1- The main character in your debut novel, "Death by Sarcasm," Mary Cooper is a very strong woman who doesn't take herself too seriously. Would you say that mirrors your own persona?
Well, we’re both totally friggin' hot. Beautifully sculpted a***s and all that, you know? But that’s about as far as any commonality goes between Mary Cooper and myself. She’s a lot stronger and tougher than me. She drinks wine, I prefer beer. And I take myself, and my work, very seriously. In fact, I believe my efforts at crime fiction are on the same plane as the achievements of Mother Theresa, Genghis Khan and Henry Winkler. If I keep going at this pace, I’m hoping people will mention my name and my legacy in the same breath with The Osmond Family. Fingers crossed, baby.
2- Your webpage is "deadlysarcasm.com" Does that pretty much explain your demeanor about creating your characters?
When I write a book, I feel like I’m a kid again in the back seat of the family station wagon going home after the Friday Night Fish Fry at the supper club, with my Dad at the wheel after a half dozen martinis. In other words, I’m reasonably confident I know where I’m going and will eventually get there, but there could be some funny, shocking, and downright scary moments before I do. I always set out to write the best crime novel I can. Sometimes the humor, or dark comedy, just lands on the page, like the trees that would just “jump out” and wrap themselves around the front bumper of my Dad’s car.
3- Sometimes sarcasm can be used to defuse the utterly disgusting images a private detective must come across. Is that one reason Mary Cooper has such a biting, sardonic wit?
Absolutely. It’s a defense mechanism. One thing I’m really looking forward to is revealing more about the basis for that. I’ll give you a hint: in DEATH BY SARCASM, it’s briefly mentioned that her parents were lost at sea when she was just a kid. In Book Two, a little more light will be shed on that, and in Book Three, it will be the primary focus. In the meantime, she’s not big on displaying vulnerability. And since the next book, MURDER WITH SARCASTIC INTENT, involves the porn industry, she’ll put that sarcastic shield to good use.
4- Has anyone ever interviewed you without using the word sarcasm once?
Yes. Barbara Walters and I met at my golf course, because she’d heard about my passion for swinging the sticks. Anyway, our tee time kept getting bumped so we plowed through about three pitchers of daiquiris. After a little bit of French kissing in the ladies locker room, Barbara and I finally got out on the course where she promptly passed out. I strapped her in the back of the cart with the clubs and finished the round. No interview, but I shot 3 over, which is pretty good for me.
5- Your second novel," Dead Wood," is also in the top 200 on Amazon's Bestseller list. What kind of sales were you expecting when you decided to publish as an Indie author, and to what do you attribute your astounding success?
Let me put it this way. Do you remember a few years back when Stephen King was run over by that car? Well, I expected my sales to be so torrential that they would do the same kind of damage to Mr. King, physically, professionally and psychologically. (I’m kidding of course! I love Stephen King and his book On Writing is a must-read.)
Let’s be honest, though. Compared to the John Lockes and Amanda Hockings of the world, my progress has actually been very modest. And despite my belief that there might be a small market for crime fiction with my brand of humor and strong female characters, I figured I wouldn’t sell even one copy.
So I appreciate and thank every one of my readers, and thank you Gary, for allowing me to stop by. That last line was sincere, so now I’ve fulfilled my quota for the year.
