Interview with Mystery Book Launch Author Russell Blake

The L.O.V.E. blog is thrilled to welcome author Russell Blake, a featured author in the Mystery Book Launch at the Women's Literary Cafe from December 13 - December 15. Russell is the author of several intrigue and mystery novels and is featuring his 5 STAR rated title "The Geronimo Breach" in the book launch for only $0.99. (Kindle) I had an opportunity to ask Russell a few questions regarding his writing career so let's take a look at what he had to say!


So Russell, what led you to choose to write in the Mystery genre?

I always enjoy books that have an element of conspiracy to them (like Robert Ludlum's work) and I also like the suspense of "whodunnits" from authors like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. That and too many Hardy Boy adventures growing up. So, it was natural that my books would have elements of both.

Is there a particular author that inspires your writing?

Beyond a doubt, Robert Ludlum. He was literate, wrote smart books for smart people, and incorporated a world-weary sense of fatalism. The conspiracies always rang true. I shoot for that as well, although he set the bar pretty high. You generally don't know all the elements of the story or what the clincher is until the end of the book in his writing, which is tough to do, book after book. Ludlum combined mystery, suspense, intrigue, thriller and conspiracy theory into a potent blend that's never been matched, in my opinion. The other is Trevanian. If you haven't read "Shibumi", you missed an incredible book.

How do your friends and family feel about your writing career?

When I'm not borrowing money? Seriously, they've all been very supportive for which I'm grateful

What do you do to prepare for starting a new book?
First I add the tequila, then some Cointreau, and then the lime. Adding the lime last is key. Some Grand Marnier never hurts, but it's best to be judicious with it. 

Do you prefer e-books or paperbacks?

Used to be paperbacks, but now that I have my Kindle, I can never go back. Too much convenience and the reading experience isn't diminished at all.

What do you want readers to remember most about your work?

I'd hope that they take away a sense of wonder about the underlying conspiracies that I use to frame the scenarios. There's so much veracity to them, I hope they wonder where the truth ends and the fiction begins. If you can achieve that as a writer, I think you've mastered the toughest part of the craft. For me, good fiction involves scratching my head at the end going, "Wow, could that actually be how it really is?"

What are you currently working on?

I finished "King of Swords" in November, which should be coming out shortly. It's a roller coaster of an assassination-scheme book that uses the backdrop of the Mexican drug wars as its canvas. And I've been editing the hell out of "The Delphi Chronicles", which will be a serial trilogy a la "Zero Sum", but revolving around a literary agent who's sent a manuscript exposing a secret about the U.S. government that could collapse the world order. It's set in NY, Las Vegas, Mexico, and Cuba.

I'm currently knee deep writing "The Messiah Cipher", the next installment in the adventures of Dr. Steven Cross (he changes his name halfway through "Zero Sum" from Archer to Cross), involving a Da Vinci Code sort of treasure hunt, and then have a couple more ideas for 2012 - one based on the Saudi oil situation, and another on the China/Africa oil situation.

It's been an extraordinarily productive year for me, as that will make eleven books released in 2011, counting the two non-fiction works. Next year, I'll release "The Messiah Cipher" and maybe two more. I'm never going to have another year like 2011 - all I did for most of the year was write, 12 hours a day. Everyone should try that once. Now I can say I did. Maybe I'll get a t-shirt saying "I survived 11 books in 12 months!"

For more information about author Russell Blake, please visit his website:
http://russellblake.com/

Follow Russell on Twitter @blakebooks and on Facebook.

View author Russell Blake's other books on Amazon.