Interview with David J Sherman
Summer 2003
http://www.davidjsherman.com/

Jon: I liked the aspect of Jack leaving a smallish police force to move out to LA and make a new start as a PI. What made you decide to use this angle?

David: When I developed the plot for THE DARK SIDE, I wanted the missing girl to somehow bring Jack back to confront his past. In order for this to work, I needed a small town atmosphere as the likelihood of this connection in a big city would seem too coincidental.

Jon: While writing The Dark Side, were you thinking in terms of a series? Maybe planting some things for down the road?

David: Definitely. My favorite authors-Raymond Chandler, Robert B. Parker, Robert Crais, Dennis Lehane-all write/wrote PI series, so for me it was a natural progression to write what I love to read. And yes, I did plant a few things that will crop up to bite Jack in the ass in future books :-)

Jon: What kind of things inspire your writing?

David: I spend as much time as I can watching people. Not only does Los Angeles fascinate me, but Angelinos do as well. Often times little things I see or hear spark an idea. Also, watching a good movie or reading a good book can get my creativity flowing.

Jon: Personally I think good PI novels have a degree of wise ass to the lead character, and this is true of your book. Does this come naturally to you? David: At first I was worried that writing first person wise ass would prove difficult. Once I started, though, it flowed naturally. In fact, I found I have a bit more wise ass in myself than I'd realized :-)

Jon: What other things have you done before writing?

David: I wrote my first piece of fiction when I was 13 but wasn't ready to embrace writing at that point. I was also encouraged to "stop dreaming" and look toward a "real career". Poetry and short story writing helped me deal with difficulties I encountered in high school. Then I got married and proceeded to change jobs nearly as often as people change underwear-truck driver, dispatcher, safety consultant, record store owner, computer programmer, graphics designer, webmaster. No matter how I felt going in, I was never satisfied with the work. Finally, in October 1998, my wife and I decided that for me to be happy, I'd have to quit my day jobs and write. And I've been doing so ever since.

Jon: Being with a small publisher usually means a smaller budget for marketing. What kind of things do you do to help spread the word?

David: Talk. And talk. Ad nauseum. I do as many events and meet as many people as I can, both booksellers and buyers. Sometimes I have the opportunity to have a great conversation with someone and even though they might decide THE DARK SIDE is not for them, I've still gained. I had a great conversation. And never forget, even if that person who spoke to the charming young (wo)man at the bookstore didn't buy the book, perhaps that person talks outside the bookstore. Maybe not just to themselves either. I think there's little doubt that word-of-mouth ultimately makes, or breaks, a book. Of course, if it's a great book, like THE DARK SIDE for example, word-of-mouth is everything. Well, sales don't hurt either.

I make it a habit to visit stores I've already signed at, reporters who've interviewed me, and others who've in some way helped me. I try to see the local people at least once per month and email the others. I just say hello and offer more bookmarks, check stock, build a relationship. The indie bookseller is your best friend. The chains are also your friends, though it usually takes longer for them to show interest. Certainly, I do this with stores and reporters who have not yet booked something with me, but one mustn't forget about the people that gave you the chance to catapult to great heights, or sink into the bowels of hell. Did I mention it helps to have written a great book?

I will speak to writing groups, reading groups, young groups, old groups, a half-dozen yucca plants, whatever. If they'll sit there and listen, I'll talk. I do always make sure, though, that there is ample time for Q & A. I like being able to try and help people. This occurs most in the writing groups, though you'd be surprised how many aspiring authors I've found tucked away in reading groups. Haven't found one hiding amongst the yucca plants yet, though.

I've had a publicist since before THE DARK SIDE was published. That helps add professionalism, it shows that I'm committed to take my best shot at success and serves as a one-two punch. The publicist opens the door in many cases, but sometimes it takes personal contact, a visit to a store, or a chat with someone, to help seal the deal. Authors in small countries like Los Angeles or New York will find it much more difficult getting the word out. Not impossible, but it does take more work.

For serious authors that are at the stage of promoting a book just published or about to be published, I highly recommend Jeffrey Marks' book INTENT TO SELL. And no, I don't get any compensation whatsoever from Jeff. Really.

Bottom line, don't put a street walker before an escort. Huh? I don't know either. Just write a great book and get people talking about it.

Jon: As part of your research, do you have contacts on the police force, or maybe some PI's you can talk to ?

David: No, and I'll tell you why. My style of writing is hardboiled PI, kick ass partner, guns, drugs, crimes, killings and the loss of a kneecap or two. Very little police interaction (at least not the kind one would like). Jack, like those men from the minds of the great Chandler, Crais, Parker,MacDonald, Vachss, Lehane, and so many others, are more interested in justice than walking the line. Subsequently, a few cops usually respect them for what they do but many despise him. For that reason, I didn't even approach the LAPD for information. And all these characters share another trait, they are quite plausible yet a bit too much. Truth is most PIs handle boring stuff. Most don't carry guns. Most couldn't take the heat of two drive by shootings and still remain on a case. This isn't a diss on PIs in the real world. It is because of them that people like me can write about the private eye.

