Today, we’re talking with Bob DeGeorge about his book,
Tell us something unexpected about yourself!
I'm a retired big city cop who now lives in a small town in Texas so I can play cowboy for the rest of my life.
Why do you write?
I always liked reading police drama. With the exception of a very few writers, these stories lacked the little details or, simply got those details wrong, that make a story real. Also, most big city cop stories take place in New York or Los Angeles. San Jose and Silicon Valley have a lot of interesting stories, I know, because I worked there for 27 years. After I retired, I decided to put those stories in a book series.
Where did you get the inspiration for your current book?
My stories come from the real people and real crimes that I have investigated over the years. As I like to say, ‘that's the way it really was, give or take a lie or two.'
What do you enjoy the most about your genre?
Writing a police procedural is actually more challenging than living it. But that's what I like about it. The challenge of not just getting the facts of the investigation right, but getting every detail of the story and the characters correct. And then making sure it is an interesting and exciting story.
How would you describe your writing process?
I am a linear writer. I decide on who and what is going to be investigated and then proceed to follow my characters through their investigation much like investigations unfold in real life, with all the twists and turns and false starts, until the main bad guy is caught.
What do you think authors have to gain from participating in social media?
Being able to connect with your readers all over the world is definitely a plus. My readers can contact me, and I can contact them, either in a large group or one-on-one.
What advice would you have for other writers?
I'm hardly one to give other writers advice since this is my first book, and I'm a newbie myself. In my case, I picked a topic I knew a lot about and worked hard to turn it into an interesting story.
How do you select your books’ titles and covers?
From the beginning, I knew this was going to be a series, so the titles had to connect. From my days investigating financial crimes, we always said, ‘follow the money.' So, ‘Follow the Money', ‘Other Peoples' Money', and ‘Where's the Money'. As far as the book covers go, I hired a professional book cover designer, Tobi Afran, who worked very closely with me to bring the idea of each book to life.
What's your next step?
Book two is in final editing and will be released in a couple of months. Book three is outlined in my mind, and as soon as I'm done editing book two, I'll get busy writing it. I will promise three books in the series. If I find an audience that likes my work, there will be more.
How do you react to seeing a new review for your book?
Now that's a loaded question. If it's a good review, of course, I feel great. If it's not so good, I take a deep breath and then see what I can do to fix it. If I'm getting dinged for something technical, I'll see if I can fix that in the next book. But if a reviewer just doesn't like my story or my storytelling style, there is not much I can do about that. I guess my book just wasn't for them.
