An Interview with Mark Terry

I've known Mark Terry from the blogosphere for a few years now, and despite the tough-guy stance in his author photos, he's a really neat guy who definitely is helpful to other writers with his time and knowledge. I am thrilled that he's here, June 1, to celebrate the launch of The Valley of Shadows, the latest in his Derek Stillwater series.

I interviewed Mark on the challenges of writing a series--as well as the really good things his smaller publisher is doing. In the changing world of publishing, it's nice to see an independent publisher doing all the right things and getting some terrific reviews for its authors--including Mark. Now to the interview . . .

1. What are the challenges of writing a series?

I think there are two big challenges. One is simply that you have to
fight being repetitive, particularly with a series character like Derek Stillwater, who's investigating terrorist attacks. How do you make each investigation different from the last? That takes some work. I also simply find it hard on a more philosophical level, in that each time out you need to dig deeper into the character. That's not necessarily bad, but there's no traditional character arc like you may see in a standalone novel where the hero/protagonist grows throughout the course of a single story and there's a nice feel to it that satisfies. You could argue that too much character arc in a series will change the character so much that readers won't be interested in what the character has become. I've heard the argument, I'm not sure I agree with it. But I do think it goes back to the repetitious aspect of it, how do you bring more about the character to each book that hasn't been told over and over again.

2. I notice you are garnering some REALLY great reviews for this one--do you feel pressure with an established thriller series to keep upping the level of tension and danger with each book? How do you keep topping the last one?

Yes and no. Because I'm already writing apocalyptic thriller, to some extent, right? I mean, in the first one, The Devil's Pitchfork, the bad guys stole a genetically engineered virus that could have wiped out most of mankind. In The Serpent's Kiss it was an attempt to kill a "mere" 20,000 people in one fell swoop. In The Fallen it was an attempt to wipe out the leaders of the G8 summit and the G20. So in terms of stakes, where do you go from there? A terror attack that wipes out the solar system? In a lot of ways I think you have to figure out ways - in my type of series, anyway - of creating personal stakes for Derek, of getting the reader to understand that, yes, there's certainly physical danger and an overall big plot going on, but that in many ways the real risks to Derek are to his soul and to his sanity. I think it was Joseph Wambaugh who said good crime novels are more about how crime affects cops than how cops solve crimes. And I think that's the key to Derek Stillwater, at least for me, is there's an overall exciting adventure as he tries to prevent a big terror attack, but there's at another level an examination of what this does to Derek.

3. Of course . . . tell us (without spoiling too much) some of the coincidences between this book and certain headlines of late.

Ha! No kidding. The very first chapter of The Valley of Shadows takes place in Pakistan. A U.S. team is preparing to raid an al-Qaeda cell. A new agent is asking the old pro, "Who of these guys can we trust?", referring to the Pakistani police and intelligence apparatus. Then they have the raid and gather intelligence - and things do go terribly wrong. One thing I haven't emphasized that much in promoting this book, but maybe should considering current events with the bin Laden assassination, is that while Derek Stillwater is investigating the attacks in the U.S., I have another investigator for the FBI in Pakistan investigating what actually was going on in Pakistan before and after the raid and how the bad guy, Kalakar, was able to escape minutes before the raid went down. And that's the kind of thing that definitely has echoes with current events.

4. How do you do your research?

The Internet and books are my first resource. Often the city Derek operates in is a place I've spent some time in, then I draw on tour guides and maps and Google Maps and Street View. One of the key things for me is to not be lazy, or at least not terribly lazy. I try to recognize when I have a question and make sure I ask that question and get an answer. There's a tendency for lazy writers to sometimes think, "Well, I saw they did that in a movie or on TV, so it should be okay." Or, "I read it in so-and-so's novel, so it must be okay." And I think we all do that, but really, movie and TV are terrible sources for real-life things, they make crap up ALL the time. And God knows even bestselling authors screw up details. It wasn't that many years ago that I was reading a novel by Robert B. Parker and the cops are talking about how the gun used was a .38 revolver, then they go on to talk about how the killer policed his own brass. Well, folks, I'm NOT a gun expert, but revolvers do not eject the casings automatically like a semi-automatic does. The only way the killer would have NEEDED to police his own brass when shooting a .38 revolver was if he had fired more than 5 or 6 shots (or however many bullets the gun held), dumped the casings out and reloaded. That's just lazy research and although I make some mistakes, I try to ask questions and research by being aware of what I don't know and double-checking it. Some people seem to think I'm a fastidious researcher, but compared to some writers who travel all over the world (I wish) to research locations and take shooting classes and follow cops and go to Quantico to observe, I'm lazy. But I do try to get things right.

