with Rick Gangraw
We are delighted to welcome back suspense novelist Rick Gangraw to Omnimystery News today.
Rick last visited with us earlier this year to tell us about his award-winning debut murder mystery, and we're pleased to note that his stand-alone novel of suspense, Deathly Silent (White Feather Press; October 2013 trade paperback and ebook formats) has just been published.
We recently had a chance to chat with the author about his new book.
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Omnimystery News: Why did you choose to write Deathly Silent as a stand-alone?
Photo provided courtesy of
Rick Gangraw
Rick Gangraw: So far, I haven't written a recurring character, since both of my novels are completely unrelated. I've been surprised that several people have asked when the sequel to my first novel will be out, so I guess I should think about writing one. However, I have a couple of other stories in the works now, so a sequel will have to wait a bit longer. My next two novels will also be completely unrelated stories with no recurring characters. There are certainly some characters that I enjoyed writing about, and would have fun putting them through some additional adventures, but that will have to wait until I get past the next few books I'm working on.
OMN: We called your first book a "murder mystery" and your new book a "novel of suspense". How do you think of them? And do you find this kind of labeling too restrictive?
RG: So far, my novels have been in the Mystery/Suspense genre, and that's an easy way to label them so people know exactly what they're getting. I honestly don't mind this labeling for these two books, but I could foresee some challenges trying to categorize some ideas I have for future novels. The label "General Fiction" doesn't seem very descriptive, but people often want a specific genre to know if the book is something they would be interested in reading. There are advantages to fitting in to a genre label, but it can be a challenge for the author when the story really doesn't apply to a specific genre.
OMN: Tell us something about Deathly Silent that isn't mentioned in the synopsis.
RG: The story was loosely based on an incident that happened in 1971 in Illinois, but the victim of the injustice didn't come back for revenge in real life. My main character does carry out vengeful actions the way I would have planned it if that had been me. So if you see me in a beard, like my main character, don't accept any food or drinks from me. You just might end up going through … never mind.
OMN: You mentioned how you imagined your character might act if you were he. But have you actually included any of your own personal experiences in your books?
RG: Actually, I put a lot of my personal traits in many of my characters, and have included some of my wife's charm in a few characters as well. My first novel started out as a family vacation for my wife and I, including some of the beautiful scenery of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the winter, but I added in a few murders to make the vacation a bit more interesting to mystery readers. So yes, some of my characters are indeed based on real people, and many of the situations are based on real events.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?
RG: Study writing techniques on character development, plot development, effective dialog, etc.; learn from mistakes and move on; have thick skin and take good constructive criticism (even if someone calls your baby "ugly"); keep trying to improve your writing skills; just keep writing because some people say the first million words don't count and your writing will improve.
OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process.
RG: I'm a logical thinker, so I have to plan it out in advance. I first come up with the idea for the plot and characters in my head and see if it could develop into a 30-40 chapter story. If I think it can, I outline a brief summary of what each of the 30+ chapters could be about. Once that is in place and I feel there is actually an intriguing novel to be written, I pick a chapter that interests me and I write that chapter. It could be the first one, it could be the last one, or it could be one in the middle. Then over a period of time, I try to write a first draft of each of the chapters (not necessarily in order, since each chapter is a standalone "act"). The story doesn't always turn out exactly how I initially envisioned it, but that's OK because it fascinates me to see how a character might develop from start to finish. When a draft of each chapter is complete, I polish each one with the finishing touches and make sure there are no problems with the story, characters, dialog, etc as I review/update/touch up the individual chapters. I don't mind adding new characters as I put on the finishing touches (if the story needs an additional character), and there's a possibility of deleting characters and scenes if they don't help move the story along. Usually the final version is similar to my original plan, but I like seeing how some of the initial ideas evolved into something different. It's like watching your child grow up.
OMN: And where might we find you while you're writing?
RG: I prefer a well-lit room with a window so I can look outside periodically, as well as a comfortable chair that I can sink into with a laptop. I don't mind getting distracted by the sky, clouds, ocean, river, lake, etc. because sometimes I need that after typing for an hour or more. My most productive writing seems to be when I travel alone and am in a hotel room. My first novel was written mostly from a hotel room outside of London, while my second novel was partially written in a hotel in New Orleans and completed in Helsinki, Finland with a foot of snow covering everything. I wrote most of a historical fiction while staying in Shanghai, China, and hope to finish that one later next year. The current novel was started at a hotel in Washington DC, and I've been working on it from my hotel in Warwick, England this week. The common thread is that I've spent the day sightseeing or something else, then came back to the hotel to relax by the window to write. Strange, eh?
OMN: You mentioned plenty of countries in your previous answer. If you could travel anywhere in the world to research the storyline for a new book, where would that be?
RG: I have not been to Australia, so that area appeals to me for some reason. Some of the unique animals, as well as the Great Barrier Reef would be worth seeing. I've heard that there are over 250,000 living things that can kill you, so that makes it even more intriguing.
OMN: Do you set your novels in real locations?
RG: My first two novels are set in fictitious towns, but they are both based on real cities. I just took the liberty of using the details from the real cities and put them into my newly created cities. Anyone who is familiar with Gulliver Lake in the UP of Michigan would recognize almost everything I describe in my first novel, from the Seul Choix Pointe lighthouse to the main street and old Lutheran Church in Manistique, MI to the old restaurant on the lake.
OMN: For entertainment, what kinds of films do you enjoy watching?
RG: Surprisingly, my favorite movies seem to be historical fiction that may be based on real events, such as Braveheart, Dances With Wolves, The Patriot, Gladiator, and The Last Samurai to name a few. I guess something common in each of these is the fact that the main characters are perhaps ordinary men faced with a major upheaval in their lives, and they each deal with it heroically, often tragically. I think the emotion I felt from watching these movies was overwhelming as I put myself in their situations, and I'll never forget those feelings. Any writer or movie producer that can do that to me is worthy of my attention. I would certainly like to write a novel that could bring out those same feelings for someone, so it's a goal I'm striving to achieve.
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Rick Gangraw is the award winning author of Secrets in the Ice, a murder mystery set in Upper Michigan in the winter. He lives with his wife on the East coast of Florida and wishes they could spend more time at his family's cabin on a lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He has traveled to over twenty-six different countries and has visited almost all fifty states in the US. When he's not dabbling in fiction, he enjoys sports, hiking, kayaking, camping, and researching his family history.
For more information about the author and his work, please visit his website at RickGangraw.com or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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Deathly Silent
Rick Gangraw
A Novel of Suspense
Erik Johnson was wronged fifteen years ago, and it changed everything. He's now back in town and on a mission of vengeance against those who set him up. He only remembers some of the details, but he knows enough to realize who messed up his career, his family, his life and that's all that matters to him.
He provides clues to a priest and a police woman, who work together to determine who is giving them information on prominent people in the community that have died recently.
Meanwhile he finds that through intermittent memories, everything is not what it seems. He seeks the companionship of his wife and daughter, who are everything to him, but his brief moments with them are not enough.
As he pieces together what actually happened to him all those years ago, Erik can't believe what he discovers, nor can the priest or the police officer, as they try to stop him from completing his plans for revenge. Can they reach him in time, or is it too late to save him or his final victim?
