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| R. W. Hacker, Author KILL'T DEAD OR WORSE |
R. W. Hacker describes his recently-released
KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE as a detective story at its core but “with a sense of
humor.” Set in Texas, the book explores the life of protagonist private detective Nick Sibelius with cases of characters we might expect
from the State. In fact, Texas is so important to the story that Hacker
considers it to be a character. Critics applaud the book for being "entertaining", "
Hacker plans to release two more Nick
Sibelius novels in 2017, and he also is planning to release two other novels: a science fiction and historical
fantasy story. He and his wife moved from Texas and now live in Seattle, where
he loves to cook and sing in a jazz group.
Check out the giveaway opportunity at the end of the interview -- and don't miss the excerpt.
Check out the giveaway opportunity at the end of the interview -- and don't miss the excerpt.
Q: You have
categorized your new novel, KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE, in multiple genres, including
Mystery, Detective, and Humor. Which one dominates? Is it more of a mystery
than a humorous story? Would you say that your story is a whodunit?
R. W. Hacker: The
Nick Sibelius novels fit into the storytelling of Elmore Leonard (GET SHORTY)
and Carl Hiaason (SKINNY DIPPING). The story has quirky characters pulled out
of the fabric of Central Texas, some with a bit more criminal intent than
others. I think of it as a detective story with a sense of humor.
Q: How important is humor to tell your
story? Does the use of humor help to develop your characters?
R. W. Hacker: In
some ways my protagonist, Nick, plays the straight man to a world of unusual
characters. Junior, for example, is at his core a good guy, but he makes poor
decisions and takes actions before thinking through the consequences with a
wake of destruction trailing behind him. Whatever he does, you know something
unexpected will happen. At its core, the novel is a detective story, but some
of the characters create humorous situations.
Q: Why will readers
care about your protagonist, Nick Sibelius, private investigator? How will they
relate? Why will they care what happens to him?
R. W. Hacker:
Nick is a man who worked hard to have a family, a career, and a purpose, but
like many of us, life does not go as planned. And for Nick things really went
off the rails. After his wife left him for another man and his partner in the
Houston Police force died when they responded to a call, Nick lost track of his
life. He spirals down, finally landing in a trailer sitting on a plot of land
east of the small town, growing Austin suburb of Pflugerville through the
urgings of an old friend to rebuild his life. We meet him when he is just
beginning to sort out his life and find some direction. He’s looking for meaningful
work, maybe someone special in his life, and most of all, some peace and quiet
without any drama. I think readers will care about Nick because most of us
empathize with his struggle through our own unique life challenges.
Q: Your story is set
in Texas. How helpful is the setting to tell your story? Would the plot be
similar in any other State?
R. W. Hacker: In
my mind Texas, and especially Central Texas is a character in the story. Like
the rest of the country, condos rise, suburbs sprawl, and big boxes and
franchises line the roads. But if you look in the right places, you still find
the flavor and character of Texas which infuses the novel—BBQ smokehouses,
diners serving chicken fried steak and coconut cream pie, pick up trucks, dance
halls for two steppin’, and a sky that goes on forever. The story relies on
characters rising out of the independent spirit and confidence of Texans and
plays out in the context of the Texas Hill Country.
Q: Did you write your
story strictly to entertain or did you embed a message or two along the way? Do
you have something to say about toxic waste?
R. W. Hacker: My
focus leans to entertainment, but I suppose my antagonists tend to have a
general disregard for the environment. A disconnect, really. Texas ranchers and
farmers know the critical importance of water and the impact of something like
toxic waste on their land and the aquifers. Separating our actions from their
impacts almost always comes back to bite us in the end.
Q: Does the concept
of hero versus villain apply to KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE? What are the traits of an
effective, compelling villain?
R. W. Hacker:
Absolutely! Nick Sibelius, while a bit down and out when we meet him, is the
hero of the story. He faces a ecosystem of villainy which offers a cross
section of what it means to be a villain. At the bottom of the system is Jason,
a killer and destroyer by nature. In some ways there’s a ‘simpleness’ to Jason.
He’s just nasty. Barry, the toxic waste and drug manufacturing entrepreneur who
employs Jason is the more dangerous kind of villain. Intelligent, methodical,
narcissistic, and pathological. He doesn’t present the physical threat of
Jason, but he brings much more to the game. And then there’s Junior who
provides a bit of villainous comic relief. He wants to be bad, but at his core
he’s too good-natured to be a villain. And so he often takes actions intending
to present the aura of villainy, but not having his heart in the business.
However, the results are almost always disastrous.
Q: How important is
suspense to drive your mystery? How do you create suspense?
R. W. Hacker: Suspense drives the story forward from
the first chapter when we ponder the fate of a couple in the woods, followed by
other disappearances near Junior’s farm. Sometimes the suspense is a piece of
information withheld from the reader, like the fate of the two lovers. At other
times the reader knows more than the protagonist, and so the suspense is in our
knowing what Nick does not yet know.
Q: How helpful is
romance to tell your story? Does it help the hero to have a heroine?
R. W. Hacker:
I’ve used romance to explore the state of Nick’s mind and spirit. He’s lost a
wife, a colleague, and a job when we meet him. There’s a loneliness and sadness
in the background of his life. Then he meets a woman who brings the hope of
relationship and happiness again. And for Nick, the sudden intense feelings
also magnify and bring into focus the emptiness he has been sojourning. In this
case, the woman also happens to be a very strong female character with serious
skills. I’ll let the reader decide if she turns out to be a protagonist or an
antagonist.
