Of course, it has been many things over its long life, including a strip club and, before that, a repertory theatre. Anyway, although it is not named, I set a chapter of the book in the Crazy Horse, which was a lot of fun to write.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitD2g_dMy-jUkl1vPcD0U9ULo5Qb4_f-SLTZGoHn8DlL5uEiiTbxCZhYYjRhiEJJemAwh4HtW62gkXX7gv3vuV8MxpnP_wg1brwNy1TuJJsgiO8nZKbMe30vjjVMHjc-9Ywumrv1LJLD4j9rxuJpIxhBp04s4_8wStt1o0pDDcdG_Z6WBODavTT7ZWbH_S" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitD2g_dMy-jUkl1vPcD0U9ULo5Qb4_f-SLTZGoHn8DlL5uEiiTbxCZhYYjRhiEJJemAwh4HtW62gkXX7gv3vuV8MxpnP_wg1brwNy1TuJJsgiO8nZKbMe30vjjVMHjc-9Ywumrv1LJLD4j9rxuJpIxhBp04s4_8wStt1o0pDDcdG_Z6WBODavTT7ZWbH_S=w250-h400" width="250" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>What’s are you working on now, and what’s coming next?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Andrew: </i>I am always working on non-fiction, but in terms of fiction I am writing an historical noir set in Melbourne that will hopefully do justice to the city’s rich criminal history.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Is there an excerpt that you’d like to share from <i>Orphan Road</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Sure, this is a chapter from early on in <i>Orphan Road</i>.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Hardigan waved at the nurse as she looked up from her paperwork.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>She gave him a quick up and down, her face softening with recognition.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>‘Traffic bad again, Mister Teal.’</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Hardigan smiled, searched his memory for her name. She had a strong, competent looking face, with a smattering of freckles, black hair pulled back in a tight bun.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>‘Absolutely terrible, Susan.’</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>She nodded, humouring his unspoken sentiment, not like it was in my day, how did the world ever get in such a state.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>He’d used the same tone of affable disbelief the first time he’d visited Ruth Mundy, posing as an elderly friend, slightly flustered after the drive into town from the country. I know visiting hours are over, dear, it was the earliest I could get away after minding the grandkids, I won’t stay long, something along those lines. The nurse had briefly weighed up the correct procedure against denying a terminal patient a visitor, waved him through.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Now the medical staff hardly gave him a second glance, an old man visiting a dying friend. Tall, in good condition for a guy his age, with a layer of fine straw-coloured hair. His only disconcerting feature were his eyes. Hard slivers of blue which bored right into you if got caught up in his gaze for too long.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>As he walked down the dimly lit corridor, his chest tightened, breathing became harder. Hardigan reached out, steadied himself against the wall. Over a half a century later and a dark room, a confined space, a bad memory, any of them might set off his post-traumatic stress disorder. Of course, he only discovered that’s what it was called years after he’d returned to Australia and the term still sounded unfamiliar whenever he said it aloud. He could be walking up a narrow set of stairs and he was suddenly back in the steaming jungle, feeling the heat and fear, hearing snatches of Vietnamese and Montagnard, mixed with cursing in a range of English tones.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>He willed his body to push through it lest he draw attention to himself. Just like in the war, he told himself, nothing for it but to launch yourself headfirst into the narrow mouth of tunnel. And when you reached the ninety-degree turn, keep crawling, a silenced Browning in one hand, the battery-powered lamp attached to your cap the only thing between you and complete all enveloping darkness.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>When his breathing had steadied, Hardigan righted himself, continued walking until he reached Ruth Mundy’s room. One pass by the door to reconnoitre the situation and see if it was safe to go inside.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>A bedside lamp illuminated the motionless old woman, her daughter asleep in a chair beside her.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>He walked across the carpeted floor without a sound, stood next to the dying woman. The Americans had moved through the jungle, smoking cigars, transistor radios blaring, almost like they wanted to attract the enemy’s attention so they could unleash their superior firepower. It rarely worked out as they planned. The Australians and the South Vietnamese had used stealth, tried to surprise their enemies. The experience wasn’t wasted on him.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Her fine grey hair, sprayed in a semi-circle around her head, reminded him of Kieu, her shoulder length hair the colour of tar. Kieu meant ‘to be pretty’ in Vietnamese and to a gangly young man fresh out of a small rural Australian town, she was the prettiest thing he had even seen. He whispered her name, still felt the same sense of wonder at the sound it made as he had when he first heard it in the Tu Do Street café back in Saigon.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Hardigan put his hand out to stroke the old woman’s hair, his strong fingers calloused from working on the farm. He stopped himself, closed his eyes, jammed both hands deep into the pockets of his windbreaker. Sometimes the worst thing about being old was the feeling you were nothing more than decaying skin wrapped tight around too many sad memories.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>When he opened his eyes, Ruth Mundy hadn’t moved. Not much life left in the old girl. He could snap her neck like a twig, be doing her a favour. His eyes narrowed in recrimination at the daughter. You should just end it quickly, like he had with Kieu before the full force of her dementia had set in. They’d agreed on what to do and a mate, a former Australian army medic in Vietnam, had advised him what to use. Helium, deadly if enough of it is inhaled because it caused loss of consciousness due to oxygen deprivation, but a quick peaceful way to end it. He didn’t need any bloody doctor to give him permission.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>His mind snapped back to the reason he was here. It had started with that article in the newspaper, one of those colour pieces the journalists did whenever a famous criminal from the bad old days passed, taking their secrets to the grave.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>The death of that fat shit Brian Grove hadn’t interested Hardigan. But a couple of quotes from a former colleague still on the police force about Grove’s little-known associate, George Mundy, a man rumoured to be involved on the fringes of the Great Bookie Robbery, piqued his curiosity. Hardigan wasn’t aware of any sighting of Mundy since he’d pissed off out of the country in 1976.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>The daughter, Sylvia, still living in the same house in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, was easy to find. On a hunch Hardigan started following her, discovered Mundy’s wife was dying of cancer in a Melbourne hospital. He staked her out, several weeks of nothing until he recognised one of the dying woman’s visitors, a face from the past, a brothel madam called Vera Leigh. Something was coming together; he felt it.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>He’d had the same feeling earlier that evening, as he’d watched Leigh engage in a lengthy discussion with the daughter and a man with a face like five miles of unpaved road. The sense of lines connecting in ways Hardigan couldn’t yet fathom but leading somewhere promising.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Everyone needed a hobby in retirement. Hardigan’s had been waiting. He was good at it, and he sensed it was about to pay off. As his old man would’ve said, time to stir the possum.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thank you to Andrew Nette for the interview. You can find out more about him and his writing <a href="https://www.pulpcurry.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black;">here</span></a>. </span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-78058948925915787312023-08-01T00:00:00.001-07:002023-08-01T00:00:00.142-07:00Off the Cuff with Josh Stallings<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7OEnYFM3IJD_SFbih8DHdQY7ZdihR4bOrdhZ3gtBWuH9ZWUadV4MHTn8HYfpm6sHOr9xRXmZfzL6Q10y5RU02rWezVfie86Q388M8XaLfd62_hSYwv9KZvqLAFd_lZVDRAYUl_JzK-e37GPzJaJi19DVYRzecBxLZXN29KjE8kWB_HHXQwRd2zGchvD9w" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7OEnYFM3IJD_SFbih8DHdQY7ZdihR4bOrdhZ3gtBWuH9ZWUadV4MHTn8HYfpm6sHOr9xRXmZfzL6Q10y5RU02rWezVfie86Q388M8XaLfd62_hSYwv9KZvqLAFd_lZVDRAYUl_JzK-e37GPzJaJi19DVYRzecBxLZXN29KjE8kWB_HHXQwRd2zGchvD9w=w181-h200" width="181" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p></span></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Josh Stallings' Moses McGuire trilogy found itself on over fourteen best of the year lists, and his standalone, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Young Americans</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, was nominated for the Lefty and Anthony awards. His short fiction has appeared in </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Beat To A Pulp</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Protectors Anthology 1 and 2</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Blood and Tacos</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Crime Factory</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Killing Malmon</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Murder-A-Go-Go</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Born in Los Angeles, and raised by counter-culture activists (and sometime Quakers) in Northern California, Josh grew up undiagnosed dyslexic and spent some time as a petty criminal and failed actor before becoming a movie trailer editor. He, his wife, son, and various four legged fiends now live in the San Jacinto mountains. His novel, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Tricky</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, was written in honor of his son Dylan, who is intellectually disabled.</span></div></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkMn-v_ToVEubh3TiPxw38snhq2wz0yUai6HhDuS1Q2yXzeTxewFagjbKNg1fupgu6WpGX-jz7HPYvCaiaprc91SUhCTdQjFktuov8BGPGD15Ue_Vak5vKPmdgDSLFdlWVLUSfKCsGHNaZUSYG2Owwnfl4GGH6cc23gDay8qBLSSw0FQ7qOhDU9U7BUQQy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkMn-v_ToVEubh3TiPxw38snhq2wz0yUai6HhDuS1Q2yXzeTxewFagjbKNg1fupgu6WpGX-jz7HPYvCaiaprc91SUhCTdQjFktuov8BGPGD15Ue_Vak5vKPmdgDSLFdlWVLUSfKCsGHNaZUSYG2Owwnfl4GGH6cc23gDay8qBLSSw0FQ7qOhDU9U7BUQQy=w367-h550" width="367" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome to the blog, Josh. You mentioned you were trying some new way of writing, going back to your experimental roots. Do tell.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Josh:</i> Dietrich, thank you for inviting me over to mess up your house. “Experimental roots” sounds impressive, but I think I meant “muddling and stumbling my way to the heart of a novel.” My<i> </i>work comes from two distinct places. It’s either born of logic, or it comes from some misty realm of dreams and intuition. In teaching myself to write fiction I spoke to writers, and read what writers said about writing. <i>Bird By Bird</i> by Anne Lamont was very helpful as was David Mamet’s <i>Writing in Restaurants</i>, and a stack of others that are lost to time. I tried many different tools and stole the ones that worked. One that I still use is a variation of automatic writing. Typing without thinking opens my head and quiets the committee upstairs. My logical critical brain builds stories based on rules and what has been written before. My dreamy side fights to create what it wishes existed in the world. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I wrote my memoir <i>All the Wild Children</i> by automatic writing in twenty minute stints once a week. I went in with the vaguest idea — thematically linked non-fiction essays. This idea stemmed from Sherwood Anderson's short story cycle “Winesburg, Ohio,” and Dylan Thomas’ “Under Milk Wood.” They both described a human landscape, and weren’t concerned with plot line.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>All the Wild Children</i> was nominated for a True Crime Anthony Award. It got me my agent. Won me respect from some amazing writers. It is a strange piece from a sales point of view. It is out of print and we haven’t been able to find it a new home. It may be the best thing I have written, or will write. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">With the new work I’m pushing to scare and surprise myself. Cormac McCarthy said, “Writing is very subconscious and the last thing I want to do is think about it.” And that is the hard part, think about it without thinking too much about it. Just type and see where I end up.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFHEERwfmvG0b09XMXGw_35A3Iru8sgxLnom60CFfZI8BWzHqmuFmab1oa6barUK-5s1WICfvy1kxdU-Nl2aXJhmi7ICIx5KedLni5GRTX0r_RMaFOjGouk8ZCBiWDfOSEsgySG2zAYMqunts5V1-x4T2ezxA8dGVvpxeZpGWU3WnSCeVa4X7iBRTBnpWc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="694" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFHEERwfmvG0b09XMXGw_35A3Iru8sgxLnom60CFfZI8BWzHqmuFmab1oa6barUK-5s1WICfvy1kxdU-Nl2aXJhmi7ICIx5KedLni5GRTX0r_RMaFOjGouk8ZCBiWDfOSEsgySG2zAYMqunts5V1-x4T2ezxA8dGVvpxeZpGWU3WnSCeVa4X7iBRTBnpWc=w272-h400" width="272" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Library Journal listed your novel <i>Tricky</i> as one of the ten best crime books of 2021. Does that kind of success boost your confidence as a writer, and does it also feel like the bar has been raised?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Josh:</i> That did feel damn good. So much of writing is believing in yourself, and it helped with that, for a moment. It hushed the voices in my head, or at least gave me a come back when they told me my writing was crap. “Yeah, well tell that to the Library Journal.” I yelled to myself.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I internally raise the bar with every book. I am running a race against myself. By the time I read reviews, the book they are reviewing is small in the rearview mirror. I fight to keep my eyes on the road ahead. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How do you go about creating three-dimensional characters and storylines that keep readers turning pages?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Josh: </i>I start with people I know. Cisco in <i>Tricky</i> started out based on my older son. Detective Madsen is based on my grandfather. In the writing they become their own characters. That’s when the work becomes fun, when I type a passage and have to immediately delete it because it rings false against who the character has become. When I finish my 1st rough draft, I breakout each character into a separate document. By reading a character's sections outside of plot I find if I strayed from who they are. I also discover if this minor player is fully rounded. Are the different arcs satisfying? </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As for plotting, I keep a loose enough grip on what comes next so that I can surprise myself. As a reader and a writer the books that keep me up way past my bedtime do so because I am invested in the characters. I’ve heard the narrative logic that the stakes have to keep getting larger. It works well for Marvel movies, but for me saving the world doesn’t mean much. Don’t get me wrong, I love the world in an abstract way. But it is too big an idea for my heart to grasp. It needs to be more specific, a forest fire is coming to my mountain. Buster the wonder terrier panics and tries to flee up Suicide Rock. He’s trapped on a granite cliff-face between flames and falling debris. Because I know Buster, I won’t sleep until I know how he gets off that rock. Before I get picketed by PETA, no dogs were harmed in the telling of this tale. Buster is curled at my feet happy and safe. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhY1P2x0WMTaM5AWdJGRTsu3mhJVTFp6n52IpXhhJgZDR1V3nQX9fE58i8FoSke8cXVYC8sdbI5zB-RLLhdx_J1EbjyyDYoWG4HQsIMbqYDq-XEB0Fq2TS81BbYtrVg3ImmLGsoeUCmXuE1ChELJ7hmRBnqTNUfVI5olhdKdigmaCRGDty0Wg9N-ZvEPfGO" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhY1P2x0WMTaM5AWdJGRTsu3mhJVTFp6n52IpXhhJgZDR1V3nQX9fE58i8FoSke8cXVYC8sdbI5zB-RLLhdx_J1EbjyyDYoWG4HQsIMbqYDq-XEB0Fq2TS81BbYtrVg3ImmLGsoeUCmXuE1ChELJ7hmRBnqTNUfVI5olhdKdigmaCRGDty0Wg9N-ZvEPfGO=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have a favorite stage of the writing process?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Josh:</i> The beginning when everything is possible is great. Somewhere after the midpoint — after I’ve told my wife I’ll never finish it because the entire idea is wrong — is the point where I can see that the project will work. A bunch is still unknown, but I’m confident I can get it done. Finishing a book makes me melancholy. You live with these people and this world for an intense time and then one day you have to walk away. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have a writing support system? And how important is that to you?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Josh:</i> Being a dyslexic writer equals needing supports. First is my wife Erika. She edits everything I write before I hit send. My agent Amy Moore-Benson has a history as a development editor so she’s a huge help. Early on I had a writing group that helped keep me writing. Now there are a couple of writers I talk to and share drafts with. Thomas Pluck keeps me on track. We talk every couple of weeks, read each other’s drafts. I have found the crime community an incredibly generous group of miscreants. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Are there authors, past or present, who influence or continue to inspire you to write?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Josh: </i>The list of writers is large and ever changing. I used to only say James Crumley and James Lee Burke. Recently I have remembered the impact Dylan Thomas had on me as a young man. A.A. Milne wrote the first chapter books I remember hearing. He gave up this piece of priceless writing advice in Winnie-the-Pooh, “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?” That translates to me as, don’t use big words to prove I’m smarter than I am, and don’t use technical words to impress readers with my research skills. