Author’s Choice with J.L. Calder

Please welcome J.L. to Author’s Choice.

Dear readers, here’s where you get to play along. The author will tell us two truths and one lie (ed comment –I randomized the order). At the end of the questions, we’ll reveal what really happened. Remember, we write crime fiction, so lying is in our nature . . .

Two Truths, One Lie

Truth or Lie? I have no sense of smell.

Truth or Lie? I’ve traveled to over 50 countries researching novel settings .

Truth or Lie? I grew up in a house with a monkey.

Eight Quick Questions

Now for some fun insight into today’s author. Here are eight forced choice questions.

1.          First draft: longhand, keyboard, or dictation? 80% Keyboard+ 20% Dictation, usually while driving,

2.          Plotter, pantser, or plantser (that chaotic middle ground)? PANTS! That’s the joy! Where is this going, what are they going to do next? How do I solve this puzzle! I get bored as soon as I know the answers.

3.          Editing as you go, or vomit draft first and fix it later? Vomit draft in a total fugue state with no memory of what I did.

4.          Writing snack: sweet, salty, or "I forget to eat”? Definitely forget to eat.

5.          Character names: meticulously researched, stolen from real life, or whatever sounds right? I swear they arrive as fully formed people that feel like they’ve always existed. I will, for grins, Google them to see if real people share their names, and do research to make sure the name is age- or culturally appropriate before I commit.

6.          Writing space: coffee shop chaos, library quiet, or home sweet home? My best writing always comes on a plane! But I do far more writing at home than anywhere else.

7.          Writer's block: push through, step away, or "it's not real”? Push through! The beauty of pantsing is you don’t get stuck trying to get somewhere; you can just change directions to where your head is.

8.       Book launch day: celebrate big, feel quiet relief, or hide under the covers? Something between quiet relief and hiding

About the Book

Enough about you, let’s turn to three questions about your book.

Q: If your main character in this novel showed up at your door right now, what would be the first thing they'd say to you (and would it be a complaint)?

A. If Mike showed up at my door right now, I think he’d be on the run, or at least extremely paranoid that he was being followed. I imagine the first thing he’d say is, “Shut the door! And where’s your whiskey?”  Probably with an F-Bomb.

Q: What's one thing you hope readers take away from this book?

A. Someone told me this book has “no clean exits, just consequences.” I hope readers come away asking themselves whether they could make the wrong decisions for the right reasons, or vice versa. And of course, wondering what the rest of the series unpacks!

Q: What question did you want me to ask, and what is your answer? 

A. What, if anything, about your personal experiences found their way into this book?  I grew up with someone who worked in the intelligence community, and so I was taught to be careful, aware, and honestly suspicious that people would try to approach me for information or leverage. That definitely found its way into Mike’s experience and probably taught me to see conspiracies where they aren’t (or are they!?!) I can also credit that with my love of the Washington, DC setting and the fascination with proximity to power. You could say that distrust and secrets are a family tradition.

The Big Reveal

Now let’s see how good a sleuth (or guesser) our readers are. Please reveal all.

The lie is I have no sense of smell (I actually have “super smell” and its such a curse!).

I did actually grow up in a house with a monkey. My mother trained exotic animals for film and television and was one of a small number of people certified to have a menagerie at home. That monkey hated me.  And yes, I love soaking up the world’s texture and letting it find a way into my writing. Usually I start writing a setting first and then build up the unbearable need to go visit the place. Europe and the Middle East are RICH backdrops for writing espionage!

Here’s a blurb for and some links where you can find J.L.'s first in the series:

Book Blurb for DoubleHelix

When his obsession with a woman's murder drags Mike Green into the shadows of espionage, politics, and power, he learns the truth is never safe—and survival is never guaranteed. From the backrooms of Washington power to the shadows of Soviet Kiev, DoubleHelix is a twisting descent into lies, loyalty, and the cost of uncovering the wrong truth.

[Amazon]       [Ingram]       [Bookshop.org (Indy Bookstores)]

Want to know more?

For more information about J.L. Calder www.dwyerstreetpress.com