The Angela Hardwicke Mysteries Book 2
Sci-Fi Mystery
Date Published: Sept 2021
Publisher: Crazy 8 Press
In the cosmic realm of Eternity, there’s only one private eye to hire when your world gets turned inside out—Angela Hardwicke.
Darla Fyne, a college freshman and galaxy design savant, is suffering from a nervous breakdown—or is she the victim of an urban legend known as the Scarlet Raj?
As Hardwicke follows the intersecting worlds of art galleries, college dorms, and a semi-secret clan that patches up tears in the Universe, her investigation will either uncover a hoax gone wrong or a plot that could shift the balance of power across the entire realm. If only she can fight through her own paranoia to tell the difference.
In Russ Colchamiro’s new Sci-Fi mystery Fractured Lives, Angela Hardwicke is confronted by a PI’s worst nightmare—dark secrets from her past.
Q: Is There a
Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
RC: I don’t consider
myself a ‘message’ writer but more and more I’m tackling socio/economic issues more
assertively than I used to. My novels featuring Angela Hardwicke—an intergalactic
private eye—are first and foremost intended to entertain. But there’s depth in
them as well, so hopefully the characters will stay with you long after you
finish reading.
Q: Is there
anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
RC: My goal with the Hardwicke novels is to
thrillingly weave together the themes and world building of science fiction with
the noirish elements of mystery—part Doctor Who, part Blade Runner, part
Phillip Marlowe—so that fans of either or both genres come away feeling
challenged, satisfied, and entertained. It’s been incredibly exciting to forge
what is somewhat new ground.
Hardwicke’s home ‘turf’ is Eternity, the cosmic real
responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of the Universe. Hardwicke
takes cases at ground level—extortion, corporate espionage, unsolved murders,
kidnappings, and the like—but also those involving shapeshifters, AIs, time
travel, alternate dimensions, and other mind- and time-bending scenarios.
Hardwicke is in her mid-30s, and a single mother with a unique child. By the
nature of the cases she takes, she often finds herself in dangerous situations
that a run-of-the-mill PI wouldn’t know how to handle.
Eric Whistler is Hardwicke’s protégé. He’s ten years
her junior, smart, loyal, and clever,
but inexperienced. Part of each book is watching the two of them forge a
partnership, but it doesn’t always go smoothly. Hardwicke is used to being a
‘lone wolf’ actor without having to explain why she does what she does or
teaching someone how to do it, while Whistler is sometimes overeager to prove
himself.
Q: How many books
have you written and which is your favorite?
RC: Between novels, novellas, and short stories
my work has appeared in more than 25 books. I don’t like to call out any
favorites, because I don’t want to skew the readers’ perceptions, but boy oh
boy do I LOVE writing the Hardwicke novels.
Q: If You had the
chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
RC: My top two choices, by far, would be Hayley Atwell (who played Agent
Peggy Carter in the MCU) and Rosario Dawson to play Hardwicke. Both actresses
are great but would bring something totally different to the role.
Q: When did you begin
writing?
RC: I’ve been
writing since I was a kid. Words have always been part of my life.
Q: How long did it
take to complete your first book?
RC: It took me 6-7 years to write and get Finders
Keepers published. Now I put out a novel a year, with side projects along the
way.
Q: Did you have an
author who inspired you to become a writer?
RC: I’m inspired
by many authors, but the first to make a real, long-lasting impression on me
was Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 is still one of my favorite books of all time.
Q: What is your
favorite part of the writing process?
RC: I actually enjoy the editing phase more than
the initial writing phase. It’s during the editing phase where I find the
nuance and finely sculpt the narrative that really makes a story sizzle.
Q: Describe your
latest book in 4 words.
RC: Hardwicke and shattered
souls
Q: Can you share a
little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?
RC: I just
finished the first draft of Part I of the next Angela Hardwicke scifi mystery
series, the third book in the series, which will drop Sept 2022. I can’t give anything
way, but I’ll say that Hardwicke and her protégé Eric Whistler will be going
places and being put in situations we haven’t seen them in before.
Even though each
Hardwicke mystery takes place in the same overall universe, because Hardwicke
is an intergalactic private eye, there are no limits in time or space as
to where the stories might lead.
About the Author
Russ Colchamiro is author of the Sci-Fi mystery Crackle and Fire the first novel in his ongoing series featuring intergalactic private eye Angela Hardwicke. Russ is also the author of the rollicking time travel/space adventure, Crossline, the SF/F backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, is editor of the Sci-Fi mystery anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, and co-author of the noir anthology Murder in Montague Falls.
Russ has also contributed to several other anthologies, including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, Altered States of the Union, Agents of the Abyss, Camelot 13, TV Gods 2, They Keep Killing Glenn, Thrilling Adventure Yarns, Camelot 13, Footprints in the Stars, Devilish and Divine, Badass Moms, and Brave New Girls.
Russ is a member of the Mystery Writers Association and Crazy 8 Press, and hosts Russ’s Rockin’ Rollercoaster podcast, where he interviews best-selling and up-and-coming scifi, fantasy, crime, mystery, and horror authors.
For more on and Russ’s books and his podcast, you can visit www.russcolchamiro.com, and follow him on Facebook, as well as Twitter and Instagram @AuthorDudeRuss.
He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two ninjas, and black lab, Jinx.
Contact Links
Facebook: Russ Colchamiro
Twitter: @AuthorDudeRuss
Instagram: @AuthorDudeRuss
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