with Frank A. Ruffolo
We are delighted to welcome author Frank A. Ruffolo to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of JKSCommunications, which is coordinating his current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find his schedule here.
Frank introduces a new character in two stories from the Jack Stenhouse Mysteries, and we recently had the chance to talk with him more about the book.
— ♦ —
Omnimystery News: You're the author of both stand-alone novels and series books. Why create a new character for a mystery series?
Photo provided courtesy of
Frank A. Ruffolo
Frank A. Ruffolo: I choose to write a recurring figure in my mystery crime fiction centralizing my themes with Det. Jack Stenhouse. Jack will develop over time. As he matures his roving eye will be tamed by his stripper girlfriend as they settle down to a long lasting relationship. I believe staying with one character or characters builds a relationship with the reader as well as the writer. So if I do choose to end a relationship or eliminate a recurring character it induces a reaction from the reader as if they had lost a close friend.
OMN: How would you tweet a summary of the Jack Stenhouse Mysteries?
FAR: A black mamba aka shadow of death is killing women in FT Lauderdale. A serial killer is devouring its victims in the Big Apple on the feast of Saturnalia Stenhouse is on the case.
OMN: Describe your writing process for us.
FAR: I do a basic outline and develop bio's on the main characters. However I let the voices in my head guide the storyline and have the characters develop the plot. Characters expand and grow as the plot expands and are eliminated if need be. So the basic storyline develops and sometimes changes depending how the characters react. I write on my laptop in my house or will occasional jot down ideas and verse on a journal that I carry. whenever the voices speak I dictate.
OMN: How do you go about researching the plot points of your stories?
FAR: I fact check using the internet and have consulted with experts. I use current events as ideas in my stories and expand them and mold them to fit the plot. Most exciting topic was researching the Black Mamba the most deadly snake in Africa and the effects its venom produces on the human body. I was surprised that death comes to the victim within minutes.
OMN: The Jack Stenhouse Mysteries take place in two very different places. How true are you to the settings?
FAR: My books are set in a real place and I try to be true to those places as accurately as possible. However there are times where I choose a geographical location and establish a fictional setting to elaborate a scene. I believe that if you choose a geographic location you must pin point on to an actual place so the reader can better relate. For example in the Saturnalian Affect there is a sting operation in the 1st precinct to round up street hookers. The actual street I chose was … wait for it … Beaver St. It is more important to the reader than the characters to be precise in your setting. Also if you want to bring local climate conditions to the storyline you need to choose accordingly.
OMN: If we could send you anywhere in the world, at our expense, to research the setting for a story, where would it be?
FAR: I am a multi genre writer my current book was released through Linkville Press but my other works were self-published, action love story and a sci fi. I am currently writing three books. The first is the return of Jack Stenhouse which is centered in D.C. The other two are other genres one is in Italy that involves the assassination attempt of the Pope and the other is in the far future on Mars. So yeah, all expensed trips to those locations would be great.
OMN: What are some of your outside interests? And have any of these found their way into your books?
FAR: My hobbies, well I like gardening and target shooting and NASCAR. Guns are in my books quite extensively. I have driven a stock car at 150 mph at the Homestead Racetrack and that experience made it into my Action Adventure The Trihedral of Chaos.
OMN: Tell us more about the book title and cover.
FAR: The book cover design as of this interview has not been finalized yet but it will contain a picture of Jack Stenhouse and a lady with let us say loose morals, Jack's only vice. The title comes from the two cases Jack is involved with. The Jack Stenhouse Mysteries, "Shadow of Death" which is the nickname of the Black Mamba and the "Saturnalian Affect" because the serial killer is affected by the feast of Saturnalia.
OMN: Suppose this book were to be adapted for television or film. Who do you see playing the key roles?
FAR: Playing the two main parts would Matt Damon as Jack and as his buxom girlfriend Sofia Vergara
OMN: What kinds of books did you read as a child?
FAR: I read all genre from sci fi to autobiographical. My biggest influence is Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke and Clive Cussler.
OMN: What's next for you?
FAR: Next for me are more books I am editing a sci fi and writing another while writing a sequel to Jack Stenhouse titled Blue Falcon. I also have two more on the back burner I am developing. My first novel I self-published Gabriel's Chalice has piqued interest in the movie industry so I am busy.
— ♦ —
Frank A. Ruffolo is a graduate of the State University of New York at Farmingdale with an Associates degree in Mechanical Technlogy. He enjoyed a 40 year career in private industry in Purchasing and Purchasing Management. Married for over 35 years to his beautiful wife Christine, they are blessed with two wonderful children, Michael and Alicia. Frank took early retirement to pursue his new career as an author.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at FrankARuffolo.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
— ♦ —
Jack Stenhouse Mysteries
Frank A. Ruffolo
Two Novellas
Beautiful women are dying in Fort Lauderdale from the bite of a black mamba, the deadliest snake in Africa. Then, during the feast of Saturnalia, a serial killer targets prostitutes during a cold winter in New York City.
Join Detective Jack Stenhouse, a seasoned professional with the fort Lauderdale P.D., as he cruises the hot asphalt in his '68 Hemi Road Runner. Follow Jack with his girlfriend Didi, a women with a name to match her attributes, as he moves to the Big Apple and joins the First Precinct as the new recruit on duty.
Learn how the "Shadow of Death" accompanies Jack like an albatross around his neck. Find out if the "Saturnalian Affect" will cloud his judgement.
