For the love of Tom Cruise, please find a good editor. Sure, you can walk out your front door naked, but you’d be showing the world those bits best left to mystery. To further this analogy: Be patient. Just because you don’t have the time or money for clothes, does not mean it’s okay to leave your house in your birthday suit. The police (also known as readers) will call you on it, then you’ll have a record, a reputation that could keep you from your dream job. Mind your Ps and Qs, literally, and remember, you cannot edit your own work. I don’t care who you are.

Edward Lorn – 26 February 2013

The Back Flap

Sometimes, bad people do good deeds.

Larry and Mo Laughlin are retired killers turned private investigators with monetary woes. So when their handler introduces them to the Trudeaus, one final job is placed on the docket.

Jacob and Bernice Trudeau need their teenage daughter, Amy, found, and they also want the men responsible dead. Two million dollars is an offer Larry and Mo can’t refuse.

To find Amy, the Laughlins must travel to Mexico, where they are thrust into a world of debauchery so foul they will be forever changed.

One crazed pimp, a veterinarian turned doc-for-hire, and an enigmatic facility called “The Show” lie in wait for the wayward couple.

Is there any hope for the wicked?

About the book

What is the book about?

Hope for the Wicked revolves around a pair of retired killers turned private investigators. Married couple, Larry and Mo Laughlin, used to squash out the worst of the human population—pedophiles. After a job goes horribly wrong, they open a PI firm in Long Beach, California and try for a life of normalcy. The economy being what it is nowadays, they’re having trouble paying the bills. That is, until their handler, Tommy Kirsch, swings by and offers them a job working for the Trudeaus, an affluent couple who live in Beverly Hills. The Trudeaus’ daughter, Amy, has been kidnapped and taken deep into Mexico. Amy’s mother doesn’t just want the Laughlins to deliver the ransom, but she also wants the men responsible for Amy’s abduction murdered. Larry and Mo are offered two million for their services, a price no one could refuse.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing Hope for the Wicked in early October.

How long did it take you to write it?

Three days for the first draft. The book is novella length, coming in at right around 35,000 words.

Where did you get the idea?

I hate to link away from your site, but if your readers are interested, this documentary led me to write Hope for the Wicked: The video is a little less than thirty minutes long, but involves the story of a child after she was abused by her biological parents. She ends up getting adopted. Her adoptive parents soon find out how damaged she really is and how violent she’s become. The documentary stalled my heart. I couldn’t believe that a child could have such malicious thoughts. I became enthralled and knew I wanted to create a character based on her, but an adult version. Thus was born Mo Laughlin.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

There’s a scene toward the end of the book that I didn’t feel a hundred percent sure I wanted to show the general public. I ended up keeping it because, though it’s very disturbing, the story didn’t want to go any other direction. I feel if I censor my work, I will not do my tales justice.

What came easily?

Hurting the bad guys in the book. I created some of the most horrid characters for this piece, so dispatching them was a great deal of fun. I guess I’m a little twisted that way.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I did draw from a real life person for the character of Mo Laughlin, as I stated in a previous answer, but the rest of my characters evolved of their own accord. I start every book I write blindly. I let the characters tell me their stories. Even in Mo’s case, though I took inspiration from that documentary I watched, she grew into a person all her own, with her own traits and idiosyncrasies.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

The older I get, the more I love simplicity. I used to devour anything by Stephen King, but I find his stuff harder to read now. I’m still a fan, and always will be, but he’s a little too lengthy for my liking nowadays. I’ve grown fond of minimalist writers like Neil Gaiman and Chuck Palahniuk, but I think my tastes in books changed after jumping into Richard Laymon’s catalog. I believe Laymon says so much with so little. He was at his blandest when writing violence. One of the most poignant sentences I’ve ever read was one of his: “He raped her.” Some may disagree, but I don’t see the need for anything else. As the reader, we can delve into that three-word sentence and create our own horror. I think it speaks volumes on who we are as human beings. If you need more than that sentence as description, what does that say about you?