5. What draws you to writing Derek Stillwater, the character?

I like that he doesn't have much of a halo. He's one of the good guys, but it's not always all that obvious. He does what needs to be done, damn the consequences, and it gets him into trouble. He's complicated in that way, and his motives aren't always all that clear to himself, let alone to me. He does what he does because he thinks he has to, and finding out exactly why that is keeps me coming back. Also, it's fun to kick ass and not worry about the consequences, at least fictionally.

6. I can't discuss books and publishing now without bringing up industry changes. What are some of your thoughts?

Arrgh. In some ways it's very, very freeing. In other ways I often wish that the whole e-book thing hadn't occurred and that Steve Bezos and Amazon hadn't made it so easy for everybody to just self-publish their books. You know, I'm sure we can discuss and argue this for hours, pro and con, and I'm not in any way attacking people who self-publish. I've done and will continue to do it under some circumstances. But here's something I think about a lot. I and other writers who went the traditional route and wrote a lot of books and got a lot of rejections in order to eventually get an agent and get traditionally published learned a lot in the process. We earned our place in the publication world, such as it was. Now, no one needs to "earn" there spot there. They write whatever they want, they throw it up as an e-book, they price it the way they want and it sort of cheapens the whole thing. That's one line of thinking for me, anyway.
The other line is, of course, it's freeing. Traditional publishing or as some call it, Legacy Publishing (I don't like this term), tends to focus not just on a certain baseline of technical proficiency, but a certain narrow quality of saleability and marketability, and I don't
think that's very helpful for creativity. I think you can write a book that just by its nature might not have a huge readership - even in fiction - that publishers won't touch, but that a couple thousand readers might enjoy a lot. So in that respect, I think it's great and very freeing. (I would also say that traditional publishing has a fairly uneven track record in knowing what the reading public wants).

But I want to make a point about this that I've been thinking about lately. In November 2010 I earned my black belt in Sanchin-Ryu karate. It took me about seven years to earn it. There were no short cuts. And once I got it, I got it. It's something I earned, something I worked
for, and something nobody can take away from me (well, I suppose they could, but the knowledge and experience is mine). And I think some - not all - people jumping on the e-book self-publishing wagon are just taking a shortcut because they're impatient or frustrated or whatever. I'm also somewhat amazed at how some writers who have been for years
the harshest critics of self-published writers have changed their tune now that they're making a lot of money doing it.

7. What is in the works? Another Stillwater?
Maybe. I've got a manuscript almost finished for a fifth and I imagine that one way or another it'll get finished. I just today finished a proposal for a novel featuring Austin Davis (from my novel HOT MONEY) that I sent to my agent. And interestingly, while I was answering these questions, my nonfiction agent contacted me about the nonfiction book proposal I had sent her just a couple days ago. She might have a publisher for it already (I know, that's astonishingly fast), so if that happens I might be putting more of my creative energies into that project. I'm also bringing out a middle grade novel (and up), The Fortress of Diamonds, out as an e-book in a couple months. And there's a tech thriller I hope to finish sometime this year...

8. I know there's been some film interest in your books. Ideal casting . . . who plays Stillwater?

George Clooney is my top choice, although he's starting to age out of the role. Nic Cage would be an interesting choice, and Derek Stillwater has some similarities to Cage's character, Dr. Stanley
Goodspeed in "The Rock." I think Matt Damon would totally rock in the role, as would Ben Affleck. Someone mentioned Viggo Mortenson, and I think he'd be great. But I was recently mulling this over - an occasional daydream - and I tried to think of who's fairly hot these days and realized that Jake Gyllenhaal would probably make a terrific Derek Stillwater.

