Next Big Thing

THE NEXT BIG THING

Holly West tagged me last week to be on the Next Big Thing blog event. Holly has had several short stories come out this year and her novel Diary of Bedlam (which will be the Next Big Thing) is represented by Kimberley Cameron & Associates.

The basic idea of the Next Big Thing is to answer the questions below about a current book or project and then tag other up and coming writers who will have answer the same questions on December 19. I've chosen Craig Faustus Buck, Stephen Buehler, Sarah Chen, and Laurie Stevens.   

Here it goes.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I had the idea for The Prodigal Detective when I was living up in Berkeley. Specifically, I felt like I was reading yet another book about an ex-cop turned PI (same with ex-military turned PI). I wanted to start with somebody fresher who wasn't jaded and cynical. Somebody in his early twenties who was still had an optimistic view of the world... and then through a series of books, I would have the character become more world weary as each case darkens the horizons. Eventually he'd become a stereotypical hard-drinking, chain-smoking American PI. I want the reader to go on the turbulent journey that my character Jason Lawson goes through.

What genre does your book fall under?

Mystery/Crime Fiction. It is boiled a little on the hard side.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Not Shia LeBeouf.

At least in the lead as Jason Lawson. I have some drug dealers Mr. LeBeouf could play. I would like a fresh-faced actor not too many people have seen, but has great skill. He has to be strong and able to stand toe to toe with his father, but vulnerable when he is alone with self-doubt. The character is 21, so it would be an actor in his twenties. Perhaps Joseph Gordon Levitt, but I feel he is too big now.


That lead actor playing Jason would be contrasted to his larger-than-life father, Harry Lawson. The man dominates everyone around him, even after a stroke. Jack Nicholson comes to mind even though he is ten older than Harry.

For a couple of other roles Paulina Gaitan from Sin Nombre as a friend of the murdered and Jason’s love interest and John C. Reilly as a petty co-worker who is jealous that Jason has returned to the agency. There are many more meaty roles waiting to be had for the screen adaptation.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Jason Lawson does not want to be a private eye, but after his father suffers a stroke he leaves college to help out at the family owned detective agency, where he takes on a case believing that his client is guilty.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I plan to send it out to agents in the immediate future.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

A year, give or take. The first draft was epic, sort of James Ellroy meets Michael Connelly. I had so much to say about LA: the 1980s, music, traffic, etc. It came in at over 120k words. After several edits, it is now down to a lean 78k.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

An editor compared my writing to Robert Crais, which is super flattering. I feel that Michael Connelly's Bosch books might look similar if you squint real hard and turn your head to the side.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The first draft was written in Berkeley after I had moved there from LA. I had some bitter feelings about the city that I let out on the page. Now that I’m back in town, I like LA much better. As mentioned above, I wanted to see a character who wasn't an ex-cop or vet. Also, I wanted to push the idea of somebody who didn't want to be a PI, but was doing it as a family obligation and eventually it would become their way of life.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

The story is set in 1981. I see the eighties as a turning point in US culture. Reagan has assumed the presidency, the cold war rhetoric is loud, materialism is lauded, hippies have vanished, disco is dying and being replaced by New Wave and MTV, and the cocaine trade is booming with violence yet to come.

That's it! Be sure to check out Laurie Stevens, Stephen Buehler, Sarah Chen, and Craig Faustus Buck next week for their Next Big Thing entries. Also check out my novella Lost in Clover which just came out in November. You can find it at http://tsrichardson.com/Clover.html.

Thank you for stopping by!

PS I haven't touched this blog in a few years, but I'm going to try to keep posts up in 2013.