Chris Grabenstein is Tilting Your Whirl

We here at First Offenders aim not just to beguile you with stories about ourselves but also introduce you to other first-time crime writers out there.  First up - Chris Grabenstein, who's terrific first book TILT A WHIRL (Carroll & Graf) just hit stores.  Chris took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to tolerate a few questions.

FO: In three words or more, tell us about Tilt A Whirl.

CG:  Good men.  Bad lies.
A former MP just back from Iraq, a guy who lives by a strict code of honor, takes what should be a vacation of a  job on the police force in a Jersey Shore resort town and winds up heading up a murder investigation when a billionaire tycoon is murdered on the TILT A WHIRL in a seedy seaside amusement park.   To make matters worse, he is partnered with a 24-year-old, part-time summer cop who only took the job to impress college girls.

FO:  How did the book come to be a reality?

CG:  TILT A WHIRL is my first book but my fourth manuscript.  The publishers, Carroll and Graf, were reading a thriller of mine called THE PRAYER CIRCLE, which they really liked, when I just happened to finish the first episode in what I knew could be an exciting new mystery series.  They put down PRAYER CIRCLE, took a ride on TILT A WHIRL and the rest is history.

FO:  The pink cover is eye-catching, but has your masculinity taken a hit?

CG:  Indeed.  In fact, the only bad review the book has received so far was about the pink cover.  Three paragraphs on how Pink was all wrong for a hard boiled police procedural.   However, in book stores, folks love the pink.  It really pops.   I like to think it was inspired by the cotton candy they sell down the shore.    Or the strawberry flavored salt water taffy.

FO:  Your characters quote Springsteen.  “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” is the greatest song of all time.  Agree or disagree?

CG:  Agree.  Especially since I used to live on Tenth Avenue, which is pretty darn close to the Hudson River in New York.  I was, indeed, frozen a few Februaries when the wind went whipping through the plains.  No. Wait. That's what the wind does in Oklahoma.  In New York it mugs you.

I particularly like the Springsteen songs because I was disc  jockey when BORN TO RUN, the album containing TAFO, came out.  I had seen the future of rock and roll!

FO:  Take us through your writing process – outlines, daily routine, hair pulling, etc.

CG:  I know the tent stakes when I start.  Beginning, Middle, End.  I try to structure my books like a three act movie.  Then, I do the outline.  Then I write three chapters. Then I re-do the outline because my characters surprise me.  In fact, for a laugh, I sometimes go back and re-read my outlines and where I thought the story was going after I've finally figured out where the story went all on its own.

I am a Virgo, a creature of routine.  Extremely disciplined.  Around 6:30 a.m. I walk my dog through Central Park and jot down notes and daydream that day's work.  Then, I go to the gym and run 3-5 miles.  Then I take a shower because I basically stink.   At 10 a.m., I start work.  My computer has a program that forces me to stop every 55 minutes so I don't completely fry my eyeballs.   I typically start the day by re-writing, playing with, what I wrote the day before.  That gets me back in the groove, back in the character's heads.  Then I plow on and do 2,000 fresh words  every day.  Some days, that takes 3-4 hours.  Others, it takes 8.

FO:  Other than doing this interview, what other fascinating things are you doing to get the word out about Tilt A Whirl?

CG:  I'm going wherever I have family.  Fortunately, I have four brothers and some terrific in laws who have helped us set up readings and signings in their home towns.  I'm also going to Mystery Conventions, like Bouchercon and The Cape Fear Crime Festival.  They are a blast!  I've also been fortunate to find a terrific web maven, Heidi Mack, and she keeps me looking good and up to date on line.   Also, we're getting a lot of reviews.  Good reviews!

FO:  When and where did you actually ride your first tilt a whirl?

CG:  Lake Winnespausakee in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  I believe I hurled.

FO:  What was the first crime/mystery novel you read and how did it influence your writing?

CG:   Gosh...I've had so many. Can't remember the first.  Of course, I love the classics.  The hard-boiled noir guys.  In TILT A WHIRL, I tried to create a character who was almost those guys' opposite.   John Ceepak is not a hard-drinking, woman-smacking, cynical guy.  He is the flip of all that.  Danny, the narrator in the series, however, does embody some of those classic traits.

FO:  When will we see Ceepak and Boyle again?

CG:  June 2006. They'll be back in MAD MOUSE.  This time, Danny and his friends become the unwitting targets of a mad man lurking around Sea Haven.   And, wait for it -- they both become romantically involved (although not with each other)

FO:  Finally – you used to do improv with Bruce Willis.  Did he consult you before he recorded possibly the worst album of our time, The Return of Bruno?

CG:  Yes.  I suggested he cover Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.  Just kidding.

Learn more about Chris and TILT A WHIRL at his web site,  www.chrisgrabenstein.com

Comments

[LoriArmstrong]

Thanks Jeff for the great interview and introducing another first time author!