1) You write a lot. The Heller series, along with a few others, movie
tie-ins, you do stand alones, and you have written comics as well. Let’s start with your series with Heller. How would you describe them to a potential reader?

The Heller novels are designed to be traditional private eye stories in the
Hammett/Chandler/Spillane manner, using this style and voice to explore
crimes and mysteries of the twentieth century. Nate Heller is a "private
eye witness" to major events (and particularly crimes) that take place
during the period of history when Sam Spade, Phillip Marlowe and Mike Hammer
were operating.

2) Do you plan to keep on writing Nate? It seems to me the possibilities
are endless.

As long as I can find a publisher who will allow me, I'll continue to do
Heller. Right now I have another eight or nine books I want to do, and --
if I live long enough -- I want to follow Heller's son through cases
starting in the '70s. (Heller's final cases -- if I get to write them --
will be JFK and possibly RFK assassinations...somewhere in there, maybe
Martin Luther King, the ball would get passed to his son. But this all
assumes somebody wants to publish these, plus I'll have to still be alive.)

3)Looking at the back of the Heller books one can see how much research
goes into the books. Do you get caught up in it?

Research -- in the sense of gathering material, and considering possible
subjects -- is ongoing. George Hagenauer has helped me from the start, and
is VITAL to the process. Lynn Myers is a big help, as well. Sometimes I
enlist an expert on a specific case. My writing schedule has gotten busier
and busier, and I don't really get to enjoy the research as much as I used
to.

4) How many books do you average a year?

For some ungodly reason, I'm busier now than ever -- I'd say it's usually
around 3 books; but this year it's way over that. I'm doing 4 books in less
than four months -- about mid-way through that schedule right now. This
crunch happened because I lobbied to get the ROAD TO PERDITION
novelization, but couldn't count on it and had to take on other assignments...then when
ROAD came through, I had to bite the bullet and do all four books right in a
row. One of them is the first novel from the CSI TV show, and my writer
friend Matt Clemens helped me by handling the research and pitching in with
the plotting.

5) When you write film adaptations, do you see the film, or work from a
script? And is the editing process a little different?

Strictly script -- I almost never see any of the movie. The trickiest part
is dealing with point of view...movie scripts bounce all over the
place...and this drives me crazy, because I much prefer to stay with one POV
on a character, say, through an entire chapter. Movie scripts require a lot
of reorganization to make them play properly as a novel. I add lots of
backstory, flesh out short scenes into longer, richer ones; and usually
throw out most of the dialogue and create my own.

6) You also have different movie projects as well. Are you planning to do
that more , in addition to the books?

We're planning the fourth independent film, to be shot in Iowa next March.
I'm also working on a documentary with Steve Henke (who has worked with me
on all three prior indie features) on V.T. Hamlin, the Iowa cartoonist who
created Alley Oop. That's in progress now.

In addition, I hope to write several "spec" screenplays for Hollywood
consideration. I've done several already, which are being shown around now
-- some have had options, like the JOHNNY DYNAMITE screenplay. A
SPREE/Nolan screenplay exists, as does a MIKE HAMMER script.

7) The disaster books are great fun.( that seems like a weird thing to say)
Are you going to do more?

I'm just about to start THE LUSITANIA MURDERS. I'll do at least one more,
and -- if the readers and publishers want more -- I have ideas for another
two or three.

8) Could you see any point down the road when you may write comics again,
even if briefly?

I'm talking to DC about doing a major BATMAN project right now.

9) You have done some work with Mickey Spillane. Including a comic series,
Mike Danger. Who did you meet Mr. Spillane?

I met Mickey at the 1981 Bouchercon, where I was the convention's liaison
with this special guest. We became friends, and have visited each other's
homes. Mickey is my son Nate's godfather.

10) Do you enjoy doing the signing tours and meeting fans?

I love doing bookstore appearances, and convention appearances; love meeting
fans. Praise rocks.

11) What’s the strangest experience you’ve had with a fan?

Can't think of one -- everything's been pretty positive. It did freak me
out when one comics fan had a Wild Dog tattoo (the little cartoony logo from
the comic book Terry Beatty and I did, some time ago).

12) The Ms. Tree comic is a wonderful format for short mysteries. Any
chance of A Ms. Tree novel at some point?

MS. TREE keeps getting optioned for TV and/or movies. If anything ever
comes of that, I can almost guarantee you I'll do some novels.

Problem in the past is, for a time DC held co-control of the property; we
had a publisher wanting to do Ms. Tree novels, and DC wanted half of the
take...so I said no. My movie REAL TIME: SIEGE AT LUCAS STREET MARKET
(which will be out on DVD from Troma any time now) is based on the Ms. Tree
prose story, "Inconvenience Store." Ms. Tree is not in the movie, but
Brinke Stevens plays the Ms. Tree-like character I substituted. (REAL TIME
is in a documentary format, so using a comic book character as the lead was
out of the question.)

13) Do we really want to hear the Three Bean Salad story?

No -- but one day, you may have to. It works best -- at its most disgusting
-- when delivered in a buffet line, when the individual just ahead of me is
considering helping him- or herself to a generous serving of Three Bean
Salad.

