Interview with Douglas Wickard, author of A PERFECT SETUP

YAY!  Right in time for the release of A PERFECT SETUP, here's an interview with author DOUGLAS WICKARD.

You’ll have to forgive me for starting out with a softball question, but tell me: How good does it feel to have your new book out?   

It feels very good. This one has been a real rollercoaster for me, so to have it launched feels...well, good.

Here’s another softball for you:  For those who are not yet familiar with your writing (fix that folks!) what is your 100 word pitch for A Perfect Setup?  

A moment of weakness…an afternoon of passion…a brutal murder hits close to home…the explosive sequel to A PERFECT HUSBAND.

For every author, writing is a mixed bag of emotions: it’s frustrating, cathartic, challenging, heady, joyous, and about 672 other things.  At what points during the first draft writing process did you feel strong emotions (whether positive or negative)?  

Writing as Sami always brings up strong emotions. I think it’s one of the reason’s people identify with her so much. She’s real, flawed, courageous without knowing it and genuine. Her raw emotions arrive on the page, sometimes to her detriment. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Time for a loaded question now.  Characters are like an author’s children; it can at times be difficult to be objective about them (at least for some people).  How has Sami changed since we last saw her?  What aspects of her personality evolved in this novel?  

When I first started writing the sequel I had no idea where it would go. I knew I had to make her believable. I couldn’t have Sami not be in some sort of emotional anguish after the events of A Perfect Husband. I thought about the psychological ramifications she suffered and let that be my starting point. In A Perfect Husband Sami fought (at the expense of a serial killer) for her independence, some autonomy. In A Perfect Setup Sami takes it one step further…  

Now it’s time for a completely UNoriginal question!  Setting.  New York City.  I wonder if anyone has ever counted how many novels (not to mention short stories, plays, songs, poems, movies, TV shows, and so on) have been set there.  It’s got to be in the thousands.  So, why do you think NYC is such a popular setting for creative products?  What is it about the city that makes it resonate with people?  And do you think you could achieve a similar tone, a comparable mood, if you were to set your story in Boston or Seattle?   

Well, Sami is a New Yorker. I’m a New Yorker. I lived there for twenty years. I know the City, the cracks in the sidewalks, it’s my old stomping grounds. It’s the natural place for Sami to reside, particularly with her career in publishing, etc.  It’s the right fit for her.  My next book takes place in San Francisco. I feel cities have their own personality, setting, atmosphere…it lends to the ambiance of the novel. If I wrote Sami in another City it wouldn’t feel right for me. Unless of course, she decided to move, then, I guess I would have to follow her.   

How do you tap into the bad guys?  In our last interview, the teaser you gave then for this new book was Trust No One.  How do you get inside the heads of villains?  Where do you get the inspiration for the bad guys?   

I feel we ALL have some dark swirling around in us, waiting to be tapped. It’s a question of how we choose to act out on it. I personally love writing about deviant minds, the psychological breakdown of a person. How did they get that way? But, I also want to make my bad guys understood. A dear friend of mine told me years ago to always make the killers likeable.   So, I try to give a bit of back story so the audience has some compassion, some empathy. With Smitty, some readers had an absolute attraction to him.

A follow-up question for the above.  Is it ever a wee bit disturbing to discover where your imagination will take you when it travels to the dark side?   

No.  I love it. I feel very safe with it. Trust it. Listen intently to it. I hope it never shuts up!  

How do you decide on character names?  

They sort of appear, organically. My original name for Samantha (Sami) was Renee. But, when I was going through the final edit, I changed it to Sami. And, it stuck. 

No pressure, as you’ve just given birth to A Perfect Setup, but what is your next project (or current work in progress)?  

I plan on launching ENCOUNTER on Halloween. This was the novel I wrote right after A Perfect Husband dropped. But, with the success of Sami, my agent suggested I write the sequel. So, ENCOUNTER will finally see the light of day. I’m introducing a male detective by the name of Dan Hammer. From South Carolina. Charleston. Possibly…another new series.

When it comes to crime fiction, there’s always talk of means, motive and opportunity.  In terms of means, what is your favourite method of, uh, disposing of someone.  And what motives do you find most interesting to work with?  Most compelling?  

Whatever the killer directs me to do. I have no boundaries when it comes to this. I do a lot of research. When I’m in that ‘zone’ there are no restrictions.  I try to get inside the head of the perpetrator, feel what they feel and feed off their sick psyche. Sounds horrible, I know. 

The last question is a freebie, sort of... What is the one question you wish I had asked, but didn’t?  Now go ahead and ask and answer that question.  

Another sequel for Sami?  Yes. Sami will have a few more adventures. But, first I want to explore some stand-alone projects. My next project after I launch ENCOUNTER is DEVIL MAY CARE. I am still debating where I’m placing that one…I think Colorado. But, I’m not sure yet. 

