by Marc A. DiGiacomo
We are delighted to welcome novelist Marc A. DiGiacomo as our guest, courtesy of Partners in Crime Tours, which is coordinating his current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find his tour schedule here.
Marc's new mystery, the first in a series, is In a Small Town (Infinity Publishing, October 2012 trade paperback and ebook formats).
Today Marc tells us what he believes makes for a good mystery.
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What makes for a good mystery … and why I enjoy reading and writing them.
Photo provided courtesy of
Marc A. DiGiacomo
This is an important question especially for me since In a Small Town is my first novel. Of course there must be suspense. Without it, you better find a different career. Keeping your reader engaged throughout the story is a very difficult task. It is not something just anyone can perfect. It is a process, requiring practice and you guessed it more writing. An idea can pop up at anytime causing you to scramble for a pen and paper. If you lose it, unfortunately it might not return. This has happened to me more than once. That is why I travel with index cards. I bring them everywhere. The back pocket of my jeans is like a tiny office. I am sure there is a better way but this works for me. Every once in a while I get stabbed by a pen but that is part of the deal. You can't finish a manuscript without bleeding at least once in one way or another. Paper cuts are excruciating.
The characters you create have a direct influence on the plot of the story. They don't all need to be mysterious but you have to be able to create subtle differences that make the reader keep guessing as to who done it. I admit, I am still learning how to do this as flawless as possible. It is extremely challenging. But when the story comes together right in front of your eyes. It can be overwhelming. I read my novel over and over again. I think I read it almost one hundred times. Re-writes are crucial to its success. I can't remember exactly how many times I changed the plot but it was quite often. But the finished product, after editors scrutinize every comma and word usage, is nothing short of spectacular.
There is nothing better than reading a great book in your home or at the beach. I love to read but with three young boys running around, it is difficult. I try when they go to sleep but find myself falling into a coma. As for the beach, I always bring a book but somehow end up buried in the sand. My eyes are glued to my sons as they boogie board all around me. I try not to think about what is crawling in my ears. I feel like I am surrounded by readers wearing their straw beach hats and caps. I envy these people. Yeah, eventually I will have my time to sit and read.
Mysteries and thrillers are my favorite books to read. Anything with a serial killer is right up my alley. When I was a detective, I never had the opportunity to investigate a serial killer. Once I got close. After watching Silence of the Lambs, you would think there was one in every neighborhood. It was my dream from college. Luckily, I never confronted something that evil although a few of my investigations definitely involved sociopaths. These people are so scary because they have no conscious. Normalcy doesn't exist in their world. They thrive on narcism. You never know who you will meet In a Small Town. I am currently finishing up the second book which is a sequel. I hope to have it out by the Summer of 2013.
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Marc A. DiGiacomo is a retired and highly decorated police detective who worked for an affluent community within the State of New York. He has worked with numerous police agencies at the local, county, state and federal levels on various investigative assignments. He currently resides in New York with his wife and three children.
To learn more about Marc and his work, visit his website at InASmallTownBook.com or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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In a Small Town
Marc A. DiGiacomo
The shotgun blast catches Detective Matthew Longo by surprise. His world unravels into a nightmare that seemingly won't end. Murder, rapes, pedophiles, the small town of Hutchville, N.Y. is changing. It is up to him to make a difference.
While partner Donny Mello is in Italy attending a funeral for a family member who is connected, to say the least, a beautiful F.B.I. agent waits to question him about his family business. Can Matt keep from answering the Agent's questions? More importantly, can he hide a potentially career-ending secret from his community, his brother, and most especially Agent Cynthia Shyler?
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