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">More recent writers who inspire me include Jamie Mason who has an entirely original voice, a rare and beautiful thing. Gary Phillips has inspired me for decades, and his <i>One-Shot Harry</i> is fun, thrilling and truthful. Cynthia Pelayo’s <i>Children of Chicago</i> is a hybrid detective and horror novel, she proves rules don’t matter if you’re a good enough writer. There are so many more, I read across all genres. At this moment I’m reading S. A. Cosby’s <i>All The Sinners Bleed</i>. I’m sure he’s on everyone’s must read list, and deservedly so.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIvvYAHpEp0B2jku5qxqoixMSEd7nmLZ0WzAykmJhQRehJjVjooLwpfXKb5fD2McpCoIOdUviwUY22hIH3lNc7jigEjRuT1Q1eICaaS757hDwRm3cD_nKi14oY4WvPxjepFM7EF_MX_mj78aCMDUMTaaWV81Q3nu3immA8i93XI3YxxIfVTSAtTvQtPy1Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIvvYAHpEp0B2jku5qxqoixMSEd7nmLZ0WzAykmJhQRehJjVjooLwpfXKb5fD2McpCoIOdUviwUY22hIH3lNc7jigEjRuT1Q1eICaaS757hDwRm3cD_nKi14oY4WvPxjepFM7EF_MX_mj78aCMDUMTaaWV81Q3nu3immA8i93XI3YxxIfVTSAtTvQtPy1Q=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You’ve written standalone novels as well as a series, and you’ve written short stories. Is there a different approach to each, and do you have a favorite format?</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Josh:</i> The Moses McGuire books started as a series, I was foolish enough back then to just barrel into them blind. I knew I liked series where what happened in the last book carried over into the next. I also knew I wanted to write in the hardboiled style. Problem was, I beat the hell out of Moses and in the middle of the second book it started to become clear he wouldn’t survive mentally or physically for too many more novels. I started to see it as a trilogy and that made structural sense. Allowed me to make it a three book arc of Mose’s journey towards growing the fuck up.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Young Americans</i> was planned as a stand-alone heist novel set in the glitter-rock and disco scenes of 1976 San Fransisco. It was a chance for me to revisit my teen years. I started it knowing the cast of characters better than I knew how to write a heist novel. I knew after Moses McGuire I needed <i>Young Americans</i> to be lighter in tone, a wee bit less angry. I have thought about how I would create another book set in this world. But the book feels complete.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Tricky</i> was meant to be a series that like Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad books could follow different characters. Sadly — for me not her — my editor moved to a bigger publishing house. I doubt we’ll see North-East LA Homicide as a series.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Short stories have been a way to try ideas to see if I like them enough to commit a year to them. I’ve also used them to explore character’s back story without putting it into the novel.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In terms of what I like better? All are great in their place and time. Short stories are a rush to write. Series books are slightly easier because I’m not building a world from scratch. Stand-alone novels are tough and demand I grow the most as a writer, but I have the freedom to take the book where ever I want. </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQsKPugnYbyl39gqC7CEiun6nOfWmsBS3Ka3wIPitn7hwCRkrd2NYDqapgftSMkRc51Os41WVM1D7TahLUpB5t03YAiKG9-b9B3JHBHcJpX0Wb6Ordqpeudr8V5_Ag04cQBfoWLVMDuB1wIkEHaTZINnng23KH6_X_06WnD5c7JtaAs0EsKckvrCmCAfCi" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="716" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQsKPugnYbyl39gqC7CEiun6nOfWmsBS3Ka3wIPitn7hwCRkrd2NYDqapgftSMkRc51Os41WVM1D7TahLUpB5t03YAiKG9-b9B3JHBHcJpX0Wb6Ordqpeudr8V5_Ag04cQBfoWLVMDuB1wIkEHaTZINnng23KH6_X_06WnD5c7JtaAs0EsKckvrCmCAfCi=w280-h400" width="280" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> And lastly, what can fans of your writing look forward to next? </span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Josh:</i> We are shopping one book, I’m in the middle of writing the next. In these uncertain times the only thing I’m sure of is I will keep typing.</span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thank you to Josh Stalling for the chat. You can find out more about his stories and what’s coming next at his website <a href="https://joshstallings.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-24453220373292200822023-07-15T09:51:00.001-07:002023-07-15T09:51:00.136-07:00Off the Cuff with Lisa de Nikolits<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcV43ViBzJJ0-SVK-4BGgUAl5xEumugII9EJpTKJG4kTJ6zTAVD0i6pLgWeaKXXh15agZOjnIUlU0qP-Lna6lETkcxH6WNAGOtijg1b1t8DI7_ydvXSFQGg0lLjbra0FCW6MoaMShEi1c7qjxEy8dYeSU9GnjYmwoFyetoKZ_L2h91NsYIOywyTb-BLqd1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcV43ViBzJJ0-SVK-4BGgUAl5xEumugII9EJpTKJG4kTJ6zTAVD0i6pLgWeaKXXh15agZOjnIUlU0qP-Lna6lETkcxH6WNAGOtijg1b1t8DI7_ydvXSFQGg0lLjbra0FCW6MoaMShEi1c7qjxEy8dYeSU9GnjYmwoFyetoKZ_L2h91NsYIOywyTb-BLqd1=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Originally from South Africa, Lisa de Nikolits is the award-winning author of eleven published novels. She has appeared on recommended reading lists from Open Book Toronto, 49th Shelf, Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Hello! Canada, the Quill & Quire, and the CBC’s 65 works of Canadian fiction to watch for. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Occult Persuasion</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Anarchist’s Solution</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> were long-listed for a Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of The Fantastic, and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Rage Room </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">was a finalist in the International Book Awards, 2021. Her short fiction and poetry have also been published in various international anthologies and journals. She lives and writes in Toronto.</span></span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGsBeRcqJJp9fLmLPLs7UKDA5nexFI_ePoL7RM8w0s8RA8u_-QYudOfiWgI6C4JESue9gX_EwRn6_O1v0jGjTMViQhku5p0pRzCqgDab9o8YPq8Qcn6KV0V_pZ0qL8kBumYpaItMLPnr31c587XAsKd_sPXenApjeUYbMy2ruLwXGmpaKWpXluBdvsta1v" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="515" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGsBeRcqJJp9fLmLPLs7UKDA5nexFI_ePoL7RM8w0s8RA8u_-QYudOfiWgI6C4JESue9gX_EwRn6_O1v0jGjTMViQhku5p0pRzCqgDab9o8YPq8Qcn6KV0V_pZ0qL8kBumYpaItMLPnr31c587XAsKd_sPXenApjeUYbMy2ruLwXGmpaKWpXluBdvsta1v=w411-h476" width="411" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome back, Lisa. It’s always a pleasure. The new one, <i>Everything You Dream is Real</i>, is the sequel to <i>The Rage Room</i>. Please tell us the premise, and feel free to tie it in with <i>The Rage Room</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lisa: </i>Hi Dietrich, and thank you so much for having me back! Congrats on your recent release, <i>The Get</i>! It’s a great read!</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Everything You Dream is Real</i> takes place in 2055. World War III has ended and the world has been recalibrated. The premise is a question: What would be do if we could rebuild our world? The answer is not what you might think! You might think we’d be pondering philosophy, sociology, and how to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Instead, there’s a preoccupation with the acquisition of personal power and the eternal need to satiate one’s desire for personal love, all based on the foundation of flawed human emotions and the need for instant gratification. My favourite reviews of the book categorize it like so: “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-kerning: none;">Think William Gibson on nitrous oxide with a side of Thomas Pynchon.” Another tags it as “J.D. Salinger on steroids.” (Both on Goodreads.) I’m quite delighted with both as they sum up everything the book means to me. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkVuu1KwuntesJwkLm8vxnBD3C3PGRdwCUlOJreH5k4eZ3NkUMLQn-z8qv-rfftzO1SsUPa-_op4PGIwvqFupGKR2pLQRT2agfj60N6RPBsyyO8pTqp2A3aWcjkzDBALKzBtm1j2EJdHDEqWFvJbAoyXG57rQO_lZTxGhWNpizKwA4RSXFO0VpBeE-u3co" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="600" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkVuu1KwuntesJwkLm8vxnBD3C3PGRdwCUlOJreH5k4eZ3NkUMLQn-z8qv-rfftzO1SsUPa-_op4PGIwvqFupGKR2pLQRT2agfj60N6RPBsyyO8pTqp2A3aWcjkzDBALKzBtm1j2EJdHDEqWFvJbAoyXG57rQO_lZTxGhWNpizKwA4RSXFO0VpBeE-u3co=w379-h568" width="379" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>Did you know there would be a sequel back when you were writing <i>The Rage Room</i>, or did the idea for it come about later?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lisa: The Rage Room</i> was my first foray into science fiction/time travel. It was such a tough book to get right from a technical point of view (time travel is, not to mince words, a bitch) and I vowed to never go there again. But then I found myself wondering about the characters. I had to resolve the sticky situations I’d left them in. And I wanted them to have some fun! <i>The Rage Room</i> was so harrowing, so angry and dire. There was the tiniest promise of redemption, and I needed to focus on that. That, and give the reader an unparalleled adventure — my version of <i>Mad Max Fury Road</i>. Entertaining and unique. I wanted to give the reader something they’d never read before, and I think I achieved that. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Was there a personal favorite chapter or part in writing the book?<br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lisa:</i> Yes. The scene where Shasta and Sharps are locked in an underground Hobbit’s pub, filled with booze stockpiled by the nuns. It’s freezing cold and they’re about to die. Sharps offers to cut open his chest, crack open his ribs and provide a warm sanctuary for Shasta to hide in while she waits for her captor to return. Actually, he can’t bring himself to do the cutting, but he offers to kill himself if she’ll promise to use his body as a bloody hot-water bottle. Needless to say, she declines, but I thought that was very romantic. And it’s a gesture to demonstrate how long he’s come since <i>The Rage Room</i> when he was incapable of an unselfish action. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>Streaky electricity, ravaging drought, a porn-funded militia, deadly Monarch butterflies — how did you come up with these images? </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lisa: </i>Dietrich, I wish I could point to some external source and blame some external inspiration! But that’s just how my brain works. I get into the zone and let the ideas flow through me and even I’m very surprised by what comes out. I often have to temper the content because some of it’s just too weird. And to me, all of that makes perfect sense in the world I built. To me, they were the obvious solutions/images to the situations!</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I sit down and ask myself a question: “What would the weather be like?” Then I run through all the permutations I can think of. Then I consider which one would be the best fit for the story and how it would tie into the rest of the plot. Then I figure out a way to make it unique, offer a different take — but it has to be a realistic take. It all has to be possible and be appropriate to the rest of the world-building aspects I’ve created.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What sort of research and searching went into showing us this cracked mirror of our times?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lisa: </i>I did a huge amount of research: infusing our DNA with octopus DNA, satellite-weather technology, underwater springs, an AI army, the physical/geological distance between the warring cities, into childbearing and child birth (as I’ve never had a child of my own), plastic surgery and into the tenacity of nature to survive the worst mankind can throw at it. Also, what kinds of crops could we grow in an ongoing drought situation, what kind of clothes would we wear, how the schools would work. And I did a lot of work into the various psychological typologies.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>You’ve got some intriguing characters: Mother, Sharps, Noelle, Mariangela, and antagonist Alpha Plus. In creating them, was there a favorite? And why?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lisa: </i>Thank you! Gosh. To pick one is tough. It changes every time I read the book, depending on my mood. Maybe my favourite is Sharps? I find him so funny. His dialogue was such fun to write. His vanity, his self-absorption, his desire to be a better man. His short-sighted view of life, his macro-vision to care about the things that affect him directly and oblivion to all the rest. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>With this type of story, did you map everything out carefully before you started writing?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lisa: </i>I most certainly did — extremely carefully. I work visually — I paper the walls with brown paper, and then I paste up plot outlines, character outlines, names, dates, descriptions, timelines. I have a physical map and when I sit down, my mind is clear, my journey is straightforward and all I have to do is write. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And then it all goes to hell in a hand-basket! The characters immediately start veering off in a completely different direction to where I wanted them to go, and I have to scramble to keep up. I go with the flow and at the end of every day, I update my massive wall chart, moving bits of paper around, adding new things, scratching out things that didn’t work. I have a lot of fun with post-it notes, crayons, sticky tape and sharpies. I try to be neat, but the wallpaper ends up looking like some kind of therapy outpouring. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What are you working on now, and what can fans look forward to?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lisa: </i>I’m working on two domestic thrillers: <i>The Secrets She Couldn’t Keep</i> and <i>That Time I Killed You</i>. I’ve finished the second draft of both of them, and now, I’m pondering what I’ll do with them. I have <i>Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon</i> coming out with Inanna Publication next spring, and I’m currently receiving very positive blurbs which is very encouraging. I’m planning blog tours and the like. <i>Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon</i> is a hard-boiled noir novel, 50’s style but with modern-day characters, with references to crime-scene photographer, Weegee, who I’ve wanted to write about for the longest time. So there’s a lot going on! </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt (any length you like) you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Lisa: </i>Yes, since I mentioned the scene with Sharps and Shasta, I thought it would be a good one. I hope readers will enjoy it!</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Sharps.</span></i></b></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>We’re freezing to death. The damp cold has wormed its way into the marrow of our bones, and the very marrow is shivering. We’re too cold to move.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“I’m so sorry you ended up here,” I whisper to Shasta. “I’d do anything for you. I’d die for you.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>She manages a small laugh, and a cloud of icy vapour fills the air. “So dramatic.” Her icy nose is touching mine. “He’s got to come back soon? We’re no good to him dead.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Maybe he doesn’t know how cold it is down here.” </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>She starts humming quietly, and it’s the saddest sound. </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“I love you,” I say. “This is not the declaration of a dying man. I know you think I don’t know you, but I do. I’ve loved you since we first met. You know it’s true. I don’t care what you think of me, I just love you.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Oh Sharps.” She starts to cry. “Now look what you’ve done. I’ll need to blow my nose; I’ve got nothing to blow it on, and my hands are too cold to leave my sides. I’m going to die covered in a mask of frozen snot, and it will all be your fault.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Yeah, being with me is deadly,” I joke, but my mood is as cold as the rest of my body. “It’s true Shazz. I’m no good to anybody. But I’ll tell you this, we need to move. If we lie here, we’re going to die. We’ve got to get up and do jumping jacks or something. You hear me? We are going to move.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“You go first then. If you can.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Watch me go.” I’ve got to do this. I’ve got to get us both moving. “The first step is to crawl out of the rug.” I wriggle around, but we’re stuck. “Shazz, you’ve got to move too. We wound it around us too tightly, and it’s frozen too.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“I can’t move.” </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Shazz! For fuck’s sake!” I start thrashing around. Claustrophobia kicks in, and I go at it like a madman.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Ow! Sharps! Ow, my god, you’re kicking me. Stop it!”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Help me! Help me! Argh fuck, losing it, arghhhh!” I manage to free myself. I leap to my feet and promptly fall over. “Whoa. That hurt. My feet are frozen.” I get up and stagger over to Shasta. “You ARE getting up Missy!”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Missy? That’s just insulting!” </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>I grab her and haul her to her feet. “March! Hop on the spot! Spar with me! Do something!”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>I start bouncing on my frozen feet and throwing jabs in the air. “Uppercut, hit to the sternum, yeah, baby. I could’ve been a contender! I could’ve been somebody instead of a bum. Which is what I am, let’s face it!”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“You’re no Marlon Brando, but you’ve got class,” Shasta is swaying from side to side. At least she’s on her feet.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Arms away from the body,” I instruct her. “Swing the arms. And we will sing.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Sing? What will we sing? Why are we singing?