Hello everybody, today, I have the pleasure to host
Rodd Clark.
Welcome to my Jaded Eden, Rodd. Before I begin to
flood you with questions, can you introduce yourself with a few words?
My name is Rodd Clark and I currently reside in Dallas, Texas. I have made a home in the oppressive Texas
heat, only because I can travel the world in my books. My greatest love, besides writing is the
animals in my company. I am pleased to say that my home is filled to capacity with
dogs, cats and the occasional stray which I am eager to welcome.
Now that we know you a little better, let’s begin,
shall we?
The morning, you are tea or coffee?
Coffee, I’m addicted.
What kind of book do you write?
Mysteries and Thrillers
Why did you choose this genre?
I started writing true-crime because I have an interest in the darker
sides of the human psyche but I am eager to cross-over into other genres like
horror and erotic fiction.
When you write, are you keyboard or paper?
Keyboard, I work from the computer because I often need to research
areas in my books to gain realism and access to the internet is a must.
Are you more motivated to write when the sun shines or
when the weather is gray?
Both work for me, but I do enjoy reading more when the sky is grey and
cloudy.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Other writers, great books, movies…
When you start writing a book, do you already have the
whole story in your head, or is it built progressively?
Both actually, sometimes the story is laid out for me by my outline, but
characters often decide to change the course of their story along the way, what
can you do but acquiesce and allow them room to grow.
What do you feel before a book’s release? Fear? Joy?
None of the above? And after?
Personal pride but a release date doesn’t mean as much to me as to other
writers, because in my mind the book is already out in the ether when I
complete it.
Between your first and last novel, do you feel a
change? Do you write differently?
Yes, I believe I have grown a lot from my first book to the last one,
but I am always struggling to regain that initial sense which I created in my
first project. I want the reader to be
able to distinguish my books and say that sounds like a “Rodd Clark” kind of phrase.
They say that writers project themselves into the skin
and the head of their hero/heroine, is that the case for you?
I would say yes, even though my characters are rarely an extension of
myself. I can’t help but add my own
voice through them, because real and tangible characters have to be built from
somewhere, and it works best when that voice is the author’s.
You define yourself more like a bookworm, a city
mouse, or a country mouse?
Country mouse for sure.
Molière wrote: “Writing is like prostitution. First we
write for the love of it, then for a few friends, and in the end, for money”.
What do you think about it?
I agree and I consider myself a professional writer, I have no other job
to report to on Mondays, so for me…this is it.
I began writing because I had a desire, but even an artist understands
how the world works. I could write
hundreds of books in a lifetime but the individual recognition through sales is
what drives us forward.
Your books have already been translated?
If you are asking have they, I would have to say no.
Do you pay attention to literary criticism?
Criticism is like a passing complement, if you let it get to you, it can
make you vain and shallow. How people
see you, is less important than how you see yourself.
The days have 25 hours. You spend that extra hour in
the garden or in the kitchen?
I enjoy both but I lean towards kitchen.
Which book would you bring with you on a deserted
island?
Probably a book on survival, learning how to build a fire out of nothing
might prove essential.
When you go to bed, do you turn off the light right
away or do you take the time to read?
Rarely, I write so frequently that I am usually too tired to read before
bed, but I have my favorite authors I follow, and I try to keep up with their
newest projects. I consider their
success my inspiration.
Thank you for being such a good sport, Rodd.
And now, for the readers’ pleasure, here’s the blurb
and an excerpt of your book
A Cache of Killers:
A
Brantley Colton Mystery
(The Brantley Colton Mysteries Book 2)
Colton had driven around the damp canyons of downtown
Portland, he had traipsed through residential streets and cruised blocks where
drug addicts casts webs, wooing others to their dens, as spiders ingesting
blood from the creepy-crawlies they preyed upon. He had seen most portions of
the city where the tourists visited and observed parts where the natives didn’t
venture, and through it all he was still amazed at how much the city could
astound him.
The deaths of the boys had their affect, but it seemed
unremarkable to him. The world still revolved, papers were still sold on the
corner stands broadcasting additional information and tastier news, business
men still walked carrying attaché cases along the downtown streets, and
preachers still held court from the pulpit on each and every corner and in
every church…but few were obsessing over dead runaways and street urchins like
Colton had been.
Somehow he suspected Art Peck was involved in the
boys’ disappearances, but there was no proof to that. The only thing he had
seen had been evidenced that Peck’s arrest for solicitation had been
well-founded. He was a sexual deviant and patron of those purveyors of human
sexuality. But that still didn’t make him a killer. As boring as his time spent
trailing Peck had been, he rationalized he might have to do it again, choosing
to wait until the upcoming weekend. If Peck was going to show him something, it
might be then.
And you can follow him on Twitter
