We are delighted to welcome author Mauro Azzano to Omnimystery News today.
Mauro's third mystery to feature Toronto police detective Ian McBriar is Death by Deceit (Black Opal Books; July 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we recently had the opportunity to catch up with him to talk more about his work.
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Omnimystery News: Introduce us to your series character, Ian McBriar. What is it about him that appeals to you as a writer?
Photo provided courtesy of
Mauro Azzano
Mauro Azzano: My main character is Ian Stuart McBriar. He is a Metis (French-Scottish-Native American) from Esterhazy, Saskatchewan. In the first book, we learn that he is a devout Catholic who moved to Toronto, studying for the priesthood, but after his mother's untimely death he decided to become a police officer.
His partner is a former Green Beret, Frank Burghezian. Frank is less by-the-book, less scrupulous than Ian about procedure, more focused on the outcome.
I think all of us have strengths and weaknesses, areas we're happy with and others we wish we could change. My main character has some great traits and some deep flaws, as we all do. It's interesting to write about someone at arm's length with some of the same traits as oneself. That said, as writers we must be careful to keep the story a work of fiction and not an autobiography.
Ian appeals to me because, like me, he is a "fish out of water". He is out of his element in Toronto, a small town boy in a big city. In addition, we both had culture shock when moving to a new town and a different environment.
OMN: How have these characters developed over the course of the series?
MA: Great question. I have intentionally aged Ian and the other characters in "real time" as the stories progress. He is four years older in my third book than he was in The Dead Don't Dream, and his youthful idealism has slipped somewhat. He has become more pragmatic and slightly more vindictive, given his experiences and the responsibilities of his current life.
OMN: How do you go about finding the right voices for your characters?
MA: My lead character is male, like me. That said, there are strong female characters in all my books. Magicians use pretty girls as "eye candy" and distractions. I have women in my books because I have women in my life. The women I write about are not shallow and cardboard, nor are those I know in real life. I know of a couple of writers who very successfully inhabit the person of a character of the opposite sex, so I think it matters more that you can speak honestly with your character's voice than that they are like you.
OMN: Into which genre would you place your books?
MA: When I was reviewed in the Toronto Star, the reviewer mentioned the "romance" aspect of the story as overshadowing the mystery. I'd categorize the books as mystery, pure and simple. Hey, I'm Italian; I get passionate, and it shows in my books. That said, I also intentionally avoid coarse language and descriptions of scenes that detract from the storyline.
OMN: Tell us something about your books that isn't mentioned in the publisher's synopses.
MA: I do an AWFUL lot of research for my books, from the correct weather on certain dates to the type of gun used by the police in 1974. I looked up information about fire-related deaths, and decided to tone down the description in the book, since the gory aspects would have, I believe, detracted from the story. I spoke to a veteran firefighter for Death By Deceit, to get the details right about a body in a fire. His stories were far more gruesome and vivid than I could put in print, but I hope I got some of the feeling for his line of work in the book. He did get to read some of the initial chapters, and says I did hit it right on the head.
OMN: Give us a summary of Death by Deceit in a tweet.
MA: Suspicious fire, dead body, funny money. Ian on the case, Frank on a vendetta. Body count piles up. Walsh still dating every girl he can. Will our hero prevail? #series
OMN: How much of your own personal or professional experience have you included in your books?
MA: The Dead Don't Dream came from a series of personal experiences, little snippets I'd remembered for decades. One specific event was from when I was driving home late one night. I saw a woman on a wet sidewalk, clutching two small children and crying pitifully. She was trying to wave down passing cars. I pulled over to see what the problem was, and at that moment a police cruiser screeched up and two officers jumped out. I never forgot the look of despair on her face, the image of grief and anguish. I based a pivotal scene in the first book on that event. Other things I saw and remembered over the years also found their way into the books.
OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process.
MA: I have spoken to a number of groups about writing and the creative process. I always tell them to keep a journal and note everything down. Then I tell them that I never do; I rarely jot down any notes, and I only have a general idea of where the plot is going before I write it. On several occasions I've had my characters "dictate" their dialog to me as I type. For me, unstructured ideas and stream of consciousness writing help to keep the story fresh and alive. It also prevents me from 'telegraphing' the ending.
OMN: You mentioned you do a lot of research when writing. What was the most exciting topic you've researched?
MA: I wore out my Google button. No, seriously, I lived in the part of Toronto that I write about in the series, so it's very close to my heart. When I chose Esterhazy as Ian's home town, I contacted the town hall, the local Catholic Church, the high school, and so on. In the series, his mother was a film buff, and worked at a small movie house in Esterhazy, the Maple Leaf Theater. That was a real place, and I spoke to the grandson of the original owner to get the details right regarding the movies they showed.
As far as the most exciting topic to research, I needed a believable poison to use in Death Works at Night. I run marathons, and one of the ladies I run with is a nurse. Her help was essential in making sure I got the dosage and characteristics of the poison right.
OMN: How true are you to the settings?
MA: The first book was an evolution. I set it in 1970's Toronto because it was a familiar time and place, but mostly because of technical reasons in the plot. I did one early draft of it where I transferred the action to another city, and it worked just as well. Still, it didn't FEEL right, so I went back to Toronto. As far as accuracy, I'm meticulous with places, except of course for those intentionally inaccurate.
The police station in the series is based on the old Motor Vehicles Testing building, for instance. When I write, I have to be able to sit in the car with the action, taking notes, as it were, so it has to resonate with me as real. If I feel I'm cheating the reader by not being accurate, they will sense it.
