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1) You’ve written a fair amount of short stories, and had them published.
Gun Monkeys is your first published book. Did it surprise you when
it got nominated for an Edgar Award?
Surprised. You're damn right I was surprised. Almost as surprised as I
was to see I'd written a novel in the first place. I just woke up after
this month-long rum jag and there it was -- a novel. Seriously, when Tom
Fassbender from UglyTown Publishing called to tell me I'd been nominated,
I thought he must be joking. It seems so hard to get noticed in this business.
I had half a dozen agents tell me to shove it, rejected with form letters.
I guess they didn't know it would be an Edgar contender.
2) How would you describe Gun Monkeys to someone who has not read
it?
Hardboiled, gritty and not for the cozy crowd. I used to think it was
lazy to say "oh, I'm like Elmore Leonard meets James Ellroy"
or something like that, but when you're at a book signing and only have
like ten seconds to talk to potential buyers, you have to throw out some
names they'll know so they can get a quick-n-dirty idea what the novel
is about.
3) Ugly Town Books does beautiful work. The books look great, and they
are reasonably priced as well. What made you go with Ugly Town?
First, let me agree that UglyTown does a GREAT job putting together their
books. I've had a lot of folks say how nice GUN MONKEYS looks.
I submitted to UglyTown because they seemed to enjoy really pulpy, hardboiled
stuff as much as I do. I picked up BY THE BALLS and knew these guys had
the right attitude. Also, they were willing to look at me without an agent.
I was trying to land a job at a college or university as a creative writing
professor, so I wanted to have a published novel as one of my credits.
But UglyTown did a lot more than just get me into print. the produced
a great looking book.
4) With larger publishing houses eating each other up, and the way they
are all part of bigger conglomerates, do you think that smaller independent
publishers are more important now than before?
Yes. UglyTown, Poisioned Pen and others are putting out some good stuff
that's every bit as good as the big corporate mofos. Newcomers can find
a voice with these smaller houses.
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5) Why do you think anti-heroes have such appeal?
I can only speak for myself, and I know I don't want to read about a prissy
do-gooder. I like rough, gritty stories that slam and bash me from the
first chapter to the last. I could spout a lot of post-modern hoo-hah
to answer this question, but the fact is that flawed, mean protagonists
are just more fun.
5) Some people say that the hardboiled genre is a thing of the past.
And while it may not be the same thing it was in the days of Chandler
and Hammet, I think it is still alive and well, it just kind of evolved
like society itself. What’s your view on it?
Pretty much like you said. Fedoras might come and go, but there will always
be a call for hardboiled fiction. I don't know who's saying that hardboiled
fiction is a thing of the past, but they need to be fired. Scott Phillip's
debut novel THE ICE HARVEST was hardboiled as hell and nominated for like
a million awards -- Edgar, Anthony, Hammet, etc. There will always be
hardboiled fans and somebody's going to need to publish fiction tough
enough to feed those fans.
6) What else do you do besides write?
I teach creative writing for Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma.
Teaching sometimes distracts from my own writing, but it's very exciting
to find a student with talent. I enjoy helping a student find his or her
voice. I live with my wife Jackie who's a great partner but still thinks
I made up the Edgar nomination.
7) Do you think short stories are an important part of the mystery/crime
fiction genre?
I think writing short stories was important for my development as a writer.
They helped me develop my craft. I wish there were more outlets for mystery/crime
short stories. There's probably 10 times as many publications for science
fiction/fantasy/horror, including zines, etc. Not enough for mystery/crime.
Maybe there's not enough demand from readers. I don't know.
8) Who are some of the authors you really enjoy reading?
Well, I already mentioned Scott Phillips. I'm eagerly awaiting his next
one. James Crumley KICKS ASS but it's a long wait between books. I cut
my teeth on John D. MacDonald, and I take one of his old paperbacks off
the shelf now and then for re-reading. Sean Doolittle is another UglyTown
author, and I thought DIRT was tops. I like George Pelecanos, but that
almost goes without saying. Vicki Hendricks is a tough gal with a mean
pen. I'm sure I'm forgetting some people.
