True Crime

Today I have a guest. Fellow writer Gina Fava had this wonderful idea of a blog exchange. Yesterday she hosted me at her blog, and today she's sharing some thoughts with us about True Crime:



True Crime

Two great things happened this weekend that coincided perfectly to produce this post:

1. My author colleague and friend, J.H. Bográn, asked me to guest post this week on his blog, and
2. I'm fresh off attending the 2012 New England Crime Bake.

How do these two events mesh?
When I first met J.H. Bográn a couple years ago (we'd both attended Thrillerfest V), I learned that he is the son of a journalist.  But where his mother would have the opportunity to write about true crime at every turn, the readers of J.H. Bográn's superb short stories and novels will tell you that he prefers to stick to fiction.
After attending a panel at the New England Crime Bake this past weekend entitled,  "Truth is Stranger than Fiction:  Writing True Crime," it got me to thinking as a writer, why not consider the true crime genre? 
How about these gems: 

• The Monster of Florence, by novelist Douglas Preston and journalist Mario Spezi, about a real-life serial killer who murdered couples in the Tuscan countryside,
• Lie After Lie, by news reporter and criminal defense investigator Lara Bricker, about a woman whose husband fatally poisons her over time by slipping antifreeze into her Gatorade,
• Finding Amy, by novelist and true crime writer, Kate Flora, a 2007 Edgar nominee,
• Betrayal:  Whitey Bulger and the FBI Agent Who Fought to Bring Him Down, by Robert Fitzpatrick (the FBI agent) with Jon Land.  (Learn more about Boston mobster Whitey Bulger and his girlfriend at http://www.ginafava.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/fugitive-thrillers.)

While many true crime books are based on murder cases, others delve into abductions, robberies, arsons, and political scandal.  Many stories spring from recent headlines.  Some are based on years of research into a historical case.  Aside from the intrigue that drips from the pages, lessons in FBI criminal profiling, national security, and child welfare also may be gleaned from the facts. 
The genre is factual, and legal fact-checking is a priority, so self-publishing in this realm may prove disastrous for anyone inclined to do so, as the integrity of real life victims as well as the rights of those who've committed the crimes are in play.  It's recommended to seek a traditional publisher in this vein of writing.
If you have a background in journalism, law, or criminal justice, true crime stories may be already be part of your genetic code.  I'm not sure if I have J.H. Bográn convinced to write them, but I'm certain that he's already a fan.  Either way, I'm grateful to my friend and colleague for letting me visit today, and it's been great connecting with all of his readers.  Be sure to stop by Gina Fava's Blog anytime to say hello.  Have you tried your hand at true crime writing?  Are there movies or books based in true crime that you'd like to share?

About Gina Fava:

Born in Buffalo, NY, and living in New England, Gina Fava has written award-winning short stories, and is working to publish two suspense thrillers based in Rome, Italy.  An active member of MWA, ITW, and SinC, she's also a Formula One fan and an avid blogger, and she loves to research first-hand the Italian reds that her characters imbibe. Learn more at http://www.ginafava.com/
 

Guest blogging elsewhere...follow me!

Today I'm blogging at Gina Fava's.

http://ginafava.wordpress.com/

I guess you can quote me on that. LOL

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing

My Friend D. Krauss tagged me with these questions. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: why do I still call him a friend, right?
Here’s my reasoning. I was bored, my blog needed a new post— it’s been a while, and besides, when I read the questions I thought they’d be fun.

What is the working title of your book?
Now that’s a tricky question. The current title is “Highland Creek,” but my editor has made it clear we have to change it. So what is it going to be called when it is released? At this point, your guess is as good as mine.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
To explain the where the idea came from I must first tell you the book is about a former member of the FDNY who lost his family in an air accident. Now he´s trying to piece his life back together. He gets a last-chance job investigating insurance fraud, but of course, being a thriller, he soon finds himself in danger.
The original idea for the main plot dealt with the Nigerian scams (yes, we all get those emails), but that concept was scraped in one of the early revisions.

What genre does your book fall under?
Are you asking if it is suspense, action-adventure or thriller?  All of the above, hopefully. Of course, there is a bit of romance mingled in there.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Jason Statham could play the lead, if he can manage to lose the Brit accent. Jennifer Connelly for the female lead. The bad guy, I’d propose Gael García Bernal.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Former firefighter and widower Sebastian Martin enters a new job investigating fraud but ends up strapped to a chair enduring torture at the hands of a former KGB trainee.
Phew, that was tough!

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Highland Creek, or whatever the title will be at the time, will be released by Rebel E-Publishers. They are an up and coming publisher who accepts un-agented authors.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I wrote the first chapter in 2006, the finally typed THE END in 2010. Don’t worry, the book is not overly long, it just happened that life got in the way of my daily goals.

You don´t believe me? Look at the NANOWRIMO patch:

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The damaged hero is reminiscent of James Bond after becoming a widower in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, or the first half of Lewis Perdue’s Daughter of God or even Ken Follett’s Triple. Did I mention my book is a thriller?

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The book’s underlying theme is “second chances.” This will be my second novel length work in English, thus my second chance at it. I found inspiration in my desire to become a better writer, device more complicated plots, and last but not least, to finish the damn thing.

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

Exotic locations! Half the book’s story happens in different cities of Honduras, however, many of those places are viewed from a foreigner’s perspective. It was quite tricky to take every-day landscapes into exotic locations. Well, not really. The place is beautiful to begin with.

The new tags are:

Tami Parrington

Gina Fava

Iam Cupnjava

Ian Barker

Rachel Cole

And here are the rules:

* Give credit to the person / blog that tagged you
* Post the rules for the blog hop
*Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog
*Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.