Questions and answers about the next Joshua Jones Mystery novel.
1. So now that Null Pointer is officially out, when will you start writing the next Joshua Jones Mystery?
This summer. Yup, I’m working on the outline now and I will start writing in a few months.
2. How long will it take you to finish it?
The first draft will probably take me about 4 to 6 months. Subsequent drafts as little as a month.
3. When can we expect it to be ready for sale?
May of 2012. I know, a whole year from now. But you have to realize, this is not my full-time job. I have a 40 hour a week day job and a family. Writing is just my second job. I moonlight as a Mystery writer.
4. What is the name of the next Joshua Jones Novel?
Kill Dash Nine. In keeping with the precedence set with Null Pointer, it is a programming term: kill -9 is a UNIX command for killing processes or running programs.
5. Will Dancia Rivers be in the next book? How about Detective Plait and Joshua’s other friends?
Dancia, Trip, Steve and Plait are all in Kill Dash Nine. As for how long they are in the book, I can’t divulge.
6. What? Someone we know dies in Kill Dash Nine!
I can’t say. I’m still working out the outline. No promises.
7. Will we get any more short stories set in this series?
Yes. Well, at least I hope so. No promises. I have some ideas but nothing has demanded that I write it yet.
8. Are you going to be attending any conferences this year?
Yes! I’ll be attending Mayhem in the Grove here in Boise, Idaho. You can catch me on a panel talking about ebooks. I should have print books of Null Pointer available for purchase.
9. How many Joshua Jones books can we eventually expect?
I have plans for six books. They even all have titles. But I won’t divulge them this far out, as they could change. The series will progress and does contain an overall theme or story arch. It is all going someplace, trust me.
10. What inspired you to write about white collar crime, and in particular, cyber crime?
I work in the software business. I deal with engineers, programmers and other technical types on a daily basis. Any one of them could kill me any number of ways. They are all evil. No! I’m kidding. I think what makes geeks so interesting as potential criminals is the fact that they are so normal under all the technical babble they use in their jobs. People are people. Most are good, but some are bad. My books explore different and unique ways that technically skilled people can be bad. I think that is more interesting than a gritty detective or a Lawyer or a Police Procedure or even a Doctor. I write what I know and what I find interesting.
