with Andy Straka
We are delighted to welcome novelist Andy Straka to Omnimystery News today.
Andy's latest novel is the first in the "Dragonflies" series of sci-fi thrillers, Dragonflies: Shadow of Drones (LLW Media; May 2013 ebook formats) and we recently had a chance to chat with him about it.
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Omnimystery News: You've written both stand-alone and series books. How do you decide when you start a new book whether or not it will be a series title?
Photo provided courtesy of
Andy Straka
Andy Straka: For me, whether or not a book becomes the first in a series depends on my conception of the main character and how well I relate to that character's voice. If it's a voice that continues to resonate with me after the book is completed then I'll consider going on to write more books featuring that character.
OMN: Your books have been labeled general mystery, suspense, thriller, and hard-boiled. How do you think of them?
Although initially tagged as hardboiled, my writing is usually pretty accessible to those who might normally consider their crime fiction on the softer-boiled side. I don't like to dwell on violence, for example, but I won't shirk from portraying the seamier side of life if that's what the story requires. I'm focused on telling the best story of which I'm capable, however it may be categorized.
OMN: Tell us something about the book that isn't mentioned in the publisher's synopsis.
AS: Dragonflies: Shadow of Drones is the first book I've written with a female lead character. The voice is quite different from that of my Pavlicek novels, but I'm hopeful that it will eventually begin to resonate with readers as we get deeper into the series.
OMN: Describe your writing process.
AS: Each story is different. After several novels, I've developed a system that combines a lot of these techniques.
OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience have you incorporated into your books?
AS: Everything I write reflects my experience. I'm a licensed falconer, for example, so I know a little bit about flying and birds, which is reflected in my Pavlicek novels. That being said, when it comes to the new Dragonflies series, I've never served in the military and I've never flown a drone. I am passionate about both, however, and I've relied on intensive research and expert interviews.
OMN: Tell us a little more about that research. What was your most challenging topic, or exciting topic, to research?
AS: Most challenging: DNA exoneration for Record of Wrongs. Most exciting: Falconry and now drones. I'm continually fascinated by the concept of flight in both its natural and man-made manifestations. I believe drones — micro-drones in particular — will change our world in the next few decades. Right now the focus is on the military and wars overseas, but very soon the arena will begin to shift to all areas of society. And it's no accident that a drone's design is most often in some way patterned after the natural world, birds and insects in particular. Will they become beautiful, functioning parts of our environment? Will they be predatory? Nature may offer us clues.
OMN: How true are you to the settings of your books?
AS: I try to be as true to the actual geography and local environment as I can. More and more my books are becoming centered around the greater Washington, D.C. area, which is the area in which I live. "Governopolis," as I like to call it, is an increasingly fascinating place to be.
OMN: What actress do you see best fitting the part of Raina Sanchez?
AS: I'd have to say Angelina Jolie for Dragonflies because at least one publisher has told me that such an image is guaranteed to increase the male audience. Being a happily married man, I wouldn't know about such things, however. :)
OMN: What is the best advice — and harshest criticism — you've received as an author?
AS: Best advice: Never give up and never stop writing. Harshest criticism: That I've not paid enough attention to a particular detail. Sometimes these things will awaken me in the night. What have you learned, or can others learn, from either? Pay close attention to the details.
OMN: What kinds of questions to most enjoy receiving from your readers?
AS: I love answering questions about falconry, drones, and other technical aspects of my books. I've been accused of being too geekish at times. When I see people's eyes begin to glaze over, my "TMI" gauge usually registers a red warning signal and I stop. This same passion, however, also drives my writing.
OMN: What kinds of books do you most enjoy reading?
AS: History, thrillers, science and speculative fiction. I fell in love with crime fiction in college, which is what eventually led me to the type of books I write today.
OMN: What are some of your hobbies or outside interests?
AS: Hunting with my hawk, hiking, reading, all of which have found their way into my books.
OMN: What's next for you?
AS: I'm off to Italy later this month then looking forward to finishing up — with my new co-author Durrell Nelson — the next Dragonflies novel, which we hope to have out as another original ebook around the beginning of the year. Next year will also see the publication of a new Pavlicek novel, The K Street Hunting Society (in March), as well as the re-issue, in trade paperback, of my entire backlist (from Cedar Creek publishing).
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Andy has worked as a book editor, movie production accommodation agent, commercial building owner and consulting vice president for a large specialty physician's practice, surgical implant and pharmaceutical sales representative, college textbook sales and manuscript acquisition representative, web offset press paper jogger, laborer on a city road crew, summer recreation youth director, camp counselor, youth basketball coach, assistant parts manager at an auto dealership, assistant manager at a McDonald's restaurant, and even been registered as a private investigator. (Not to mention a longstanding stint as a stay-at-home Dad to six, which makes neurosurgery look like tiddlywinks.)
A licensed falconer and co-founder of the popular Crime Wave at the annual Virginia Festival of the Book, Andy is a native of upstate New York and a graduate of Williams College where, as co-captain of the basketball team, he "double-majored" in English and the crossover dribble. He lives with his family in Virginia.
Learn more about Andy and his work on his website AndyStraka.com or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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Dragonflies: Shadow of Drones
Andy Straka
The Dragonflies Series
Out to seek justice for their comrades-in-arms, a former Army helicopter pilot and the soldier who saved her life find themselves drawn instead into a web of government intrigue and peering micro drones.
Raina Sanchez is plagued by nightmares. She can't erase the memories of being shot down in Afghanistan, of losing her foot in the crash, and the death of her commanding officer. When asked by an ex-military contact to participate in a secret drone operation with ties to the war, she jumps at the chance to exorcise some of her demons.
She joins Tye Palmer, the decorated ex-infantryman who rescued her from the flaming wreckage of her Kiowa chopper. As civilian private investigators, together they embark on a sensitive, risky effort: using cutting-edge, micro air vehicle drones in an attempt to expose the son of media mogul Nathan Kurn as a campus rapist.
But as Raina and Tye come closer to the truth about Kurn and his powerful allies, Raina's loyalties take a potential detour when she begins to understand a chilling reality. In a world where surveillance devices as small as tiny insects are being piloted into places most would never imagine, public and private forces both large and small are maneuvering to control them with inevitable consequences. For Raina and Tye the danger didn't end when they finished their military careers — the threat has just begun.
