Rick Acker Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A: I write during my commute to and from my “real job” as a Supervising Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice, where I lead a team that investigates and prosecutes corporate fraud. Most recently, we have been pursuing the Wall Street players who created the toxic mortgage securities that triggered the Great Recession. When I’m not writing or lawyering, you can usually find me with my wife, Anette, and our family. We’ll be exploring in the hills east of San Francisco, watching a good movie together, or, of course, reading.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A: I was 14. I was in the library, and I had just finished a story by Isaac Asimov (“Nightfall,” I think). There was a short biography of him at the end that recounted how he started reading science fiction stories when he was about my age, decided to try writing some, and published his first story when he was 18. I left the library inspired to do the same thing. I wrote a lot of truly terrible stuff after that, but I gradually got better and eventually wrote something publishable—though it took me a lot longer than Isaac Asimov.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A: I got my first break by doing everything wrong. I had never gone to a conference, joined a crit group, or read a book on writing. I just wrote down a story that my wife liked and sent it in to the Writer’s Edge. A few months later, I got a query letter from Kregel, which led to my first contract. Since then, I’ve had all the ups and downs of a writer’s life—a #1 bestseller followed by a drought, a book that got rave reviews but only sold a few thousand copies, and so on. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release DEATH IN THE MIND’S EYE?

A: It’s the story of three people brought together by the death of a senator’s son. San Francisco attorney Mike Webster does not lose medical malpractice cases. But his stellar reputation is put to the test when he agrees to defend Dr. Johanna Anderson, a brilliant and beautiful psychologist. Jo is accused of failing to prevent the death of Seth Bell, a senator’s son she was treating with a revolutionary technology-assisted therapy called the Mind’s Eye. The controversial technique provides insights into what patients are thinking and feeling and whether they are telling the truth—so why didn’t it detect that Bell was suicidal?

As the case unfolds, a shadowy firm, Horizon Finance, sees a golden opportunity to profit: it will seize the controversial technology and auction it to intelligence services around the world. And it will stop at nothing—not even murder—to succeed. As the danger escalates, Mike and Jo feel the heat of a mutual attraction. But when Mike’s loyal paralegal, Val, unearths evidence that could blow the case apart, Mike realizes he stands to lose much more than just a verdict.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for DEATH IN THE MIND’S EYE?

A: I read about functional MRI (“fMRI”) technology in a legal magazine, and I was fascinated by its potential. Researchers using fMRI technology can generally tell what emotions patients are feeling, whether they’re lying, whether they’ve seen a particular image or object before, and other information. As the Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association noted, an fMRI machine “isn’t quite a mind reader, but it comes close.”

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: The danger of believing that the end justifies the means—that it’s okay to lie, cheat or steal as long as we’re doing “God’s work.” But as Proverbs warns, “all of a man’s ways seem right to him,” regardless of whether they are.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: I enjoyed writing the courtroom drama and the action sequences, of course, but my favorite is the ending. I don’t want to give away too much, but I was happy with how the character arcs of the hero, heroine, and villain all came together. (Big thanks to my wife and editors for making that happen!)

Q: What inspires you to write?

A: Deadlines.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: I had no idea how much marketing and how little money is involved. I remember having coffee with a group of multipublished authors and trying to figure out whether any of us were making minimum wage. None of us were.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Make writing a discipline. It’s like exercise: if you don’t do it on a regular schedule, you probably won’t see significant results.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A: It’s a legal/biotech thriller called THE ENOCH EFFECT, which wrestles with the ethical and spiritual issues raised by genetic engineering. It’s the first book that has made my agent, acquisition editor, and developmental editor all independently say “Wow!” I’m hoping readers will have the same reaction.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A: Read or watch a good movie. There’s nothing I love more than a good story.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A: I’m on Facebook and Twitter, and my website is www.rickacker.com.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A: Thanks for having me on the Suspense Zone!