Interview with John Perich, author of 'Too Late to Run' #mystery #thriller #authorinterviews

While working in a variety of Boston-area tech startups, John Perich has still found time to write and publish several gritty crime thrillers, particularly the Mara Cunningham series (Too Close To Miss in 2011; Too Hard to Handle in 2012).

His latest book is the mystery/thriller, Too Late to Run.

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Visit John Perich’s website.
Connect with John on Facebook and Twitter.
Find out more about John at Goodreads.
Visit John’s blog.
More books by John Perich.
Contact John.

About the Book:

Too Late to Run is the third book in a series of gritty mystery novels starring Boston photojournalist Mara Cunningham. This time, Mara reluctantly aids a crooked real estate developer from her past who's been detained on trumped-up charges. But each clue she uncovers turns up more enemies - backwoods militias, corrupt bankers, and a mysterious pyromaniac - and raises doubts as to her friend's innocence.

For More Information

Too Late to Run is available at Amazon.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

This all started with Too Close to Miss, the first Mara Cunningham crime thriller, in 2010. I wanted to explore a story that started from an unusual premise: a woman investigating the death of the wife and son of the married man she was sleeping with. Once I had that premise, the character of Mara grew organically: the kind of person who’s impulsive enough to sleep with a married man, but has enough integrity to want to see justice done. Playing with those contradictory drives brought Mara to life.

When Too Close to Miss was done, I felt like Mara had enough depth to explore her story further. Too Hard to Handle followed in 2011. Too Late to Run, the third book, just released in November, revisits some of the characters we first met in Too Close to Miss. Mara reluctantly helps a contact of hers who has extensive criminal ties. In doing so, she uncovers a significant local conspiracy and crosses paths with all manner of violent threats.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

The hard part of writing is always putting in the time and sticking to it. For me, that means getting up early, often when it’s still dark out, and writing every weekday morning.

For other writers struggling with that commitment to a regular writing schedule: giving yourself permission to have a bad day is key. There will be mornings, or evenings, when you produce half the word count you thought you would, or when you fear that the words you’re producing are garbage, or when you know that they’re garbage. Keep going! Your first draft is not your final draft, and your final draft will not succeed or fail on the strength of one sterling paragraph.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I’ve self-published all three of my novels. I never tried querying any of the Mara Cunningham novels or soliciting representation. I was confident that they’d hold their own in a dense and competitive market, and I didn’t think the value that professional representation would add would match the trade-off in revenue or creative control. That may change with other novels.

Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

Any time a stranger tells me they loved my book and can’t wait for the next one is a genuine surprise. Readers, let your favorite writers know if you like them! Very few of us are so stuffy as to be bored by praise.

Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

I have two more crime thrillers set in New England in varying stages of completion. One is notably darker in tone than the Mara Cunningham series; the other, significantly lighter, though still violent and gritty. I don’t have enough to assign a name or date to either of them, unfortunately.

Q: What’s your favorite place to hang out online?

Twitter and Facebook eat up more of my time than they should.

Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

“Mara Cunningham lives an exciting life, and I’d gladly pay to read more about it.”

Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

Thanks for having me! I’d encourage readers who want to see quality self-published authors survive and thrive to use reviews and word of mouth to help get their names out there.