the issue and no one on any side escapes unscathed. Through that we can view what’ s going on today on the same issue, which is all over the news. And we also get to know more about Duke and Jack as individuals. I think in this book we get to see closer inside their complex friendship, learn why their bond is so strong and what makes them both tick and click together.
What do you see as the main inspiration for your novels?
A lot of my fiction, whether short stories or novels, uses a real life jumping off point, such as the riots or Prop 187. Broken Windows deals with the illegal alien / undocumented worker issue( depending which side you’ re on) in the form of another noir-thriller. And, of course, this is an issue that was very hot when the story takes place in the 1990s and maybe even hotter today. So, while trying to find the murderer, Duke and Jack have to navigate the dangerous shoals of the whole immigration“ war” going on around them.
And your characters?
My characters are often fish out of water, not in the silly sense that you take a country bumpkin and put him in the big city. But in that their world is rapidly changing around them and it’ s difficult for them to adapt. In their song Out of Time the Rolling Stones sing“ You’ re obsolete my baby, My poor old-fashioned baby … you’ re out of time.” And though that song is about a relationship the words can easily be applied to many of my characters, particularly Duke and Jack. They’ re all on this whirlpool of a ride where the floor drops out and they have to figure out how to get their bearings, while trying to find the killer or killers. So they are obsolete and‘ out of time’ in more ways than one.
How do you choose the settings for your stories?
Author S. W. Lauden said of my work,“ I loved how the action bounced around Southern California, almost as if the region was one of the main characters.” And that’ s how I like to think of it – that the locations are another character in the stories. Not everything I write is set in L. A., but much of it is and Los Angeles certainly informs my writing. I grew up here and I’ ve seen it change a lot since I was a kid. I think all this rapid change causes problems for some people and some kind of emotional displacement. And it certainly does for my characters, who have to deal with the changing nature of the city( and by extension the country) while also dealing with the everyday issues of life and, of course, solving the crime.
One last comment from a reviewer?
Since the book isn’ t out yet there really aren’ t any reviews except for this one on NetGalley from Karin C:
“ Outstanding sequel to White Heat! This story grabbed me from the opening paragraph. I wondered how the author would tie together the 3 storylines but he connected the dots in a way I never saw coming. Perfectly plotted and descriptive of a period of time in the LA area that I had forgotten but shouldn’ t have. I really like this main character and his sidekick. This book tells the story of a young wom-
SUMMER 2018
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WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE