Welcoming crime fiction master Tim O’Mara to the #NoContact Book Tour! Tim and I went to high school together, and after a lapse of decades reconnected through the mystery world, and I was thrilled to contribute to Tim’s anthology Down By the River (Down and Out), which benefited American Rivers In recent years, we’ve also made sure to share a drink at mystery cons, and I can’t wait till we can do that again. Writer’s Tears whiskey, TIm? First round is on me… In the meantime…
Tell us about your book!
The Hook is my fifth Raymond Donne—ex-NYPD cop turned schoolteacher—novel. This time around, a co-worker of Raymond’s—MoJo—is killed by an arrow on the roof of the school they work in. MoJo was working at Ray’s school as community service for drug possession and as part of his rehab. As Ray looks into the case—against the wishes of the cops—he discovers MoJo had some dealings a White Nationalist group. He also finds out that the rehab facility MoJo was attending may not be as clean as it looks.
What would you have been doing now to promote it? Where would you have been speaking? What bookstores would you have visited?
I was scheduled to do Book Culture on 112th here in Manhattan (www.bookculture.com) and of course, The Mysterious Bookshop (www.mysteriousbookshop.com) They’ve been cancelled and no future date has been set. I am doing readings in my living room, though, but have had to keep the crowds under 100.
Are you working on anything now? Is your process or routine different?
My process is a lot different right now. I’m doing a lot of dialogue with the idea of going back and filling in all that…non-dialogue stuff. I’ve actually been working on two new novels—neither one a Raymond—and a screenplay. And crossword puzzles. Lots and lots of crossword puzzles.
Do you think your writing will be changed by this crisis?
I’m not sure. I live in NYC and 9/11 did not change my writing as much as it changed my life and the definition of “impossible.” You can argue—because I know you and you’re from Long Island and love to argue—that changing my life does change my writing, so there’s that.
What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we’re free to be social again?I’m jonesing for some baseball at a bar, Clea. I’ve still been able to take long walks along the Hudson with my daughter so that’s good. But I really miss watching the Yanks on TV at my local joint. I even had tickets for the first Yanks/Red Sox game that I hope to use this year.
Maybe by the time this is over the Sox will have a decent team again…