Go for it!

 

Last month, I riffed about my upcoming 25^th anniversary of being a published author. It was in December of 2001 that I signed a publishing contract for my first novel, the romantic spy thriller “Memories Die Last.” It introduced a CIA spook named Nick Seven, who walked away from the dark underworld of espionage after settling a personal score and now lives in Key Largo, Florida with a former co-worker from Barbados named Felicia. The character resonated with readers, and he’s still going strong 25 years later. Nick may be my favorite creation, but I haven’t limited my imagination to his exploits alone.

 

I like to try new things with my writing. I become bored easily and if I don’t flex my creative muscles, that malaise will find its way into my stories. I think this is why I switch between mystery/thrillers and romantic comedies. It puts my brain in offense mode, and challenges me to take chances. My dislike of cliches also keeps my mystery readers on their toes. I’m really happy when I come up with a unique “Gotcha!” or last-minute “Aha!” twist that catches people off-guard. One of my followers pointed out that in many of the mysteries, I write a sort-of climax three-quarters of the way through, then follow it up with a bigger finish. I wasn’t aware I was doing this, but he pointed it out in online reviews as “the Tim Smith double climax.” I haven’t taken out a patent on that yet.   

 

In one of my early books, “The Vendetta Factor” (Nick Seven series), I went retro by using chapter titles. Since it was an old school pulp fiction-style crime thriller, it seemed like a good fit. The fact that no one had used chapter titles in fiction for thirty-odd years increased my desire to flaunt current trends. My first romantic comedy, “Anywhere the Heart Goes,” took the title thing one step further. I began each chapter with a quote about love and relationships, to set the mood. Some of the quotes were funny, while others were poignant.

 

The Vic Fallon private eye mystery “Lido Key” pushed my limits regarding adult content. I had the female lead enjoying an intimate relationship with her cute Latina housekeeper, and both of them are attracted to the hero. The heroine is also a former lap dancer turned rich trophy widow who is being blackmailed because of her past indiscretions. It’s probably the steamiest story concept I ever came up with. During his investigation, my hero encounters a sleazy strip club owner and a famous tough guy writer with a taste for booze and women. It’s a low-down noir concept with a cast of characters to match. I think Mickey Spillane would’ve been impressed.   

 

Speaking of characters, that’s another area where I color outside the lines. I like creating personalities that are unique and memorable. I pay attention to people and take note of their fashion statements, physical characteristics and speech patterns. My realistic caricatures have almost gotten me into trouble when someone is convinced that I based a character on them or a mutual friend. This is patently false, because my characters are fictional composites, and it says so in the front of the books. What people want to believe beyond that is up to them. 

 

I like to see how many fireworks I can set off during interviews, and I have a lot of fun when I can get a laugh with my responses. It plays into something I learned a long time ago—any publicity can be good if it gets people talking about you. As proof, search the name Kardashian and see what pops up. It also verifies that I don’t take myself too seriously. One blog interview I did nearly cost me an invitation to a family reunion, though, because a relative was embarrassed by my answers to some of the questions. They dealt with my thoughts on certain fetishes, and I felt obliged to give outrageous answers.  

  

The biggest limit-pusher for me was becoming a published author in the first place. I had reached a crossroad in my life, and was feeling restless. I recalled an idea for a story I had always wanted to tell, and challenged myself to either write the damn thing or stop talking about it. I only pursued publication after being encouraged by family and friends. The second-biggest risk was my decision to write under my own name. Since my stories contain some hot romance, I sometimes think that not adopting a pseudonym was a mistake.

 

It’s time to start the next phase of this journey!

 

Tim Smith is an award-winning bestselling author of mystery/thrillers and contemporary romantic comedies. He is also a freelance writer, blogger, and editor. He can often be found in the Florida Keys, doing research in between parasailing and seeking out the perfect Mojito. His author page is Tim Smith/AllAuthor