1. Can you please introduce yourself and tell us something about your book "Deliberate Duplicity: A Detective Sasha Frank Mystery."
Answer - After a career in the global business world, a friend suggested that I write a book on my business experiences and philosophy then become a conference speaker. I didn't find the idea of writing about myself appealing, but I enjoyed writing a blog for many years and decided to try to write a murder mystery, a significant pivot I know. Many murder mystery books typically take place in large cities. After developing the lead fictional character, Sasha Frank, I thought readers might enjoy a book with a police detective located in a small Midwest city in the United States. "Deliberate Duplicity" has multiple murders with bodies posed along the Constitution Trail; a series of abandoned railway lines transformed into walking and jogging paths that run through the "Twin-Cities" of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Sasha is assigned to investigate the murders, and as bodies add up, he has no clear suspect in his sights.
2. When did you get the thoughts of writing this book? I read the book, and I loved it, your writing style is commendable. You are amazing.
Answer - Keeping in mind that I wanted to feature a police detective from a smaller Midwestern U.S. city, I started thinking about what kind of a mystery I would like to read. Next, I needed to devise the who, what, when, where, and how the murders would be committed. Coming up with ways to kill people off in a book isn't easy (laughing), but I have a very creative mind and just began to write. After reading the book, family and friends now look at me differently, wondering where all these dark ideas have been hiding.
3. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Answer - I've read police procedural articles over the years, which helped me write about the tactics Sasha uses during his investigations. If I wasn't sure about a small detail I was writing about; I would research the topic online. With all of the true-crime shows available today, I think we all sometimes see ourselves as amateur crime scene investigators and have some idea of what work police and others do at a crime scene.
4. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Answer - I learned that I couldn't follow the typical rules for writing a book. I started trying to write with an outline, but it just didn't work for me. I also didn't have all the main characters sorted out before I started writing. What did work was for me was to write what came into my mind. I would then add and delete various chapters as I developed the story while adding characters and details that fit the story as I wrote. Most importantly, the most surprising thing was that I could write a murder mystery that readers found compelling.
5. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Answer - I'm writing the Detective Sasha Frank Mystery books as a series, but I want each book to stand independently. When readers read my second book titled "Cold Consequences," which will be released later this summer, they will see some subtle and some not-so-subtle references to each book. There will be some repeating characters from book to book as well. I hinted that Sasha might want to retire since he's spent 30+ years on the force, but he won't be retiring anytime soon.
6. What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
Answer - When writing my business blog on the automotive aftermarket industry, where I spent my career, I attempted to help people think about new ideas or concepts that could help them achieve their goals by providing a different perspective. Writing a murder mystery that is pure fiction is different. Telling a story about bad people doing bad things to good people requires a protagonist to fight for their justice. In real life, we need heroes fighting for justice as well.
7. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Answer - I've had positive feedback on Sasha Frank. Readers see him as a likable yet flawed character. Understanding that murders rarely occur in Bloomington, some readers ask if the murders are based on true crimes. The murders in "Deliberate Duplicity" are pure fiction, as will be any of the murder mysteries I write.
8. How would you express your journey as an Author?
Answer - I'm learning a great deal by working with the team that surrounds me. My publisher, editors, and publicist have all been helpful in me realizing that less is more. I also rely on my wife as a sounding board. Telling a story can be done in many ways, but letting the reader imagine more and allowing them to follow the book's flow easily is critical for a book to tell a good tale. I'm learning more about writing every day, and I expect it to be a journey with no endpoint in sight.
9. What other things do you love more than this writing?
Answer - I greatly enjoy writing, but spending time with my wife, family, and friends is more important to me than writing. I also especially enjoy golfing. I've been to six continents and visited countless countries in my life, so I also greatly enjoy travel and the knowledge gained by visiting cultures around the globe.
10. And last, What advice do you have for writers?
Answer - I jot down ideas that come to me that I use when I write. It doesn't matter whether the thought you want to capture is just a couple of words or more detailed. I make sure that I keep track of ideas as they become useful when I write. I also suggest that you find a trusted friend who can read what you write and provide honest feedback on what you've written. For me, that person is my wife. Then keep up your writing as words are or can be powerful.
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