I recently had the opportunity to sit down (in a virtual sort of way) with Robert K.
Lewis, author of UNTOLD
DAMAGE and, the soon to be released sequel, CRITICAL
DAMAGE.
Me: Describe
your debut novel, Untold Damage, for
the readers in 25 words or less.
Robert K. Lewis
(RLK): A recovering heroin addict, ex-undercover cop, goes after the
murderer of his best friend.
Me: How on
earth did you ever get dragged into the seedy world of being a professional writer?
RLK: I’m a
born masochist, I guess. I was a painter for a long time, and hit the wall with
that. Then, like a child who moves from pictures to words, I turned to writing
screenplays, then after a tough bunch of years, started writing fiction. Took
me about ten years of writing before I got published. I love a challenge, and
writing (and not sucking) is one of the huge challenges out there.
Me: More
often than not, today's writers seem drawn to the “good guy with the white hat”
protagonist. Your main character, Mark
Mallen, is quite the opposite. What made you go against the grain and choose a
very flawed individual?
RLK: I’m
flawed. We’re all flawed. It’s what we all know, if not on a conscious level,
then on an unconscious one. Beyond that, flawed characters are just more
fascinating. Who wants to read a character that doesn’t need to be fixed?
Overcoming ourselves is one of our great challenges in this life.
Me: I
agree. The reality is that people do have issues. I think flawed characters are
not only interesting to write, but interesting for readers. Almost like rooting
for the underdog. Which brings me to another question: Mystery writers are an
odd bunch. Alcoholic beverages aside, what, or who, would you say has influenced
your work the most?
RLK: Well…
this could be a long list. There are lot of guys who DIDN’T, or DON’T write
mysteries on it. However, sticking to mystery writers, I would say “the old
crew”: Chandler, Hammett, Frank Kane, Henry Kane, Ed McBain, Ross Macdonald… to
name a few.
Me: In
that respect you are like me. My influences span the literary spectrum, from
Frank Herbert (Dune) to Frederick Forsyth (Day of the Jackal). I think it helps
to have a variety of influences. Most people pick up a book and don’t realize
just how much WORK actually goes into writing. What would you say was the
hardest part in writing Untold Damage?
RLK: Writing
it in a vacuum. I don’t have a writers group. I don’t have readers. By the time
I wrote what was to become this book, I’d had been writing screenplays and
mystery fiction for over ten years. I go with with my gut when I write, and
that is ALWAYS very risky and very hard. (I would NEVER recommend this way of
doing it to anyone, at anytime, by the way).
Me: Did
you have any inside help, from professional cops, when you were creating the
background story of Mark Mallen?
RLK: No, I
didn’t. I did need their help though on understanding procedures, etc, and
called the Tenderloin station a bit to confirm procedure, but that was about
it. Whenever I called, the officer on the other end of the phone was always
helpful, and patient.
Me: When I
was writing my first novel, I had this vision of ‘and they lived happily ever
after’ playing out in my mind. That didn’t work out quite so well. Did your
original idea for the ending actually survive until the end or did you alter it
along the way?
RLK: It
survived. It was a very important, organic, aspect of the entire story, and it
had to happen the way it happened.
Me: I know
your fans are anticipating the release of the sequel, Critical Damage, which comes out in April. Can you tell us what the
premise of this novel is going to be?
RLK: Ha! I
HOPE people out there are anticipating the sequel. All I can really say about Critical Damage is this: It’s like what
“The Empire Strikes Back” was to “Star Wars”.
Me: It’s
funny you say that. I remember walking out of the movie theater, after seeing
TESB, and thinking what the hell just happened. It was so unexpected that it
drew out some emotions I didn’t expect to have. As much as I think readers like
to know where a story is going, they appreciate the unexpected. Maybe not at
first, but after it sinks in they go ‘wow, never saw that coming….’ So, I would
think that you must have a plan for a third book? Hopefully without any Ewoks
(That’s a Star Wars joke for those not into the Sci-Fi genre).
RLK: I
just turned it over to my editor. It will be out April 2015.
Me: That
should keep them chomping at the bit. Is there anything else you’d like to
share with the readers?
RLK: Well,
I say this all the time, however, I feel strongly that it’s true: you have to
prepare for the long haul, and work hard if you want to be published. I’ve
never been one to say, “Well, I only write when I’m inspired.” Um… no. You
write all the time, inspired or not. This is work. And once you get a
publishing contract, it becomes a job. A hard job. There are revisions to deal
with, ideas for the next book, promotion, appearances, your family (if you have
one), your day job (you probably have one). The list goes on and on. You have
to love it, or you won’t make it. It’s really that simple. And if you DO love
it, and DON’T make it? That’s ok, too, because you’re spending your time doing
something you love, and that is a very rare gift.
Me: Truer
words were never spoken. I think that good writing is a double edged sword. The
reader never sees the nights of writer’s
block, when you are struggling to make that critical transition from one
part of the book to another, or the endless revisions and edits to make the finished
product feel as polished as possible. The better the writing, the more
effortless it appears to the reader. It really is something you have to be
passionate about because, for the majority of writers, it is the most
underpaying ‘job’ there is. We all dream
about being the next James Patterson, but you have better luck playing the
Powerball.
Robert I want to thank you for taking the time to share some
insight about you and your novels. I wish you much success and hopefully you
WILL be the next James Patterson and I can say I knew you when. Just for the
record, if that happens, the drinks are on you!!
Pick-up his book, UNTOLD DAMAGE, available now in both print
and e-book.
For those of you fortunate to live in the bay area of
California, you can check out Robert’s appearance schedule on his website
(under the news category):
If you want more information on the author you can check out
these great sites:
Twitter: @robertklewis
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