Jeff's Dark Vengeance coming out next month! I love this cover.
Interview continued from Jeff’s blog . . .
JM: What work, by somebody else, do you wish you had written?
TS: Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. Also, I loved Silent Joe by T. Jefferson Parker, though recently I read his L.A Outlaws and that is an incredible story. When I read those two writers, I'm seriously awed. They are just so phenomenal.
Writers often have other passions and talents. What, other than writing, are yours?
JM: I often manage to fit my passions into the books. I'm interested in deserts and the border and politics and western history, for instance, and those are often the topics I write about. I enjoy photography, and some of the photography I do is when I'm researching settings for the books. I also have a quibble with the typical advice "Write what you know." To me, it makes more sense to say, "Write what you want to know," because then the research is fun and interesting, and consequently the book will likely be more interesting. I like music (as a listener, not a performer), and again, I try to work that into the books--what music a character listens to, and how he or she listens, says a lot about that character's personality.
Do you know what the end of Leah's story is going to be yet? I'm not asking you to reveal it, just wondering if you've thought that far out.
TS: I actually haven't thought that far. I've never even known the ending of any of the Leah books until I've gotten there. She keeps me guessing, and that's part of the fun for me. I can plot out all I like, but she rarely listens. She pretty much does what she likes.
Favorite character from a book or movie and why?
JM: Yeesh! There are so many great ones. Dave Robicheaux from the James Lee Burke books, Spenser and Hawk from Bob Parker's, Laura Cardinal from J. Carson Black's, Philip Marlowe, Lew Archer, Charlie Parker, Tess Monaghan... and that's just from mysteries and thrillers, and off the top of my head. If you add in movies, too, the list grows and grows. Indiana Jones? The Sundance Kid? Holly Golightly (okay, from a book first, but Audrey Hepburn really brings her to life)? You didn't mention TV shows, which would add a whole other level, with folks like Vic Mackey from The Shield and Omar Little from The Wire...
I guess if I can only pick one, I'll go with Atticus Finch, from the book AND movie To Kill a Mockingbird. He's smart, he's learned, he's a great dad. He also has a social conscience and the guts to put everything on the line when it counts. And he has a steady shootin' hand. What more do you need?
That was a hard one, so I'll throw you a twist on it: Who's your favorite character to write, and why?
For the answer to that one, you’ll have to check Jeff’s blog!
Nine Frights
The Slab
The Devil's Bait
JM: What work, by somebody else, do you wish you had written?
TS: Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. Also, I loved Silent Joe by T. Jefferson Parker, though recently I read his L.A Outlaws and that is an incredible story. When I read those two writers, I'm seriously awed. They are just so phenomenal.
Writers often have other passions and talents. What, other than writing, are yours?
JM: I often manage to fit my passions into the books. I'm interested in deserts and the border and politics and western history, for instance, and those are often the topics I write about. I enjoy photography, and some of the photography I do is when I'm researching settings for the books. I also have a quibble with the typical advice "Write what you know." To me, it makes more sense to say, "Write what you want to know," because then the research is fun and interesting, and consequently the book will likely be more interesting. I like music (as a listener, not a performer), and again, I try to work that into the books--what music a character listens to, and how he or she listens, says a lot about that character's personality.
Do you know what the end of Leah's story is going to be yet? I'm not asking you to reveal it, just wondering if you've thought that far out.
TS: I actually haven't thought that far. I've never even known the ending of any of the Leah books until I've gotten there. She keeps me guessing, and that's part of the fun for me. I can plot out all I like, but she rarely listens. She pretty much does what she likes.
Favorite character from a book or movie and why?
JM: Yeesh! There are so many great ones. Dave Robicheaux from the James Lee Burke books, Spenser and Hawk from Bob Parker's, Laura Cardinal from J. Carson Black's, Philip Marlowe, Lew Archer, Charlie Parker, Tess Monaghan... and that's just from mysteries and thrillers, and off the top of my head. If you add in movies, too, the list grows and grows. Indiana Jones? The Sundance Kid? Holly Golightly (okay, from a book first, but Audrey Hepburn really brings her to life)? You didn't mention TV shows, which would add a whole other level, with folks like Vic Mackey from The Shield and Omar Little from The Wire...
I guess if I can only pick one, I'll go with Atticus Finch, from the book AND movie To Kill a Mockingbird. He's smart, he's learned, he's a great dad. He also has a social conscience and the guts to put everything on the line when it counts. And he has a steady shootin' hand. What more do you need?
That was a hard one, so I'll throw you a twist on it: Who's your favorite character to write, and why?
For the answer to that one, you’ll have to check Jeff’s blog!
Nine Frights
The Slab
The Devil's Bait
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