EVAN MCNAMARA

Q: WHY DO I WRITE?

A: I write because I was almost laid off in October of 2002. I was going through my first corporate reorganization and became very disillusioned with the whole process. I kept my job, but the fallout caused me to rethink what I do. I realized that I did not want to be switch manager at age fifty. This was my first experience in corporate layoffs, and I learned that, regardless of loyalty, hard work, and countless hours devoted to the network, good people still got canned. This revelation prompted me to reconsider my chosen career.

I asked myself, "What would I do if I could not fail?" I ignored benefits, bonuses, upward mobility, and all those other distractions that keep people from seeking their true calling.

I wanted to write.

I didn't just want to write—I wanted to write novels.

Big novels, fun novels, novels that keep you up all night long because you have to know how they end. Novels that make you gasp, close your eyes, and whisper, "Jesus."

So, one morning, at work, before anyone showed up, I wrote the first two pages of my novel SUPERIOR POSITION. I showed it to my wife, and asked her what she thought. She liked it. Really liked it. Not because it was by her husband, but because it was good writing.

I wrote every day, 700-1000 words a day, 5000 words a week. I finished the first draft of SUPERIOR POSITION seven months later. Salvo Press sent me a contract four months after that.

SUPERIOR POSITION is only my first novel; I have at least five more rolling around in my head, ready to come out. If only my friends and family enjoy my writing, that is all that matters to me. I still write 5000 words a week, on my third novel, while editing my second.

After ten years of doing things I am good at, I am finally doing something I love.

Q: Why mysteries?
A: I enjoy reading mysteries, as do most of my family and friends. I thought I could write one myself that everyone would love. My wife, in particular, has a talent for solving mysteries early on in the novel. One of my goals was to outwit her in the novel and bring her back to the genre.

Q: Why did you choose Colorado as a setting?
A: My family owns a cabin in the valley where I set SUPERIOR POSITION. I love the area and spend as much time there as possible. The residents and character of Mineral County, Colorado make it an ideal spot for a classic mystery like mine.

Q: When you set out to write your debut novel, did you intend to write a sequel?
A: Not at all. My second novel, STEALING AIR, is set in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I started writing STEALING AIR before Salvo Press sent me the contract for SUPERIOR POSITION. My third novel is the sequel.

Q: Why do you think they mystery genre is so popular?
A: The stakes are higher in a mystery, usually the highest of all. This adds to suspense for the plot and danger for the main character. I also think people like to solve them along with the protagonist. I know I do.

Q: Do you grow attached to your characters, or do you need to introduce new ones constantly?
A: I am attached to my characters, the ones that live, at least.

Q: Do you read many mysteries for pleasure or research?
A: Absolutely. Not so much for pleasure, anymore. I cannot read a novel, or even watch a movie, without analyzing it for plot intensity or character development. I draw from the techniques of the ones I like, and learn to avoid the pitfalls of others.

Q: Why do you only write novels? Would you ever want to branch out?
A: I like the pacing of novels. I like the enormity of the project. I like being able to develop multiple plots and watch the characters change and interact. I like building up the climax of the book. That being said, I think writing a mystery play would be great fun. I am reading some of Agatha Christie’s mystery plays to see how the master did it.

Q: Which character defines the book, or which moment?
A: My main character, Bill Tatum, defines the book. I write from his perspective, in his words. His challenge is that he’s not a very good deputy sheriff, and he must overcome this deficiency by falling back on his former training as an Army sniper. He has a moment near the climax of SUPERIOR POSITION when he must question the inherent trust in his department. He is a different person at the end of the novel. I can see it in the way he carries himself in the sequel—a little more cynical, a lot less trusting.

Q: What are your writing habits?
A: I write as soon as I can get a cup of coffee in the morning, between six and six-thirty. I will write for an hour or so, then start work. I write 700 words a day, every day—5000 words a week.

Q: Who are your favorite mystery writers?
A: Tony Hillerman and Nevada Barr. Hillerman for his characters, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee; Barr for her genius in setting, our national parks.

Q: How do you create your cast of characters?
A: Many of them are based on real people, which makes it easier to make them authentic. I write long biographies and profiles for each character, so I know what’s in their head as they interact in each scene.

Q: How do you research your books?
A: I do not have time to do a lot of research, so I stick with what I know. I am very familiar with Mineral County, Colorado. I have zero experience in law enforcement, so my books have little hard-boiled crime writing. Tatum is a small-town sheriff, isolated by geography. He solves crimes with his wits and a little luck.

Q: What are your future plans?
A: Keep writing. Promote SUPERIOR POSITION. Sell my next two books. Work on a screenplay of SUPERIOR POSITION.

Q: What are your future books?
A: STEALING AIR is a military mystery set in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It is based on a series of events that happened to me when I was in the 82nd Airborne. I finished the first draft in November and should have the rewrites complete by April. I have finished the sequel to SUPERIOR POSITION. It should be ready for submission in October.

Q: Do you belong to any associations or writers’ groups?
A: I am a member of the Author’s Guild, Mystery Writers of America, and the Summit Scribes—a writers’ group in Lee’s Summit, MO.

Q: Do you have any advice for other writers?
A: Write every day and make your goal publishing your work. There is no secret. Just keep writing and keep sending it in.

--Born: 1971 in Madison, Wisconsin. Yes, I am a Cheesehead.
--1993 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
--Infantry Officer from 1993 to 2000. Served in the 82nd Airborne Division as a lieutenant and in the 1st Infantry Division as a captain.
--Left the service in 2000. Now work for Cingular Wireless as an operations manager.
--Live with wife and daughter in Kansas City, MO.