For more on Douglas Wickard, check out his website HERE

Check out his Facebook page HERE

And follow him on Twitter @DouglasWickard

Guest Blogger Mar Preston On: Police Procedurals

Hi, I’m new here and I’m told there’s never been a guest blogger who wrote mysteries of the type they call police procedurals. There’s no mystery about what police procedurals are. Remember Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey, even Hawaii 50?   

They’re a kind of crime fiction seen from the point of view of the detectives solving crimes −from Tony Hillerman’s Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police to Ed McBain’s fictional New York 87th  Precinct. Don’t forget Joseph Wambaugh who brought the LAPD alive, updating Dragnet?

I’m dropping some illustrious names here for you to check out if this whets your interest. And here’s a link to Stop You’re Killing Me, a great site that pulls together everything you’d like to know about mysteries. 

I write two series of police procedurals, one set in the Santa Monica Police Department, the other in a fictional mountain village in Central California.

Readers are smart and sophisticated and they want a convincing depiction of the working life of the detective. A lot of research and fact-checking must happen before turning out a police procedural. Get it wrong and you’ll feel the sting of readers’ disdain in a review on Amazon!

Authors are expected to portray in an exciting way the tedium of a real-life homicide investigation, evidence-gathering, forensics, autopsies, and the ever-changing law that governs search warrants and investigations. It helps to know that bloody crime scenes smell like the meat counter at the butcher shop.

You get that kind of detail by attending a writer’s homicide school such as one offered by Sgt. Derek Pacifico (Ret.) of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.  Pacifico gives an insider’s view of the working life of a real homicide detective. You learn that cops don’t talk about vics and perps and call themselves dicks. Getting the nomenclature right is essential.

The Citizen Academy offered by many local police departments gives residents a look behind the blue curtain as to the complexity of real life police work. The Internet is also a rich source of facts.

The hardest part is sometimes guessing the relationships between members of the police department. What do they call each other on and off duty? You’re talking about a hierarchical, authoritarian paramilitary organization. So how does a patrol officer greet the Chief of Police coming out of the john? What’s the real life relationship between locals and the FBI?

In upcoming blogs I’ll tackle some other issues: clues, informants, telling the story, and the difference between a whodunit and a thriller. I hope you’ll visit my website for further chats about police procedurals.  

For more from Mar, follow her on Twitter @YesMarPreston

and check out her books on AMAZON. 

Recent Reads: Montreal Chicago Trigger Blood

In 1944, Raymond Chandler penned an essay called “The Simple Art of Murder” in which he outlined the hallmarks of a hard-boiled detective/private investigator.  Part of his definition included the following:

Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid.  … He must be a complete man and a common man, yet an unusual man.  He must be …a man of honor.  He is neither a eunuch nor a satyr.  I think he might seduce a duchess, and I’m quite certain he would not spoil a virgin.  If he is a man of honor in one thing, he’s that in all things.  He is a relatively poor man, or he would not be a detective at all.  He is a common man or he could not go among common people.  He has a sense of character or he would not know his job.  He will take no man’s money dishonestly and no man’s insolence without due and dispassionate revenge.  He is a lonely man, and his pride 
is that you will treat him as a proud man or be very sorry you ever saw him.  

If Raymond Chandler were around today, and wanted to define the hard-boiled sleuth, rather than writing an essay, he could instead confidently point to any of the four books depicted below.  I read them all within the last month and just loved them!  Ray Dudgeon (Chercover) and Jonah Geller (Shrier) deftly navigate those mean streets.  Chercover and Shrier have absolutely nailed it.

Recent Reads: Fascists Monkey Know

This was terrific!  What can I say?  I'm a loyal fan of Chris Hedges.  He nails it every time (even though he occasionally beats a point to death, the point is valid and worth making).

Another favourite author.  Hiaasen is always good for a laugh.  Just good ole rollicking fun!

I love books like this.  Wish I had thought of it first!  I really enjoyed the conversational tine and self-deprecating style.  I plan to check out further books by him.

 

Characterization by guest blogger J.E. Lowder

“There are three rules to writing a novel; 

unfortunately no one knows what they are.”
-W. Somerset Maugham

I love this quote! Aside from a good laugh, it also reminds me that no writer has the
formula for success. However, I will add that the only way for an author to improve is to
write, read, edit and then write some more…a lot more!

One aspect of the craft that I’ve been refining involves characterization. Specifically, that
the conflict I’ve written for the character not only suits “how they’re wired” but that their
reaction is believable, too.

Since I write fantasy, you would think that it wouldn’t matter if a character has an

unrealistic reaction to a particular scene, but this is far from the truth. Even fantasy buffs cry foul when a character behaves in a different manner. But what if you want your character to respond differently because you are taking them in a new direction? This was the challenge I faced in Chapter 5, “Sevritts of Ebon” from Tears of Min Brock. The following is from the original manuscript:

Gundin helped Quinn to his feet. The attack had subsided his madness and he scanned the faces of his neighbors with the eyes of a seasoned warrior. They stood passively about, dazed and stunned.

“I need two volunteers.”

In the previous chapters, I established the fact that Gundin returned from the Dark War
lost in delusional daydreams. In this chapter, I wanted the Ebonite attack to snap him
back to his form warrior-self. The problem with what I wrote is that this directional shift
seems unrealistic because I didn’t give enough explanation to my readers.

Years later, I worked with my first publisher and corrected it with:

The Ebonite’s March of Reeds had snapped Gundin from his delusions, and he felt
strength and courage flow once more through his veins. Quinn lay on the ground
wounded. Helping him to his feet, Gundin scanned the faces of his neighbors with the
eyes of a seasoned warrior. They wore dazed expressions.

“I need two volunteers.”

At the time, I was happy with this rendition, but when my contract ended and I began
anew with my current publisher, I knew it could be better. So I had a thought.
“What if I write from Gundin’s perspective?” Here’s the result:

Gundin did not remember how he got to the middle of Hetherlinn. Nor did he recall Quinn yanking him from cottage Number 7 or how they made their way past screaming women and terrified children. Even the thundering hooves of their enemy entering Hetherlinn did not stir him from his delusions.

It was no wonder he stared glassy-eyed at the Ebonite cavalry that encircled the villagers. Within his mind, he was back in the Dark War, leading a charge of men toward an Ebonite stronghold. This dissolved into a vignette in which he sat with his men around
a campfire sharing pipes and stories.

Amidst his fantasy, he felt the ground shake. He tried to make sense of it, but could not,
for the rumbling was coming from somewhere beyond his illusions…

For the sake of time, I’ll stop there, but I think you get the idea. Not only is this more
interesting to read, but we learn how fragile Gundin’s mindset is and just how frightened
the villagers were during the Ebonite attack. In addition, later on when Gundin asks for
two volunteers, I am able to propel him into more conflict only now as a revised
character.

I hope this helps, or inspires, as you continue to hone your craft!

For more about J.E. Lowder's writing, check out:
His website HERE 
Find his books on AMAZON
Become a fan on Facebook
And follow him on Twitter @JELowder

It's Actually Rather Boring

I bet lots of people will jump all up and down to contradict me, and I bet another bunch of people will be surprised because it doesn't fit with an image they have, but let me say: Writing is actually rather boring.

Yes.  Boring. Let me explain...

I recently had a stint of about three weeks of heavy duty writing.  I mean, really heavy duty writing, from the minute I got up, until as late as I could manage (i.e. when I started to fall asleep at the keyboard).

During that stint (anytime I write, actually, but this recent binge is notable because I was off work and went at it for three weeks straight), I ignored most emails and phone calls, I steered clear (mostly) of social media, I declined several invitations, I didn't read the news, surf the net or listen to the radio.

Bella on left, Chico on right... look at that tongue!  It's forever hanging out because he doesn't have any teeth (neither does Bella, but she's learned to keep hers in).  Each dog weighs about 6 lbs.

But I still had to walk my dogs.  I live in a condo.  So, on each trip out with the dogs, naturally, I'd see neighbours in the hall or on the elevator, and of course, there's the 24 hour concierge in the lobby.  Polite chit chat ensued:  What's new?  How was your weekend?  What have you been up to?  What do you think about [---] current event?  Hey, did you hear about [---] news item?  

I, of course, had nothing to say!  News item?  Duh, what happened? What have I been up to? Sitting on my ass!  What's new?  About 2000 words... 

My social interactions when I'm in writing mode are something like this:


Friend: What did you do today?
Jill: I spent 30 minutes looking for a word that sort of means cuddle, but not as sucky as that.  I checked the online thesaurus, the dictionary... I was going to use snuggle, but that sounded too, I don't know, too fluffy, like the fabric softener, so then I changed it to embrace, but that didn't feel right either, and caress occurred to me, but I dismissed it right away because it doesn't feel as involved or something, so maybe I'll go with cuddle after all...
Friend:  Oh, how very fascinating... What else did you do?
Jill: I deleted the 3rd sentence from paragraph 2 in chapter 6.  But then I changed my mind and kept the sentence, only now it's the 4th sentence, not the 3rd.
Friend: That's really interesting.  Did you do anything else?
Jill: I stared into space for about two hours trying to figure out if the change I made on page 67 will affect what happens on page 109.
Friend: Good times...
Jill: Then I realized that in chapter 5, I said it's raining, but in chapter 4 - which is the same day as chapter 5, only about two hours earlier - well, I said in chapter 4 that it's sunny.  So, I have to decide if I should go back and not make it sunny in chapter 4, or maybe I should get rid of the rain in chapter 5?  But then if I get rid of the rain, it won't make sense that my character is wearing rubber boots and carrying and umbrella, so maybe I should keep the rain.
Friend: I see.  Look, I've really got to get going...

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy what I do, or I wouldn't do it.  And it is fun to play out dialog in my head, or to imagine new scenes for the story, or to come up with a great plot twist or a pithy character description.  But until the book is done and it's actually out there (or at least until you start to show the manuscript to people), it's not necessarily the most scintillating topic of conversation.
 
Writing IS a solitary, stationary endeavour, and it's best done in silence and without distractions.  At least, that's the way it is for me.