Greg Messel has spent most of his
adult life interested in writing, including a career in the newspaper business.
He won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a columnist and has contributed
articles to various magazines. Greg lives in Edmonds, Washington on Puget Sound with his wife Jean DeFond.
Greg has written ten novels. His
latest is "San
Francisco Nights" which is the seventh in a series of mysteries set in
1959 San Francisco. "Shadows In The Fog," "Fog City
Strangler," "San Francisco Secrets," "Deadly Plunge"
are sequels to the first book in the series "Last of the Seals." His
other three novels are "Sunbreaks," "Expiation" and
"The Illusion of Certainty." For a more detailed summary of Greg's
novels go to www.gregmessel.com
Greg is currently working on his
eleventh novel "Dreams That Never Were" which is not part of the
mystery series.
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The wife of a wealthy San Francisco shipping magnate leads a secret life but someone is threatening
to expose her. Private eye Sam Slater and his wife and partner, Amelia,
meet a mysterious woman in
Sam is willing to take the case
but Amelia warns that this woman is nothing but trouble. What does the woman
really want? She’s been watching Sam for months and has a scheme to pull him
into her world.
Find out in the latest Sam Slater
Mystery “San Francisco Nights” set in the fall of 1959. It’s the seventh book
in the series but is a heart pounding stand alone whodunit.
Watch the book trailer at YouTube.
ORDER YOUR COPY AT AMAZON
We
welcome you to My Bookish Pleasures! Can you tell us how you got started
writing fiction?
I
spent many years in the newspaper business as a reporter and columnist. I decided
to try my hand at fiction in 2008. I didn’t know if I could do it but I began
to write, a story evolved and I was on my way. I’ve learned so much
since those early efforts. Now I can’t imagine doing anything
else.
Describe
your writing process. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and
where do you write?
As
I just described, in the beginning I was flying by the seat of my pants. I
didn’t know what I didn’t know. Since then I have refined my process—I actually
believe I've improved my writing approach with each book. Now I think a lot
about the basic plot line, then I make an outline. I’m not restricted by the
outline but it’s a road map of where you're going with the story. I
think particularly when writing a mystery it helps to specifically
detail when will happen and when. “When” is a key element in a
mystery. It’s important to lay out a strategy for revealing the twists, turns
and secrets of the mystery. You don’t want to reveal too much or tell your
secrets too soon. I love to keep the reader guessing as long as possible.
Can
you tell us about your most recent release?
The
title is “San Francisco Nights.” A rich woman has a secret world that
she fiercely guards. However, someone has discovered her private world and now
she’s receiving anonymous notes quoting Bible verses which are growing more
ominous with each passing day. Sam and Amelia Slater encounter the mysterious
woman in the large red hat, while riding on a train. The woman pleads for them
to help her. She’s sure someone is following her and plans to kill her.
Meanwhile, a ruthless ex-con, who blames Sam and Amelia for putting him in
prison, escapes and vows revenge.
How
did you get the idea for the book?
I
grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and spent a lot of time in the city as a
child in the 1950s. I remember my aunts and uncles and parents living in San
Francisco in the 1950s. I think it’s a fascinating
time and place. I remember going to baseball games at Seals Stadium with my dad
and I went to Playland By The Beach with my cousins. Both places and several
others in my memory are gone. I remember the adults in my family smoking
endlessly, drinking cocktails and dancing to Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett
records. I decided to create a private eye who inhabited that world and my
ideas have constantly evolved over the last several years. I value compliments
I’ve received from people who lived in San Francisco
during that time who say I nailed it.
Of
all your characters, which one is your favorite? Why?
It’s
the Sam Slater Mystery and I like Sam a lot but I think Amelia is my favorite
character. She’s sexy and romantic but she can be very tough and fearless. Sam
and Amelia’s cop friend Vince Marino often says of Amelia, “Sammy, that’s
one tough little Irish girl you’ve got there.” She is. It’s not easy to be
a ambitious woman in the 1950s. A woman's choices were basically to be a
housewife or a typist in an office. Amelia became a stewardess with TWA and got
to see the world. It came at a cost. The stewardesses in the 1950s were in the
forefront of beginning the journey to achieve equal rights for women.
Stewardesses had to endure lot of boorish and chauvinistic behavior from
passengers, in addition to corporate discrimination from the airlines. As a
private eye, Amelia is very crafty and fearless, which has often landed her in
trouble.
What
was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?
Dialogue
is always a challenge. I’m pleased with the dialogue in my book but I think you
need to work very hard to make it right. Don’t over explain things, don’t be
redundant and make it realistic. That’s very easy to say and tough to do.
What
projects are you currently working on?
I’m
working on a political thriller “Dreams That Never Were.” It’s about
a young idealistic newspaperman who is wounded when Robert F. Kennedy is
assassinated in 1968 and he's caught up in the aftermath in ways he never
imagined. I’m also beginning the next Sam Slater Mystery “Gaslight
Ghosts.” I am attempting to write a good ghost story about strange goings-on
at an old Victorian house in 1959 San Francisco.
What
advice would you offer to new or aspiring fiction authors?
I
heard some great advice from a novelist at a writing conference. He said most
writers are nice people and wouldn’t think of doing some of the things
described in their books. However, you need to let go. He put it this way—pull
up a big dump truck full of “poop” (but he didn’t say poop) and dump
it on your lead character and let them work their way out of it. Don’t hold
back. Let your imagination run wild.
Greg Messel is giving away three of his books!!
Terms & Conditions:
- By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
- Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter.
- This giveaway ends midnight September 29.
- Winner will be contacted via email on September 30.
- Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!
ENTER TO WIN!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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