Suspense Magazine July 2013

S. MAG.: Which one of your fiction books was the most difficult to write And why
R.G.: “Mr. Glamour.” The reason being I had written it and shelved it, then realized there was a great subplot there and the main
plot had problems, but could work. This resulted in my tearing the spine out of the book. I had to rewrite sections then check
carefully. It reads really well now. But it took eight edits.
S. MAG.: You have to choose only one author to read for the rest of your life. Who would it be
R.G.: Shakespeare.
S. MAG.: What steps did you take to develop your characters Did you draw on personal traits
R.G.: I think the unconscious mind takes what it needs and merges elements. I am always observing, making note mentally or
otherwise, you create hybrids.
S. MAG.: In the whole time you’ve been writing, what is the most shocking thing you’ve learned about the process of
publishing along the way
R.G.: The series of decisions the big houses made that invited Amazon to take lead. The reason they did so is simple. Publishing
is part of free-market capitalism and therefore open to the same monopolies as any other business. Many houses ignored fresh
talent and dismissed the advent of e-readers.
S. MAG.: How does the ever-changing world of technology influence your characters and/or plots in your books
R.G.: I think we live in an age of surveillance, and “One Lost Summer,” my latest novel, dramatizes that. It is a dark noir story of
fractured identity and ruined nostalgia and it explores the fact that because of technology we have been made watchful, we are
looking and being observed. But do we know who is watching us
In the novel, when Rex Allen moves into a new neighborhood in a heat wave
and begins spying on his next-door neighbor, beautiful Evangeline Glass, his
obsession ends in disaster.
S. MAG.: What historical event would you like to have witnessed in
person
R.G.: The rise of the Roman Empire.
S. MAG.: What is the worst job you ever had
R.G.: Working for a multinational market research company years ago.
Utterly meaningless.
S. MAG.: Which of your books would you recommend to subscribers of
Suspense Magazine
“I think we live in an age of
surveillance, and “One Lost
Summer,” my latest novel,
dramatizes that.”
52  Suspense Magazine July 2013 / Vol. 049