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“To warm us up. We will move every body part we can. We just have to think of a song.” My teeth are chattering, and my breath is a cloud of steam. “Look Shazz, we’re cloud machines. Cool, right? Okay, ‘Happy Birthday’ it is.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>I launch into “Happy Birthday,” and on my third go Shasta surprises me by joining in. </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Okay enough of that one,” she says after a while. “How about ‘If You’re Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands.’”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Good one. Let’s clap too.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>We march around the room, singing and clapping and stamping our feet. </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“It’s working,” Shasta says when we run out of being happy and stop clapping our hands. “But I’m getting so tired.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“There is that. Slow it down Shazz, but keep moving. We cannot lie down again. We’ll die if we do.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“But I’m so tired. And I’m so cold.” She starts to cry again, and it rips my heart in two. </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Shazz, you’re breaking my heart. I’ve come up with a plan. You can kill me, open up my body, and climb inside. It may be gross, but you’ll be warm for a while.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>She stops crying. “Sharps, that’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard! What kind of brain do you have?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“My brain is fine, thank you very much. The warm body thing is an old hunting trick. If a hunter killed a deer or a bear but got stuck the snow, he’d cut the animal open and climb inside. I’d cut myself open for you, but it would be pretty hard to do. I can kill myself though. I’ll down the rest of the meds with Sambuca—which I hate, but there’s no Southern Comfort left—then when I’m dead you can cut me open with the blunt scissors and climb inside me. But you’ve got to promise me you’ll do it because I don’t want to die for nothing.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“I’m not cutting you open! Stay away from the meds! But thank you for the very kind and generous offer.”</i></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Thank you very much for having me on Off the Cuff today!</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thanks to Lisa de Nikolits for the chat. Fans can find out more at her and her writing at her website <a href="https://www.lisawriter.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-67763878196922006632023-07-01T00:00:00.001-07:002023-07-01T00:00:00.141-07:00Off the Cuff with Susan C. Shea<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4_EdZW0GFiqxMk0xNIAV_Q7ZMxtN5k1UMhY1d62N7ycWEs2QE1k7_UfNPq7jLPYIJ2-nzfzgfLqKVb3df7vYQJlspqkPVe-D6EAAG04__iurTEbquAda10BKxniS_YJ7pEGybCHTGAwRtstJ0e4-WjXTYfTBuT_RlAOqQQ8QRZ4-N_P9KE4gn1aniAGhr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4_EdZW0GFiqxMk0xNIAV_Q7ZMxtN5k1UMhY1d62N7ycWEs2QE1k7_UfNPq7jLPYIJ2-nzfzgfLqKVb3df7vYQJlspqkPVe-D6EAAG04__iurTEbquAda10BKxniS_YJ7pEGybCHTGAwRtstJ0e4-WjXTYfTBuT_RlAOqQQ8QRZ4-N_P9KE4gn1aniAGhr=w181-h200" width="181" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-large;">Susan C. Shea is the author of three series, the Château mysteries, the French village mysteries, and the Dani O’Rourke Mysteries. She is a member of NorCal Sisters in Crime, a former member of the SinC national board, a member of Mystery Writers of America, and she’s also on the faculty of the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference and blogs on </span><a href="http://7criminalminds.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #1e73be;">7 Criminal Minds</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-large;">. Susan lives in Marin County and loves to spend as much time as possible in different parts of France.</span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggzdsFmPBrat98rZpmjx8NFOGcmoBWolxLlM9DwdbfYwmNpK7rCxW5IWhlfebPGxtyNgBumizcmXJmY7FmBIEFNRAPU2T3MdwgImaSCxSRCCUPXqheqJEi00GXPnetUfBQTkbhhc5nLs7-0KI12pD2hGi4dkk6CcmsChyNpPxSJO-vepTkkRCnJIW1hox4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggzdsFmPBrat98rZpmjx8NFOGcmoBWolxLlM9DwdbfYwmNpK7rCxW5IWhlfebPGxtyNgBumizcmXJmY7FmBIEFNRAPU2T3MdwgImaSCxSRCCUPXqheqJEi00GXPnetUfBQTkbhhc5nLs7-0KI12pD2hGi4dkk6CcmsChyNpPxSJO-vepTkkRCnJIW1hox4=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome back, Susan. Pease tell us about the new one, <b><i>Murder Visits a French Village</i></b>?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> Thanks for inviting me Dietrich. This is the next best thing to doing a Noir at the Bar with you, which I hope we’ll do again some day. The new book is a traditional mystery, with a bit of humor and the kinds of eccentric characters my readers and reviewers enjoy. An American woman transplants herself to the Yonne district of Burgundy. Luckily for her, she speaks French, and knows the difference between a baguette and a croissant.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFQoD_vUA-INT5yqeM_AsuOBszt7gm0l5myjnx0NQnkkp02l32iqReuLVyMiu5sMPlHXjbLMwCdfN0t1DBNYDKCGlUZaYD824fzdjNCdoR8NCKZEF6uTFYOaMkArM3AvA7ZAglfWD9SXzfkU1QhiotmGSdqcLhDO1aQbxH268bA-xGYbeT-Z4EHx5r5eH5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="467" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFQoD_vUA-INT5yqeM_AsuOBszt7gm0l5myjnx0NQnkkp02l32iqReuLVyMiu5sMPlHXjbLMwCdfN0t1DBNYDKCGlUZaYD824fzdjNCdoR8NCKZEF6uTFYOaMkArM3AvA7ZAglfWD9SXzfkU1QhiotmGSdqcLhDO1aQbxH268bA-xGYbeT-Z4EHx5r5eH5=w312-h400" width="312" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Last time you were here, you mentioned that your characters are quite alive to you. Please tell us how you came up with the main character, Ariel Shepard for this one?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> It took me awhile to get inside her head. I needed a believable character who would be brave, smart, up for the challenge of moving to a different country and taking on the château renovation, but still reeling from her husband Dan’s unexpected death. I had to listen for her voice, put her in situations that triggered her grief, and anticipate the choices she would make. At some point, it fell into place. She became a real person. (She looks a bit like the French actress Julie Delpy, by the way.)</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You really do have a knack for making readers want to pack up and move to a small French village, but do you see the French village as more than a setting, perhaps like a character in itself?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> Absolutely. I love a certain kind of travel, where I park myself in a place and observe people. There are always chatty shopkeepers, curious residents in the cafes who want to know about you, friends of friends. Small, somewhat insular communities foster a shared approach to life because people live and work in proximity to each other year after year. In my stories, the particular nature of a place affects the plot and the way people react. Colin Cotterill, one of my favorite crime authors and another one who relishes unusual characters, has one of them put it succinctly: “Villages [are] about people.” *</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Where did the idea for the story come from, and how did the plot unfold?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> Out of the blue, the editor of Severn House contacted me. He loved the first two French mysteries and signed me up to write two more. Because it was a different publisher, he asked for a slightly different angle, but invited me to stay in the region and occasionally include characters from the first series. Rhys Bowen and I brainstormed over coffee, and she suggested the idea of restoring a grand old house. Having visited châteaux in Burgundy, I knew a moat was a great location for the scene of a crime. I try to anchor the violence and the actions to resolve it in some degree of reality, and that includes respecting the effects a shocking event will have on everyone. The plot grows from that basic point of view.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> I know you love to travel to France, but what else typically goes into the story research? Was there anything unusual that you found that you were able to use?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> I did some research into the origins of the châteaux in Burgundy, many of which started out as fortresses. That large region saw many and long wars in medieval times, epic contests for domination between dukes and kingdoms. At one time, Burgundy was even at war with France! The countryside is dotted with walled towns, portcullis-crowned village streets, stone towers, rival churches and cathedrals — it’s quite something. I also researched everyday and classic Burgundian foods. Tough job.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Was there a part when you were writing where you felt it all coming together?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> Once I understood why the villain decided he <i>had</i> to do what he did, I knew I had gotten under his skin, could hear and see him, and while I didn’t sympathize with him, I felt his panic. The story then moved almost on its own to the climax. Ordinary people pushed beyond reasonable limits by their own bad decisions, greed, egos, or blind spots – they’re the villains I choose.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> If there was just one thing that a reader might take away with them from this story, what would you like it to be? </span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> If you are tempted to live the dream of owning and refurbishing a grand house in France, think twice! Seriously, it’s the same thing I always hope people get from my crime fiction: People are fragile. They lose their bearings when their world is fractured, and what they want most is to return balance and peace to their personal lives and their community. They can also be silly and endearing. But don’t take it from me — read Jane Austen.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What can fans look forward to next?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Susan:</i> The sequel comes out next March and readers can expect some progress at Château de Champs-sur-Serein, another tragic and puzzling death, and more good food. To digress a bit: Fans of the Dani O’Rourke series keep asking for a new book. When I have time, yes. Until then, I’m excited that the series is finally all coming together in a new edition with wonderful cover illustrations and will be re-launched this summer to give new readers a chance to get to know her and that pesky ex-husband.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt from <i>Murder Visits a French Village</i> that you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The château, derelict as it clearly was, radiated dignity and self-confidence in the sunshine. The pale gray stone mansion was set on a gentle rise from the surrounding landscape, now unkempt. The stone façade of the building was smooth, but the chunky, darker stones of the tower had been hauled and shaped in a rougher time.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Rectangular shuttered windows were set in pairs rising four stories tall. Flagstones marked a level area between the impressively wide lower set of exterior steps and the final ascent to the entrance. The heavy front door was crowned by a thick beam and, yes, something did seem to be etched into the wood as Ariel remembered from their visit, although she couldn’t make it out. The stone tower off to one side was partly covered by what looked like the same rose vines as those growing on portions of the château proper.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>She stood with her hands on her hips in front of the massive door. ‘Okay, Dan, this was a charming idea, but how on earth did you mean to pull it off?’</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>‘Madame Shepard,’ said a deep voice, followed by a chuckle.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Ariel spun around. It was Monsieur Brunet. ‘Désolé. I did not mean to frighten you,’ he said in English. ‘I was about to speak when I heard you already talking. To a ghost, I think, since I see no one else?’</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Ariel took a deep breath and told her pounding heart to calm itself. ‘Excuse me,’ she said in French, ‘but you’re early. I haven’t even gone inside to peek.’</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>He pulled a broad-brimmed straw hat off his head and waved it around to encompass the house and grounds. ‘Such a marvelous property. You are indeed fortunate.’</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>She noticed he had reverted to French, having figured out she was fluent enough to converse in her second language. ‘Yes, well, marvelous it may be in the abstract, but it is not in marvelous condition.’ She waited as the man made his way partly up the stone steps. ‘Watch where you walk. The last thing I need is a lawsuit if someone trips.’</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Brunet’s laugh was full-throated. ‘Ah, Madame Shepard, we notaires are not like your – what do you call them – ambulance chasers? Truly, I came by to see if I could help in any way. I never met your husband in person, you understand, but from what he told me, his goal was to have the entire restoration done before bringing you here again.’</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Ariel’s eyes smarted. ‘Yes, I believe that. We loved the romantic atmosphere here. I wanted to live in the tower.’ Her voice trailed off.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>‘Well, then, you shall.’</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;">Find out more about Susan and her writing at her website <a href="https://susancshea.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0076ba;">here</span></a>, and follow her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mysterieswithhumor"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #1e73be;">Facebook</span></a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/susanwrit/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #1e73be;">Instagram</span></a>.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
WS: susancshea.com</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;">IG: susanwrit</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;">FB Susan C Shea, Author</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: large;">*<i>The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die</i>, by Colin Cotterill </span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-19300060115246881432023-06-15T00:00:00.007-07:002023-06-15T00:00:00.137-07:00 Off the Cuff with Charles Salzberg<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpCWCGf8AdclTdW0eKaiyUZm_SjyaWTuyTvic4DrX0XjqhPZ-IGJyYYi3BYOpNaG8CWXJmPqeBNN4vhQR0fXkmbgnvK-1JbWtjg8Tgo25ABCPVVRQjQhVRj1ppapUw2J3MWDVzRpKbZUW18ws3YmEg-oHyRhUS6nASxxTRzCyoZLd7T6ZEUkrShHjCeQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpCWCGf8AdclTdW0eKaiyUZm_SjyaWTuyTvic4DrX0XjqhPZ-IGJyYYi3BYOpNaG8CWXJmPqeBNN4vhQR0fXkmbgnvK-1JbWtjg8Tgo25ABCPVVRQjQhVRj1ppapUw2J3MWDVzRpKbZUW18ws3YmEg-oHyRhUS6nASxxTRzCyoZLd7T6ZEUkrShHjCeQ=w184-h200" width="184" /></span></a></div><p></p><p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Charles Salzberg is a former magazine journalist whose work has appeared in <i>New York</i> magazine, <i>GQ, The New York Times, Redbook </i>among other periodicals. He’s the author of the nonfiction books: <b>Soupy Sez: <i>My Zany Life and Times</i></b><i>,</i> with Soupy Sales; also <b><i>From Set Shot to Slam Dunk,</i> an oral history of the NBA</b>. His fiction includes the Shamus Award nominated <b><i>Swann’s Last Song</i></b>, and<i> </i><b><i>Devil in the Hole</i></b><i>, </i>named as one of the best crime novels of 2013 by Suspense magazine. <b><i>Second Story Man</i></b><i> was the </i>winner of the Beverly Hills Book Award, and nominated for a Shamus Award and the David Award. A founding member, Charles teaches writing at the New York Writers’ Workshop. He’s also on the Board of PrisonWrites, and he’s a former Board member of MWA-NY. He lives in Manhattan.<br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i></i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhBVH1ofyXjmBkv6krbRPMMHa_-0dLQqzJMn5mfI6Jf9p3RincrSHRy8aVXA1V3spGaiFtEgJo0WFsG6jemwMA5cDow2b6HGRK6PNtITAPXpyT69imiaUMHZAcvJUspLU_8Tdll9oUCIOaXktMrlJb75emd-cwpO1SdRjd6DJWyZUv_CEFdrurI4zcew" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="359" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhBVH1ofyXjmBkv6krbRPMMHa_-0dLQqzJMn5mfI6Jf9p3RincrSHRy8aVXA1V3spGaiFtEgJo0WFsG6jemwMA5cDow2b6HGRK6PNtITAPXpyT69imiaUMHZAcvJUspLU_8Tdll9oUCIOaXktMrlJb75emd-cwpO1SdRjd6DJWyZUv_CEFdrurI4zcew=w315-h400" width="315" /></a></i></span></div></div><p></p><p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome back, Charles. Please tell us about your new one, <b><i>Man on the Run</i></b>?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Charles:</i> Thanks so much for having me, Dietrich. It’s a book I had no intention of writing. I’d finished my last novel, <i>Canary in the Coal Mine</i> and since I don’t like too much time to pass before I get started on another one, I began casting about for ideas. Usually, that means either coming up with a character I find interesting and want to know more about, or an event. But I kept coming back to one of my favorites, <i>Second Story Man, </i>probably because the main character, Francis Hoyt, a master burglar, is interesting to me, probably because he’s so far from who I am, what I do, how I think. Spoiler alert here, but <i>Second Story Man</i> ends with Hoyt walking away from any consequences he should face. But I kept wondering, what happens to him? Where does he go? He can’t ply his trade on the east coast now that he’s a fugitive. What will he do? </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">At the same time, we were in the middle of the pandemic, and I discovered true-crime podcasts. The idea popped into my head, what if a true-crime podcaster decides to do a series on Hoyt and what if Hoyt finds out about it while she’s researching it? What would he do? And there you pretty much have the bare bones (there’s also a mob heist involved) of the plot of <i>Man on the Run.