9. Your publisher seems to do things differently--hardcover out of the gate . . . high-quality thrillers . . . but they're small. I'm impressed by the reviews their authors get--Jude Hardin, for
example . . . and your latest. What can you tell us about your publisher and the way they do things?

Oceanview Publishing has been great. I have no problems with them at all, and that's the truth. For a small publisher, they do everything right. They publish well-written books in hardcover, often follow up with a trade paperback, have decent distribution, and have two publicists who handle different aspects of promotion and marketing. They put a certain budget aside for promotion for all books, and although they don't have enormously deep pockets, they're doing fine. Their authors get good to great reviews, win a lot of awards, and even have had a couple movie options. I think they're currently not accepting submissions except by referral.

10. Time for some shameless self-promotion . . . what should your fans be buying right now besides this book--by other writers and by you?

I'm not even sure where to start. I've got your third Magickeepers book on my Kindle, but haven't gotten to it yet (hopefully in the next couple weeks). I recommend Jude's book, Pocket-47, a lot. I recommend my other buddy's novel, The Tavernier Stones by Stephen Parrish. I've read some really good books recently. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan, the second book in his Kane Chronicles series. Buried Prey by John Sandford was a particularly excellent outing in the Prey series. I read a first novel by Keith Thomsen called Once A Spy that has an absolutely fantastic premise. I enjoyed Zig Zephyr and the Forever Diamond by Jon VanZile a lot. I'm reading Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi right now and it's terrific as well. So many books, so little time.

Oh yeah, and I've got a number of other of my own books available as well, including a couple for middle graders - The Battle For Atlantis and Monster Seeker - as well as a few standalone thrillers like Hot Money, Edge, Dirty Deeds, and an anthology of short stories that I edited, Deadly By The Dozen.

Hurdler

If you're a long-time reader of this blog, you know I call Mark Terry "Genius"--because on his blog are plenty of gems. If you are interested in a freelance writing career, you would be wise to go read his entire series, the links of which he oh-so-conveniently runs down the right-hand side of his blog.

I "met" Mark in the cyberworld via Natasha. Since then we've spoken on the phone, advised each other on freelance pricing, opening chapters, and how to deal with this guy. [I say destroy him in Scrabble and call it a day.] ;-)

And in the true delight of having friends in the writing world, we have Genius's release [BUY IT!] with Parrish nipping at his heels. I've been waiting to be able to write that sentence.

So without further ado . . . we have . . . Mark Terry's guest blog for the day! Are you a Hurdler?

Fiction, thrillers or otherwise, can usually be defined this way: a main character has to overcome something.

In fact, in compelling fiction, your main character needs to overcome obstacles over and over again (sort of like life). If the writer’s doing his or her job right, the obstacles will tend to get more difficult to hurdle.

My Derek Stillwater thrillers, the latest being The Fallen, are really based on this. Derek is a troubleshooter for Homeland Security and he typically responds to one terrorist threat knowing that one or more larger and more deadly terrorist threats are on the near-horizon and it’s his job to prevent them from happening. In The Fallen he starts out by making sure he’s in the right place at the right time in case something bad happens (it does). He’s recognized when he’s undercover, but he overcomes that. Then he’s recognizes by another group, and that goes to hell, then he’s recognized by the bad guy, and he overcomes that, then he fights off more bad guys… you get the idea. This isn’t just a steeplechase or a hurdle event, but one where each hurdle gets harder and more complicated as the story goes along.

Now, my task is kind of easy, just because of the type of stories I write. I recently read Freudian Slip by some writer named Erica Orloff, and the hurdles here are scaled a little less violently than the ones in my my novels. Kate Darby walks in on her boyfriend and best friend having sex (bad day), goes home to find her house has been broken into (worse day) and her dog is missing (even worse).

Throughout the book, Kate faces obstacles, as does the male character, Jules. Sometimes those obstacles are placed there by demons (literally) and sometimes by other people. (And perhaps, sometimes obstacles are placed in front of the characters by themselves). In the case of Freudian Slip, they don’t necessarily escalate, but become more puzzling—is it better to have a relationship with your soulmate, even if he’s a ghost? Years after her father’s death on 9/11, has she dealt with it emotionally?