OMN: If we could send you anywhere in the world to research the setting for a book, where would it be?
MA: My parents live near Venice, in Northern Italy. If I could sit on their front porch for a year, all expenses paid, and just write, that would not be bad. Then again, I might develop a taste for wine.
OMN: What are some of your outside interests? And have any of these found their way into your books?
MA: I run marathons. Like my main character, I also cook. The cooking found its way into the books.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?
MA: Best advice: never give up. I got over 110 rejections before I was picked up by a publisher. Harshest criticism was from a reader who hated my book because she didn't like the genre.
What these taught me, and what I've always told others, is that as long as your writing is true to yourself, and you hone your craft so your words speak clearly to the reader, then you're doing well.
Don't try to be who you can't be, don't speak with somebody else's voice. Be yourself.
OMN: Complete this sentence for us: "I am a mystery author and thus I am also …".
MA: A watcher of people. It's a mixed blessing, but it's ingrained in me to talk to everyone and ask outrageous questions of total strangers. Usually I get away with it, too.
OMN: Have you ever considered using a pen name?
MA: I write under my real name. If I didn't, my family would never believe I'd written it.
OMN: How did you come up with the title for Death by Deceit?
MA: In the story, there are characters who deceive others, and those deceptions cause deaths. Hence …
OMN: And was that also your working title as you wrote the book?
MA: I used the working title Death On My Doorstep. My wife came up with Death By Deceit.
OMN: How involved were you with the cover designs of your books?
MA: I created all three book covers myself. I had two other serious contenders for the latest cover design, but as soon as I found this cover photo, that was it. Coming up with the red text was easy after that.
OMN: What kind of feedback have you received from readers?
MA: There was the reader who emailed me up and said "You're not going to kill off Frank, are you?" She was very insistent. One lady in a bookstore asked me to leave a book for her to read. She called me two hours later and said "That's it — I'm hooked". She called me back three hours after that. Someone came in to the bookstore and bought it from her, and she desperately needed to know how it ended. She asked if I could possibly drop off another copy right away. I think that was the most gratifying feedback I could have asked for.
OMN: Suppose your series were to be adapted for television or film. Who do you see playing the key roles?
MA: That has been an ongoing discussion at our house. I think Taylor Kitsch is a perfect Ian McBriar. He's tall, suave and personable. Scott Caan would be a perfect Frank Burghezian. He's gruff, funny, tough, and quick with his fists. I've always imagined Liane Balaban as Karen, Ian's wife. She has the look I imagined Karen having. For Frank's wife, Helen, I think of either Morena Baccarin or Cote de Pablo. Their dark sultry looks best fits the personality of the character.
OMN: What kinds of books did you read when you were young?
MA: I had a huge library of science fiction books growing up. I never read detective stories. I was a dreamer. To my mind, if we could imagine these things, we could build them. Space-X, iPhones and Skype are physical affirmations of that dream. My books are still daydreams, just on paper.
That said, there is a logic to any story, in any genre, that must be followed. When Captain Kirk can't beam up from a planet, there has to be a reason why. When Sam Spade is knocked on the head, there also has to be a reason why. The reader can't be cheated, and has to be respected.
OMN: And what do you generally read today?
MA: I like biographies. David Niven's The Moon's a Balloon and Bring On the Empty Horses are wonderful glimpses into life as a celebrity.
OMN: Have any specific authors influenced how and what you write today?
MA: I think I've read over two thousand books. Every author has his own voice, and each one has something to add to the tapestry. I tend to write as I speak, and I try to paint pictures with words.
OMN: What kinds of films do you enjoy watching?
MA: There are classics — North By Northwest, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Star Wars, all of which are like books on film. My title character is a movie buff, and there are references to old movies in the books. When I write, I see the action in my mind. All I then do is write what I've imagined.
OMN: Create a Top 5 list for us on any topic.
MA: Top 5 places to visit:
1. Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego. Always wanted to see it.
2. Philip Island, Australia. I've surfed the beach there — awesome waves.
3. Penzance, England. I've wanted to see the southwest tip of the island.
4. Gardone Riviera, Lake of Garda, Italy. One of the most spectacular places in the world.
5. Downtown Rome. Any city this old and this alive has to be seen.
OMN: What's next for you?
MA: My wife suggested I write a different type of book. I'm considering a romance anthology for a change of pace. Interestingly, there's not much difference between writing mysteries and writing romance — except that there are fewer gunfights.
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Mauro Azzano was born in northern Italy, near Venice. At age three, his family moved to Australia, then moved to Canada when he was twelve. He has lived in the Vancouver area for many years, on the rainy west coast. He started writing seriously several years ago, beginning with a series of articles for a running magazine, detailing his journey to becoming a marathon runner. After that, he decided to tackle a bigger project, and completed the first book in the Ian McBriar Murder Mystery series. Currently, Mauro is doing research for the fourth Ian McBriar book, and branching into other genres of writing.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at MauroAzzano.com or find him on Facebook.
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Death by Deceit by Mauro Azzano
An Ian McBriar Murder Mystery
Publisher: Black Opal Books
The phone rings at four in the morning. For Ian McBriar, now a Detective Inspector with the Toronto Police Department, early morning phone calls are never a good thing. And this is no exception.
Starting with a grizzly death and a warehouse fire, Ian follows the trail of a cold-case unsolved murder and a baffling series of clues, hunting for an elusive serial killer. And, this time, it's not only his life on the line.
The deeper he digs, the more perplexing the case becomes, the more bodies pile up — and the more dangerous it is for everyone Ian cares about.
— Death by Deceit by Mauro Azzano
