Today I am pleased to present to you all the tenth in a series of Author Interviews. Recently I sat down with the hopeless romantic Wayne Zurl and our conversation went something like this:
Paul: I like to start my interviews by asking if you have any
writing rituals?
Wayne: Not really. I write when
the spirit moves me and I have time to devote to it. For a guy who spent most
of his adult life around military or para-military routine and order, I’m
pretty undisciplined as a writer. I sit in a wingback chair with a lined pad
and pen and go at it.
Paul: What types of books do you like to read? Who are your
favorite authors? Why?
Wayne: Most of the time, I read
mysteries or historical fiction. I like series writers. Here’s a few of my
favorites and what I admire most about them: Robert B. Parker
taught me lots about telling a story in the fewest possible words. I like his
minimalist style and try to emulate it. James Lee Burke can write descriptions
of people and places like few others. Sometimes he’s absolutely poetic. Bernard
Cornwell is a master of historical fiction and writes action scenes so
effectively I often need a martini after one of his battles. That other guy
from Long Island who writes mysteries, Nelson DeMille, provides his main
character, Detective John Corey, with endless, high quality smartass dialogue.
That’s very realistic in a cop book. And there’s the father of hard-boiled detective
fiction, Raymond Chandler, who wrote some of the best metaphors ever printed.
Paul: If someone had the power to step into your creative mind what
would they see?
Wayne: Probably a lot of
contradiction. In spite of what I said in question 1, I think you’d see a bit
of obsessive / compulsive personality; a touch of post-traumatic stress; the
potential to be lazy; the need for a home and security, but the desire to
always see new places; the desire for tranquility (I’m tired of living in
conflict and under pressure); the fear of being seen making a mistake, but the
courage to take chances; and a lot of good natured sarcasm and dark humor. All
these things seem to rear their heads in my books and stories. I hope there are
no shrinks listening.
Paul: What is a typical day for you?
Wayne: I’m retired from the real
working world, but I still like to get up early — 6 o’clock or thereabouts.
After breakfast, I tackle the hateful chore of Facebook and Twitter and
whatever book promotions I have to deal with. Since it’s summer, I do any
outside work before the heat of the day. If I have errands to run, I like to
get them out of the way early. Then writing, interviews, guest post articles,
or whatever. Around 5 o’clock my wife and I start to prepare dinner — we’re not
frozen food people. Around 8 p.m., we watch TV — usually something from
Netflix.
Paul: Do you have a favorite character in each of your series,
aside from the lead? If so, which one and why?
Wayne: My main character is Sam
Jenkins, a retired New York detective who found a second career as a Tennessee
police chief. I have two candidates for top second fiddle: Sam’s wife, Kate.
She’s sharp, good-looking, and after spending two thirds of her life with a
tough guy, can handle him quite well. When Sam’s at a loss for a good idea on
how to solve a tough case, Kate miraculously pulls a suggestion out of her sack
of common sense solutions. The other is Sergeant Bettye Lambert, Sam’s admin
officer, desk sergeant, and occasional partner when he’s solving murders or
other felonies that make sleepy little Prospect, TN look like it has a crime
rate greater than Detroit. Some people have called Bettye Sam’s workplace
spouse. She too is sharp and good-looking, but Bettye is not a street cop, rather,
one of those officers who always get the jobs done and becomes indispensable to
a guy who’s trying to run a police department and find time to go on the road
and play detective. Because she’s so competent, (and attractive) Sam allows her
to take liberties another cop might not get away with. You’ll often hear him
say, “Jeez, Betts, you sound like my mother.”
Paul: In all the years you’ve been publishing your work, what is
the biggest mistake you made that you could share so others can avoid making
it?
Wayne: When I began writing my
first novel, A New Prospect, I knew
nothing about 21st century publishing. I had been reading older novels and
began writing in the style familiar to me. When I hired a retired editor turned
“book doctor” to help spruce up the manuscript, he wrote back saying, “I like
the way you write. You’ve got a good voice and this would have been a hit back
in 1985, but in 2006, it won’t fly.” He taught me what publishers were looking
for and made me jump through hoops to reconstruct the book. I’m glad he did;
the book won four awards at national contests. So, my advice: Read new,
traditionally published novels in the genre you’re interested in and structure
your story in a way publishers accept.
Paul: How do you find the time to
write?
Wayne: Without other vocational
obligations, all I need is mental discipline and a little spare time. In
reality, when an idea hits me, I get my compulsive traits into high gear and
start writing. Sometimes I neglect other necessities to get my thoughts on
paper. If anyone asks why (read anyone as my wife) I say, “At my age I have to
write things down or I’ll forget them.”
Paul: What is one thing you hope I do
not tell the readers?
Wayne: For a guy who spent his entire
life governed by tangible evidence and had only bad things to say about people
with tunnel vision, he’s a hopeless romantic, constantly looking for a peaceful
life.
Paul: Do you plot your stories or do you just get
an idea and run with it?
Wayne: Outlines and plotting is too much like work.
I often get an inspiration out of the blue for a good story. Generally, they’re
based on an old case I worked, supervised, or just knew a lot about. Sometimes,
they come from something more contemporary. When an idea hits, I just run with
it.
Paul: Do you do a lot of editing or do you find
that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?