</i><br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i></i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2k3O_U2oRtGTD654xPqq5u1KWBRglRO0JYpdVD6W7Y3_rtdf8Fw_zXCH0SFeBcxPcX6eSkeZj5OiK4xyMGJbeLg9exn-Pv-kBq5W7ocfI1pj_77tWw7ygUZ2S_6jh740di_6HZMFDYi8kh61wOM_VP7YR6dZfaZU0Dql3N_BIehnubM0-bt7mJnDyZQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="506" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2k3O_U2oRtGTD654xPqq5u1KWBRglRO0JYpdVD6W7Y3_rtdf8Fw_zXCH0SFeBcxPcX6eSkeZj5OiK4xyMGJbeLg9exn-Pv-kBq5W7ocfI1pj_77tWw7ygUZ2S_6jh740di_6HZMFDYi8kh61wOM_VP7YR6dZfaZU0Dql3N_BIehnubM0-bt7mJnDyZQ=w549-h417" width="549" /></a></i></span></div><p></p><p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>Please introduce us to your man on the run, Francis Hoyt? </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Charles:</i> Francis Hoyt, who’s loosely modeled after two real-life master burglars, known as the Silver Thief and the Dinnertime Bandit is arrogant, athletic, brilliant (in his own way), super-manipulative, and one of the all-time great burglars (certainly in his mine GOAT). He prides himself on never having been caught in the act (except for one time early in his career when he went against his instincts and allowed himself to be teamed up with a partner), and he loves to poke the authorities in the eye. He knows he’s the best, and he can never get enough of proving it.<br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Why does constructing a morally gray character make for a compelling and thought-provoking story?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Charles:</i> The further a character is from who I am, the more fun he or she is to write. I think it has to do with examining and unearthing parts of ourselves we don’t really know about or even if we do, we haven’t exercised it much. It makes me, as a writer, stop and think what would so-and-so do in these circumstances. In other words, it forces me to stretch my imagination, which can be fun, though at the same time harrowing. It’s also fun trying to get into the head of someone so different from one’s self.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> There’s also Dakota Richards. Please tell us how you developed her character, and how you came to tell the story from dual perspectives?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Charles:</i> During the pandemic’s shelter-in-place, something I’ve been rehearsing for my entire life, by the way, I discovered true-crime podcasts and I hungrily devoured them. As a former magazine journalist, I quickly realized it’s a terrific form to tell a story, with as much detail as you like, with as many voices involved as you like, on any subject you like. I was hooked early on, and when it came time to resurrect Francis Hoyt I started to wonder, what would happen if a true-crime podcaster decided to do a series on Hoyt — after all, he is considered (and certainly self-proclaimed) the best in the business. And what would happen if Hoyt found out about this upcoming podcast? And so, it seemed a natural conflict to have their lives intersect. I was a magazine journalist, but I knew a little about newspaper work since I taught some of those kids when I was a Visiting Professor of Magazine at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. And so, Dakota became a newspaper reporter in upstate New York who worked the crime beat. Ambitious (almost as ambitious as Hoyt), she eventually moves on to a San Francisco newspaper, but, given the state of the business, she soon finds herself out of a job. It seemed like a natural thing for her to become a podcaster. And I decided to tell the story using both their voices because I wanted them to be equal adversaries, and it also gave me the bandwidth to straddle two separate worlds.<br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Success and ambition are key themes in the novel. How do you see them commenting on present-day American society?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Charles:</i> It’s really the reason I wrote <i>Second Story Man,</i> which is meant to be an examination of what I think of as America’s obsession with winning, with being the best (take a look at any speech of one of our former presidents especially when he said with him in office we’d be winning so much we’d even get tired of it). It bothered me enough to wonder what might be the ramifications of this obsession. Hoyt is a representation of that hyper-ambition which can and often does lead to excess, even to law-breaking. But there’s a good, necessary side to ambition, right? I mean, all progress really comes from someone wanting to do something better, right? So, I don’t want anyone to think that we should live in a world without people trying to do their best. The problem for me comes when it’s the <i>only </i>thing. So, I wanted Dakota to reflect that ambition isn’t bad, in fact, it’s a good thing, so long as it’s kept in perspective. Dakota is ambitious, too (she’s also very smart, inventive, courageous and talented), and it’s a good thing she is. Because a certain amount of ambition is what propels us, especially when it comes to making a living. But it’s not all black and white because, without giving anything away, Dakota ultimately has a decision to make in terms of what the limits of ambition are for her.<br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Does your experience as a writing instructor play into your own writing?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Charles:</i> Absolutely. I’m a much better writer because I teach, and I learn something from my students pretty much every class. It also makes me think about my own writing as much as I do about theirs.<br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Please tell us about your involvement with PrisonWrites?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Charles:</i> A former student of mine, Jessica Hall, is the brains and brawn behind PrisonWrites, but I’ve been there since the beginning. She started out by bringing a free writing program in a sort of halfway house at-risk for teens who’d been given an ultimatum: join this program or do a stint in a facility. So, they were supposed to come right after school (no school, no freedom) to what was called the Andrew Glover project, where supposedly they’d have constructive things to do. Unfortunately, most of the “constructive” things consisted of sitting around watching TV or playing video games. Jessica, who lived nearby in the East Village, was having none of that, so she asked me if I’d join her (both of us unpaid) and put together a sort of memoir writing “seminar” for the teenagers, mostly boys, but also girls. It was an enormous hit, and now that’s grown into a program where we (I’m on the Board) are going into prisons like Riker’s Island and Otisville, the federal facility where Michael Cohen did a stint), as well as non-incarcerated people who’d previously been in the system. Though we have a few paying contracts (very small amounts of money), most are still unpaid volunteers, and the programs are often free for the institutions (though we’re trying to change that. It’s a very rewarding, fulfilling venture for me. I loved working with the kids, but when we went up to Otisville, a federal facility mostly for non-violent offenders, I was shocked to find thirty-five to forty men sitting in what was usually a gym, waiting for us to start the writing class. And I was even more surprised that most of them were already writing something. It was inspiring, and although we make it a point never to ask why someone is there, if they do decide to write something about that, hearing their stories is fascinating and illuminating. I love working with PrisonWrites, and I think it’s a worthy cause. If you want to learn more (or contribute), just go the website: PrisonWrites.org.<br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What can fans of your writing looking forward to next?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Charles:</i> Well, first of all I’d dispute the word “fans” when it comes to me, since I’m always surprised when I find anyone who isn’t already a friend, former student or family (but I’ve got a very, very small family and most of them probably don’t read novels) reads anything by me. But to answer your question, I’m a little less than halfway through a new novel without a name. I like to write about things that interest, fascinate, or worry me and one of those things is phenomena like ESP. So, I’ve created a character who has it, but, and here’s what I hope is a little different, hasn’t told anyone he has it, except a best friend (and it just slipped out). He’s frightened by it. Doesn’t understand it. Doesn’t know why he has it. Is embarrassed by it. And so he hardly ever uses it. But one day his best friend comes to him and asks his help finding the best friend’s college-age daughter who’s disappeared. Having to do with one of your earlier questions, I was originally just going to tell it through the eyes of the person who has ESP, but at one point through the manuscript I got curious about another one of the characters, and so I’ll be writing through her, too.<br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt from <i>Man on the Run</i> that you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Charles:</i> Sure. This is from the first chapter, so you don’t have to know anything else.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">1</span></b></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Francis</span></b></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I ambush her as she’s coming out of Starbucks, a mega-size coffee cup in one hand, her phone in the other. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Know who I am?” I say.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I see she’s confused. Or embarrassed. Like when you have no idea who someone is but you don’t admit it because you think you should.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Noooo. I don’t think so,” she says, wrinkling her brow like she’s giving it serious thought. “Should I? Have we met before?” she adds, shifting her weight to her back foot in an unconscious move to put a little distance between us.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This chick doesn’t know me yet, but she will.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It’s early Sunday morning. A typical late spring day in L.A. West Hollywood, to be exact. The temp’s hovering in the mid-70s. But this won’t hold for long. We’re in the middle of a heatwave and they’re predicting the low 90s by mid-afternoon. Above us, there’s that familiar low-hanging ceiling of grey cloud-cover they say will burn off by noon. They swear it always does. They even have a name for it. The June Gloom. Maybe all months should come with a warning label. I mean, life is full of enough surprises, right?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Other than a few people out for an early run, or picking up breakfast, the sidewalk is empty. Except for the two of us.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>She looks like she’s in her mid to late twenties. But I know she’s older than that. Closer to thirty-five. She isn’t as pretty as I imagined. Probably the voice throws me off. Soft. Sweet. Seductive. A sexy, midnight radio voice. Or one of those sex line phone voices. The kind of voice that makes promises without actually promising anything. Promises she has no intention of keeping. Not that she’s a dog. It’s just that she isn’t going to win any beauty contests. Not here. Not in L.A. where good-looking chicks fall from palm trees like coconuts. Third, fourth runner-up, maybe. First? Not a chance. It’s like her looks don’t quite fit with her voice. Still, there’s something very sexy about her. Not hard-on sexy. But sexy enough so you can’t help but wonder what she looks like on the beach, in a bikini.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But it’s more than just the voice. Maybe it’s the short, blonde hair which gives her a pixie look. Maybe it’s the face. A mishmash of sharp angles. A nose that looks like it’s been broken, tilting slightly to one side. Like that Ellen Barkin chick’s nose. Her skin is fair, smooth. She has a slight overbite. High cheekbones. Makes me think of one of those Picasso paintings. But in a good way. Maybe it’s the tight, faded black jeans, stylishly frayed just below the knees. Or the sky-blue Rolling Stones T-shirt with the image of a giant red tongue unfurled. Maybe it’s because she isn’t wearing a bra. Maybe it’s because she’s confident enough to wear no make-up to cover up the freckles scattered haphazardly across her cheeks and nose. Do not, under any circumstances, underestimate confidence. It’s a definite turn-on. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Whatever it is, it works.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This isn’t a date. Or a pick-up. Or a stick-up. This is business. More than business, actually. Curiosity. No. More than that. Self-preservation. But there’s always that promise, like her voice, that it might turn into something else.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She doesn’t recognize me because we’ve never met. But recently our lives have unexpectedly intertwined. Her doing, not mine. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36.4px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Trust me. If you’d have met me, you wouldn’t forget me.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Really? Why’s that?” she asks, cocking her head to one side, as she slowly turns her coffee cup away from me. I know why she’s doing it and I’m impressed. She’s got a quick mind. The barista has scribbled her name on it in black magic marker. This is the kind of information, assuming I don’t already have it, she would not want me to have.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I’m starting to make her nervous. I can see it in her eyes. They swivel wildly in their sockets like she’s some kind of whacky cartoon figure. She’s a couple, three inches taller than me, but that doesn’t give her the kind of advantage height sometimes offers. I should know. I’m small of stature. I claim five-four, but I might be lying. Or exaggerating. Take your pick. It’s not a handicap. Never has been. It works for me. Always has. It’s been a long time since anyone’s tried to take advantage of me because of my size. A long, fucking time.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Maybe it’s the baseball cap. It kinda of hides your face,” she says, straining to figure me out. Am I harmless? Is she in danger? Should she dial 9-1-1? Should she turn tail and head back into the relative safety of Starbucks?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I take it off in one swift, flowing motion and wave it across my body. The only thing missing is me bending forward in a bow. Like the Japs do.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Better?”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>She shakes her head. I put the hat back on.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Maybe the sunglasses?” she says.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Let’s see,” I say, as I slip them off. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I know what she’s doing. Making sure she gets a good look at me. Taking a mental snapshot of my face. Just in case later she has to describe me to the cops. It should make me feel like a specimen under glass, but it doesn’t. Actually, I’m enjoying the attention. Besides, by the time we’re finished she’ll know who I am and then she won’t have to describe me to anyone.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Even after all this she’s still baffled. I put my sunglasses back on and adjust my cap so it angles down over my forehead.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It’s almost imperceptible, but she’s slowly inching away from me. Like she’s getting ready to bolt. She has that thin, athletic build of a runner. We have that in common. Maybe, if we get to know each other, we’ll run together. But no matter how fast she might be, I’ll leave her in the dust. Maybe it’s because I run for a living. Maybe it’s because I’m always in shape. Excellent shape for someone flirting with his mid-forties. But it’s not just that. It’s more like I don’t take losing very well. I don’t hold back. That’s why I do not lose. Ever.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Her eyes dart back and forth as she slowly dips her right hand, the one holding her cell, into the black leather satchel dangling from her shoulder. Maybe she thinks I can’t see what she’s doing. She’d be wrong. I’ve trained myself to note every detail, every nuance. I’m a fucking living, breathing motion detector. It’s one of the things that makes me as good as I am at doing what I do. I doubt she has a serious weapon in there. Maybe pepper spray. Maybe a set of keys she’s been taught to use as a weapon in one of those self-defense classes for women. The key chain held tight in your fist. The keys poking out between your index and forefinger. A sudden thrust to an eye. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Neither of these things will do her any good. I’m much too quick. I’ll have hold of her wrist before she gets her hand out of her bag.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I smile, hoping this will lighten the mood. I don’t want her to think I’m a predator and she’s the prey. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Maybe she is. Maybe I am. But I don’t want her to think so. Not yet.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“I’m a memorable guy,” I say, smiling. I’ve been told I’ve got a killer smile. They say it makes me look very approachable. This can be a good thing. A very good thing. I inject a dramatic pause. “What’s that expression? The Most Unforgettable Character You’ve Ever Met? That would be me.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“You’re starting to frighten me a little,” she says, glancing over my left shoulder, then my right. Looking to see if anyone else is around. In case she needs help. She even looks back into Starbucks to see if anyone might be coming out. Someone who might rescue her. Though she can’t possibly know from what. Not yet.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Her right hand is frozen inside her purse. She isn’t quite ready to commit herself. There’s still time to defuse the situation.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I’m not going to hurt you, if that’s what you’re afraid of,” I say, raising my hands, palms out, midway to my chest.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I’m not afraid,” she says. Not very convincingly.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Good. Because you haven’t seen my scary face yet.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>She starts to laugh, then realizes maybe I’m not trying to be funny. Hollywood is the land of weirdos and crackpots. She has no way of knowing I am not one of those.