When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I always enjoyed writing as a student. I became a lawyer and law professor, for which writing was a constant part of my profession.
When I retired from teaching, I didn’t want to give up writing and turned to novels, a very different but rewarding kind of writing. The biggest difference is that in writing a legal treatise, everything has to be absolutely accurate, with extensive footnotes to back it up. There is little room for using one’s imagination.
In writing fiction, I can make up whatever rules, in whatever world, I want. And no footnotes. It’s been quite liberating!
Did you have any influencing writers growing up?
My mother was an avid fan of mysteries, especially detective stories, and she passed that interest on to me. So writers like Ellery Queen, Erle Stanley Gardner, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle became models for my later reading choices and, to some extent, my writing style.
Are any of your characters based on people in real life?
Yes, although not necessarily specific individuals. Especially in my “Mrs. Kaplan” mysteries, which take place in a retirement home, most of the characters are based on people I met the many times I visited the retirement homes in which my parents, as well as my wife’s parents, were living.
More often than not a character in the book is loosely based on traits of more than one person I had met.
Where do you draw your book inspirations from?
It varies. Sometimes there is some incident in my life that triggers a plot in my mind. For example, when my wife and I were building our present home and wanted to use American-made materials as much as possible, such materials were difficult or impossible to find, as almost everything was imported from other countries, mostly China.
I began to wonder what would happen if, for some reason, those countries that we depend on for most of our manufactured goods stopped sending them to us. The result was my novel Made in China, in which just that happens.
And in the case of my story Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death, I got the idea from a joke about drowning in a bowl of soup.
Do you have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?
I usually let the story develop as I go along. I of course have the basic plot in mind, but I don’t necessarily know how it will develop. For example, in Sister-in-Law: Violation, Seduction, and the President of the United States, I knew which way the story was headed, but I hadn’t decided how it was going to end until I had arrived at the climactic moment, and then I had to choose from three possible (and plausible) endings. Fortunately, readers have seemed pleased with the one I chose.
When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?
No, it’s all in my mind. But I certainly picture them there.
Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?
Reading is definitely high on the list, although it depends on what I’m reading.
If I want to relax, the newspaper is definitely out, as are gloom and doom novels, whereas a good cozy mystery with a satisfying ending is a good diversion.
But I also like to relax with various crafts that take my mind off everyday worries, or a game of tennis, a walk, or a bike ride.
Who are your favorite current authors to read?
If “current” doesn’t require they be currently living, my favorite authors include Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Donald Westlake, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and P.G. Wodehouse.
Of those still with us, among my favorites are Alexander McCall Smith and Bill Bryson.
What are your favorite books by others?
Almost any book by Terry Pratchett, especially Reaper Man and Going Postal;
Donald Westlake’s Dortmunder series (which inspired my novel Murder with Strings Attached);
Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series;
nonfiction books by Bill Bryson like At Home and One Summer;
Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy;
Robert Van Gulik’s Judge Dee mysteries;
humorous stories by P.G. Wodehouse;
and mysteries by Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?
Yes, especially my Mrs. Kaplan series. It’s set in a Jewish retirement home, and it’s full of images and characters reminiscent of those I encountered in the several such facilities in which my and my wife’s parents lived toward the end of their lives.
All of my novels take place in cities or regions where I’ve lived or with which I’m familiar.
Do you write in single or multiple POV?
It depends on the novel. My Mrs. Kaplan books are narrated in the first person by Mrs. K’s friend Ida, and Murder with Strings Attached is narrated by the main character, a lady burglar. But other of my books have multiple POV’s.
What do you find to be your best research tool?
The internet is now the easiest to use for research, of course, except when I want to feature an actual location and it’s possible for me to visit it in person.
Before the internet, I used the local library, and I still do for some purposes.
Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?
Most of my books are under my real name. So far, only Sister-in-Law is under my pen name of M. R. Morgan. That’s because it’s so different from my other books, and contains quite a bit of sexual content, that my agent advised me not to use my real name, lest one of my fans pick it up thinking it’s a cozy, which it definitely is not.
