Q: How did you come up with the character TJ Peterson?
In one form or another, Peterson has been following me around for most of my adult life. He has been like a shadow, both literally and figuratively. He is a tragic figure seeking to find purification for a failed life. He is everyman.
Q: What's next for you and your characters?
As he seeks retribution for criminals, Peterson must further descend into his own living hell before he can climb from its sordid depths. Will he make it, and if so how? That intrigues me, and drives me to keep writing.
Q: What do you do when you're not writing?
I have been making a living as a writer since the 1970s. I write everyday, from 8 am to noon. When I’m done writing, I spend time with my wife, and now my grandchildren. I also make furniture.
Q: In the last century we've seen new waves of PI writers, first influenced by Hammett, then Chandler, Macdonald, Parker, later Lehane. Who do you think will influence the coming generation?
I think Richard Price will leave a mark, as will those writing cutting edge crime dramas for television and film. Steven Knight comes to mind for his writing in “Peaky Blinders,” “Taboo”, and “Locke”.
Q: Why do you write in this genre?
Writing crime novels allows me the freedom to explore the depths of human degradation, as well as the righteousness of retribution. The world I create is a dark one, but there is always some light that penetrates the darkness. Also, I don’t believe people are good all the way through, and it is the veins of badness that fascinate me.
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