14) What authors do you like to read when you have the time?

The only mystery writers I still read regularly are Ed McBain (87th Precinct
only) and Don Westlake. And Mickey, when he publishes his occasional book.
I try to read my friends -- some of whom are terrific, like John Lutz and Ed
Gorman and Bob Randisi and Larry Block and a number of others -- but can't
get to everything. Just don't have time with all the research stuff I read.

I do on occasion return to the classics -- Hammett, Chandler, Spillane,
Cain, Horace McCoy, Erle Stanley Gardner, Jim Thompson, Agatha Christie,
Jonathan Latimer, W.R. Burnett. My favorite mainstream authors are William
March and Mark Harris.

I read a lot of stuff on movies -- on directors, in particular Hitchcock,
and film noir books.

15) What advice would you give to someone thinking about writing as a
career?

Start young -- write as a hobby and find ways to get school credit for it.
Read voraciously. Influences are fine, but try not to imitate (I'd have
been in print three or four years sooner if I hadn't been trying so hard to
be Mickey).

16) When you aren’t writing or making movies, what do you do with your
time?

Time?

I watch a lot of DVDs and laser discs, and Barb and I (and sometimes Nate,
though he's off at college now) go to lots of movies; we like a nice meal
out, love to shop for books and CDs and DVDs. Now and then a concert. Always
have been a pop culture junkie. This, however, is a mostly dreadful
era...as would be any era largely characterized by rap, piercings and cell
phones.

I still play with my rock band Crusin' a few times a year -- four or five
gigs. Not real pressing.

Poker with friends now and then.

17) You have a wonderful website. (http://www.muscanet.com/~phoenix/)Do you find that it helps promotion? Is it a lot of work?

My son Nate maintains it, but we both get kind of lazy. I should do more
updates. We haven't sent a newsletter out in well over a year...just too
busy. This has been a crazy, frantic year.

18) If you could collaborate with some one , living or dead, on a project,
who would it be and what would the project be?

I would love to write a movie for/with Alfred Hitchcock.

I hope to continue collaborating with my wife Barb. I enjoy collaborating
with Matt Clemens, too. I wish I could get Mickey to do something with me,
but he's too much of a loner...not surprising, as personal as his writing
is.

19)Are the CSI books going to be original? And is this the first time you've
really dealt with the forensics side of detection?

I'll be doing at least two CSI novels, and this is in fact my first foray
into forensics and science...and that's not my long suit. My assistant on
the books, Matt Clemens, has written true-crime material and he contributed
almost all of the forensics stuff in CSI: DOUBLE DEALER, working with a
Bettendorf, Iowa, police criminalist.

20) Road To Perdition has been turned into a major motion picture. Are you
happy with the results?

Haven't seen it yet. Today I finished the novelization of the screenplay,
which is very good and quite faithful. The cast and director and producer
are all the best the movie industry has to offer.

I do wish I could have written the script. Their take on the story differs
from mine slightly -- my vision is more violent, wilder, a John Woo kind of
American samurai thing...whereas this movie will fall more in the GODFATHER
area...which is a nice area. I'm cool with the fact that it's not my movie
-- it's my STORY, but as a movie director myself, I understand that the
vision needs to be the director's. That's the nature of the medium.

If it's not a terrific movie, I'll be very surprised.

21) Do you have anything else that we might see on the big screen?

JOHNNY DYNAMITE may happen. MS. TREE has been optioned for TV. And I have several screenplays in mind that -- in the wake of PERDITION -- should get looked at seriously...if I can find to time to write 'em.

22) What are some of your favorite films?

Top three (pretty much a tie): KISS ME DEADLY, CHINATOWN, VERTIGO.

Also in the top ten: THE SEARCHERS, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, GUN CRAZY, RIO BRAVO, THE BAD SEED, MIRACLE ON 34th STREET, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

I love Peter Jackson's movies -- THE FRIGHTENERS, MEET THE FEEBLES, DEAD ALIVE. Big John Woo fan. Don Siegel. Jack Webb. Howard Hawks. Hitchcock, Hitchcock, Hitchcock.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, THE PRODUCERS, DAMN YANKEES, Shemp Stooges.

I own thousands of movies on DVD and laserdisc.

There is no question here to cover this, but my biggest enthusiasm of all is
probably Bobby Darin. I have followed the late, great singer's work and
collected him since I was in the fifth grade. Great movie actor: PRESSURE
POINT is his best performance -- he plays an American nazi! He was better
than Sinatra -- and I also love Sinatra!

23) If you could talk to yourself at an earlier age, like around 16,17,
what would you say to yourself?

This assumes I've progressed from that age. I am still sixteen.

But I'd guess I say: hang in there, it's gonna happen.

24) being a pop culture junkie, what would be your favorite era?

I would have a hard time choosing between the '30s, '40s and '50s. The
'60s, until they go to shit with drugs and hippies, is a worthwhile era. No
other period in the 20th century (or after) is as rich in popular arts as
'30 thru, say, '68. Oddly, the '50s -- repressed as they were -- gave birth
to great pop culture; rock 'n' roll and arguably the very best movies.

25)What’s the one thing that’s always in your fridge?

Coca Cola.