What genre do you write and why?
Storytelling
is what I do, which by definition tends to be cross-genre. So far the main genre
components tend to be thrillers and historical fiction, with some drama,
romance, politics, comic relief and adventure thrown in to balance everything
out. Early on I developed a great fondness for 1930s cinema where you get that
kind of storytelling with great push and pull between male and female
characters. I just love that era and always desired to write in that style.
Tell us about your latest book.
What's your favourite quote about
writing/for writers?
"You
are a writer, a hired gun... collect your pay and leave your ego at the
door." The quote is from Milt Gelman, my masters thesis advisor. Milt was
an old Hollywood veteran whose credits included producer and chief writer on
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He really did approach writing like a professional
gunslinger. There were rules to the trade, and you followed them. What I
learned about pacing, narrative structure, dramatic conflict, and focusing on
telling a story for an audience – not myself as a writer – I learned from Milt.
What's the best thing about being a writer?
Every day is
a new discovery, either in the process of writing, or in researching the background
for what you plan to write. No day is ever boring.
Where can people find out more about you
and your writing?
My book
sites and Tumblr page are the best places to have a look:
Who designed the cover?
A very
talented designer named Adrijus Guscia in Dublin, Ireland. He is delightful to
work with and he has a very edgy style that was perfect for both Dead Letter
File and Sudetenland.
Where can a reader purchase your book?
It is
available in both print and ebook editions on Amazon. All of the various
international stores are linked here:
How do you research your books?
Pretty much
I break it up into primary and secondary stages. Primary research usually
involves hunting down print volumes that I purchase from used book dealers, and
online searches of old wire news service reports. Working with mid-century
stories and crises means a lot of accurate backgrounding has to be done. The
secondary research pops up when I actually start writing and discover I need a
period hotel, or attire, or automobile. These are done online mostly. If the
budget permits, I try and visit the primary location if I have never been there
before.
What is your work in progress? Tell us
about it.
The sequel
to Sudetenland is in process. That book takes place primarily in Central Europe
during the 1930s. The sequel is both in Europe and branches off into Asia as
the outcome in Sudetenland starts rippling eastward. Both books are set against
a political crisis. Instead of Germany and Czechoslovakia, this time around it
is Japan and the Soviet Union. As before, foreign correspondents take us to
places and situations many folks have yet to be introduced to.
What are your thoughts on self-publishing
verses traditional publishing?
Self-publishing
has opened up tremendous opportunities for writers to distribute and profit
from their works. Take myself, plenty of people enjoy reading my novels, but my
stories are not the material the traditional publishing industry is looking for
from debut fiction writers. Their content focus is very narrow, which I
completely understand from the standpoint of risk and reward for their
financial investment. Self-publishing gives writers the distribution mechanism
to publish their work, and readers the opportunity to enjoy books that 20 years
ago they would never have had a chance to read.
What books or authors have most influenced
your life?
This will be
an intriguing cross-section. Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon; Memoirs of
Service Afloat During the War Between the States, by Raphael Semmes; Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne; Daniel Raymond's The Elements
of Political Economy; Foucault's Pendulum, by Umberto Eco; Tom Clancy's Red
Storm Warning; The Law of Civilization and Decay, by Brooks Adams; and
Frederick Forsyth's The Odessa File.
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2 Comments
Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWonderful interview! It's always a pleasure to get to know more about the authors we read. Thanks so much for introducing this author to us.
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