Brandt Dodson Interview

Q:  How does a nice guy like you make the transition from mild-mannered Podiatrist to writer of hard-boiled private eye fiction?

There are some who would be willing to debate whether I’m a nice guy.
I write what I love to read. Private eye fiction, along with high-octane suspense, thrillers, historical fiction, and the classics have always given me the sort of ‘escapism’ that most of us seek when reading fiction. While growing up, I didn’t have a television so I spent most of my free time reading. Now, even though it seems I have a TV in every room, I still prefer to read and it is still those genres that I read most often.

Q:  I noticed that you dedicated one of your books to your parents. Can you tell us about your childhood and the influence your parents had on you?

I had the best childhood imaginable. I grew up as one of two boys (I’m the oldest by almost three years) and was raised in a neighborhood where most of the other kids were about my age. It was during the 60’s so we had a great time riding bikes, playing baseball, climbing trees, and all the things that kids should do. Our parents didn’t have to deal with the fear that one of us may be snatched by a predator. Times were different then and that’s a sad commentary.

My father was a police officer, my mother was a homemaker (“housewife” was the term we used then) and both of them had a profound influence on my brother and me. From my father I learned the value of work. From my mother I received the spiritual guidance that eventually led me to a saving knowledge of Christ. Both of my parents are still living and both are doing well. God has been very good to us.

Q:  I’ve read that you enjoy reading and teaching the Bible and that you are especially fond of the Psalms. What verses give you guidance as a Christian husband and father? Were there verses that encouraged you to keep writing before you were published?

Even though I came to Christ later in life, I was raised in the church and can still remember my parents reading to me from the family Bible. It was a huge King James Version and had the greatest illustrations of David’s victory over Goliath, Jesus calming the storm, and the temptation of Joseph by Potiphar’s wife. My parents still have this Bible and the births, deaths, and marriages of my family are recorded in it. The Bible has been a major influence on my life. Consequently, when I finally did come to Christ, I wanted to learn as much as I could.

I’ve taught Sunday school and other organized Bible studies for years, because it is the kind of a book that you naturally want to tell someone else about. But I have also been guided by it in my own life. When I first felt the call to write I was concerned about my ability. In short, I wasn’t sure I had what it took. But then I read the verses in Exodus (Ch. 4: 10&11) where Moses tells God that he can’t talk to the Egyptians because he isn’t eloquent enough. God answers him by asking, “Who gave man his mouth?”

During the times of my writing life when I was collecting rejection slips I began to again doubt God’s calling. Then I read Psalm 45:1 (NIV) which says, “My heart is stirred by a noble theme, as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”
It’s hard to overlook any of the scriptures, particularly when they are so specific to the situation in which you find yourself.

My role as a husband and father have been supported and sustained by Christ’s example more than any particular verse. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. That’s the best role model I know.

Q: Crime novels have always been a favorite of mystery readers. What writers did you read before you began to write and which ones had an influence on your style?

I’ve read a great deal so there are several writers I would point to as having the most influence on me. I like Chandler, Hammett and Robert B. Parker for their ability to stay close to the PI genre. Chandler and Hammett are credited for creating the PI paradigm, but Parker, who is an unabashed fan of Chandler (he even wrote his doctoral thesis on Chandler’s work) was successful in moving the genre ahead while staying true to the concept.

I read Dean Koontz’s work for his ability to build suspense. While I don’t write novels that have an element of the fantastic in them, I recognize skill when I see it.
I read Ken Follett for his plotting ability and for the way in which he can take historical events and reveal the impact they have on his contemporary characters.
I read Jack Higgins for his ability to create mood and transport me to the time and place of his story.

I also read: Clancy, Twain, Puzo, Meltzer, Grisham, King, and a host of others. In the CBA I would recommend Eric Wilson, Brandilyn Collins, James Scott Bell, Mark Mynheir, and Ted Dekker.

Q:  In your first four books readers meet and get to know private investigator Colton Parker, a flawed individual who has many redeeming qualities. What advice would you give to other writers on developing memorable characters.

Colton was recently listed in Thrilling Detective’s Hall of fame, a very nice compliment.
When I created Colton I wanted an “everyman” who is as flawed as the rest of us, but who can learn from his mistakes and move on. I think that’s a good rule for any character, certainly a protagonist.
People read for character. They want to identify with them so they can live vicariously and enjoy the thrills, challenges, and triumphs that your characters experience. I’m not negating plot. Far from it. But if your reader doesn’t care for the people in your story, plot doesn’t really matter. Even James Bond, a near-super hero, has his flaws.

If you want to create a memorable character, give them human traits. No one is all good – or all bad. Even Hitler – as evil as he was – was kind to animals.

Q:  You tie up a lot of loose ends in Colton’s life at the end of The Lost Sheep which probably means there won’t be another book in that series. What do you have planned next?

Colton isn’t dead. I’ve learned you “never say never”. But I would say he is on sabbatical.

My first “stand alone”, White Soul, is being released in February. It is a crime novel that centers on Ron Ortega, a DEA agent who goes undercover and infiltrates the Cuban “mafia” in Miami. The story is based, in part, on a real organization known at The Corporation that was running murder-for-hire schemes from Miami and extending as far north as New York. The head of the organization, Jose Battles, was recently arrested and the group is now fragmenting into many smaller, but no less deadly, criminal enterprises.
When developing the idea for White Soul, I wondered what would happen if a Christian DEA agent was able to penetrate the group. Would he succumb to the temptations of the lifestyle as happens so often in undercover work? Or would he stay true? And if he did succumb, what would happen next.