What genre do you write and why is this your preference?
I write mostly cozy mysteries and caper crime stories, because they are the genres I most enjoy reading, and because I like to include humor in my novels.
I also write political thrillers, a genre that allows me to comment on what I consider important issues of the day.
Tell me something about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky trait...what led to you being you?
I have many interests, not all of which are always compatible. Perhaps my two most notable interests over the years have been the law and music.
I spent several decades as a lawyer and law professor, which involved writing in several forms (treatises, articles, exams, etc.)
I played clarinet in the Tacoma Concert Band for over 25 years, serving as its Executive Director for much of that time.
But in my “spare time” (when I have any) I play tennis, work on a model railroad, build humorous sculptures out of things like toasters and assorted flotsam and jetsam, ride a bike, hike, and drive my 1995 Morgan Plus 8 roadster. (I have no idea where I find the time for it all.)
My wife and I also like to travel, although the Covid years put a temporary stop to that.
As for how I became me, I think my law training gave me a logical approach to the world, my music training lent a certain rhythm to my life, and my marriage gave me the grounding, stability, and sense of purpose that make all the rest possible.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
I would advise them to write what they feel, not necessarily what they know.
I realize this is contrary to the common advice “write what you know,” but knowledge can be acquired by research. A feeling that a certain topic or story is important and has to be told, and told by you, cannot.
I would also advise them to soldier on regardless of how well or poorly their writing career begins. Many famous writers had to endure rejection after rejection before they achieved success. But the reality is that most writers find only limited popular and financial success, so they should love writing for its own sake as well as its possible tangible rewards.
How do you deal and process negative book reviews?
I read them, but in most cases I then ignore them. As was true for me in teaching, you simply can’t please everyone.
If a negative comment points out an error or makes a helpful suggestion, I appreciate it and try to learn from it. But if someone simply didn’t like my story, I note it and move on.
What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
For me, the most difficult part of writing a novel is at the very beginning: coming up with an original story line.
Once I have a plot in mind about which I’m enthusiastic and which I believe readers will enjoy (and will keep them turning the pages), once I can see the story unfold in my mind, the actual writing generally flows pretty well.
What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you focused?
Nothing really, except quiet and perhaps some classical music in the background.
What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?
I don’t really have any, unless it’s pausing for a while just to listen to music or grab a snack.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose? And why?
That’s a difficult choice to make, but I probably would choose (among living authors) Bill Bryson. From his writing it’s clear he has a good sense of humor, he has traveled widely in places that interest me, and he is interested in examining and explaining the little things in our lives that we tend to take for granted.
What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or drink?
I don’t tend to keep to a schedule when I’m in the midst of writing a story, but I take whatever opportunity I get during the day to compose (or revise) a chapter or two.
My favorite snack is popcorn.
Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of music is your favorite?
Yes, I generally listen to classical music (mostly from Mozart’s era), or to popular music from the 1930’s to 1950’s (ragtime to jazz to rock ‘n roll).
Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
Fortunately, no, although occasionally a neighbor’s barking dog might be a distraction.
What is your kryptonite as a writer? What totally puts you off your game?
Any distractions that make it difficult to concentrate, such as loud background noises or the telephone. And if a problem arises that requires my attention, whatever train of thought I had regarding my story disappears.
Have you ever killed off a character that your readers loved?
I don’t think so. I tend to keep the good characters around for a while. On the other hand, some of the murder victims have been quite lovable, while some deserved their fate.
How do you celebrate after typing THE END?
I think I just sit and stare at the computer screen for a while, and then I go and tell my wife, who has had to put up with my being distracted since Chapter One.
I also take a few days’ break before going back to Chapter One to begin revising. We hold off on the champagne until the story is accepted for publication.
I hope you enjoyed this interview!
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