Do you have a target reader?

Anyone who understands that the world can be a very ugly place at times. And of course, adults. Though I don’t believe we should withhold or censor what children read, I know I wouldn’t let my own children read my work. That might sound hypocritical, but it’s the truth.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so, can you please describe it?

I don’t have a writing process as much as I just proceed to write. I’m a “pantser,” meaning I write by the seat of my pants. I might go into a story knowing only one scene. More often than not, that scene is the end or the big secret the book depends on. Sometimes, I don’t even know that. I can start a book without anything in mind, as I did with Dastardly Bastard, and end up writing a very in-depth piece.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

This is subjective, so forgive me, but I don’t see any reason for outlining or plotting. Doing either kills my excitement for a story. I mean, part of the fun of writing is creating new and wonderful things, letting the world build itself and allowing the characters to tell the story. If anything, I take notes. Mainly because I can’t remember everything that’s happened, so I keep track of names and happenings in notebooks so I don’t forget any important details.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Edit myself? You’re kidding, right? I couldn’t find an error in my own work if my life depended on it. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there are definitely many problems when I’m finished with a manuscript, but all I see is what I meant to write. That’s what editors are for. I’m just the writer; I leave the editing to the professionals.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Everything I’ve ever written has been to a soundtrack. When I wrote Hope for the Wicked, I had my Andy McKee playlist on repeat. The man is a guitar virtuoso, and if you’ve never heard of him, you definitely need to look him up. In the past, I listened to Tom Waits while writing my debut novel, Bay’s End, and Adele whiling drafting Dastardly Bastard. I’m currently writing Pennies for the Damned, the sequel to Hope for the Wicked, so I’m back listening to Andy McKee. Having a blast, too, if I can say so myself.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Nope, though I did consider it when I finished my first novel, Bay’s End. In fact, that’s how I found my publisher.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Back in the day, Red Adept Publishing was Red Adept Reviews. They offered editing services to indie authors. They still do, but if you opt for the publishing side, you can’t do the editing side if you’re declined, and vice versa. This keeps them from having any conflicts of interest, like people saying, “You only turned down my book so I’ll pay for editing!” The best part of Red Adept Publishing is that I am not out of pocket for anything. I first found them through a Google search for editors. Lynn McNamee edited Bay’s End, put a thorough spit and shine on it, so thorough in fact that I thought, “Hell, why not publish this yourself?” So I did. Bay’s End was very well received, so when Lynn decided to open her publishing side, I was one of the first to submit to her. I’m thrilled I did. No one would have read Dastardly Bastard without the efforts of the Red Adept Publishing team, I’m sure.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?

Streetlight Graphics does all of Red Adept Publishing’s covers. I am always happy with their work. Glendon Haddix is very creative and professional. Even when I go indie with my short story collections, I call on Glendon. He did a fantastic cover for my anthology What the Dark Brings.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Here’s another huge plus of going with Red Adept Publishing: they have their own publicists and marketing venues. I pretty much just sit back and watch things happen. I’m spoiled like that.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

For the love of Tom Cruise, please find a good editor. Sure, you can walk out your front door naked, but you’d be showing the world those bits best left to mystery. To further this analogy: Be patient. Just because you don’t have the time or money for clothes, does not mean it’s okay to leave your house in your birthday suit. The police (also known as readers) will call you on it, then you’ll have a record, a reputation that could keep you from your dream job. Mind your Ps and Qs, literally, and remember, you cannot edit your own work. I don’t care who you are.

About You

Where did you grow up?

Fontana, California.

Where do you live now?

Across the bay from Mobile, Alabama.

What would you like readers to know about you?

What I write does not dictate the type of person I am. I’m a loving father of two children, one seven and the other nine months, and have been married to the same woman for going on twelve years.

What are you working on now?

The next Larry Laughlin book, Pennies for the Damned.

End of Interview:

To get your own copy of Hope for the Wicked visit Amazon US, Amazon UK, or Barnes & Noble.

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