BooksChatter: ℚ Lucidity: Detective Hank Madden [3]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author David Carnoy to talk about Lucidity (7 February 2017, Overlook Press, 304 pages), a Mystery Thriller, book three of Detective Hank Madden series.

|| Synopsis || Teaser: Excerpt || The Series || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to David Carnoy; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for Lucidity?

"Part of the story was inspired by a real-life murder case.

My first two books are situated in Silicon Valley, where I grew up, and my detective -- Hank Madden -- is from the Menlo Park Police Department (Menlo Park is now home to Facebook). In researching the first two books I talked to folks from the MPPD, including a retired detective. That detective told me about a case he'd worked on for years where a woman had gone missing and her husband had been accused of killing her. They couldn't find her body and while he was the husband was the No. 1 suspect, they didn't have enough evidence to charge him. The husband eventually skipped the country. Anyway, it took well over a decade before they were finally able to bring him to justice (they found her body over 10 years after the murder)."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"My first book (Knife Music) was self-published but then got picked up by a traditional publisher (Overlook Press), which also published LUCIDITY. But during my sojourn in the self-publishing world, I wrote an article called "25 Things You Need to Know about Self Publishing" as part of my day job at CNET, which a lot of people still read because it has good SEO.

Max Fremmer, the protagonist of LUCIDITY, is a book doctor and very much immersed in the world of self-publishing (his client, Candace Epstein, is pushed in front of a car at the onset of the novel). Thanks to that article I wrote, over the years I've had all these people contact me, asking me for help with their book projects. I didn't have any interest in making a living as a book doctor, but I developed an interest in creating a character who did. There's something shady about Max but he's honest and upfront about it. Ultimately, that's how I'd be if I was a book doctor. I'd say, "Look, there's very little chance your book will amount to anything but if you want to pay me this chunk of change to help you create a book that will amount to nothing, I'll take it."

As an aside, if you read carefully, you'll notice that almost every character in the book is writing a book, wants to write a book, has written a book, or had someone else write it for them. I very much believe that almost everyone wants to write some kind of book to leave to the world. "

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Lucidity - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I didn't choose it, the publisher did. But it's the first cover I felt good about from the moment I saw it. With the first two books I wasn't thrilled with the initial cover and made the publisher change it."

Why should we read Lucidity and what sets it apart from the rest?

"They're literary novels masquerading as commercial novels."

Can you tell us something quirky about Lucidity, its story and characters?

"The wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneur who hires the detective to investigate the Stacey Walker cold case is named after the two founders of CNET. The rock star in the book was inspired by a real-life rock star (every book should have a rock star in it, right?). And there's a man with one arm."

Who would you recommend Lucidity to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Someone who enjoys a mystery/thriller that's realistic in nature and also has some humor. "

If you could / wished to turn Lucidity and the Detective Hank Madden series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"The Coen brothers. Ryan Gosling as Max Fremmer. Kevin Spacey as Detective Madden."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular Mystery Thriller or do you like to explore different ones?

"I've pretty much stuck to writing offbeat mystery/thrillers. My agent says my first book, KNIFE MUSIC, was the darkest. He'd like me to write another dark novel, perhaps about a serial killer. I've been resisting it."

What is your writing process?

"I get up very early before work (around 4AM) and write for 3-4 hours). On the weekend I get up later. I write the first 100 pages slowly and the rest very fast to make the publisher's deadline."

What is in store next?

"I'm sending Detective Madden to Alaska."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?