Wayne: I see that my technical ability has improved
over the last six years, but I’m a pain in the neck and no matter how many
times I read my work, I find something I want to change. I’m glad I now have a
professional editor to tell me what I’ve written is okay and to knock off the
tweaking.
Paul: Do you have to do much research for your
stories?
Wayne: I do very little research. As I mentioned,
most of my stories are based on actual incidents and police procedures I know
from experience. My protagonist is a dinosaur like me and he does things the old-fashioned
way. If I need up-to-the-minute information on what’s forensically correct in
2012, I call a friend who’s a crime scene investigator here in Tennessee.
Paul: What is your most recent book? Tell us a little about it and also what inspired you to write this book?
Wayne: A Leprechaun’s
Lament is based on, hands down, the most bizarre case I ever got
involved with. I would have made it my debut novel, but wondered if people
would believe it really could happen. I’m supposed to say, “Any similarity
between this story and actual fact is purely coincidental.” But that’s bunk. Just
get liberal with your suspension of disbelief. This book is based on fact — except
the beautiful Irish girl. I invented her… because I like beautiful girls.
Here’s the summary from the dust jacket:
A
stipulation of the Patriot Act gave Chief Sam Jenkins an easy job; investigate
all the civilians working for the Prospect Police Department. But what looked
like a routine chore to the gritty ex-New York detective, turned into a
nightmare. Preliminary inquiries reveal a middle-aged employee didn’t exist
prior to 1975.
Murray
McGuire spent the second half of his life repairing office equipment for the
small city of Prospect, Tennessee, but the police can’t find a trace of the
first half.
After
uncovering nothing but dead ends during the background investigation and
frustrations running at flood level, Jenkins finds his subject lying face down
in a Smoky Mountain creek bed — murdered assassination-style.
By
calling in favors from old friends and new acquaintances, the chief enlists
help from a local FBI agent, a deputy director of the CIA,
British intelligence services, and the Irish Garda to learn the man’s real
identity and uncover the trail of an international killer seeking revenge in
the Great Smoky Mountains.
Paul: Do you also write any poetry, non-fiction or
short stories?
Wayne: I couldn’t write a good poem if someone held
a gun to my head. For ten years I wrote non-fiction magazine articles, but
turned to fiction when I began having a hard time coming up with interesting
new ideas on the French & Indian War. In addition to three full-length
novels already with a publisher, I’ve sold fourteen Sam Jenkins novelettes
(approximately 10,000 words each) that have been or will shortly be produced as
audio books and simultaneously published as eBooks. I enjoy writing the shorter
books.
Paul: Do you have any pieces of work that will
never see the light of day?
Wayne: Years ago, I started writing a novel about
the Vietnam War. After a half-dozen chapters, I saw that the language was so
off-color, I’d be embarrassed to have my aunt read it. I decided that to
sanitize it would take away the authenticity I wanted, so, I scrapped the idea.
Paul: Do you enter competitions? Are there any you
could recommend?
Wayne: I’m not a competitive guy, but I did enter a
couple contests at my publisher’s suggestion. And I’m glad I did. In 2011, A New Prospect was named Best Mystery at
the Indie Book Awards. In 2012, it was selected as 1st Runner-up from all
commercial fiction at the Eric Hoffer Book Awards. It also was nominated and
became a finalist for A New Horizon Award and a Montaigne Medal in 2012.
Paul: How much marketing do you do for your
published works or for your ‘brand’?
Wayne: By necessity, I do something daily to keep my
name fresh in people’s minds. Much of what I do — more than 50%, is to promote
other authors. I hope those I help, will reciprocate. Unfortunately, I hate
marketing, but I realize it’s a necessity. Writing is fun. Self-promotion is
too much like work.
Paul: What’s your favorite / least favorite aspect
of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?
Wayne: My favorite thing is seeing a finished
product I’m happy with. Getting a hard copy in my hot little hands is just
icing on the cake. See that, two clichés in only one sentence? Now that I no
longer have to write traditional query letters, internet marketing is my least
favorite. I’m surprised so many authors don’t like traditional “meet the
public” book signings at brick and mortar bookshops. I have fun with those.
Paul: What do you do when you’re not writing? Do
you have any hobbies or party tricks?
Wayne: Party tricks? Sure, people gather around and
watch me make single-malt scotch disappear. Aside from that, my wife and I like
to travel — we go everywhere. With travel, comes photography. I learned how to
do it fairly well taking pictures of crime scenes and dead bodies. Compared to
that, landscape and nature photography is a snap. Recently we’ve started
fishing again. I hadn’t done that in more than thirty years.
Thanks,
John for inviting me to spend some time on your blog. And thanks to everyone
who’s stopped by and read my scribbling. Best to you all.
About Wayne Zurl: Wayne Zurl grew up on Long Island and retired after twenty years with the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the largest municipal law enforcement agencies in New York and the nation. For thirteen of those years he served as a section commander supervising investigators. He is a graduate of SUNY, Empire State College and served on active duty in the US Army during the Vietnam War and later in the reserves. Zurl left New York to live in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with his wife, Barbara.
Wayne's Author Site: Wayne Zurl
Wayne on Twitter:
@waynezurl
Wayne on Facebook:
Wayne Zurl
Wayne's latest book:
A Leprechaun's Lament (Amazon)
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