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Then why are you acting so creepy?”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“This is me, darlin’. It’s just the way I am. But I promise, I really am harmless. You sure you don’t know me?”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Pretty sure,” she says, hesitatingly, like she thinks maybe she should know me but still can’t quite figure out why.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Don’t worry,” I say, with a wink. “You will.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #1d2228; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Many thanks to Charles Salzberg for the interview. If you’d like to find out more about him and what’s coming up, check out his website <a href="https://www.charlessalzberg.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0563c1; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-2585253466583768622023-05-29T00:00:00.001-07:002023-05-29T00:00:00.289-07:00 The Get – Off the Cuff<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiacu-v6ovSaaYmmH_GdsDDwsjlLFI6wD2YqxhvntOFpmsnesx65pA6zOsvY4AsjdoJ8tybnwJIvT5zk-Xbzxos9ieOIDJ6R5eafNbMy7bAe58wWLcNXtpDHOb6oG2-CAFdojukauojMDiADNGI0Dp-BuRPPZdhOn0e69chzi31RY3PVNRjVZL49jSQMQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiacu-v6ovSaaYmmH_GdsDDwsjlLFI6wD2YqxhvntOFpmsnesx65pA6zOsvY4AsjdoJ8tybnwJIvT5zk-Xbzxos9ieOIDJ6R5eafNbMy7bAe58wWLcNXtpDHOb6oG2-CAFdojukauojMDiADNGI0Dp-BuRPPZdhOn0e69chzi31RY3PVNRjVZL49jSQMQ=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It’s book eleven for me, and I’m just as excited about it as I was when <i>Ride the Lightning</i> made its debut in 2014. <i>The Get</i> will be released on June 6, 2023. Here’s what it’s about:</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqDbiHLR1RofjOv_VWEEIS-ccQ0QPrp9olxMC9dtkJnlS3zZNsvXvm90MiuWq1uK2Z0ha8lkLy7kmC1lVE3ywhti1r1HXndf5cCHFbUHUTrFgfMP3K4uyXDbdYFjFZ611eLf4Q-trFstv13SCgHoKq0v6_lidy2BST1FO4Kl5vGB1X_P01ywglbE2Ydg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="672" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqDbiHLR1RofjOv_VWEEIS-ccQ0QPrp9olxMC9dtkJnlS3zZNsvXvm90MiuWq1uK2Z0ha8lkLy7kmC1lVE3ywhti1r1HXndf5cCHFbUHUTrFgfMP3K4uyXDbdYFjFZ611eLf4Q-trFstv13SCgHoKq0v6_lidy2BST1FO4Kl5vGB1X_P01ywglbE2Ydg=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Lenny Ovitz has plenty of secrets, and his wife, Paulina, has become a liability. His life would be so much better without her in it.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It’s the mid-’60s in Toronto, and Lenny works for a ruthless gangster whose travel agency is a front for a collections racket in the Kensington Market area. Lenny’s days are spent with his partner, Gabe, terrorizing the locals into paying protection on their shops and their lives. On the side, Lenny and Gabe co-own a tenement block that they bought with dirty money borrowed from shady individuals. Overextended, Lenny plans to pay them back with more borrowed money from other loans and by re-mortgaging his house, without the knowledge of his wife.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Tired of his lies and scheming, Paulina demands a divorce. Lenny is certain she’s going to take him for everything, leaving him unable to pay the debt on the tenement block. And that’s likely to get him pitched off one of his own rooftops. Lenny would rather get than be gotten, so he comes up with a surefire way to end both his marital and money problems — Paulina’s going to have to get whacked.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSg_jlk4nZE1fGJOCileuNsmCES6CkdraZzD1Smb1n9aObFK_LjAZtj6mVk5jo0ZsM0u2lhF-G66qvbW-JxFTFIxcTKEek3-VNCU7VziVd8f3BLecT6et2A4vE5elz32DGF6PiDhRRbC7-5XpnzC8HTxawWZL_pw9cGZddAl8_xq8Pnj8l2sXyROq5QA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSg_jlk4nZE1fGJOCileuNsmCES6CkdraZzD1Smb1n9aObFK_LjAZtj6mVk5jo0ZsM0u2lhF-G66qvbW-JxFTFIxcTKEek3-VNCU7VziVd8f3BLecT6et2A4vE5elz32DGF6PiDhRRbC7-5XpnzC8HTxawWZL_pw9cGZddAl8_xq8Pnj8l2sXyROq5QA=w515-h386" width="515" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The setting for this one takes me back to a younger day, and I remember experiencing the sights and sounds of Kensington Market the way it was back in the day — that being the mid-sixties. It was in the middle of Toronto, but it gave me a feeling like I had just been transported to someplace else — some exotic and foreign destination — experiencing a variety of cultures all tossed together and served up in the middle of Toronto. It sure left an impression that’s lasted all these years — Kensington Market in the sixties just made the perfect setting.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It’s always nice getting early positive reviews on a new release, and here are a few I’d like to share:</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Captivating, irreverent 1960s-set caper from Kalteis. Smooth plotting, vivid characters, and sharp dialogue (especially from the rough-edged leads) bolster this darkly comic story, which Kalteis shepherds to a hugely satisfying conclusion. Fans of Elmore Leonard and George Pelecanos will find much to enjoy.” </span></i></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“The Get—unpretentious, seamlessly plotted, dripping with atmosphere—never pretends to be anything other than what it is. Kalteis writes a nothing-fancy brand of hard-boiled fiction that moves at breakneck speed and doesn’t indulge in sentiment. Amidst the action there are plenty of laughs as Lenny—no criminal mastermind—tries to scheme his way out of the mess he’s got himself into. In the end, the narrative threads converge and everyone gets what’s coming to them. The Get is sure fire entertainment for fans of high-octane crime fiction from an author who knows how to get the job done.”</i> </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">— Ian Colford, The Miramichi Reader</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">“In reading The Get by Dietrich Kalteis, the first things that came to mind were films of the Cohen Brothers and the film Killing Me Softly, all of which often portray serious subjects with the type of cynical and comeuppance humor thrown in where often one is not sure whether to laugh or grimace. </span></i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">The Get has been one of the most enjoyable crime novels I have read this year and while the novel is humorous, it is not slap-stick humor, but humor with a bite. </span></i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">I also enjoyed the writing style of The Get and was surprised how it was different from previous novels I have read by Kalteis, especially that of his last one, Nobody From Somewhere. Opening the pages and reading of the exploits of a crowd of miscreants with all of their own self-centered intentions and where nothing goes right when it comes to the meanderings of Lenny and Gabe, was such a pleasant surprise and is a clear indication I need to read even more novels by Dietrich Kalteis. </span></i></span><i><span style="font-size: large;">The Get is highly recommended to readers that enjoy crime novels with a sly and good natured nasty point of view.” </span></i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">— Eric Ellis, Mystery & Suspense Magazine</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH6M6zw2HonGC49a93VJ-apMC55LsEP5XOtdWOQs3VrWtquzm8Avw7yKIJxakx-TvVttFAtoqawJqPHRDC2CvUsNobQSx9j9xvQbJa1vmlc7x6jnuJ1_t4Y4_2-2sH_Yw7IMeukrsaz_yhy1sH7dO4vvAKGSmDKaQ3aNpXz2_qzPGWIOzZGsOmdnN92A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="655" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH6M6zw2HonGC49a93VJ-apMC55LsEP5XOtdWOQs3VrWtquzm8Avw7yKIJxakx-TvVttFAtoqawJqPHRDC2CvUsNobQSx9j9xvQbJa1vmlc7x6jnuJ1_t4Y4_2-2sH_Yw7IMeukrsaz_yhy1sH7dO4vvAKGSmDKaQ3aNpXz2_qzPGWIOzZGsOmdnN92A=w437-h640" width="437" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">To celebrate the release of <i>The Get</i>, my publisher, ECW Press has arranged a book launch to which you’re all invited. It would be great to see you in Toronto on June 3rd.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If you’d like more info about me and my other books, please visit my <a href="http://www.dietrichkalteis.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">website</span></a>, or check out my page at ECW’s <a href="https://ecwpress.com/products/the-get"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">site</span></a>. I’m also on social media: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/dietrich.kalteis/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Facebook</span></a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/dietrichkalteis/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Twitter</span></a>.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Thank you for reading, and thank you for all the support.</span></span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-77002765528467892382023-05-15T00:00:00.001-07:002023-05-15T00:00:00.140-07:00Off the Cuff with Philipp Schott<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixvLL2R9lcdqkxv32s5c34zEDdmQk5ePstcsUxmCZGb5UWSiQG-oxDTQ9uHXB8sPaHsmfb7hf9TgSr3YNvD4QfyofeRKd8Q5kxcbzrz-mv143GubBpjgUpTeGwZQ02fP-d7v93zdbwIBc8SlB3N9cpwvc3npjnBlN5OX4sXR_ZVsQiNdfeWkjjT5Wyzw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixvLL2R9lcdqkxv32s5c34zEDdmQk5ePstcsUxmCZGb5UWSiQG-oxDTQ9uHXB8sPaHsmfb7hf9TgSr3YNvD4QfyofeRKd8Q5kxcbzrz-mv143GubBpjgUpTeGwZQ02fP-d7v93zdbwIBc8SlB3N9cpwvc3npjnBlN5OX4sXR_ZVsQiNdfeWkjjT5Wyzw=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p style="color: #333537; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Philipp Schott is the bestselling author of the <i>The Willow Wren</i>, <i>Fifty-Four Pigs</i>,<i>The Accidental Veterinarian</i>, and two more short-story collections<i>. </i>Born in Germany, he grew up in Saskatoon and now lives in Winnipeg with his wife, two teenagers, three cats, and a dog.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #212121; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhq6A9eZFZfnpE_4ZjWgfFO8OfPCIzCuRVTMz7XW8cNkRdK-Q36kjBUnazKyZsNJnbVDrPAF2tOf6nohYKU4qoQ7oC2o-9pnYBUJgLyp7SUrTexWTfE5GBeF229QjeE7U4eKKu7Gr_HBAACWO-f1h8xy7fJB2s15U0AlIFZCXUiV6s8eZXaXbvxXX59oA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhq6A9eZFZfnpE_4ZjWgfFO8OfPCIzCuRVTMz7XW8cNkRdK-Q36kjBUnazKyZsNJnbVDrPAF2tOf6nohYKU4qoQ7oC2o-9pnYBUJgLyp7SUrTexWTfE5GBeF229QjeE7U4eKKu7Gr_HBAACWO-f1h8xy7fJB2s15U0AlIFZCXUiV6s8eZXaXbvxXX59oA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="547" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhq6A9eZFZfnpE_4ZjWgfFO8OfPCIzCuRVTMz7XW8cNkRdK-Q36kjBUnazKyZsNJnbVDrPAF2tOf6nohYKU4qoQ7oC2o-9pnYBUJgLyp7SUrTexWTfE5GBeF229QjeE7U4eKKu7Gr_HBAACWO-f1h8xy7fJB2s15U0AlIFZCXUiV6s8eZXaXbvxXX59oA=w547-h547" width="547" /></a></span></span></div><p></p>
<p style="color: #212121; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome back, Philipp. It’s been a year since we talked about <i>Fifty-Four Pigs</i>. Dr. Peter Bannerman has returned and the new one’s called <i>Six Ostriches</i>. Please give us the pitch?</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #212121; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Philipp:</i> Thank you! It’s finally springtime on the prairies, and Dr. Peter Bannerman, veterinarian and amateur detective, is called out to an exotic animal farm where one of the ostriches is feeling off. It seems the bird has swallowed a foreign object, which ultimately proves to be a Thor’s hammer amulet. Peter assumes it’s a tourist trinket, but others believe that it’s an authentic ancient artifact. At the same time, bizarre animal mutilations start happening in the area. Peter’s relentlessly systemizing and analytical mind begins to draw connections between the two events. Then a shocking murder occurs, and Peter’s theories are put to the test. Can he and his sniffer dog, Pippin, help the police unravel this case, or will they be in the way, and in danger themselves?</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUyhpzP-30CMUQLwHEI1fupzwaqx_hWlRwPse5K59k8p-b1y7M5IgEAeFAdMpqdAjxMSNRNKCAhwOLVq6KjRUQ2h5YuOV1ZDQb7aEMFWbpGL1RC-tlhnWN9wqaZdM3QQP4TKP-XR8iK9Z8fA1bjR5UNFsd50Ool5BM4kYRxppyhyIIUC7PRC_OyUZg9Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1977" data-original-width="1280" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUyhpzP-30CMUQLwHEI1fupzwaqx_hWlRwPse5K59k8p-b1y7M5IgEAeFAdMpqdAjxMSNRNKCAhwOLVq6KjRUQ2h5YuOV1ZDQb7aEMFWbpGL1RC-tlhnWN9wqaZdM3QQP4TKP-XR8iK9Z8fA1bjR5UNFsd50Ool5BM4kYRxppyhyIIUC7PRC_OyUZg9Q=w344-h532" width="344" /></a></div>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>Tell us about the fictional town of New Selfoss. What makes it the perfect setting for this story?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Philipp:</i> Gimli, Manitoba, is home to the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland. I love Gimli and its history, but I wanted to be free to create my own “sandbox” of a town without people constantly wondering who and where in real life I’m referring to, so I invented New Selfoss, the cross-lake Icelandic-Canadian rival to Gimli. The plot of Six Ostriches hinges on that Nordic heritage. It couldn’t take place anywhere else. New Selfoss is also the winner of Macleans Magazine’s (fictional) “Quirkiest Town in Canada Award”, so it’s the perfect home for the oddball characters I’ve created.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Congratulations on the quirkiest own award. Viking artifacts, ostriches and white supremacists. Were there interesting discoveries/surprises as you researched for the story?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Philipp:</i> I realized I had the makings of an interesting story when I learned about the revival of the ancient Norse pagan religion, and its subsequent splintering into a modern inclusive wing on one side, and a sinister white nationalist wing on the other. To tell you more would give away too much of the plot, but that was a fascinating research rabbit-hole to go down.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> With this being the second book in the series, do you feel that the Peter Bannerman character is fleshed out to the point of telling the story on his own, or are you still making the decisions?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Philipp:</i> Peter feels very real and alive now, as do Laura, his wife, and Kevin, his RCMP brother-in-law. When these people act and speak, they make me feel more like a medium than a writer. I just have to set the stage and then poise my fingertips over the keyboard and take dictation from them. I think every writer who’s spent time with a character gets this feeling. It’s one of the great pleasures of fiction writing. Although it’s also damned strange! </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Pippin is Peter Bannerman’s four-legged sidekick. Is there a real-life Pippin that you modeled him after?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Philipp:</i> No, sadly. My own dog, Orbit, a ten-year-old Sheltie, is beautiful and sweet, but he’s not half as smart as Pippin, nor can he smell much more than food and other dogs’ pee. Pippin is my vision of an ideal dog, much as New Selfoss is my vision of an ideal small town. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You wrote <i>The Accidental Veterinarian</i> and <i>The Willow Wren</i> from a first-person perspective, and you write the Peter Bannerman series in third person. How do you decide which is the best choice for a given book?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Philipp:</i> It’s more instinct than decision. I suppose third person is my default, but as <i>The Accidental Veterinarian</i> are my own personal stories, first person made more sense. And for <i>The Willow Wren</i> I wanted the immediacy of a child’s perspective on the war. Third person for Bannerman allows me a slight remove from his eccentricities, like we’re looking over his shoulder and tut-tutting at times. Also, I think it would be exhausting to be inside his head all the time.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> The last time we chatted, you mentioned a third book in the series, <i>Eleven Huskies.</i> Are you able to give us an update?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Philipp:</i> Eleven Huskies is done! It’s just wending its way through the editorial pipeline and should pop out the other end next spring. Readers of <i>Six Ostriches</i> will get a preview chapter at the end … </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You also mentioned that you’re an avid long-distance walker. Do you work out scenes in your head as you’re walking, or does the creative stuff all happen from behind a desk?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Philipp:</i> It’s a bit of both. Walking is especially good when I’m stuck or beginning to feel that the narrative is losing steam. Mystery writing feels a bit like creating a complex cog-and-gear mechanism, like an old-time wind-up toy. On long walks I can often get a better feel for it if everything is working together smoothly, or if I’ve left some part of the mechanism spinning uselessly, or grinding too noisily. But once I’m in the flow of writing, a lot can happen right at the desk. As mentioned before, this is especially the case when the characters just lead me along.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Are you inspired by reading other books?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Philipp:</i> Yes and no. I actually read very few mysteries, so I don’t draw any inspiration from the field. This is somewhat deliberate. I just want to do my own thing and not be too influenced, even subconsciously. But I do read a lot, about a book a week, alternating between non-fiction with a heavy history focus, and fiction, leaning towards literary. I’m sure all this reading informs my use of language and inspires me to keep upping my game as a writer.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Lastly, do you have an excerpt from <i>Six Ostriches</i> that you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Philipp:</i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"> Sure, thanks! Let’s go with the moment where Peter figures out what’s in the ostrich. Anything further along would give too much away.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“Peter was still in a reverie as he parked the truck, entered the house, and absent-mindedly petted Pippin, their enthusiastic black and white lab-husky-collie mix, so it took him a second to properly orient himself when Laura greeted him loudly from the living room. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“How was your day?”