Contributing editor and thriller authors Keith Raffel and debut thriller author Andy Peterson found out they had much in common as they hung out together at ThrillerFest this past July. Now they've renewed their friendship to discuss Andy's debut thriller, First to Kill, which Publisher's Weekly called "a complex and action-packed conspiracy thriller."
Andy, congrats on First to Kill. Tell me what it's like being a debut author.The most interesting and fun part of being a debut author is networking with the seasoned pros of the Industry. At ThrillerFest, I spent a good hour talking with Steve Martini about all kinds of things. I spoke with R.L. Stine at length as well. I really enjoy talking to such nice and interesting authors. On the other hand, the most difficult part of being a debut author is time management. I'm afraid I'm not very good at it yet. Promoting and marketing is essential, but so is writing the next Nathan McBride adventure. Right now, my writing has taken a back seat. It's a Catch 22 situation. Unless you promote and market yourself, few people will know about your book. But if all the effort pays off, people are going to want the next one. For now, I feel the media effort is more important.
Can you give us a sneak preview of the book?
Sure. The book's hero, Nathan McBride, is a former Marine Corps sniper and CIA covert operative. His career ended after being captured on a botched mission in Nicaragua. He was brutally interrogated for three agonizing weeks. Emotional and physical scars remain.
Twelve years later, Nathan reluctantly agrees to search for a missing FBI agent, but demands things be done "his way." As his search deepens, he realizes things aren't adding up. What begins as a simple missing person assignment deteriorates when Nathan is forced to kill a young militia group member. The slain member's brothers, both ex-soldiers, become hell-bent on revenge and go after Nathan and the FBI.
Nathan McBride sees plenty of action in First to Kill, but also some romance. Which is easier to write, action or romance? Which do you prefer?I prefer to write action and dialog, keeping exposition to a minimum. Although I appreciate authors who can write romantic scenes, I didn't feel those types of scenes were necessary to move First To Kill forward. When I submitted the novel to Dorchester, the only editorial change requested was to cut approximately 10,000 words. I had already cut 20,000 words based on feedback from my two freelance editors, Ed Stackler and Laura Taylor. The novel was already lean when my editor, Don D'Auria, asked me to cut the additional pages. The novel needed to fit into Dorchester's standard 400 page format. So there wasn't any room for extras. If the scene didn't advance the story or enhance a character, it went onto the chopping block. When I finished with the cuts, I felt like my novel was hemorrhaging from bloody stumps. In hindsight, the cuts produced a positive result, making the story tighter and more fast paced.
Obviously, you mean First to Kill to provide your readers with entertainment. Anything else?
Although not intentional, there's a moral aspect to the book. Nathan McBride is an honorable man and doesn't enjoy some of the things he does in the book. But it's a rough world out there. If the stakes are high enough, the rules get bent or even broken. There's no political message or anything like that. I feel strongly about leaving politics out. An author needs to distinguish between what he or she wants to include versus what he or she needs to include, and they're not always the same.
What did you learn at ThrillerFest this year?
I learned that the organization is overflowing with kind and generous people who freely donate their time to help new authors. In my opinion, ThrillerFest is now at the pinnacle of conferences offered around the country. The list of participating New York Times bestselling authors is stellar and they make themselves available to the conferees. I strongly encourage both new and seasoned authors alike to attend. It's a fun and informative few days.
Andy, what did it cost to get that terrific review from Publisher's Weekly? Seriously now, what did you think when you read it?
There's nothing more effective than the threat of being dropped from a 1,000 yards! Actually, it was out of my hands. Dorchester submitted an ARC and Publishers Weekly chose to review it. I hadn't known about it until I had lunch with Don D'Auria and Jake Elwell (my agent) the day before ThrillerFest began. Needless to say, I was quite surprised.
Your book is coming out as a paperback original. Is that good or bad?
It's good. Sure, I'd love to be published in hardcover someday, but the distribution is much larger for a mass-market paperback. Many New York Times bestselling authors began with MMPs so I'm happy being released in paperback. Economic times aren't stellar right now, so if a customer needs to choose between a book that costs $28 out the door as opposed to $8, the choice is easy. Are MMPs collectible like hardcovers? Not nearly as much, but there are a few collectors looking for them. Clive Cussler's first MMP goes for a small fortune. I think too many aspiring authors are hung up on the idea of a hardcover release, when in reality, a MMP may be best for their careers.
What's next?
I'm working the next Nathan McBride adventure and scheduling a lengthy road trip. I just received some great news. Costco Wholesale has purchased 9,600 copies of FTK for California's 112 warehouses. It's a regional purchase (California only) but California hosts over a fifth of all Costco's locations, so I'm excited and a little nervous. I need to do everything humanly possible to make sure Costco's stock moves through its register lines. Just getting your book into Costco doesn't automatically translate into sales. I plan to work incredible hard promoting and marketing over the next few months. It's a leap of faith, of sorts. We've all had to do it. There comes a time when you have to let go and hope all the hard work pays off.
Contributing editor Keith Raffel wrote
DOT DEAD, "without question the most impressive mystery debut of the
year" according to Bookreporter.com. 