So the question du jour is, are you going too easy on your main character? Are you making them hurdle higher and higher obstacles? What kind?

Za vas

A couple of days ago, I said I was a doula of books. I long ago stopped counting how many published books I worked on as an editor, how many books I ghosted, how many books I, in a word, birthed. Now, most of the time, I'm PAID to do that . . . but I still delight when clients get their books published and get to hold them in their hands.

Now, I had nothing to do with the two books I am shamelessly pimping today . . . but one of the GREATEST(!!) things about working in this business and having most of your friends be writers is you get to celebrate with a lot of people. You have the ups and downs, where you support your friends. I've said it before, and I'll say it again . . . there is a LEDGE with my name on it. I occasionally stand out on it. A certain Monkey talks me back in.

But it's a total kick when really awesome things happen to your friends. So . . .

There's this guy. He lives in Germany. I can tell you that if he ever gets to America? The man won't have to buy a beer for a month . . . he's been a friend to so many writers, and he always promotes people on his blog. Can't wait until his book comes out May 1. Preorder yours.

And then, ladies and gentlemen . . .

We have GENIUS.

Yesterday he got his box of books. Now, here's the thing . . . If I go through life as an ethical realist but a hopeless optimist, Mark has his occasional bouts of pessimism, I think it's fair to say. Or maybe just a heavier realism. But that look on his face says it all.

You know, there's an adage that the closest men ever get to the pain of childbirth is when they pass a kidney stone. Rosie O'Donnell used to have this bit that no, until they pass something the size of a WATERMELON, they don't know. But publishing a book . . . maybe it's a bit of a birth.

CONGRATULATIONS, Mark. The baby is beautiful!

And so everyone has their analogy for writing a book or publishing a book. Merry M. once had a brilliantly funny piece on how your book is NOT like a baby. [Merry . . . I can't find it . . . put a link if you leave a comment.] So how about you?

And Genius? We Russians have a toast. Za vas, my friend. Za vas!

Writing 201

All right gang . . . in case you hadn't noticed, I was away for a night. I went to D.C. to visit an old friend I hadn't seen in 26 years who now works for the World Bank (I have such smart, groovy friends!). I love "city sidewalks" at Christmas time. The White House . . . the stores decorated for the holidays, the piped Christmas carols everywhere. It was lovely. Of course I process everything like a writer, so when I found myself in a gay bar at midnight to continue the festivities of dinner and drinks, I observed that the cleanest restroom anywhere HAS to be the women's restroom of a gay bar. It is never used. And of course . . . this observation will most definitely end up in one of my novels. Heck, I would invent a scene just to use that. But now I'm back!

And on to writing. One of the best things about this blog are all the writing pals I have made in cyberspace. It's funny, because the comments each day just sort of scratch the surface. I get emails every day from people who read the blog each day but never comment. [Come on! Join the fun! We don't bite!] I also get emails from readers who are not writers but just like hearing what writers have to say about their process. Anyway, Genius is one of the writers I met via blogs (I actually met him by following a link from Nastasha's blog).

Mark contacted me just as I was departing for my night of escapism and asked if we would have a "conversation" on his blog about Writing 201 over a couple of days. I was game, and so this morning he will post the first one. Basically, we're assuming that most of the writers who visit our blogs have got some of the technical stuff down. They can string words in a row. Those words likely have a subject and a verb in there somewhere. The people who visit our blogs can tell an adjective from an adverb. You get the idea.

But we spend a lot of time at this blog asking . . . what next? How do you go from stringing words to creating a novel . . . and then once you've created said novel, not having a Big Fat Steaming Pile of Meh on your hands. Suddenly, writing is less about your Shiny New Idea and much more about the 201 elements. Things like developing your voice. Having a hook. Creating tension.

Our first "conversation" is on voice. Shockingly, I had something to say on the matter. :-)

So head on over:

http://markterrybooks.com/blog.html

And really? Ladies, I am assuring you. The ladies room in a gay bar . . . the cleanest in the city. And what a delightful bartender.

Where in the Blog World is Erica Today?

I've over at Genius's place:

http://markterrybooks.com/blog.html

I'm discussing why it is we choose to write our characters.