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Good. Interesting case at the end.” After giving Pippin two treats from his pocket and letting Merry, their tortoiseshell cat, rub up against his leg, Peter took off his boots and went into the living room.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Oh?” Laura said, looking up from her knitting. “Like interesting for vets, or interesting for regular humans?” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Ha! The latter. An ostrich at Dan and Kim Favel’s place.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Did it disembowel you with its claws?” Laura asked, grinning broadly.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Nope.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Ok, only mildly interesting so far.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Looks like it swallowed some kind of toy or piece of jewelry or knickknack. It’s a weird T-shaped metal object with a design on it.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Hmm, that is interesting.” Laura set her knitting aside and put her hand out. “Let’s see…” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Peter found the x-ray images on his phone and handed it over. Laura squinted at the screen. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Hmm,” she said. “I’m going to adjust the greyscale and try flipping to negative.” </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Peter watched from over her shoulder as Laura tapped a few times and then pinched and zoomed.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“What do you think?” he said.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“This is a mjolnir,” she answered without looking up from the screen.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“A myaw… what?”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Mjolnir. myawl-near,” she drew out the syllables for emphasis. “Thor’s hammer. A Norse religious symbol worn as a pendant. See the little hole at the end of the stem?”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“That’s a weird toy. But maybe a tie-in to the movie?”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“No,” Laura said, adopting an authoritative tone. She was a professional knitter whose niche was bespoke geek-wear, such as Lord of the Rings sweaters, Star Wars mitts, Dr. Who socks, and Harry Potter toques. She was very familiar with Marvel’s product lines. “They used totally lame rectangular mallet type hammers in the movie and their merch, rather than true mjolnirs.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Ah. So, a tourist souvenir from Reykjavik then.”</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I suppose.” Laura continued to look at the screen, evidently lost in thought.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkyZk-v0TH6eYoqwNtpmPe5qYL9HKfzwsM_mNSfulGMbqkgDxNKidxXBCw6u6SDPTjv5rvD4527UdS4LZ7q8gfImfrZO5D0FLYJEwZ5JgfI30kY8ggstdgFNyfxie-xUHpxCGsWCiwmYTGwIdF2FUAMCO3k8Xk4hMJo4c6wtrDID5QMHd_hdQob5q-3A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="462" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkyZk-v0TH6eYoqwNtpmPe5qYL9HKfzwsM_mNSfulGMbqkgDxNKidxXBCw6u6SDPTjv5rvD4527UdS4LZ7q8gfImfrZO5D0FLYJEwZ5JgfI30kY8ggstdgFNyfxie-xUHpxCGsWCiwmYTGwIdF2FUAMCO3k8Xk4hMJo4c6wtrDID5QMHd_hdQob5q-3A=w129-h200" width="129" /></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiocIZcXjvy1iNrFTOZNvHMJk-u2eg_sdhDyOH0SGRSIt08ACiDsorv5t-yhaeZQxuwsgWbkB2WBBr_M_DEfvy60bmNHTIPqseImrzEMGq2Um3q_7QO90wz5U_ShQmFXhJL421_AfxYa6o8hcz6KXzpUwsauoS3kPCp6JQjRhaut84aB0_Po1Qxr8bSCg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1749" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiocIZcXjvy1iNrFTOZNvHMJk-u2eg_sdhDyOH0SGRSIt08ACiDsorv5t-yhaeZQxuwsgWbkB2WBBr_M_DEfvy60bmNHTIPqseImrzEMGq2Um3q_7QO90wz5U_ShQmFXhJL421_AfxYa6o8hcz6KXzpUwsauoS3kPCp6JQjRhaut84aB0_Po1Qxr8bSCg=w147-h200" width="147" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRqKULN5HuqFWN62Y0jH6cuYgvA28hwx2vZCE-DMyaDgBSWjQn8aCrOtx9RSH9HwGsHk229R7_MXb3snyuw1J7AsvET5OHehMx4h0DfnAMiiadVXb6cr-XiLoCDGV8hD91jhD_YtyJkG_Z0IXBsdft-HdMmJtjdxNsl9dTGw_B65v93QUC6KtBQCN2-A" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2175" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRqKULN5HuqFWN62Y0jH6cuYgvA28hwx2vZCE-DMyaDgBSWjQn8aCrOtx9RSH9HwGsHk229R7_MXb3snyuw1J7AsvET5OHehMx4h0DfnAMiiadVXb6cr-XiLoCDGV8hD91jhD_YtyJkG_Z0IXBsdft-HdMmJtjdxNsl9dTGw_B65v93QUC6KtBQCN2-A=w118-h200" width="118" /></a> </div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Thank you to Philipp Schott for the interview. Fans can find out more about him and his writing at his website <a href="https://www.philippschott.com/home"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">here</span></a>, or through his publisher ECW Press <a href="https://ecwpress.com/collections/vendors?q=Schott,%20Philipp"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-58238298117042686622023-05-01T00:00:00.004-07:002023-05-01T00:00:00.156-07:00Off the Cuff with Daniel Kalla <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEAXVkZnVvLYU-H8aja8iThaZ7tDahcSobXdM6U-b8IsN3n6SsQ8W6nU-Gy0UTnqfZuo-_jnUu5t384DZ_hvozlQcjaR0RNp4pfdodHcDYoP-J4rHYMxXISD3VUnJ4FGUTX3xdrU-4NLO0VIb7RKVyR0a7XmRpvNSumIS8Q65oLNQMrrlg7eay5Kse2Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEAXVkZnVvLYU-H8aja8iThaZ7tDahcSobXdM6U-b8IsN3n6SsQ8W6nU-Gy0UTnqfZuo-_jnUu5t384DZ_hvozlQcjaR0RNp4pfdodHcDYoP-J4rHYMxXISD3VUnJ4FGUTX3xdrU-4NLO0VIb7RKVyR0a7XmRpvNSumIS8Q65oLNQMrrlg7eay5Kse2Q=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></div><p></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">Daniel is an Emergency Room Physician as well as the bestselling author of fourteen novels, which have been translated into eleven languages to date, and his Shanghai trilogy has been optioned for feature films.</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">He has appeared on or in ABC, NBC, CNN, CBC radio, CBC TV, The National Post, City TV, The Vancouver Sun, and Entertainment Weekly. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUTiN8HZ13TKutSQFJbokYhf5grf-469z8KVwwwYeHKJIs7bEJAqn1cxGcHZgDWcwv4gtkmJwg3-sbraBkCkgwUdtLXhLzKrjfDXvdrSOulrvXAk4D7dQOoxvWzvDezsD2XalIGZzWsHNdoJtg3JG_VO8dbEg8lAz_ajRt7aDubf8vDJWw8ieUhvMCdw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="726" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUTiN8HZ13TKutSQFJbokYhf5grf-469z8KVwwwYeHKJIs7bEJAqn1cxGcHZgDWcwv4gtkmJwg3-sbraBkCkgwUdtLXhLzKrjfDXvdrSOulrvXAk4D7dQOoxvWzvDezsD2XalIGZzWsHNdoJtg3JG_VO8dbEg8lAz_ajRt7aDubf8vDJWw8ieUhvMCdw=w380-h566" width="380" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> First off, welcome Daniel. Let me start by asking you for the pitch for the new one, <i>Fit to Die</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">In <i>Fit To Die</i>, an illicit diet pill containing a deadly toxin known as DNP — a (real) explosive agent originally used in the trenches of World War I — surges in popularity in LA and Vancouver, especially among the eating disordered and body-building set. People begin to die, including a chart-topping pop star slash Instagram sensation, along with the co-owner of a wildly popular wellness center that has locations in the same two cities. But who’s behind the online marketing and distribution of the DNP? And how is the wellness center connected? The daunting challenge of putting the pieces together falls to two detectives, Anson Chen in Vancouver and Cari Garcia in LA, and Anson’s girlfriend, Dr. Julie Rees, a toxicologist. Can they disrupt the flow of this tempting poison before the body count soars?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In this novel, I combined a pervasive societal threat — online body shaming, body dysmorphia, and a celebrity obsession — with a terrifyingly real and toxic diet pill to create my story. Sadly, I didn’t have to deviate far from reality to create this high-stakes thriller. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Please introduce us to your main characters Detectives Cari Garcia in LA, and Anson Chen in Vancouver? And tell us how you came up with them?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I have a soft spot for both of these characters. Anson Chen is a hard-edged but compassionate Vancouver homicide detective, whom I originally wrote in my novel, <i>The Last High</i>, which is centered around the opioid crisis. Cari Garcia is a brand new character, a brilliant LAPD Homicide detective, who has been deeply affected by eating disorders after losing her younger sister to the illness. I wanted to tell the story through a dual-setting, using Vancouver and Los Angeles, two of the meccas for fitness and obsessive body consciousness. I loved the idea of having two parallel local investigations eventually merge into a search for an international conspiracy. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUs_LZY4FR1dOiVwXOYeOk42FiZtQ3yHEWQddLs_4Do1GoGgLCSToHmdUlYkFeaH-X8INKaZQzqXzIF6KAumdD9uIBfA81Ofjezvw2_rSnYpxc4sM00SP4GfwLGRbgIzbVK2hf2QgFsdffN6QYCZYJiBbitsBtrwqoMrTW_qQN70jqoyW5mJHQ1TAptg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2020" data-original-width="1469" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUs_LZY4FR1dOiVwXOYeOk42FiZtQ3yHEWQddLs_4Do1GoGgLCSToHmdUlYkFeaH-X8INKaZQzqXzIF6KAumdD9uIBfA81Ofjezvw2_rSnYpxc4sM00SP4GfwLGRbgIzbVK2hf2QgFsdffN6QYCZYJiBbitsBtrwqoMrTW_qQN70jqoyW5mJHQ1TAptg=w292-h400" width="292" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>As an emergency-room physician and clinical associate professor at UBC, you obviously have a wealth of knowledge that you bring to your writing. What kind of research did you have to do for this one? </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Tragically, the spark for this novel was inspired by a real case of a young person who ordered “diet pills” online and died after swallowing only a couple extra pills. It was the first time I’d ever heard of DNP, the extremely toxic diet pill at the heart of this story. And I was shocked to learn it is readily available on the grey and dark web. After more than twenty years in the ER, I had a solid understanding of the medical background. But before I could tell this story, I had a ton to learn about eating disorders, the unhealthy impact of social media on body image, and investigative procedures in the US and Canada, particularly with respect to tracking online conspiracies and frauds. Aside from my own research, I was extremely fortunate to be able to lean on the expertise of others, particularly Dr. Jane McKay, an eating disorder specialist, and Superintendent Howard Tran with the Vancouver Police Department. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Was there a point when you were drafting the story when you felt it all coming together, or did you have a confidence about it right from the start?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Good question. I tend to be a bit of a rapid-cycler when it comes to my belief, or lack thereof, along the journey of writing a new manuscript. At the outset, I was confident I would be able to weave together a good mystery with the rich background themes I have already mentioned. But I had numerous crises of faith along the way. Fortunately, my usual solution to such predictable lows worked in this case: just keep writing! Eventually, the story unfolded –with the help of a few revised drafts – as I hoped it would. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0070c0; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>Have there been writers who inspired you to start writing? Who are you reading these days?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Too many authors to list. I firmly believe you can’t write fiction unless you’re a voracious reader. But I have to single out two writers from my youth: James Michener and Michael Crichton. In very different ways, each of them showed me that good stories can still educate. History and science can be especially compelling when told through the eyes of fictional characters. Nowadays, I read extremely eclectically. I just finished Vincent Lam’s excellent <i>On The Ravine</i>, and I binged Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels, including my favorite, <i>Daisy Jones and The Six</i>. Also, I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of your terrific upcoming novel, <i>The Get</i>, which I loved! </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thank you very much, Daniel. With all your success, does it get easier, or does it feel like the bar keeps being raised?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Thank you, but as you know, success is very relative in this business. I’m extremely lucky to continue to be published, but I’m aware that there are no guarantees in publishing. After fourteen novels, I feel as if I learned certain stylistic techniques that makes writing easier and, hopefully, better. However, I think my own standards and expectations have risen over the years, and I’m a harsher self-critic than I used to be. I fear becoming derivative. And I’m always looking for new challenges, new voices, and different directions to take my stories. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>Is there any writing advice you’d like to share with anyone starting on their first novel, perhaps something that you learned the hard way?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">As an aspiring novelist you need to read and write … a lot … to hone your voice and style. But also, I think it’s vitally important to share your writing with people you trust, even if you’re self-conscious about it. And then to take their feedback seriously. What I learned, the hard way, about criticism is that one person’s opinion might not particularly matter, <b><i>but</i></b> if multiple readers provide you similar feedback then ignore it at your own peril! </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What’s your favorite part of the process? What’s your least favorite?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I used to say that writing the first draft was my favorite part. Those new characters and scene that spring from the recesses of my dark imagination. But more and more, I enjoy rewriting. I get genuine satisfaction from taking the roughest parts or most cumbersome aspects of the story and polishing them into something more refined. My least favorite part of the process is the actual day of publication. I don’t enjoy promoting my books. And for me, at least, there is inevitable disappointment to the whole cycle of publication. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich: </i>What are you working on now? And what can fans look forward to next?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I always try to tackle socially relevant medical and scientific issues in my writing. And a current interest of mine is the potential therapeutic power of psychedelics such as LSD and magic mushrooms or psilocybin. I’ve just finished a new thriller about the untapped powers and potential pitfalls of a new therapy involving psychedelics. And it has the working title of <i>Trip Wire</i>. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt from <i>Fit to Die</i> you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br />
</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Daniel:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I’d love to share an excerpt. This brief scene is from chapter three, when a mega-influencer and worldwide celebrity, who’s simply known as Rain, contemplates her ongoing eating disorder, which will lead her to an ill-fated decision …</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Over forty-five million Insta followers. Lorraine Flynn—known by most of the world as simply “Rain”—can’t believe it herself. Five years ago, she would have been thrilled to hit ten thousand. Aside from the few dogged haters, Rain basks in the online love. It immerses her. Inspires her. Lifts her up. Her music is more visceral because of it, and her acting more intimate.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Most of the time, it makes up for how much she disgusts herself.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Rain raises her foot to step forward but freezes. She has already</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">peed twice in the past hour. She hasn’t touched a bite of food or a drop of liquid in almost fourteen hours. It’s the perfect moment to get on the scale. But her stomach still rumbles, and despite how empty it is, she swears she’s going to throw up as her big toe inches toward the scale.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There’s only one way to do it. Fast. Like diving into a frigid pool!</span></i></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Rain hops onto the scale with both feet. But her breath catches. And, almost involuntarily, her eyelids slam shut. Only after she steadies her breathing does she tilt her chin down and open her eyes. How bad can it be?</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">“96.4” the blue numbers glow.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The elation overwhelms her. More so than if she had found another ten million Insta followers. She prayed she would be under triple digits, but this is three pounds lighter than she dared to hope.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Rain has always been very public with her fans about her mental health struggles, especially her body image issues. She still can’t shake the painful memories of all the low points—the lowest of all being the night of her fifteenth birthday when she felt so fat and ashamed that she had no choice but to swallow every pill she could find in her parents’ medicine cabinet.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The whole world knows how much better Rain is doing since her troubled teen years. Dr. Markstrom reminds her of it almost every day. What a model she is for other kids out there who struggle with the same issues.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">And Rain is happy to help. To show them what can be overcome.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">She feels too contented to step off the scale. So instead, she stretches out a hand and pinches the bottle off the counter between her fingers. She taps out a single capsule into her palm.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thanks to Daniel Kalla for stopping by and talking about his latest, Fit to DIe. Fans of Dainel’s writing can find out more about him, upcoming events, and what he’s working on at his website <a href="https://danielkalla.