Father O'Fallon has been murdered, and police officer Jacinta Perez is arrested and charged. Detective Matt Gunnison, however, is not convinced and with the help of Susan, an ex-nun, he discovers a fascinating link between the priest's death and the death of a child 25 years ago. Will Matt be able to solve both murders? See video: http://t.co/H1siZOg
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
I would say that it was both my high school English teacher as well as my English professor in my first year as a university freshman. My high school teacher introduced me to great American literature while my professor taught me the value of writing clearly.
2. How did you come up with your idea for An Innocent Murdered?
This idea came to me about 12 years ago or so when the media was filled with stories about pedophile priests. I felt that the vast majority of priests who would never harm a child were being wrongfully mixed in with those evil men, and I wanted a story that would show what would happen if an innocent priest was murdered because of this. I put this story aside after writing it because the subject matter was rather delicate. I rewrote the novel about 13 months ago where I hardly gave any information of a child molestation incident and focused An Innocent Murdered entirely on the murder itself.
3. What expertise did you bring to your writing?
When I wrote my first draft many years ago I had been consulting with a full-time detective who gave me great insight into police procedure. I am also an intense researcher and went through great effort to make my novel as authentic as possible.
4. What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I would like them to know that I have experience in a wide array of endeavors. I was a college graduate, a chemical engineer, an advertising copywriter, a university lecturer, a market research analyst, a statistician, a magazine editor, an actor in community theater, a widely published article writer, a workshop presenter, a marketing consultant, a paid tutor in an elementary school, a published poet, and a past president of two major writing clubs—one in California and one in Kansas.
5. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I have a new historical novel coming out in March, 2012 called Angels at Sunset. It will be my best work yet and I’d like to tell you more about it if you will go to my blog at www(DOT)TomMach(DOT)com & click on the “Contact Me” button. I hope you will visit me there.
6. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
I would like to be Detective Matt Gunnison, the main character in my novel. While he is an insightful detective, good at what he does, he cannot wipe away a horrible event from his past—AND he has compassion. We always think of detectives as being tough and pushy…and while Matt is that, of course, he also has a wonderfully empathetic soul.
7. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Here are two excerpts—
In this first one, Father O’Fallon is about to be murdered by a revengeful woman….
Still facing the wall, the priest began to sob. “Can’t we talk about this?”
She slipped the Smith & Wesson into her pocket and removed a knife from her bag. “There’s nothing to talk about, you son of a bitch.”
He dropped his hands for a moment. “Please let me at least say a prayer.”
“Go ahead and beg for God’s mercy, you pervert!”
He made the sign of the cross with his crucifix. “Oh my God,” he muttered, “I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee.”
His squeal vibrated across the room as she slashed his throat. After his body slumped to the floor, she plunged the knife into his abdomen. He made a gagging sound from his throat as if he were drowning in his own blood. She plunged the knife into him again. And again. And again.
In this next one, Detective Matt, upset at the discovery of a murdered child, goes to
a church to be alone with his grief. His friend Susan, a former nun with whom he had been sexually intimate, spots him there…
Oh God! He felt like a dam inside of him had just burst and he began to weep. Oh God, how can You expect me to pray to You when You allow these things to happen? Where is Your goodness, Your kindness?
“Matt darling?” The voice was familiar. He looked up and saw Susan seated next to him the pew. She didn’t attempt to hide her look of concern. “Are you all right?” she asked.
“How did you find me? I wanted to be alone.”
“I’m sorry. Want me to leave?”
“No, that’s all right.”
“The man at the hotel desk said you asked him for directions to the nearest church, so that’s where I thought you’d be.” She offered him a Kleenex tissue.
“Hey, I’m all right,” he said, embarrassed that she had seen him cry.
“This is a good place to go when you’re in a lot pain,” she said wistfully.
“Yeah. I guess it is.”
8. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
Yes, I belong to a critique group. There’s usually about five or six of us present—and all of us write fiction. I find a critique group useful in that often one or two comments about my work may arise that gives me food for thought. I don’t feel compelled to accept all their suggestions but am always on a lookout for that one inspiration observation they might make.
9. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
Actually, I rewrote this novel as my assignment for writing a novel in 30 days through National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org) but I had to spend the next year rewriting and rewriting it. (At least it motivated me to get started.) As far as submitting my work, I had confidence that I could test it as an eBook before I’d go into paperback.
1 10. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
My worst advice occurred many years ago when I decided to write articles for publication. One woman read one of my articles and told me I didn’t have any talent. (By the way she never submitted one of her own articles for publication!) I took that as a challenge and went on to publish in Woman’s Day, Jack & Jill, and Writer’s Digest (which made the cover story for that publication) I also became a much-in-demand stringer for a newspaper chain.
My best advice came from a priest I knew back in San Jose, California. He had a large banner outside his church that said “Never Give Up,” and he’d preach about that as well. A high school teacher was also influential as his favorite saying was “Do the best you can with what you’ve got.” I never forgot those two principles.
11. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
For my short stories I have a general outline but I don’t make it too specific as I like the story to unfold as I’m writing it. For my novels, however, I write a synopsis but I don’t hold myself rigidly to it. Typically, when my characters come alive they write the story for me and I feel at some point that I’m a stenographer taking notes. People have told me repeatedly how alive my characters are. That’s because I visualize them as real, three-dimensional folks and not as figures that I’m forcing them to become.
12. How do you maintain your creativity?
Music is a great help mate to me. Sometimes it frees up my mind and allows me to focus on my deepest thoughts and emotion. I also use tricks such as asking myself “What if” questions. In my short story about Lincoln (which appears in Stories To Enjoy) I asked myself, “What if it were possible to go back to Ford’s Theater in April 14, 1865? Would someone be able to prevent the assassination?
13. Who is another favorite character in your book. Can you tell us why?
Another one of my favorite characters in An Innocent Murdered would be Jacinta Perez, who is accused of murdering the priest. She is unable to convince anyone of her innocence and worries about what will happen to her two young children if she goes to jail.
14. Anything else you might want to add?
I would like to invite people to subscribe to my future blogs posted on www(DOT)TomMach(DOT)com. Also, I would greatly appreciate receiving a review from folks who read An Innocent Murdered.
