Chris Mooney is the author of six novels, three of which are an ongoing series featuring Darby McCormick. The latest novel from the series, The Dead Room, was released earlier this month. Chris lives in Boston with his wife and son and is now working on his fourth novel from the Darby McCormick series, entitled The Living Dead, which is due to be released sometime in 2010.
BCC: Hi Chris, thank you for chatting to Book Chick City. Please tell us about your latest book, The Dead Room.
CM: Darby McCormick, my series character, is completing for a slot on the Boston SWAT team when she’s called to a crime scene. A mother has been brutally murdered in front of her twelve-year-old son. He won’t talk to anyone Darby’s father, Thomas McCormick, who has been dead for twenty years. Darby’s investigation brings her in close contact with an Irish mobster/serial killer who is supposed to be dead. I can’t really say much more beyond that, but I promise you there’s a shocking ending you won’t see coming.
BCC: What made you decide to write a woman protagonist?
CM: I wanted to create a woman who is not only intelligent but is as physically strong and tough as a man. Darby can handle herself in any situation. She knows how to fight. She’s resourceful. If anything blocks her path, she knocks it down. I think of her in terms of a female version of Dirty Harry. You don’t want to mess with her.
BCC: Was it difficult to write the thoughts and actions of a woman?
CM: No. But since she’s much smarter than I am – and, to be honest, she could kick my ass – I had to spend some time researching how she fights, how she handles weapons, her forensic background, etc. But there are moments when I’m caught off guard. For example, in the Darby McCormick book I’m writing for next year, The Living Dead, there’s a scene where Darby has to pin a microphone on her bra. Now I don’t know the first thing about bras except what they’re used for. But bras come in all different styles, with wires, padding, etc., so I turned to my wife and we had a wonderful discussion about bras and boob sizes. I know, I know, it’s a tough job . . .
BCC: Your fourth Darby McCormick novel, The Living Dead, is due to be released sometime in 2010. Can you give us a hint at what it’s about?
CM: I’ve written only 100 pages of the first draft, I can only tell you how it starts: someone is holding a family hostage and asks to speak to Darby. This person claims his name is Charlie Rizzo, who was abducted fifteen years ago at age eight. And now he’s holding his family hostage.
BCC: How do you research your novels?
CM: I used to spend a lot of time researching forensics before writing the book. A lot of that research either didn’t make it’s way into the book or was removed during the editing process. So now I just start writing and figure out what sort of forensic things I need along the way. The problem I’ve found with research is that almost ninety percent of the little details I’ve put into the book never make it through the editing process. Why? Because more often than not it slows down the story or confuses the reader. It’s a tough juggling act. I leave those decisions to my editor, who amazing and brilliant. I trust her judgment on these things.
BCC: Tell us about your writing day.
CM: I write seven days a week. When I start a book, it’s usually slow going. I write for four to five hours a day in the morning. Then, as I gather steam, I’ll also write in the afternoons. So my typical workday is get up, work until about one or so, then I go workout and start writing again around three and stop working around seven.
BCC: The Dead Room is the third in the Darby McCormick series, but you have also written three stand alone novels, Deviant Ways, Remembering Sarah and The World Without End. Which do you prefer writing – the series or the stand-alones?
CM: With stand-alones, you have to create new characters each time out. With a series, you’re already familiar with the character, so you can spend more time focusing on the story. And I think readers like the comfort of a series. They know what they’re getting when they spend their hard-earned money.
BCC: I read on your website that you are quite a fan of Stephen King. Did he, or any other author, influence you as a writer?
CM: Stephen King is definitely the guy who made me want to become a writer. When the movie version of The Shining came out, my parents refused to let me see it – and rightly so since it was rated R and I was around twelve-years-old at the time. But my father let me read the book and I was hooked. That’s when I knew I wanted to become a writer. I’ve always tried to emulate King by telling a great story. As for other writers who influence me, there’s Dennis Lehane, who I think he’s a genius. He’s an amazing stylist. Nobody can touch the way he writes dialogue. There’s James Lee Burke, who writes so beautifully it depresses me that I’ll never be that talented. John Connolly is another writer who fires on all cylinders – great storyteller, amazing writing, incredibly prolific. Gregg Hurwitz is the same way. I read his new book, Trust No One, and it blew me away. I could spend a good day explaining writers who’ve influenced me – Michael Connelly, George Pelecanos, Jodi Picoult, Laura Lippman, Nelson DeMille. The list goes on and on.
BCC: What do you like to read?
CM: I try to read as many different things as I can. This is the first summer I can remember where every book I picked up was fantastic. Not a clunker in the bunch. I started with Charlanie Harris’s Dead Until Dark and then gobbled up the entire Sookie Stackhouse series. Then I read Nelson DeMille’s The Gate House. Great fun. Michael Connelly’s The Scarecrow was so good I put it right up there with Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs. Lee Child’s Gone Tomorrow was another home run – I love the Jack Reacher books – and I loved, absolutely loved, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
BCC: What are you reading right now?
CM: John Connolly’s newest Charlie Parker book, The Lovers. As usual, it’s fantastic. If you’re not reading John Connolly, you’re missing out on one of the world’s best storytellers.
BCC: Do you like listening to music while writing or do you like the silence?
CM: I listened to Sirus Satellite Radio. It’s commercial free. My station of choice is Lithium. They play modern rock. I’m a huge U2 fan, so a lot of times I plug my iPod into the stereo and turn the music up loud. I need noise. I don’t do well in silence.
BCC: What do you do for fun outside of writing?
CM: I spend time with my family. I have a seven-year-old son, and we work on Lego projects together. We love playing videogames on the Xbox – he’s a big fan of the Halo games.
Well, that’s it. Thanks Chris!
If you would like to know more about Chris and his books then visit his website
If you wish to purchase any of the books mentioned in this interview, please click on the images and they will take you to Amazon UK.
The Dead Room by Chris Mooney is published by Penguin Books, £6.99.
1 Comment
Great interview,
Come pick up your award at Bloody Bad
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