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p><div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-39575573626636638602023-04-15T00:00:00.002-07:002023-04-15T00:00:00.211-07:00 Off the Cuff with Eryk Pruitt<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPDvAK4HTZ6Hqr_BEGzj6XcoLdQGvi_UJhzARO9fPceQJBnmF-ZVddpZ3BpFiz7tk16k-6qEMltG6v6jOEfWnW8GWhGkT4nLnAY3_HmjSMvUwQK5KKkmXXIjBZ8xLlErOM3hLnuoA3tn2QD5z-ZD41HBVLTO58JiRapGCatzyWobkQk1bV4EU9WfGflQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPDvAK4HTZ6Hqr_BEGzj6XcoLdQGvi_UJhzARO9fPceQJBnmF-ZVddpZ3BpFiz7tk16k-6qEMltG6v6jOEfWnW8GWhGkT4nLnAY3_HmjSMvUwQK5KKkmXXIjBZ8xLlErOM3hLnuoA3tn2QD5z-ZD41HBVLTO58JiRapGCatzyWobkQk1bV4EU9WfGflQ=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Eryk Pruitt is a screenwriter, author and filmmaker. He wrote and produced the short film <i>Foodie</i> which went on to win eight top awards at over sixteen film festivals. His short fiction has appeared in <i>The Avalon Literary Review</i>, <i>Thuglit</i>, <i>Pulp Modern</i>, and <i>Zymbol</i>, among others. He was a finalist for a Derringer Award, and he’s the author of the novels <i>Dirtbags</i>, <i>Hashtag</i>, <i>What We Reckon</i>, as well as the story collection <i>Townies</i>, all available from Polis Books. He is the host of the popular true crime podcast: <i>The Long Dance</i>. He lives in Durham, NC with his wife Lana and their cat Busey, and he’s here to talk about his latest, <b><i>Something Bad Wrong</i></b>.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgt8awwdQ8myR-xvtlx0N8Akrt9MdO4nU8tuSvAS4rR8YRdv5daFX4RCamvTRIiFCU90k8hvZYkNqj1nx03p7KSbToRLx4U7EVoSGviWnBN8N_7hm-K-Aw4zUtQruz6fM17eacQ3Zepli91VNvWMFbBtZzZE0z_xLuufUyqxNbYkJU5iKMfgpPvHSyFBg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="467" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgt8awwdQ8myR-xvtlx0N8Akrt9MdO4nU8tuSvAS4rR8YRdv5daFX4RCamvTRIiFCU90k8hvZYkNqj1nx03p7KSbToRLx4U7EVoSGviWnBN8N_7hm-K-Aw4zUtQruz6fM17eacQ3Zepli91VNvWMFbBtZzZE0z_xLuufUyqxNbYkJU5iKMfgpPvHSyFBg=w386-h542" width="386" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome Eryk. Let me start by asking what <i>Something Bad Wrong</i> is about?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Eryk:</i> Thanks Dietrich, and thank you for having me. I'm a fan of <i>Off the Cuff</i>, and your review of <i>What We Reckon</i> was one of my favorites. <i>Something Bad Wrong</i> is a different animal, as it's more suited for mystery or thriller fans than my previous three. It deals with a woman reopening a cold case that has haunted her small, Southern mill town for nearly fifty years. It was the last case that her grandfather, Big Jim Ballard, worked on for the Deeton County Sheriff's Office, and it threatens to expose a lot of secrets that could hurt a lot of people.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3ENKUVsUEZpBVmvaEhK91-VgioiJ7Dq7OMAEoZn5XqcRJiVPnFVSnpaVVYSv68Aqre-aiZyXWoDZ8-jwinfRgYfcGoer_PogWwcVCNsgzcrq-UTNKNVNtxGppUtE4132VQgcJdD4PM8FH_4oWx6_q8lgZU5A7yKwPffZdJWAzuwLrPXqsbGgTZDc3JA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3ENKUVsUEZpBVmvaEhK91-VgioiJ7Dq7OMAEoZn5XqcRJiVPnFVSnpaVVYSv68Aqre-aiZyXWoDZ8-jwinfRgYfcGoer_PogWwcVCNsgzcrq-UTNKNVNtxGppUtE4132VQgcJdD4PM8FH_4oWx6_q8lgZU5A7yKwPffZdJWAzuwLrPXqsbGgTZDc3JA=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Tell us how the story came about, and how it took shape?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Eryk: </i>A few years back, I investigated a cold case for a true crime podcast and had the thrill of working alongside actual detectives for two and a half years. They took me under their wing and showed me how police work is done, which gave me the insight I never had, and therefore had never really written about law enforcement. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Please introduce us to your main character, Jess Keeler? </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Eryk: </i>Jess Keeler dropped out of journalism school when she got pregnant, so she settled down and raised a family. However, when the COVID lockdowns happened, it caused her to reevaluate her life and want to pursue forgotten dreams. When she finds her grandfather's notebook in her childhood home's attic, it awakens her dormant desires to pursue a career in journalism. She's tenacious, driven, but very naive. However, she's a quick study and chooses to work under Dan Decker, a former news anchorman who lost his job due to bad behavior.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Is Jess based on anybody you’ve known, or is she pure fiction?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Eryk: </i>Jess is pure fiction, but she is based on the experiences I had while investigating my first cold case. My inexperience and eagerness sometimes nearly got me into a little bit of trouble because I was knocking on the doors of people who had done some very bad things and perhaps should have coordinated a little better in some instances — lol.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dietrich: Were there any good surprises that came your way while working on the story? Any bad ones?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Eryk: </i>This was my first experience with a dedicated and thorough editing department. They were a well-oiled machine, and looking back, I was the only one who was inexperienced. I'm grateful for the work they put in and was surprised at how enjoyable it was. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You’re also a screenwriter and filmmaker. How do these skills come into play when you’re writing a novel?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Eryk: </i>I hope it affects my dialogue in a positive manner, for sure. Even when I read, I tend to skip big chunks of text to get to where people are talking. A lot of time I have to force myself to throw in exposition. I like a visceral experience, and I feel the need to control the delivery of information to the audience, much like a director would.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What are you working on now, and what can fans look forward to next?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Eryk: </i>The fine folks at Thomas & Mercer have contracted me for a follow-up story to <i>Something Bad Wrong</i>, so I'm hard at work at that. Their plan is to release it next Spring (2024). In fact, that deadline is creeping up so I better get back to it!</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Thank you so much, Dietrich!</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Many thanks to Eryk Pruitt for the interview. Fans of his work can find out more about him and updates on his various projects <a href="http://erykpruitt.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-76454902477368980332023-04-01T00:00:00.001-07:002023-04-01T00:00:00.206-07:00Off the Cuff with Brenda Chapman<p style="color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5WWS_qw6SSWOqMiNciKAf03um8cLVn9HrTRpvj0_MjnE_1McXbXKc6szXFHiRWRm5_kOKtWoUsGn35HHNZxd1rTFoinCVr9rPniTcG2qTo0Zq2NQ9Z3YTcN90Azcpwm5T45VXs1j-u5OEZsgmzPxbOL3idQRUAQGQGJukOz_EQnGOzhHY80vl2JXicw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="176" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5WWS_qw6SSWOqMiNciKAf03um8cLVn9HrTRpvj0_MjnE_1McXbXKc6szXFHiRWRm5_kOKtWoUsGn35HHNZxd1rTFoinCVr9rPniTcG2qTo0Zq2NQ9Z3YTcN90Azcpwm5T45VXs1j-u5OEZsgmzPxbOL3idQRUAQGQGJukOz_EQnGOzhHY80vl2JXicw=w184-h200" width="184" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Brenda Chapman is a Canadian crime fiction author of twenty-four published novels. In addition to short stories and standalones, she has written the lauded Stonechild and Rouleau police procedural series, the Anna Sweet mystery novellas, and the Jennifer Bannon mysteries for middle grade. Her work has been shortlisted for several awards including four Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6Y0dK0ICW8cPmX3zCCdSXD3t1VAXYS-utnW1g4iSksufCEy0UACjkPXqhnuaVUnhWRY0tJBm1i6Z8yI_lVkdwt0m_Y81q3q21aSJ1khbpmjzKD0--NGJH0uk2wCx_oOknvNdjwLaEyJQ4iBg4_-BIFj0pXsitjEF6aPYBeKYRpH65Fr7rXI0z3CYRCA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1365" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6Y0dK0ICW8cPmX3zCCdSXD3t1VAXYS-utnW1g4iSksufCEy0UACjkPXqhnuaVUnhWRY0tJBm1i6Z8yI_lVkdwt0m_Y81q3q21aSJ1khbpmjzKD0--NGJH0uk2wCx_oOknvNdjwLaEyJQ4iBg4_-BIFj0pXsitjEF6aPYBeKYRpH65Fr7rXI0z3CYRCA=w400-h395" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> It’s good to have you back, Brenda. Last time we talked about the first in the Hunter and Tate series, <i>Blind Date</i>. This time we’re talking about your latest, <b><i>When Last Seen</i></b>. Please tell us about the new one?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Brenda:</i> </span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Thanks, Dietrich, for having me return to chat about my latest book. <i>When Last Seen</i> leans on the side of police procedural with Detective Liam Hunter taking on a larger role with more of his character being revealed. The mystery centers around a missing three-year-old boy and a missing university exchange student, their disappearances happening nine months apart, and seemingly unrelated. An advance reviewer on NetGalley sums it up this way: <i>Full of twists and turns, When Last Seen is the second outing for Ottawan crime solving duo Hunter and Tate, and it certainly delivers what a good mystery should; red herrings, false leads, oblique clues, high stakes, and interweaving stories of crime and betrayal.</i> </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTWzwV_DaH2GVeZcNrWqaDk3G9vxybJbNDmqEC8ndhPpVBnQKxYNmZBC627y8vGjYloRIJmZpkmnBYNnAipAMr86jd9o9ESIlO0nw9AptRCQb068qfvSVa25yGqvOgbh_T8eFCg-rNFpoSYJutLsR7i0cSUoA8LXjVs_0jW97IlIMGNHRG7KHmP3scrg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTWzwV_DaH2GVeZcNrWqaDk3G9vxybJbNDmqEC8ndhPpVBnQKxYNmZBC627y8vGjYloRIJmZpkmnBYNnAipAMr86jd9o9ESIlO0nw9AptRCQb068qfvSVa25yGqvOgbh_T8eFCg-rNFpoSYJutLsR7i0cSUoA8LXjVs_0jW97IlIMGNHRG7KHmP3scrg=w250-h400" width="250" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dietrich: You mentioned from the onset of this series that you wanted to create characters with interesting backstories, and that you wanted them to develop over the series. How have Ella and Liam changed since <i>Blind Date</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Brenda: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Ahh, great question. In <i>Blind Date</i>, Ella Tate is the focus of the story. She’s a laid off crime reporter, living in poverty and working on a true crime podcast. Someone begins harming those close to her, and she works with Detective Hunter to figure out who and why. In this latest outing, Ella is still a central figure in this second book, but Hunter takes on an equal, if not larger, role in the investigation. Ella has come into an inheritance and is freelancing for the newspaper that laid her off so she’s no longer destitute. She’s in a bit of a depression, however, and spends most of her time alone, working on stories. Hunter starts to become a more well-rounded character as we learn more about his past, his relationships and his current living situation. Still lots more to develop as I write book three!</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Was it easier to write the second in the series, or were there more demands and challenges?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Brenda: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Every book is a bit of a challenge, but with the main characters somewhat established, and the setting decided, book two was slightly easier in this regard. Yet, the trickiest part in a series is keeping all the details and timelines straight for the main characters as each book builds on the one before. In addition, I moved some of the story in book two to the nearby town of Almonte and created a whole new cast of characters/suspects for the mystery, so as per usual, the crime is always a great deal of work to orchestrate and pull together. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How much research went into this one? </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Brenda: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">There were the usual searches on Google to check that I got information correct, such as geography and data on missing people. Interestingly, I randomly selected a street in Ottawa for the missing boy’s family to live on, only to find out afterwards that a member of my curling team lived on the same street. He and his wife had my husband and I over for lunch one beautiful summer day and they took us for a tour of the street and beachfront. This helped enormously for me to get the setting right. I also toured our local police station to get a better feel for building and the operation, and I was fortunate to have an officer move onto my street a few years back. He graciously answered my questions whenever I stopped him and his dog on their way past our house. </span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You’re such a prolific author. What does a typical writing day look like for you? Are there tricks that help you stay focused?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Brenda: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I manage a book a year and don’t consider myself as prolific as those writing two or three a year! My typical writing day has me start around 10 a.m., break for lunch, type a few more hours. If I’m on a role, you might find me working on my laptop in front of the tv into the evening. Luckily, noise doesn’t distract me or break my concentration. I don’t really have any tricks for this single-minded focus except to advise writers to clear some time in their day to immerse themselves in their manuscript without feeling guilty about all the chores waiting to be done. I tend to start off slowly when I begin a new manuscript but pick up speed like a tire going downhill as I near the end.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> You once mentioned that you read a lot. Were there authors who inspired you back when you started writing?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Brenda: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">So many writers inspired me. I started out reading Enid Blyton’s <i>The Famous Five</i> and <i>The Secret Seven</i> books, and loved the idea of kids solving mysteries. I have a degree in English lit and grew to love poetry and beautifully crafted passages. I’ve always enjoyed reading crime fiction the most, although my favourite books in high school and university included <i>To Kill A Mockingbird</i>, <i>Catcher in the Rye</i>, and <i>The Sun Also Rises</i>. As for inspiring crime fiction, I remember reading Truman Capote’s <i>In Cold Blood</i> and being blown away by the power of his story-telling. I believe there is something to be learned or appreciated by every book, and tip my hat to all the authors who’ve kept me captivated and entertained over the years.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What are you working on now, and what’s coming next?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Brenda: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m currently writing book three in the Hunter and Tate series and am about a third of the way into the story. This one is again a police procedural at its heart, but also a thriller. I’m still working out plot details and it's involving a lot of thinking. The publicity and marketing for <i>When Last Seen</i> also takes up a lot of time — events, book club visits, blog posts, media — all fun and the icing on the cake for a writer.</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Would you like to share an excerpt from <i>When Last Seen</i>?</span></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>Brenda: </i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Certainly. This section is from Chapter One.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 0.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">The air was steamy in the mid-morning heat. July in Ottawa could be brutally humid, but Ginger didn’t mind, since the stretch of days like this one never lasted long — well not long in summers past. Climate change had made the heat waves unpredictable and more frequent the last few years. She brushed damp wisps of hair off her forehead as she walked around the corner of the house. “Charlie,” she called. “Come have a drink of juice.” She’d fill the wading pool afterward and let him cool down while she pulled over a lawn chair and soaked her feet. The idea made her weak with anticipation, the physical longing for relief close to unbearable.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-indent: 28.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 28.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The scent of roses, blowsy with faded petals, wafted toward her from the bed lining the fence. She had checked out the names of the flowers when they first began blooming: astilbe with the feathery pink plumes, purple Russian sage, coneflower, black-eyed Susans, and blood-red bee balm. She wasn’t sure how to keep this garden alive and thriving and reminded herself to check out websites when she had more energy. She glanced toward the spot where she’d watched Charlie and the cat from the dining room window, but they were nowhere to be seen. She cupped a hand over her eyes to cut the sun’s glare, remembering too late that she’d left her sunglasses on the kitchen counter. Her voice rose several notches as she searched both sides of the walkway, looking through flowers and greenery for a glimpse of his blond hair and red shorts. “Charlie, where are you? Come here right now, darling. I’m too hot to play hide-and-seek.”</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-indent: 28.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 28.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Uneasy, she spun back the way she’d come and walked toward the open space of grass in front of the deck. The lot was wide and deep, with trees and bushes toward the back of the fenced-in property. She closed her eyes and pictured the shoreline beyond the fence. Three steps cut into the breaker wall led to a strip of rocky, sand beach that grew and shrank depending on the time of year and the water levels. At the moment, the shoreline was several feet wide lining this part of the Ottawa River called Crystal Bay. Britannia Beach jutted on a piece of land far to her right, while Shirleys Bay was visible farther upriver, the bookends to Rocky Point, the name of this affluent neighbourhood where David had moved them two months earlier after his business reaped a banner year. </span></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-indent: 28.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 28.