It’s a novel about temptations and the ease with which they work themselves into our lives.

After White Soul, I’ll take a break from crime fiction – for a while – and write some straight suspense.

Q:  You have said you want your novels to have resonance at the end. Why do you think that’s important?

In his book, On Writing, Stephen King talks about how he also wants his novels to end with resonance because he wants the reader to carry the book with him long after he’s turned the last page. I think that’s what all writers want.

I had the pleasure of having a reader-reviewer write that while he was skiing in Belise, he still had Colton Parker on his mind.

All of us who write have something to say. I think this applies particularly to those of us who write in the CBA. Consequently, as a writer, I want my readers to think about my books long after they’ve finished them. I want my readers to get something of value from what I write – and to come back for more.

Q:  All writers know the necessity of doing accurate research, but you’ve had some interesting experiences while preparing to write The Lost Sheep. We’ve all heard the slogan What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but we’d really like to hear what happened.

I knew when I began the Colton Parker series that book four was going to happen in Las Vegas. It is, after all, Sin City. But I had never been to Las Vegas so when I was preparing to go, a friend of mine went with me.

On our second day, we were standing in a casino and he was explaining the game to me. I turned and saw that two security guards were standing just inches behind us, straining to hear what was said. When they asked what we were doing, I told them that my friend, Jeff, was explaining the game to me. They accused us of counting cards and told us to leave.

That was the first time we “got tossed.”

A few minutes later, Jeff and I stopped by the Luxor hotel. It is a beautiful building with elevators that move sideways as they move up. Being from southern Indiana, I had never seen elevators like those so I wanted to try them.

Jeff and I began riding the elevators and after a couple of minutes or so, the door opened and there stood the biggest guard I’ve ever seen. He asked what we were doing and I told him “well … we’re riding the elevators”. It was the truth, but I don’t think he bought it.
We “got tossed” a second time.

A few minutes after that, we drove to the Central Division headquarters of the Las Vegas Police Department. I drove to the back of the building where the Department’s parking lot is located. The lot is surrounded by a ten-foot-high chain link fence, so I got out of the car and climbed the fence. I wanted to count the number of squad cars to get an estimate of how many officers the division has.

Of course, as fate would have it, while I’m hanging on the fence a police officer pulls up and wants to know what I’m doing. I told him he wasn’t going to believe me, but he insisted I tell him. So I did.

He was very helpful, answered all of my questions and then … we “got tossed” for a third time that day.

Later that  evening, Jeff and I went to a wedding chapel to get a feel for that part of Vegas. I originally had a wedding scene in the book, so I wanted to see how the business worked. As soon as Jeff and I walked up the desk, the lady receptionist got this frightful look on her face and said, “Hey, guys, we don’t do that here.”

After we explained why we were there, she was more than helpful.

In that case, we didn’t “get tossed.”

Q: I understand you sold your first novel without the help of an agent. What advice would you give to other writers who want to sell their work but still haven’t signed with an agent?

Actually, I was able to place five novels without an agent, but when a film producer called (the deal later fell through) I knew that this was getting serious and I needed help.
The best advice I can give to anyone is to go to a writer’s conference. I went to the annual Write To Publish event in Wheaton, Illinois, but there are several excellent conferences around the country.

When attending a conference you often get an opportunity for face-to-face appointments with editors and agents. This alone makes the conference worth the fee. But you can also network, make friends, and actually learn something at the same time.

If you go to pitch something be sure it is completed. Be ready to describe your idea in no more than a sentence or two, and have an idea about the market you’re trying to reach. That alone will put you head and shoulders above the others who will be pitching their work.

Q: Many of our readers are still waiting to sign that first contract. What advice would you like to give them to help them in their journey toward publication?

I’ve had several good people come along side me and give me some very good, very sound advice. I’ll pass it on.

Read. Read often and read widely – as well as deeply. Read lots of mysteries, romance, suspense, horror, etc. But also read many authors within these categories. Agatha Christie and Robert B. Parker couldn’t be any more different. Yet both are accomplished mystery authors. Learn from both.

Write. Write all the time. Ask knowledgeable people to critique your work. In fact, ask lots of knowledgeable people to critique your work. If six out of ten of them are saying the same thing, you probably ought to listen.

Read all of the books on writing you can find. Go to the library and check out the reference section. Read the Writer’s Digest “how to write …”  books. In fact, either subscribe to, or buy, Writer’s Digest. And “digest” it.

Find out how a manuscript should be formatted. (Excellent book on this by Writer’s Digest). Be a professional. This is art to be sure, but it is also a business.

Know what’s selling and what isn’t. This doesn’t mean you should try to time the market. In fact, I’d counsel you against that. But do know what’s being published and what isn’t.

Attend a writer’s conference. Know your genre and the market. Pitch to editors whose houses are publishing what you write. Be able to give them a concise description of your book, as well as how your work is similar – and yet different – from that of other authors who are already writing what you are trying to sell. The market already has John Grisham. It doesn’t need a Grisham copy-cat.

Be persistent. If God has called you to this, and if you are doing your part in learning the craft, then do not let rejection deter you. Lick your wounds when it happens, but then get back on your feet and go at it again. This isn’t a business for quitters.