Interview Michael Murphy

by

Angela Verdenius

Hi Michael, your latest book, Ramblin' Man, is a mixture of humour, romance and self discovery.

1. What inspired you to write Ramblin' Man? 

Bart Wheeler, the Ramblin’ Man, appeared as a comedic sidekick to Casey Bannister in Secrets of Sheridan Manor, the second book of that series. By the time he appeared in the next book, Cuts Like a Knife, he’d become such an interesting character to me that I knew he needed his own novel.

2. Is there a message in this book, or was it written solely for pleasure?

Class of ’68 is my message book. Ramblin’ Man is a humorous examination of relationships and the message is love will prevail regardless of our differences. Readers might not reflect on the message, but they won’t soon forget Bart or Samantha Shepherd.

3. Your trailer for Ramblin' Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsp_PwT1tNc is very upbeat. Did the music inspire you when you wrote the book, or was finding the song a stroke of luck later? Or did you always know what song would suit your trailer?

I had almost as much fun creating the trailer as I did the novel. I discovered there are at least three popular songs titled Ramblin’ Man, but the Waylon Jennings song fit well with a novel about a young man living life on the road. The song helped me create the trailer, but so did some nice reviews of Ramblin’ Man.

4. You've written a lot of mystery detective books--Ramblin' Man seems to be almost at the opposite end of the spectrum. How did it feel to switch gears and write something a little lighter?

I’ve always blended humour and romance into my mystery/suspense novels so switching genres wasn’t that difficult. The challenge was taking a secondary character and making him into a leading man. Although Bart appeared in two other novels, I’d never written any scenes in his point of view, so as I wrote, I had to get to know him and get inside his heart and mind.

5. I noticed you wrote a book set in the time of the Vietnam War, Class of '68. It was a controversial time. What inspired you to write about this particular era, and did you have to do a lot of research?

Like many who grew up in that era, my life was deeply influenced by the events of 1968, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, student unrest, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam that exposed the futility of our foreign policy. Before I ever began a novel, I knew I had to write about that year and the people who lived it.

6. How does your family cope with your writing? Do they read your books?

Cope is the perfect word because when I’m in the middle of writing a novel I become even more self-indulgent than normal. Fortunately, my wife is my biggest fan and knows my characters almost as well as I do. She’s a great help in my writing and my life.

7. Is there a genre you would like to try that you haven't done yet?

I think it took me a two or three novels to find my voice where blending mystery and suspense with humour and romance became second nature to me. I still like to write the kind of novels I love to read, mystery and suspense, so I suspect that’s where I’ll spend most of my creative life.

8. When you look back on your published books, is there anything you wish you'd done differently in the stories? Anything you'd like to change?

I’d change quite a bit, as I learn more about the craft of writing with each book. But when I look back on what I’ve written, they’re pretty darn good, so I wouldn’t change a thing.

9. Since becoming a writer, have you found yourself reading genres you wouldn't normally read? And has it changed the way you read books and perceive the stories?

Writing novels has definitely changed the way I read. I find it nearly impossible not to critique what I’m reading, so it takes a really good writer to pull me into their world, someone like Dennis Lehane, Nelson DeMille or my favourite new writer, Jordan Dane.

10. When you're writing, is there a main message you try to get through your stories?

My goal with each novel is to create a story readers will enjoy and unique characters they will remember. I think readers will find that this applies to Ramblin’ Man.

Thanks so much, Michael, for spending the time to answer these questions!