Chandler introduced us all to a new type of man. A rough at the edges man who cares more about people and less about himself. A man who will cross the line to do what he feels is right. I'd be willing to bet very few PIs would risk their licenses, not to mention their lives, on principle. That's human nature. Which is why this type of man, the rugged detective skirting the edges of the law--sometimes sliding over them--sometimes bulleting over them, captures us. Or at least those of us who love the genre. This man does what he does for true justice. Not as defined by the US government, or any other government for that matter, but as defined by a moral code inside the heart of this man. In the past century, offshoots of this man have merged, diversified, changed gender, even sexuality. Wonderful, our vaults of available reading have widened. Today, women, homosexuals, transsexuals and, yes, still some rugged manly men fill unique, modified versions of Marlowe's shoes.

Interestingly enough, I met my first California licensed PI at Bains Mystery Books in Sacramento and she didn't argue with any of Jack's methods. Of course, I'm not saying she condoned what he does, just didn't argue with it.

And I confess, though all the aforementioned authors, and more, impacted my love of the genre, my style in some way, my thought processes, and even taught me a thing or two, it was Robert Crais and Elvis Cole that put me in the mindset of the PI. Jack and Elvis are quite different men, but I owe my inspiration to Mr. Crais.

That doesn't mean I didn't research. I spent six months in LA, driving the routes Jack drives, eating at the restaurants, watching, listening, observing. I did everything in THE DARK SIDE Jack did *that was legal* (my attorney forced me to add those three little words every time I mention my research, sorry.) In addition, I spent time in Boyle Heights near East Los Angeles. I spent time with gangbangers and their families. I am abhorred by the fact that the media portrays gangbangers as unidimensional. No one is like that. And I was determined to get an accurate view of life in the hood. And thanks to 26 young men and women who opened their hearts and their lives to me, I was able to build an accurate story. None of them wanted acknowledgment in THE DARK SIDE, but I owe them. And yes, I participated and hung out with them, doing everything they did *that was legal* (damn attorney's fault again).

Jon: What kind of things, if any, do you try to avoid with your writing?

David: Everything gratuitous. I don't believe in exploitation of any kind and when I see gratuitous content, I feel the author didn't have enough to fill the pages. Sure, exploitation sells. And because of the sensitive subject matter in THE DARK SIDE, I've been told more than once I could've exploited the hell out of it. Which is exactly what I did NOT want to do. Child exploitation is a subject no one wants to talk about. Sweep it under the rug and let someone else deal with it. To me, that's lazy, shameful and utter bullshit. I never intended for THE DARK SIDE to become a platform to raise awareness on two issues close to my heart but that's what has happened.

All I try to do when I write is be real. I view myself as a storyteller, not an English major. You won't find many $10 words in THE DARK SIDE, but I hope you'll find a story that a) you enjoyed reading, and b) makes you think about the poor kids on the street, in the hood or hooking for a fix. What if that was your child?

Jon: Can you say anything about the next book, Clouded Judgment?

David: Anything about CLOUDED JUDGMENT. Oh, wait, I see. Okay.

CLOUDED JUDGMENT is the second installment in the Jack Murphy series. It will be published in December 2003 by Bloody Mist Press. It's a great story and after you read THE DARK SIDE, you'll have to preorder CLOUDED JUDGMENT. Really.

I, and therefore Jack, explore the same two avenues--child exploitation and gangs--but this time it's illegal adoptions and a Bloods gang from Compton, or Bompton as the Bloods call it. You see, they are bound by code not to write the letter "C", since "C" is for Crip, enemies of the Bloods. The Crips, however, are proud to call the city by it's legal name. After all, it starts with "C". And you think I'm kidding, don't you?

Hold your laughter for a moment because this comes straight from the heart: the issues I confront in both novels are ones I am passionate about. I have no visions of wiping out these problems completely, or alone, but perhaps someone, somewhere will read THE DARK SIDE, CLOUDED JUDGMENT, or a future Jack Murphy novel, and the wheels of change will clunk and grind and beg for grease. For once the wheels are in motion, true change is probable. Really.

Jon: Aside from your hidden wise-ass-ness, is there any of you in Jack?

David: So you're saying I'm a wise-ass, eh? Yes, that wonderful character trait and many more of mine were passed along to Jack. The honest answer is Jack is 50% me and 50% what I'd like to be. I leave it up to the reader to figure out which is which.

Jon: Who do you like to read?

