Tell
us about you.
I was born in Washington, D.C., the son of
a Navy man posted for duty in the nation s capital. From there, my life
likely mirrored that of a lot of my readers. We moved around. I got some
education, played some sports, and got more education. I was married forty
years. Along the way, we raised two children. An exercise, as you likely know,
that was a great blessing, the source of much joy, and also an experience that
helped me find the pleasure of Irish whiskey.
Over the years I mostly worked for myself,
changing industries now and again when the boredom of the prior one grew too
great. My longest running job was as a business valuation analyst, which means
I told privately-owned companies their market value. That led to my
co-authoring my first book, a nonfiction work published in three languages. But
let s talk about my current and final career, writing mystery novels.
As a writer I conjure up occurrences
designed to quickly bring the story to a roiling boil. Then I decide how I will
sustain that tension, inserting interesting respites for the characters and the
readers. Along the way I invent people. Victims and villains and heroes are
needed, as well as a supporting cast. I want these people to be fun and
interesting so you will care what happens to them, and welcome them within your
circle of friends. Other characters are designed so you will loath them and
want to see them brought down. The primary characters need habits and tics and
talents, the qualities that make you love them or hate them. Wish to see them
humiliated or hunted down, be successful or seduced, or both. And through it
all runs the truism that justice isn t always best found in a courtroom.
Mysteries include whodunits,
howdunits, and stories that focus not on who or how, but whether or not the
villain is caught. One of the major challenges of building a mystery is
deciding where the clues should be salted within the story so those readers who
like to race the protagonist to the solution will have a level playing field. Real
clues can be left in plain sight to appear innocuous, or obfuscated to
encourage being overlooked. Clues can be as large as a log or as tiny as the
bump thereon. There are also the distractions of false clues, called red
herrings, which point at someone other than the real villain.
Readers have gotten through their own
fearful events, challenges, and tragedies because they have the same qualities
as fictional heroes. Although, they have likely done so using less dramatic
measures, but they persevere similarly to the protagonists in the best of
fiction.
The last several years I have been
writing well enough to allow me to say: My stories are good. Take a journey
with me. Laugh. Hold your breath. Cheer. Boo. The characters are rich, the
plots are grabbers. I promise most of you that you will be very glad you came
along. I d promise all of you but nothing is liked by everyone. Some people
don t like golf, or chocolate, or apple pie. But I ll bet you like some
of that stuff and I ll bet you ll like my mysteries. Yours Very Truly, David Bishop
Tell us about your book.
I'd like to feature, The Beholder, a Maddie Richards
mystery: Maddie Richards is an efficient and resourceful detective with a
secret wish that she could handle her messy personal life as well as she
handles her work life. As a homicide sergeant for the Phoenix, Arizona Police
Department, she has one of the highest solve rates in America. Her success
leads her chief of police to assign her a serial killer case. Some sicko the press
calls the Beholder is killing beautiful women. Her chief describes the case as --a
career maker or breaker, get me?
She has an ex-husband she still cares
for, but who was bad for her and her ten-year-old son. Her widowed mother who
lives with her is both a blessing and a trial. And, oh yes, her ex-husband has
married an extremely wealthy and politically connected woman who cannot give
birth. So, Maddie s ex is filing a motion to obtain permanent custody of
their son, citing the risks attendant to Maddie s police work endanger the
boy.
If that were not enough, the
brother-in-law of the chief of police is using his position as an
administrative assistant to sexually harass Maddie. She could file a formal
complaint, but the good-old-boys network in the department is watching how she
handles the situation.
Further complicating Maddie s life is
two love interests: Gary Packard, a hunk who recently moved in across the
street, and Lincoln Rogers, a confirmed bachelor, who lives thousands of miles
away and works for the FBI.
As the case develops Maddie learns
that the victims all wore the same bra size. She must decide if this is merely
a coincidence or a criterion the killer uses when selecting his victims. She
also finds that each of the victims is somehow connected to the Phoenix police
department. This realization isolates her further as she must pursue the killer
without disclosing this theory to her department because, if her suspicion is
correct, the Beholder would learn she is closing in.
As the story races toward its climax,
Maddie is betrayed by those closest to her, and she begins to believe her own
name may be on the killer s list.
What inspired you to write this particular
story?
I love fiction and in particular
mysteries, thrillers, and suspense stories so I wake up each day inspired to
write.
What can readers expect when they open
your book? Give us something that isn t on the book blurb.
A humorous, human glimpse into the life of
one homicide detective struggling to do her job and hold onto her piece of
happiness, such as it is right now in her life. And, along the way, find a
real, sustaining love. Characters to relate to and care about. A plot with
ample twists and turns that will keep you guessing and tease you into trying to
identify the killer before Maddie does. I strive for good pace to the story
with colorful, but not overwritten descriptions of anything.
Where
do you get your ideas?
Life. History. Current events. Sometimes
other books and movies.
Who
is your greatest inspiration?
My readers inspire me to reach out to
them. The challenge to not
only entertain them, but offer an island where they can steal away from the
demands of their own lives. As wonderful as the lives of most people are, we
all need diversions from time to time.
What
are you reading right now?
Truthfully, the final draft of my next
mystery, The Original
Alibi, a Matt Kile Mystery. Matt Kile starred in my mystery, Who Murdered
Garson Talmadge so this will be his second adventure into romance, and the
challenge of finding a killer before the killer turns toward him.
Who
are your favorite authors?
So many I couldn't begin to list them. I
particularly love the old masters of mystery, and many of the independent
authors who fight against the machine of the big publishers to bring less
expensive and equally entertaining stories to readers.
What
is your current project?
I am just starting on Empty Promises (working
title). Empty Promises will be Maddie Richards mystery number two. Her co-star
in this mystery will be Ryan Testler, a supporting character from my novel, The
Woman. Projecting release in about a year, maybe a little less.
What
do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as a writer?
Writing mysteries of which I am proud. The
feedback from readers tells me I should be satisfied. Yet, I am not, as I
always believe my next story can and will be my best yet. If I keep pleasing my
readers, the rest of the
business of being an author will take care of itself.
Have
you experienced any setbacks for your writing along the way? If so, will you
share with us.
No, it has largely gone as planned. But
again, this is because of the satisfied readers. Without happy readers I would
have suffered a major setback, namely, my writing career would be a
disaster.
What
is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Entertain, don't preach.
Are
you a panster or a plotter?
Neither. Both. I just write. I start with
the crime, then the villain, and then select the protagonist. Next comes the
solution so I know where I'm going
in the story. Then I type page one and pull away from the curb to head for that
destination.
Tell
us 5 random things about you the person, not the author:
1. : I am a loyal friend.
2. : I keep my
commitments.
3. : I take pride
in whatever I do.
4. : I love to
play golf and exercise.
5. : I think I
just wrote a poster for being a boy scout, which I am not so I've missed
something here.
Connect
online here:
Twitter :
davidbishop7
Facebook :
davidbishopbooks
Website : www.davidbishopbooks.com
Goodreads :
goodreads.com/davidbishop
Other : Signed
print editions are available on my website.
What
format does your book(s) come in?
eBook and print editions.
Featured
Book: The Beholder
Maddie
Richards is an efficient and resourceful detective with a secret wish that she
could handle her messy personal life as well as she handles her work life. As a
homicide sergeant for the Phoenix, Arizona Police Department, she has one of
the highest solve rates in America. Her success leads her chief of police to
assign her a serial killer case. Some sicko the press calls the Beholder is
killing beautiful women....Read more on Amazon
Buy
all David Bishop’s books here:
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