Meadowlark: Your first novel, IMMACULATE IN BLACK, was published by St. Martin's Press in 1991, tell us about the publishing process you went through.

EJ: IMMACULATE IN BLACK started out in the early 80s as 9-1-1. I finished the first draft in '84 and three different agents handled it until 1990 when the last agent called & said she didn't "have time to do it justice." I asked (or was it begged?) her to use my SASE to send it to Walker instead of back to me. Although Walker returned my manuscript, the rejection was so positive that I stapled their letter to my query to St. Martin's. The rest is history. The unusual aspect of this scenario, I think, is that three agents couldn't, (or chose not to) sell my manuscript over a six year period, whereas I sold it in two submissions.

M: What did you learn with this first published novel that you think is most important for pre-published novelist to understand?

EJ: That a lot of what you read & are told is just so much baloney. In retrospect, I realize that I should have been much more aggressive, especially after my novel was published. In the year between signing the contract and publication I should have finished the sequel. Due to the Internet, some things appear to be changing for the better..

M: Tell us a little about the plot of IMMACULATE IN BLACK.

EJ: The plot involves a detective couple, attorney Peter Sherman & his wife Becky, who together (with their cat) solve the murder of the young niece of the man accused of the crime, who also happens to be Sherm's client. The case is a jigsaw puzzle of many complex pieces made impossibly difficult by seemingly incontrovertible evidence against his client. Along the way we get to know the couple intimately, their pleasures, their humor, and their pain. On the cover it says, "Introducing the Nick and Nora of the 90s." When people ask when the second one is coming out, I remind them that, although there were several movies, there was only one THIN MAN novel.

M: The rights to IMMACULATE IN BLACK have reverted back to you. Are you looking for a new publisher to reprint it?

EJ:. It's an option I'm considering. I would very much like to see it in paperback.

M: Have you considered going with non-tradtional markets like electronic publishing or books-on-tape?

EJ. At this moment all options are being considered.

About DRY HEAT.....

M: DRY HEAT is the sequel to IMMACULATE IN BLACK. Tell us a little bit about what happens to Peter and Becky Sherman in the new book.

EJ: DRY HEAT starts out with the apparent suicide of their pastor in his church in the middle of the night. In this book the ties to the victim are based on emotion rather than business, so the novel takes on a different look. The first ten chapters can be read on my web site. Those who have read both novels in their entirety believe the sequel is better than the original. I'm not convinced, although DRY HEAT does have a terrific ending.

M: Why did you wait so long before writing the sequel?

EJ: I should say because I was stupid. Actually, I'd been working on other non mystery novels which I'd hoped would fly higher but have not yet gotten off the ground.

M: Do you feel that your writing has changed or evolved in the time between these two books?

EJ: It has become easier in the sense that when I sit down to write, the words seem to flow. (Much easier than being interviewed). Motivation is my main problem.

M: You've posted chapters 1-10 on your website. What kind of response have you been getting from readers?

EJ. The responses I've received have all been very positive; however, the numbers are really disappointing. I'm in the process of expanding my base, hoping to draw in more readers.

M: You probably want to place the reprint of IMMACULATE IN BLACK with the same publisher as DRY HEAT, do you think it helps to have two completed novels in a series when approaching publishers?

EJ. I would hope so.

About Writing.....

M: Which authors have influenced your writing the most, and how?

EJ: Hemingway (simple, direct language), Zane Grey (plot), Shakespeare (literary devices such as humor & pathos in juxtaposition-- as in listing the following author next), Spillane (gritty toughness), Hillerman (locale, originality)...

M: What is the best piece of writing advice you could offer for pre-published authors?

EJ: If you know you have a good story, don't let them forget it.

M: How much of your stories comes from personal experience?

EJ:. Virtually everything I write is heavily weighted on personal experience. I manipulate experience and facts to suit the story but the basis is almost always already there.

M: What are you writing now?

EJ: Short mysteries featuring a more traditional P.I. I've named "Beamer." Two Beamer stories have already been published and a dozen or so more are in various shades of completion. When all of them are finished I plan to tie them into a bundle and sell them under one cover.

Thank you for letting me interview for Meadowlark's Out Of The Slush page for writers.

E. J: Thank you.

Don't miss the Synopsis of Dry Heat and learn about theAuthor

Immagine, home page of E. J. McGill
Or e-mail him at immac91@worldnet.att.net

Check out E.J. McGill's short mystery, "Breathing," in issue #10 of Blue Murder Mystery Magazine