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A gate in the middle of the back fence swung closed automatically with a latch too high for Charlie to reach. Even so, she ran across the lawn to peer around the trees and shrubs and make certain the gate was properly shut. She unhooked the latch and pushed it open, stepping outside the fence to scan up and down the beach, but Charlie was nowhere to be seen. She mopped her forehead with the bottom of her shirt and took a deep breath to calm herself. Charlie hadn’t gotten to the water. He wasn’t in imminent danger of drowning. Three sailboats drew her eye to the distant Gatineau Hills on the Quebec side directly across the wide expanse of water. Even the hills seemed to shimmer in the baking July heat. She stepped inside the yard, spun back toward the house, and called his name, her voice now cross from anxiety. “Charlie, this isn’t a game. Come to me now!”</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-indent: 28.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 28.8px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A crow launched itself from the top bough of a pine next to her and cawed on its flight path above her head into the cottonwood trees on the other side of the fence. Crows had left her apprehensive ever since she read Macbeth in high school. She couldn’t remember the words but knew that a crow or a raven sitting atop one’s house was a very bad omen, a foretelling of death. She gazed at the blueness of the sky for a moment, wishing for clouds to filter the unrelenting sunlight that left her drained and lethargic. Her eyes dropped, and she scanned both sides of the yard again, more methodically now as she checked behind every bush and tree, calling Charlie’s name at increasingly louder volumes and shorter intervals.</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-indent: 28.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b2527; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thanks to Brenda Chapman for the chat. Fans can find out more about her at her website <a href="https://brendachapman.ca"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">here</span></a>, and <i>When Last Seen</i> can be pre-ordered at Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/When-Last-Seen-Hunter-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BRL926SV/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=YHqDA&content-id=amzn1.sym.22f5776b-4878-4918-9222-7bb79ff649f4&pf_rd_p=22f5776b-4878-4918-9222-7bb79ff649f4&pf_rd_r=147-6778738-1276802&pd_rd_wg=Y4p7F&pd_rd_r=7a6b43d4-7046-4104-87d2-8d3344981173&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">here</span></a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214470255699603217.post-23856220255137603892023-03-15T00:00:00.008-07:002023-03-15T00:00:00.217-07:00Off the Cuff with Gabriel Valjan<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0gjWQ3cO39oq49m0UrScuXB9eyp8YZfxYJCwKPl9FC9hU6iyqk4sz2omc-rn_FG_IDMCRfI-8tGZLRwh07Q3nzABeQc-_Ur_dPtLEu_BYF6kTVuENOAy2G2aOZOPkUEK5aA4-sjTEeMz9CsrPCJdtatkbqZF6EyMNxNG5Y6YBUUwfubIB4xtcrmWHgQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="171" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0gjWQ3cO39oq49m0UrScuXB9eyp8YZfxYJCwKPl9FC9hU6iyqk4sz2omc-rn_FG_IDMCRfI-8tGZLRwh07Q3nzABeQc-_Ur_dPtLEu_BYF6kTVuENOAy2G2aOZOPkUEK5aA4-sjTEeMz9CsrPCJdtatkbqZF6EyMNxNG5Y6YBUUwfubIB4xtcrmWHgQ=w181-h200" width="181" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gabriel Valjan is the author of the Roma Series, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Company Files</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, and the Shane Cleary Mysteries. He has been listed for the Fish Prize and Bridport Prizes, and received an Honorable Mention for the Nero Wolfe Black Orchid Novella Contest. Gabriel has been a finalist for the Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, a Silver Falchion, and received the 2021 Macavity Award for Best Short Story. Gabriel is a member of ITW, MWA, and Sisters in Crime.</span></span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiP8zHzUz0WzNxCPHscxkyE9SqvEOjs5chgMyIkxtgcD87nM9PGDkcdww-gHm58bmteaJAwNZzlgNgdUhlj4CSfADgu48Qsq2C7UzhQpJuAPOFInrVYZdYtHRLw1EwsRh1WEV1eGuFOCL5TUS-Pm_McRFAQPSDgBmnK1yHbhYDeFEoUODDZd5IvVDQckA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="924" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiP8zHzUz0WzNxCPHscxkyE9SqvEOjs5chgMyIkxtgcD87nM9PGDkcdww-gHm58bmteaJAwNZzlgNgdUhlj4CSfADgu48Qsq2C7UzhQpJuAPOFInrVYZdYtHRLw1EwsRh1WEV1eGuFOCL5TUS-Pm_McRFAQPSDgBmnK1yHbhYDeFEoUODDZd5IvVDQckA=w458-h343" width="458" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Welcome Gabriel. Please tell us about the new one, <i>Liar’s Dice</i>, the next installment in the Shane Cleary series?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel:</i> Thank you for having me as your guest. <i>Liar’s Dice</i> is the fourth Shane Cleary mystery from Level Best Books. In this outing, Shane is juggling several demands. A mafioso asks him to have a ‘look’ at his nephew and determine whether the kid is dealing or using drugs. The answer to either question presents a moral dilemma. Even though Shane is <i>persona non grata</i> with the Boston Police Department, it doesn’t stop someone within the BPD to reach out to him for help on a homicide case when the Feds tell the department to stand down on their investigation. Shane’s lawyer girlfriend Bonnie, who would prefer that he ditch the PI license, asks him for his help on a domestic abuse case. Finally, an Army buddy comes to Boston with his own ‘ask,’ and fans of the series are given some insight into Shane’s Vietnam past. <i>Liar’s Dice </i>hits the shelf on March 14, 2023.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN2Ce3mHAtz7cxrlxs4wBdI905CGYelI8Hu7FEBOQgd6rnxz1xB2evKFSNJQSdQ97mrF8e7z-hmdX2ySPdfE9zE6USw8ao9rXbaiRWmvrKIvxULzwSJqtE-sBRHiyCDQ4d9Cy81DJ3bQJ1Myprc3VzFteghBOIzb7NKNDFqxLbqIRACXoRAnh96DU3yg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="812" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgN2Ce3mHAtz7cxrlxs4wBdI905CGYelI8Hu7FEBOQgd6rnxz1xB2evKFSNJQSdQ97mrF8e7z-hmdX2ySPdfE9zE6USw8ao9rXbaiRWmvrKIvxULzwSJqtE-sBRHiyCDQ4d9Cy81DJ3bQJ1Myprc3VzFteghBOIzb7NKNDFqxLbqIRACXoRAnh96DU3yg=w362-h400" width="362" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How has Shane evolved since you started writing <i>Dirty Old Town</i>? </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel:</i> When we first meet Shane, he is hard up for money, somewhat rudderless, and a loner. Desperate to pay the rent, he reluctantly takes on a blackmail case from a client whose wife is Shane’s first love. In <i>Symphony Road</i>, he is asked to work a missing person’s case for Boston’s top mafia don. It’s a case that leads him to an arson-for-profit scheme. In addition to this case, the Police Commissioner doesn’t believe a community activist committed suicide, so he hires Shane on the QT. In <i>Hush Hush</i>, Shane is in a relationship with Bonnie, a criminal defense lawyer. His finances are solid, and he doesn’t need to be a PI, yet he can’t resist helping the son of a friend of a friend who has been convicted of a homicide that is emblematic of Boston’s troubled history with class and race. All outward appearances indicate that Shane Cleary is a man who wants to do right in the world, and he does so most of the time, but he is haunted by his father’s suicide and his own dark past.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> How much research went into making this one sound authentic?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel:</i> The Shane series is set in Seventies Boston, so there’s the obvious call to fidelity to the era. I may have lived the era, but I’m not from Boston. Also, I know personal memories are often inaccurate. I didn’t want any anachronisms, so I researched cultural touchstones such as fashion, pop songs, TV shows, and consumer goods. I double-checked the names of streets, restaurants, bus routes and the schedules of sports teams. Boston is an old city, but I think people would be shocked at how much the landscape changes in a short period of time. Stores and shops around Harvard Square, for example, have changed multiple times since I moved to Boston. Last but not least, I had to make the decade relevant to those who don’t know its history and significance.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dietrich: You’re very good with pace, the heart of any good novel, not to mention dialogue and character development. Did these skills come naturally, or did you have to work to get them right?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>Thank you for the compliment. I’m hesitant to say anything comes naturally to me, although I seem to have an innate skill to find order in chaos, meaning I’m organized, and that skill generates structure. I am by nature persistent and disciplined, so those qualities help me as a writer. As for pacing, it comes from decades of reading, from making certain choices in writing. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Every sentence serves a purpose. I write close to the bone because I believe that readers today are not going to stomach page after page of exposition that was the norm in the nineteenth-century. Anyone remember the endless fields of wheat in <i>War and Peace</i>? The dissertations on currency in <i>Les Misérables</i>? That said, I respect my readers, their intelligence and maturity, so I don’t pull any punches. The 70s were not a politically correct era, and it was an awful time for people of color, for the LGBT community, and for women. People need to be reminded of that fact, that there’s actually been some change. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">All of my Shane stories introduce readers to forgotten history. I make sure that the history does not come across as a lecture; it’s organic to the story. Time spent with Shane </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">is not</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"> a passive experience. You have to think and work alongside him. In <i>Liar’s Dice</i>, the ‘forgotten history’ includes a neglected episode from the war in Vietnam, and a slice of mob history that involves Canada’s role in the narcotics trade in the late 70s. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Dialogue is mystical to me. I’m told that I’m good at turns of phrase, but I think that comes from years of writing poetry and my own relationship to language. I’m hard of hearing. I have to work at understanding people around me. I’m attentive to behavior that most people ignore. In real life, you’d be surprised at how lazy people are with communication. They don’t listen. They don’t observe the other person’s response. Body language will often not match the message. There are gender differences. When I see dialogue on the page, it’s an invitation for interpretation. Context might indicate, for example, the tone of voice. Humor and subtext are much more difficult to write well, but that’s a conversation for another visit.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I should add that I don’t find writing dialogue difficult <i>because</i> I know my characters. It helps to know them so that what they say matches their personality and motives. The ultimate test for speech is to follow Flaubert’s advice and read it aloud. If you don’t trust yourself, do what James W. Ziskin does and enable an option in Microsoft Word to have the software read your text to you. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you plan a story out before you start writing, or do you like to freestyle?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>I want character arcs for my principles in the series, so I do plan it out. After I completed <i>Dirty</i> <i>Old</i> <i>Town</i> I wrote four ‘treatments’ for plot, and then let them sit and gestate. <i>Dirty Old Town</i> was Ground Zero for Shane. The treatments for books 2 to 5 were 25 to 35K for word count each. Level Best Books provided a timeline for edits. I’d have a few months to think about the next Shane, and I’d revisit the next manuscript before a deadline. In the initial draft to <i>Hush Hush</i>, there was no Bonnie, so I had to write her in, and alter the rhythm of the story so her presence appeared seamless. I rewrote <i>Liar’s Dice</i>. The essence of the plot didn’t change but I didn’t feel the central story had legs. I reworked the story. Again, I had to add Bonnie, and I made decisions about Mr. B, and how Bonnie feels about Shane’s ‘association’ with the mob. I started with 35K words, doubled it with subplots and fleshed out the character arcs. </span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJtLDwnztnLPHW_F1rrjruF1sflIi43xNaJOwhIu_nRs84sI-hHhfqE_mZuPELCZ52nwKPNdL67RTlGfMtldSISpLGly1FvPLXssS76Uvp7a4QEne3UyxGVenQoH48aKsoj_cOFJ1DcVCFYQFMUhZ81FWWVPK_kaUn6YQKzyy_3NJ2oyoPT1fpiGR04Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="812" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJtLDwnztnLPHW_F1rrjruF1sflIi43xNaJOwhIu_nRs84sI-hHhfqE_mZuPELCZ52nwKPNdL67RTlGfMtldSISpLGly1FvPLXssS76Uvp7a4QEne3UyxGVenQoH48aKsoj_cOFJ1DcVCFYQFMUhZ81FWWVPK_kaUn6YQKzyy_3NJ2oyoPT1fpiGR04Q" width="217" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxiN74x434AHVRUw3EzCTHssAw5eQ8DjRgbYz1qOwLkWu7txbnkyRkZEvw4NVbJiyetnkTJ54CWvl4N0Duw-S6MAVP2EfuUrx1WnsMh97YKY8m86a3JN7KNPc-pNPlmNZlamGMvKevmvUZpt6CahD7EvGHAI1juhVllQKPp0pz7mMQr6O9nBMuyBD6OA" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="812" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxiN74x434AHVRUw3EzCTHssAw5eQ8DjRgbYz1qOwLkWu7txbnkyRkZEvw4NVbJiyetnkTJ54CWvl4N0Duw-S6MAVP2EfuUrx1WnsMh97YKY8m86a3JN7KNPc-pNPlmNZlamGMvKevmvUZpt6CahD7EvGHAI1juhVllQKPp0pz7mMQr6O9nBMuyBD6OA" width="217" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Besides writing, do you have any other passions?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>I enjoy charcuterie and cinema. How’s that for alliteration?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> What are you working on now, and what’s coming next?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: </i>I’m revising a historical mystery. I hope to find an agent for it.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Do you have an excerpt from Liar’s Dice that you’d like to share?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_8qj_m8Y1VRuaCffOenrOkBfNiAgGdI62ftwINljpzuO7BkrdZYHN4ONLSHPJU49-MnUjfAMqj41V2xRrwd1rgPW_t6IclXJdat4I-vyC4ppno2ZaQF1eXc5Py-RKogFxElHwWsKZspSloX1aZNqDFQQMhrn2fZ37Cg7jhxWcQwwVIzELARrxzXTAWw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="812" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_8qj_m8Y1VRuaCffOenrOkBfNiAgGdI62ftwINljpzuO7BkrdZYHN4ONLSHPJU49-MnUjfAMqj41V2xRrwd1rgPW_t6IclXJdat4I-vyC4ppno2ZaQF1eXc5Py-RKogFxElHwWsKZspSloX1aZNqDFQQMhrn2fZ37Cg7jhxWcQwwVIzELARrxzXTAWw" width="217" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6Vm3NXvpfDeNwIYlEz1nEA6s9EIMwuOgEXOKKkoQRR-YJjhOVHwR2cypM48jWC6_0YWzaGGhzS0q2ozvv-OKCIlTj_hjXcg1UyDElOKc1KACO7F-2njKXnMUnq6snIPx3Y_Rpkj_2oDeZ59XdM9yo4yb6RPX_ZyRe27Ba58Tpw9WptXUWxflMJ6iwng" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="812" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6Vm3NXvpfDeNwIYlEz1nEA6s9EIMwuOgEXOKKkoQRR-YJjhOVHwR2cypM48jWC6_0YWzaGGhzS0q2ozvv-OKCIlTj_hjXcg1UyDElOKc1KACO7F-2njKXnMUnq6snIPx3Y_Rpkj_2oDeZ59XdM9yo4yb6RPX_ZyRe27Ba58Tpw9WptXUWxflMJ6iwng" width="217" /></a></span></div></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Gabriel: Sergeant Duffy was as rare as a blue lobster in the trap. Of all the feet on the beat or detectives behind a desk, he was of the few shields who didn’t want to see me dead or maimed for what I’d done to his beloved department. He’d feign bravado and sling insults at me in person, if and when I showed up at the precinct house, but beneath the bluster he believed I’d done the right thing years ago.</i></span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Six-two to my five-ten in the right pair of shoes, Duffy had forty pounds on me, and that was after I’d acquired the freshman fifteen from my sedentary life as a landlord. The man kept his hair buzzed short like a marine, scalp visible. He was what we called Blonde Irish when we were kids. Duffy’s father was Irish, which endowed him with the reddish hair and the pasty pallor of our tribe, while his mother, a German, left him with the fair highlights and a Teutonic sense of law and logic.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Something had moved the freckles on his face for him to call me.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>I was curious. I was apprehensive. I was also professional. </i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>I chose a pencil from the cupholder on my desk. I poked and pulled numbers on the rotary phone in front of me. Each numeral on the dial moved a fraction of a circle until I released it and sought the next digit. I rather enjoyed the hypnotic sound, the metallic swoosh in my ear. Seven numbers I walked, and seven steps of Zen serenity I enjoyed while I waited for the voice.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Duffy here.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“You called.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“I did,” Duffy’s voice dropped, and I understood why.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>His desk in the lobby made him as unavoidable as the fare collector inside the booth at South Station. Every cop in and out of 154 Berkeley Street saw Duffy and experienced his largesse. The man enjoyed no privacy.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“What can I do for you, Sarge?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Where are you calling from?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“What’s this about?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“A job for you.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>I told him I was in my office, on Washington Street.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Can you be on the corner of Tremont and School?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“King’s Chapel side of the street or Parker House?”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“Parker, in say ten minutes. I’ll send over a car.”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>“If you think I’m stepping into a cruiser, you’ve got another—”</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></i></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Before I left my office with my hat, I relocated the .38 from my holster to the pocket of my winter coat. I trusted Duffy. I didn’t trust any flat foot he was sending to fetch me.</i></span></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Dietrich:</i> Thank you, Gabriel for the interview. Fans of his work can find out more at his <a href="https://gabrielvaljan.com"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: #0563c1;">website</span></a>. You can also check out <i>Liar's Dice</i> at <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/widget/452743/redeem/e65931269cbb1aec8fa601b7c7c2ab88b3c0303697cc87eabe44115b5decd92d">NetGalley</a>.</span></span></p>Dietrich Kalteishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403361738445161528noreply@blogger.com0