Q: What’s next? Will
you write another detective story?
R. W. Hacker:
Yes. KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE was originally published by a small press under a
different title. This novel is a reworking of the story—a director’s cut, if
you will. And as an indie author I have control of things like the title,
cover, and marketing in a way I didn’t before. So I’m excited to get this story
out in the world and am hopeful to find new readers.
There are at least two more Nick Sibelius novels which will
be coming out in 2017. Readers can check out the first two chapters of ALL HAT
& NO CATTLE at the end of KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE. The third novel, entitled
CROOKED AS THE COLORADO, should be out later in the year. I also have been
shopping a couple of novels around to agents. One is a science fiction novel
with a humorous lean called THE BIFURCATION OF DUNGSTEN CREASE. And the other
is a historical fantasy with a working title of ADDISON SHAW AND THE LORDS OF
ALCHEMY. I’m hoping to release both of those into the wild either through a
publisher or as an indie author in the coming year.
Q: Tell us about R.
W. Hacker. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
R. W. Hacker: I
moved from Austin, Texas to Seattle, Washington in 2009. In Austin my
activities centered around flying and cycling. In the Pacific Northwest, I
still cycle, and I love to go hiking, driving my little Miata, top down,
through the mountains, cooking (and trying not to eat everything I cook!), and
I sing in a vocal jazz ensemble of friends who love jazz as much as I do.
About R. W. Hacker
Richard Hacker has been writing most of his life,
and professionally, in support of his work in management consulting, public
speaking and training in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. In 2009
he moved, along with his wife, from Austin to Seattle, shifting his
professional focus from business consulting to writing fiction full time.
Wanted by authorities for smuggling Texas BBQ across state lines, he now writes
and lives in Seattle. His writing has been recognized by the Writer's League of
Texas and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. As a judge in literary
contests such as PNWA and ChicLit, he enjoys the opportunity to give writers
honest critique to move their craft forward. In addition, he is the science
fiction and fantasy editor for the Del Sol Review, an online literary magazine.
About KILL’T DEAD OR WORSE
After a murdered partner, a cheating
wife and a lost job in Houston, Nick Sibelius sets up a private investigation
business in a small Texas town hoping to find some peace and maybe, himself.
When two lovers disappear and a fisherman turns up dead, he finds himself drawn
into a web of crime and deceit involving MaryLou, a beautiful woman with a
mysterious past; Junior, a failed farmer whose best intentions seem to always
result in a dead body; and Barry, a sociopathic dentist turned illegal toxic
waste entrepreneur with a violent right wing agenda. When the felon who killed
Nick’s partner in Houston joins forces with Barry, Nick must not only stop the
toxic waste dumping while finding his client’s missing daughter, but keep from
being killed in the process. In the end, MaryLou’s dark secret will either save
him or kill him -- whichever comes first.
EXCERPT
A banging startled him awake.
Nick lifted his head off a stale, damp pillow case, the bed creaking as he sat
up. Three fifteen. He slipped on some shorts and checked the safety on his
Glock. The banging continued, which in his trailer sounded like Thor hammering
on his head.
He shouted, "Who's
there?"
"Reverend Anderson."
Nick didn't know a Reverend
Anderson since he had no desire to step through the transom of a church anytime
soon. This had to be the same guy who called. Why would a minister go to this much trouble to wake me up? He
held the gun behind his back, opening the door to a large black man, six foot
four, dressed in tan slacks, a green polo shirt and shoes with a shine that
reflected the light from inside Nick's trailer.
"Did you call
earlier?"
"Yes, that was me. I need
to speak with you urgently."
Nick slipped the gun behind a
cushion of the built-in seat by the door. "As I told you..." He
searched for the man's name.
"Reverend Anderson. I'm the
pastor of Victory Church in town."
"Yes, mister...Reverend
Anderson. Like I said, we can talk during normal business hours."
Nick reached to close the door.
"You shut that door and
you're condemning my little girl to God only knows what."
"Trust me, Reverend. It can
wait until the morning." Nick pushed the door closed, but Anderson stiff
armed the door open. "You don't want to go down this path, Reverend."
"I've heard what people say
about you."
"So I'm the talk of the town,
eh?"
"They say you're rude,
arrogant and a drunk."
"Well you can tell them to
kiss—"
"And that you get it
done." Anderson took a step forward, placing his large frame in the
doorway. "Is that correct, Mr. Sibelius. Do you get it done?"
"It's Nick. And yeah, I
suppose I do." He breathed a weary sigh. "Do we really need to talk
about this right now?"
The Reverend stared at him. Nick
eased away from the door, nodding toward the trailer's interior. Anderson took
the two steps through the opening of the trailer, ducking to avoid banging his
head against the doorway.
Nick said, "I take it I'm
not going to get rid of you until you tell me what's crawling up your ass,
right?"
"Yeah, that's right, Nick.
I need your help."
Nick looked to the right at dishes
piled in the sink, empty bottles on the counter and the remains of last night's
dinner still sitting on the table, and then left, to a pile of dirty clothes and towels. He grabbed a
barbecue stained paper plate off the table, folding it up and placing it in the
trash under the sink. "So what's this burning issue?"
"It's my daughter. She's
missing."
Links
Twitter: @Richard_Hacker
Thanks for hosting me and sharing my novel with the readers of your blog. Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting! Great interview!
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