1 – Do you write a single series or do your fingers flow
over the keys creating tales in many forms? Do your reading choices reflect
your writing choices? Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?
I’m currently writing for two different series – one
featuring a private eye, the other starring a former CIA spook and his lover.
Both are in the mystery/thriller genre but the Vic Fallon private eye series is
more mystery with a touch of romance. It echoes the work of Raymond Chandler,
Donald E. Westlake and Robert B. Parker. Fallon is like an old school gumshoe
from the 1940’s or 50’s but in a contemporary setting with current themes. I’ve
also published several romantic comedies.
My reading choices definitely reflect my writing choices. I’ve
enjoyed those kinds of stories for years, featuring the tough wisecracking hero
with an eye for the ladies who always takes one on the chin in the name of
love. With this series, I wanted to bring Phillip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Peter
Gunn and Jim Rockford into the 21st century and I think I’ve
succeeded, based on what readers have told me.
As for genres I wouldn’t attempt, I have no interest in
writing vampire, paranormal or shape-shifter romance because I don’t understand
them.
2 – Heroes, heroines, villains. Which are your favorites to
write? Does one of these come easy and why?
I enjoy crafting heroes and heroines but a really colorful
villain can be fun to write. Most of them have a screw loose any way (hence why
they do what they do) and you can go over the top with characters like that, as
long as they get theirs in the end. You typically know what motivates the hero
but sometimes it’s fun to explore the villain’s psyche and see what makes them
run. One of my stories featured a villainess who became sexually aroused by shooting
people. Another featured a mob enforcer who liked breaking heads but really got
into being degraded by hookers. I think I’m seeing a trend here.
3 – Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or
plain imagination create the man you want the reader to root for? Do they come
before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?
When I get a good story concept I decide which series it
would best be suited for. If it’s a ripped from the headlines idea, it would
probably fit the Nick Seven spy thriller series. If it’s something quirkier,
I’ll make it a Vic Fallon private eye caper. The online dangers of sexting
formed the premise for the Fallon mystery “Lido Key,” and the Wikileaks affair
was the jumping off point for the Nick Seven thriller “Never Look Back.”
I generally have a mental image of what I want my heroes to
look like before I begin. I like to make them more three dimensional by
including something that reflects their moral code, which often mirrors my own.
For example, Vic Fallon can’t tolerate domestic violence against women. It was
the reason he was nearly bounced off the police force and it’s something I also
feel strongly about. I like to make my heroes and heroines human, with many of
the everyday foibles we all have. I’m bored with some of the heroes I’ve read
in crime fiction stories that come off as too real to be believable. When one
of my heroes gets into a fight or a shooting match, they bleed like the rest of
us.
4 – Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life
or plain imagination create the man you want the reader to root for? Do they
come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?
I usually have an idea of what I want the heroine to look
like before I start writing. Since the Vic Fallon series features a different
female lead in each story, I work hard to not have them appear the same. I’m a
very visual writer, seeing the scenes play out on a movie screen in my mind,
and I cast the parts accordingly. If I’m seeking a certain look, inspired by an
actress I’ve mentally cast for the part, I may find a picture of them and refer
to it when creating the character.
I don’t like to ruin the whole theater of the mind thing for
the readers, though. I recall reading one of the later James Bond novels by Ian
Fleming. When it came time to introduce the girl of the week, Fleming did the
unthinkable – he described her as looking “just like Ursula Andress.” That
ruined it for me because I had someone else in mind.
5 – Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they
don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to
the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you
make them human?
Choosing the antagonist can be tricky, and sometimes there’s
more than one. It helps to put your faith in mankind on hold and realize that
like it or not, most of us have a little larceny in our souls. In the Nick
Seven thrillers, there’s always the primary villain for Nick to lock horns with
but since he’s a former CIA spook, don’t be surprised when someone from the
government also gets involved. That characters past life was filled with
double-dealers and shady people with political agendas. It would be a shame to
waste all that treachery and distrust, wouldn’t it?
I try to make the bad people human just like I do with my
heroes and heroines. I’m a people watcher and I’m always making note of little
things people do. It can be anything from the way someone turns a phrase, or their
dialect, or the way they compulsively arrange the silverware at the dinner
table. People are unique and I try to add those little touches to every
character I create. An editor told me long ago to always include a brief
physical description when I introduce a character, no matter how large or small
their part may be. Best advice I ever received.
6 – What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine or
the villain?
My latest release is “The Dirty Blonde.” It’s the third
installment in the Vic Fallon private eye series, but the books don’t need to
be read in order. For the uninitiated, Fallon is a former cop who was about to
be let go from the Sandusky, Ohio police force for unnecessary roughness when
he got shot and took a disability separation. He doesn’t really have to work
and usually takes cases when he’s bored or intrigued. There’s a different
female lead in each story, which keeps it interesting.
When I conceived this series I kept thinking of the private
eye shows we all watched on TV in the sixties and seventies, like “Mannix,”
“Peter Gunn” and “The Rockford Files.” In each episode, the hero got involved
with a different woman and just when things were about to get interesting
they’d cut to a commercial. In written form we don’t have commercials so I can
show what really happens after the lights go down low.
7 – What are you working on now?
I recently submitted the fourth Nick Seven spy thriller,
“Operation Payback” and I’m working on another installment. I’m also working on
another Vic Fallon caper.
8 – How can people find you?
My website is www.timsmithauthor.com.
I’m also on Facebook, and I have an author page on Amazon. If they can’t find
me at any of those places, they can try the Buckhorn Tavern in Dayton , Ohio
Bio:
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