Crime Fiction
Release Date: Aug 9, 2021
Her dead father once asked, “What did you do to make God sad, Nattie?”
Natalie McMasters is a twentysomething college student who just wants to get on with her life, and she’s got to wonder. Her dear friend lies dead and the crazed killer responsible now has Nattie on his short list. Her only choice? Cancel him before he cancels her!
Nattie assembles an unlikely squad to find the killer: her wife Lupe, her husband Danny, an aging FBI agent and an even more ancient Tai Chi master. Jointly and separately, they embark on a totally lit road trip across the Old South, meeting danger and death at every turn. Unexpected help is provided by a voice from the grave. But her adversary has a badass squad too, and friends and loved ones fall along the way.
Naked and afraid in a primeval swamp, Nattie must confront her greatest enemy one last time. How will she ever get the W?
Interview
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
Not really. I write my books primarily to
entertain my readers. Some of them contain vignettes that talk about contemporary
social issues, but these are more a part of characterization than for
instruction. The reader is free to agree or disagree with the characters’
opinions. I would not presume to tell my readers what to think.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I have always been a pantser, not a plotter. That
means I write my stories by the seat of my pants rather than trying to produce
a detailed outline of everything that happens in the story before I write. I
have tried to plot in advance, but it just doesn’t work—when my brain is in the
mode of this happens, then this, then something else, there’s just no creative
spark. It’s somewhat frustrating, because there’s comfort in knowing what comes
next, and sometimes, pantsing can lead down a plot rat hole that just doesn’t
work. OTOH, I’ve written seven books this way, and they’ve all gotten pretty
good reviews. If it works, don’t fix it…
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I have written seven books; six Natalie McMasters
Mysteries and one standalone Lovecraftian horror novel, The Legacy of the
Unborn, under the pen name of Silas K. Henderson. I think my faves are the
third Natalie McMasters book, Trafficked! and Legacy, probably
because the setting for both is New York City, in contemporary time for Trafficked!
and in 1931 for Legacy. I went to high school in Manhattan,
commuting from my home in New Jersey every school day for four years. When I
got together with my friends, who were scattered far and wide around New York
and New Jersey, we met in the City, so I formed a very strong association with
it as an adolescent. So in a way, writing these books was a sort of homecoming
for me.
If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
That’s easy. I think actress Lili Reinhart,
who plays Betty Cooper on the hit show Riverdale, would make a perfect Natalie
McMasters. Betty and Nattie have a lot in common—they’re both feisty,
inquisitive strong women, and have a knack for sticking their noses in where they
don’t belong, but Nattie has a harder edge than Betty and does not suffer fools
gladly. So Lili, if you’re reading this, head over to my website and drop me a
line.
When did you begin writing?
I have
written fiction as a hobby all of my life, starting with Man from U.N.C.L.E.
stories written longhand in marble-backed copybooks in grade school when I was twelve
years old. I ultimately pursued a career as a technical writer (because I like
getting paid) and wrote fiction only sporadically for many years.
How long did it take to complete your first book?
Take
your pick—twenty years plus, or about a couple of years. I started Legacy of
the Unborn many years ago, got frustrated in the middle and put in in a
drawer. The first Natalie McMasters Mystery, Stripper!, started its life
as a short story, which I submitted to and received rejections from several
prominent mystery magazines. I decided to rework Stripper! as a novel, which
took about a year to finish since I was learning along the way. Once I had published
it, I knew for sure that I could finish a novel, so I took Legacy out of
the drawer and completed it in about six months. Now the average time for me to
write a novel is from three to six months.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
Several.
I always admired the great storytellers—Louis L’Amour, Edgar Rice Burroughs,
Lester Dent and Walter Gibson. Then there were the classic mystery authors Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, John Dickson Carr, Rex Stout, Dorothy Sayers and Ellery Queen.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Producing the final text from the first
draft. Unlike many authors, I don’t believe in too many drafts; I like to
follow Robert A. Heinlein’s advice to refrain from rewriting except to
editorial order. Stripper! is almost entirely a first draft and the others are
second drafts with a hard edit thrown in to comprise the half draft. I like this
process because by then, I’m working on a complete story, polishing and
refining it.
Describe your latest book in 4 words
Thrilling,
sexy, horrifying, nail-biting.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the
future for your writing?
After Killers!, I’m going to give Nattie a
rest for a while. I’ll be working on the first book in a paranormal police
procedural with elements of horror, and I’ve got another Lovecraftian horror
novel planned for Henderson. I do have an idea for a seventh Natalie McMasters
Mystery—the working title is Sister!
About The Author
Contact Links
Twitter: @3Mdetective
Instagram: 3mdetective
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