A Conversation with Mystery and Thriller Author Terry Ambrose

We are delighted to welcome author Terry Ambrose to Omnimystery News today.

Terry's fourth mystery to feature apartment manager Wilson McKenna is Honolulu Hottie (May 2016 ebook format) and we recently had the opportunity to catch up with him to talk more about his books.

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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to your series character, Wilson McKenna.

Photo provided courtesy of
Terry Ambrose

Terry Ambrose: Wilson McKenna, who likes to go by only his last name, is a former skip tracer. His job, when he was working, was to find people who skipped out on their bills. As McKenna puts it, these aren't the people like you and me, not the ones who pay their bills on time, work everyday, or live normal lives. "His people" did their best to avoid their obligations. And consequences? Pfft … those are for the schmucks who get found.

McKenna is joined these days by his PI-wannabe friend, Chance Logan. Chance is a young guy who's had several careers — banking, law school, and even a stint in Hollywood as a leading man. Chance is rich, impressionable, and has a serious Magnum, PI fetish — right down to the hot red Ferrari.

OMN: Honolulu Hottie is the fourth in your series of mysteries. How has McKenna changed over time?

TA: I get bored with a series in which the characters are static. In real life, we all change over time. I believe characters in a book series should also change. Even within a single book, my main characters will undergo some sort of metamorphosis. In the first Trouble in Paradise mystery, Photo Finish, McKenna started out as a man broken by his past. It wasn't until he became involved in a murder investigation that he found himself. By the end of the book, he'd been scammed, threatened, and nearly killed. Having his world thrown into turmoil made McKenna realize he didn't have to be ruled by his past. From then on, he's been getting stronger.

In Honolulu Hottie, he's enjoying life and looking forward to a new relationship. He's learned he has a talent for tracking killers and is even mentoring his new friend Chance Logan. The problem for McKenna will be if he becomes too cocky … but that's another story.

OMN: Into which genre would you place your series?

TA: The Trouble in Paradise McKenna Mysteries are a blend of thriller and cozy. I've taken to calling them "cozy thrillers." I know it's not a typical description, but the cozy sub-genre has so many different niches these days, I figured there might as well be one more.

OMN: How would you tweet a summary of Honolulu Hottie?

TA: McKenna and his PI wannabe sidekick match wits with a killer to save a decorated war veteran #mystery #thriller http://terryambrose.com/books/honolulu-hottie/

OMN: Describe your writing process for us.

TA: My writing process is one of continual expansion. It all begins with a core issue. For instance, it was veterans-benefit scams in Honolulu Hottie. Once I knew I would be writing about how veterans were being ripped off by con men, I began work on "the plan." The plan includes a very short synopsis and what screenwriters call a "beat sheet." This gives me an overall sense of the pacing for the book and who the major characters will be.

I always like to know who the main catalyst will be. For instance, in Photo Finish, it was a beautiful blonde who was scamming McKenna. In Honolulu Hottie, it was a decorated Korean war veteran who butted into the investigation at the most inopportune times.

As the story develops, I begin developing ancillary characters. I've become really fond of finding out the character's zodiac sign first, then picking traits for that sign. It's a fun way to learn who I'll be writing about because I have to write to fit those traits. On several occasions, those traits have been very different from what I would have devised on my own.

I write in Scrivener, which I believe is the best tool available to novelists. This lets me create scenes based on the beat sheet and the synopsis. Each "beat" has a theme or core purpose. Once I know what each scene is all about, I'll write a first draft. I typically keep going through the novel and don't do much revision until I get to the end, at which time I'll know everything that will happen in the novel — including who the killer is (and yes, I've been surprised before). This is when I can go back, add in missing clues, red herrings, descriptions, and other details.

The entire process is very fluid and allows for huge changes, but at the same time, it's very restrictive because I can't just throw in something totally unrelated without dealing with it in the plan.

OMN: How true are you to the settings of the stories?

TA: The Trouble in Paradise series is set in Hawai'i, so setting is a very strong factor. I do not intentionally take liberties with the setting and research to ensure I'm accurate. Hawai'i is a very colorful place, not only in terms of the physical environment, but also the food, the language, and the history. I try to bring in all of those factors when I write. My goal is to create a virtual trip to the islands with each book.

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Terry Ambrose writes the Trouble in Paradise McKenna Mystery series, and the License to Lie Thriller series. Terry has been nominated for multiple awards and won the 2014 San Diego Book Awards for Best Action/Thriller.

For more information about the author, please visit his website at TerryAmbrose.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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Honolulu Hottie by Terry Ambrose

A Wilson McKenna Mystery

Publisher: Terry Ambrose

When a con man dies, no one cares…except his killer …

Apartment manager Wilson McKenna's day tanks when the cops accuse an old friend of killing a ruthless Honolulu scammer. McKenna hates to break the "no more amateur sleuthing" promise he made to his new girlfriend, but his buddy is desperate. He's got no alibi. Made threats against the dead man. And, his gun was the murder weapon. Talk about a guy with big trouble.

McKenna turns to his private-investigator tenant, Chance Logan, for help. Too late, McKenna discovers Chance isn't really a PI. Now, McKenna's stuck with an investigation he doesn't want, is mentoring a PI-wannabe, and hiding it all from his girlfriend.

A string of shattered lives — and suspects — lie in the dead man's wake. Can McKenna and Chance find a cagey killer who's always one step ahead? Or, will a dead con man ruin another life?

— Honolulu Hottie by Terry Ambrose