David: Favs include Robert Crais, Robert Parker, Andrew Vachss, Robert Levinson, Dennis Lehane, Jan Burke, too many to name. Just about anything noir works for me. Hardboiled PI is my favorite. Which, of course, made it a natural progression for me to write that which I love. In addition to that, I read some mainstream fiction (just finished THE DA VINCI CODE--loved it), but most of my reading time is consumed contemplating the works of men like master lyricist Greg Graffin (Bad Religion), Nietzsche, Descartes, the Buddha, and Steven Hawking.

Jon: What's the hardest part of being a writer? And what's the coolest?

David: The most difficult aspect of writing is finding glue strong enough to keep my ass stuck to the chair so I can get to it already. Once I begin my daily writing, I'm usually okay. But sometimes I avoid the chair. Then it haunts me and fills me with guilt and shame and I sit down. Or go bury my head in the mud.

Without a doubt, the best part is when someone I don't know comes up to me and says they've read my work. Everyone has a limited number of precious hours on this planet and the fact that this person took some of those hours to read my work is extremely humbling. Someday, maybe I can add to that "the money" . . .

Jon: What was it like reading your first review?

David: Excellent question, yet difficult to answer. My very good friend and internationally published author Kent Braithwaite was the first person outside my family circle to set eyes on THE DARK SIDE. I trusted he would give me an honest response but I didn't expect his comments. It was heart-wrenching. I read the words yet didn't believe it. As my eyes welled with tears, it sank in. And what a sweet review it was. Truth be told, after that moment, I wondered if it would've been better that Kent hated it. Rather than nowhere to go but up, I feared there was nowhere to go but down. Damned if you do . . . My fear was unfounded. I've been treated so generously by the media and fellow authors that it's difficult to grasp. And the insanity only gets slightly better with each review you read. No matter how many good ones come along, one worries about what the next one will say. I understand why many authors and other artists don't read reviews of themselves. Of course, writing an excellent work of fiction such as THE DARK SIDE helps you care a little less about what critics think and more about what you think.

Jon: You do your own website, is that correct?

David: Yes, except for a few components, I designed and implemented the entire site. I've been designing websites since 94 and even though I now focus most of my time on my writing, I do still create sites for those in need. So often people, writers especially, overlook the possibilities that the web affords. The early buzz around THE DARK SIDE was generated on the web. Do your career a favor. Get yourname.com. If your name is taken, change your name. I did. Originally, I was going to write under David Copperfield but that was taken. David Hasselhoff was a bit, well, odd. King David was pretty good. After all my searching, I couldn't use David Sherman. So, I tried for David J Sherman and now everyone can find me (or at least a virtual me, sort of) at www.davidjsherman.com.

Jon: What are your writing habits like? Do you have set working hours? A minimum per day?

David: I am less disciplined than many authors. I don't write at specific times. I do try and write at least 5 typed pages per day, about 1250 words. Using a word limit rather than a time limit ensures I make progress every session. It may take half an hour--it may take all damn day.

Jon: What is something that can distract you while you work?

David: My dogs. I've trained my girls to tell me when they need something, so I can't hardly fault them for doing as they've been instructed :-) I try not to be so rigid that I can't be interrupted . . . though I'm not always happy about it.

Jon: What music will make you want to drop what you are doing and move around?

David: Eminem.

Jon: Any deep dark secrets that no one has heard before that you'd like to share?

David: Before I became a published author, I killed people for free. Now, I kill them for money.

Jon: Author pictures, fun to take and a joy to see, or a pain in the ass but part of the business?

David: Perhaps "a joy to see" is pushing the envelope a bit, but I don't regard them as a pain in the ass. They are part of the business while, at the same time, fun.

Jon: What kind of things about the writing biz have you discovered since being published that you were not aware of before hand?

David: Everything. My first contract was with a bogus publisher. The money I lost was enough, but my story, my child, was used in a game of misrepresentation and lies. It was nearly enough to drive me over the edge. Fortunately, I retained an attorney and have since regained my rights, found a new publisher, and sold lots of books. If my attorney has his way, the publisher will wind up in an Illinois prison for interstate fraud, among other charges. Most of this occurred before THE DARK SIDE even hit the street. My ood friend Bob Levinson told me that every author gets screwed at least once and I should feel lucky that, all in all, it didn't kill my career. He's right, though I wouldn't wish this kind of thing on anyone. I learned that, as with most other fields, trust no one. It's unfortunate but realistic. Also, I found that if I was writing only for the money, I'd quit. Writing is not an option for me--it is a necessity. Any writer who is contemplating writing as a career, I offer this: If you can do something else, anything else, and be happy, do it. But if your heart forces you to write, even without the fortune and fame that so few obtain, then write.

Jon: What's the one thing always in your refrigerator?

David: Marlboro 100's in the box.

The Dark Side (2002) Clouded Judgment (2003)