9) When you write, how much research goes in to your work?
Almost none. I set GUN MONKEYS in Orlando, Florida -- which, of
course, is a made up town. No such place.
10) Having a noir-ish style to your writing, I’d really love to know
what kind of movies you love. What are some of your favorites?
I recently enjoyed SNATCH and MEMENTO. Very good films but for different
reasons. Of course I've seen DOUBLE INDEMNITY, BIG SLEEP and MALTESE FALCON
more times than I can count. I'm a big western fan too. WINCHESTER '73,
THE SEARCHERS, THE WILD BUNCH -- all great flicks. I have a rather unhealthy
obsession with BLADE RUNNER too.
11) Is your writing ever influenced by real events?
Oh my, yes. The bar in the single-wide trailer from GUN MONKEYS
was an actual place. Also, a maniac shot my step-father in the hand which
inspired a scene in the novel. A lot of the little touches came from real
life experiences.
12) Can you tell anything about your next book?
It's set on a fictional campus in Eastern Oklahoma, and I'm calling it
THE PISTOL POETS. I'm basing it on my academic experiences, but
I don't plan for it to be an egg-head book. It'll still be plenty hard-boiled.
13) After reading your book, I’m guessing you were an interesting
kid. What were you like growing up?
I really disliked other kids when I was a kid. I never wanted to play
with them. I always wanted to hang out and see what the adults were doing.
But even as a kid, I was fascinated by stories. I wanted to read them,
and I wanted to tell them. My wife tells me there's a whole bunch of popular
children's books I've never heard of because I skipped right to adult
fiction. I never really read any YA stuff.
14) Reading your book kind of formed a soundtrack in my head to go with
it. For me it was along the lines of Guns And Roses, Led Zeppelin and
other loud music. What would you put on the Gun Monkey’s soundtrack?
Well, I didn't imagine anything like that. There is a scene where Johnny
Cash is playing -- that's more in keeping with my tastes. Also, maybe
a little Warren Zevon.
15) Are the two cats you and your wife live with truly evil?
Yes. I caught one reading MEIN KAMPF and took it away from him. Very bad
pets with tattoos and piercings.
16) When writing, especially crime fiction, do you think it’s important
to keep it realistic, or is it safe to assume the reader will be willing
to take a bit of a leap of faith with some aspects of it?
I always say I'd rather it be entertaining than realistic. I think a lot
of things in GUN MONKEYS are a bit far-fetched. My advice to readers
is to relax and go with it.
17) Do you collect books, or are you a library person?
I'm not really a "collector" but I like to own the books I read.
i like to walk into a room and see a bunch of books lining the shelves.
Whenever I go to somebody's house, I always find myself drifing to their
shelves to look at the books.
18) What’s your favorite thing about writing?
Getting the feedback from somebody who's read my work. I admit it, I get
a big charge when somebody tells me they've read my story or my novel
and really liked it. Aren't all artists like that? I know I am.
19) Have you done many signings or conventions? Do you enjoy them?
I've been to one Bouchercon and that was a lot of fun. I got to meet some
people I'd only know via e-mail. I've recently done some signings, and
frankly I found my recent tour exhausting. Lots of time in the car, lots
of sitting and hoping somebody buys a book, and you never know what's
going to happen. You might sell 30 copies or you might sell nothing. I
actually just wrote my most recent column (Hardboiled Dixie on PLOTS WITH
GUNS) about this topic.
20) Is there anything about you that it would surprise people to learn?
First, that I'm bionic.
But really, I've had a lot of people ask me what's the secret to getting
published, and I think they're surprised when I don't really have a good
answer. I think I've been very fortunate to fall in with the right people.
21) What is the one thing always in your refrigerator?
Right now, two evil cats. I guess I better go let them out.
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