Interview Michael Murphy

By

John Paulits

1. Why not tell our readers a little bit about yourself? 

I’ve lived most of my life in Arizona with my wife of 35 years, my two children and eight grandchildren.

2. How do you fill up your day when you’re not writing?

My day job is a manager of a staff of 48 for the State of Arizona.  Besides my writing, a great deal of my time is spent with my family. It’s al full, challenging and rewarding life.

3. How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since grade school. After high school, I majored in journalism at Arizona State University. I became serious about my writing in my forties and have been writing novels since 1999.

4. What books did you read growing up?  These are the books that generally turn us into readers.

The first novel I read was Jack London’s White Fang.  Later, I read Gone With the Wind when I was nine.  I still consider it one of my favorites.

5. Who are your favorite authors now?

My favorite authors are Nelson DeMille, due to his ability to blend humor and suspense, something I strive for, and Dennis Lehane, a brilliant writer of suspense with superb characterization.

6. When, where and how much time do you spend writing on a typical workday?

Does this count staring off into space?  That usually means I’m visualizing a scene.  If I’m driving and chuckle out loud, my wife will ask, “You’re writing, aren’t you?”  When I’m in the middle of a novel, I try to write a chapter a week, often rewriting it more than a dozen times before it comes together.

7. Can you give our readers a brief synopsis of your current book?

Secrets of Sheridan Manor is the second in my Casey Bannister series, about a former NYPD homicide detective struggling to adjust to retirement in upstate New York. The first in the series was Try and Catch the Wind published by Wings in February.  In my new novel, Casey encounters his most determined foe yet, wealthy industrialist Phillip Sheridan, who will stop at nothing to make sure Casey doesn’t discover the secrets of Sheridan Manor that might destroy Sheridan’s financial empire.

8. What other books have you published that our readers would be interested in?

As I mentioned before, my first novel was Try and Catch the Wind.  My second, Class of ’68 is a follows three young Americans during one of the most tragic years of the twentieth century, 1968 as they struggle to make sense of it all.

9. What projects do you have lined up for the near future?

My next Wings novel is called Cold File, that pairs a female homicide detective in Arizona with a novelist doing research for a new mystery novel. Together they probe an unsolved homicide, and their investigation threatens to destroy one of Arizona’s most influential families.  Next spring, Casey Bannister returns in Cuts Like a Knife, followed by a spinoff from the series titled Ramblin’ Man.

10. How about a quick answer to whether you think ebooks/POD will ever match the popularity of standard paper books?

Never.