Q. Tell us a little about this novel. What gave you the idea?
My wife returned from a water aerobics class at the local community center with a wild story of overhearing an argument where someone tried to reserve shower stalls and wound up fighting in the showers over it. We both thought it was ridiculous and formed the perfect target for a fictional murder victim.
Overall I enjoy writing this series because it’s superficially similar to Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot stories. Although Andy brings all the suspects into his inn when he believes he’s solved the murder, he is no Hercule Poirot. He always discovers that he has gotten the accusation all wrong. The final portion of each novel finds Andy scrambling to save face while he progressively accuses different people of murder, discovers their innocence, and finally solves the case in the end, thanks to his attention to detail. However, Andy isn’t all bad at the sleuthing stuff as he manages to solve an unrelated crime at the same time, some times without even meaning to.
How did you invent the location where the book takes place?
It’s a real place—only slightly modified to make the book easier to follow. I’ve vacationed in Monte Rio, California a few times. It’s a beautiful small town in the Sonoma redwoods, located about ninety minutes north of San Francisco. Hiking in the redwoods, kayaking along the Russian River, visiting nearby wineries, and enjoying the multiple small towns in the area made me think about basing a new series in this area. Rivers and Creaks was the first novel in this series, followed by Whine and Dine, and now Sore Like an Eagle.
Q. What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?
I’ve become bored reading all the seemingly similar cozies where the protagonist happily runs a bakery, bookstore, or bed & breakfast. In these books, the police violate nearly every standard and practice they actually follow and share all sorts of detailed investigative information with this amateur sleuth. I made sure my characters don’t work with the police. While a bed and breakfast is involved in this series, the way Andy feels about it and how he handles the responsibilities is quite different from what you might see in the typical cozy mystery.
While my Ozarks Lake Mystery series have both a female and male protagonist with their own point-of-view chapters, Sore Like an Eagle (and the rest of the Redwoods Country Mystery series), and my Silicon Valley Mystery series have male protagonists, which is unusual in this genre.
Q. How do you create your characters?
A friend’s father passed away a few years ago and my friend wrote a funny obituary about him and shared it with me. I thought his father sounded interesting and asked if I could base a fictional book on him. Some of Andy’s characteristics, such as creating an archery shop for locals because he felt the big-box retailers did a terrible job, are directly inspired by my friend’s father. But most of the character is completely made up.
The character of Charlie was inspired by the character Stevie Budd, the motel receptionist in the Schitt’s Creek TV series. I knew Andy would need a sidekick and thought it would be funny to have him paired with a sarcastic woman a generation younger who often saves the day, whether because of her plumbing and electrical skills, her improvisations, or her physical strength. The quirky, developing friendship between her and Andy has been fun to write.
Sandra, the “chicken lady” who makes another appearance in Sore Like an Eagle, was inspired by a woman we met on a vacation. I took some of her stories, exaggerated them, and made this character into a high-energy, wacky person who lights up every scene she’s in. She’s definitely a fun character to write [and read!].
Q. What’s your background?
I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember and have wanted to write a novel since I was a kid. Years of working in high-tech marketing honed my ability to write fiction. At my job, we just called it advertising and emails. Finally I overcame my inertia and started writing novels in earnest.
Like my character, Andy, from the Redwoods Country Mystery series, I continue to grow older and would prefer not to run a bed-and-breakfast inn. Like my characters Jonas and Elizabeth from the Ozarks Lake Mystery series, I grew up in the South and spent plenty of time in and around Arkansas. Like my character, Marty from the Silicon Valley Mystery series, I now live in Silicon Valley, work in high-tech, and enjoy bad puns. Like all my protagonists, I also have a dog, although mine is neurotic, sweet, and small, with little apparent appreciation for my jokes.
Q. Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?
As a mystery writer, I spend a lot of time pondering new, interesting, and plausible ways to kill someone. It’s way more challenging than you might think. Especially when you want an amateur sleuth to figure it out without any help from the police and you don’t want readers to guess whodunnit. All this requires some very unusual internet searches. I’m just glad no law enforcement officer has ever asked me questions about my browser history.
Q. What is the first book you remember reading?
I’d have to say it’s a tie between Go Dog Go and The Cat in the Hat. This might also explain my love for puns and entertaining word choices. What’s not to love about a story that has great wordplay and shows off awesome party hats?
Q. Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?
I used to say that Marty Golden, my protagonist in the Silicon Valley Mystery series, was the most similar to me. Of course, Marty is a younger, funnier, and cooler version of myself—the guy I imagine I see in the mirror each morning. But Andy Shirley, the sixty-five-year-old protagonist in Sore Like an Eagle, is a lot of fun to hang out with in my head. My wife is a bit concerned that I’m enjoying spending time with a grumpy old man even though I’ve told her he’s quite lovable, funny, and not quite as grumpy as he thinks he is. But frankly, she’s been worried for years about all the imaginary friends that I spend time with as I write my novels.