Updated as of May 2023
Are you going to write more books in the Kill Crime series?
Absolutely—although I cannot tell you exactly when.
The series currently includes the prequel, Life Changing Money, and three full-length novels. The third novel, Wrong Kill, brings the major storyline to a satisfying conclusion, so readers will not be left hanging while they wait.
I love Jeff Case and the rest of the team, and I have more stories I would like to tell about them. However, I am also creating new characters and writing standalone thrillers that can reach readers who have never encountered my books before.
Jeff Case will be back. He may just have to wait his turn.
Why did you write a short story? Will you write more?
I wrote Life Changing Money as a prequel to the Kill Crime series and as a way for new readers to enter Jeff Case’s world.
I may write more short stories, particularly when I have an idea involving an established character that does not require a full novel. However, short stories are not my natural preference. I enjoy creating complicated plots, developing characters, and surprising readers with twists they never saw coming.
That is much easier when I have an entire novel to work with.
What books have you written?
My published thrillers include the Kill Crime series and Spike: 35 Kills and Smiling.
Spike first appears in a major role in Primed to Kill, the second Kill Crime novel, and returns in Wrong Kill. He was too dangerous—and far too entertaining—to remain a supporting character, so I gave him his own book.
The simplest description of Spike: 35 Kills and Smiling is Dexter meets Jack Reacher. Spike is a self-aware psychopath who has killed thirty-five innocent people. He decides that if he must continue killing, perhaps he can improve his chances in the afterlife by killing only very bad people.
It makes perfect sense to Spike.
I would love to make Spike a trilogy, and I already have ideas for what happens next.
What are you working on now?
Several novels are competing for my attention.
The Toe Killer
The Toe Killer is a completed, ready-to-publish thriller centered on a female homicide detective in the New Orleans area. Two killers are hunting her while she struggles to save her six-year-old daughter, who has leukemia.
The novel includes a serial killer, organized crime, a professional hitwoman, family drama, plenty of action, and numerous twists.
I am currently considering both traditional publishing and self-publishing options.
Crazy or Dead
Crazy or Dead is a completed psychological thriller.
After her parents are murdered, a young woman begins experiencing events no one else appears able to see. She must determine whether she is losing her mind—or whether someone is deliberately trying to make her appear crazy before they kill her.
The story moves from Connecticut to Pennsylvania, Texas, and Hawaii and includes murder, deception, enormous wealth, and people who are definitely not what they first appear to be.
I plan to seek a traditional publisher for the novel.
The Flats
The Flats is my current work in progress. It is a psychological thriller set in Alaska involving secrets, danger, and people with reasons to hide the truth.
I am roughly halfway through the first draft. Since I write without a detailed outline, I am still discovering exactly where the story will take me.
That is part of the fun.
Will you continue writing new novels?
For as long as I am able.
My goal is to write one or two novels each year while continuing both my established series and new standalone thrillers. I want each new book to introduce readers to a world, story, and group of characters they have never encountered before.
I am still looking for that grand-slam novel that reaches millions of readers.
Of course, I would happily settle for several of them.
Have you written any nonfiction books?
Yes. I wrote the bestselling business book One Million in the Bank: How to Make $1,000,000 With Your Own Business, Even If You Have No Money or Experience under my full name, Michael L. F. Slavin.
The book has won eight awards. It uses my own business experience as a backdrop but also tells the stories of twelve everyday people who built million-dollar businesses, usually within three to seven years.
Where do you get the ideas for your novels?
Usually, one idea leads to another, and then things get out of control.
For Kill Crime, I began with the idea of a controversial bestselling book called Kill Crime that inspired people to take justice into their own hands. The fictional book became a book within my novel.
I then wrote the best action scene I could imagine and kept going, usually writing between 1,000 and 2,000 words a day. I let the story pull me forward.
Ideas can come from almost anywhere: something I read, a strange news story, a location, an interesting person, or a single question that will not leave me alone.
Do you outline your novels before you begin writing?
Not very much.
I am what writers call a pantser, meaning I largely write by the seat of my pants. I normally begin with a general premise, a few characters, and perhaps several scenes I know I want to include.
I rarely know exactly how the novel will end when I start writing it.
Discovering the story as I write gives me an enormous dopamine hit. When a surprising twist occurs to me, I figure there is a decent chance it will also surprise the reader.
It usually takes me about sixty to seventy days to complete a first draft. Turning that draft into an edited, publish-ready novel takes considerably longer.
Do you ever get writer’s block?
No. At least, not yet.
When I find myself staring at the screen for too long, I jump ahead and write a scene that excites me. Usually, that means someone is in danger.
I do not always know where the scene will fit—or whether it will fit at all—but somehow it usually finds a home in the novel. The important thing is to keep moving.
Is Jeff Case based on you?
I used parts of myself as Jeff Case’s foundation.
Like Jeff, I graduated from West Point, served as an Army officer, and later became the CEO of an oil company. Unlike Jeff, I have not had to kill anyone for revenge.
Yet.
As I continued writing the series, Jeff increasingly became his own person. Interestingly, the novels I have written since Kill Crime have primarily featured female leads, and I do not see much of myself in them at all.
Perhaps that is another question entirely.
Why do many of your newer novels have female protagonists?
It was not a deliberate plan.
After writing several novels centered on Jeff Case and Spike, I began developing stories in which the strongest and most interesting central character happened to be a woman.
Writing characters whose experiences differ from my own forces me to think harder, research more, and avoid taking the easy path. It has also led me to some of my favorite characters and stories.
What kinds of books do you enjoy reading?
Almost anything except romance. Sorry, romance writers.
My reading interests have changed throughout my life.
In high school, I read almost entirely science fiction. During my four years at West Point and ten years as an Army officer, I broadened my reading to include action-adventure novels, military history, leadership, and management.
During my twenty-five years as the CEO of my oil company, I read very little fiction—perhaps one or two novels a year—but often read around fifty business-related books annually.
Since selling my company and becoming a full-time writer, I have reversed that. I now read approximately fifty novels a year, primarily thrillers and near-term science fiction, although I regularly try books outside my usual genres.
Reading widely is entertaining, but it also makes me a better writer.
You can see what I am currently reading—and my reviews of every book I finish—on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/36506848?ref=nav_mybooks
What are your favorite and least favorite things about being a writer?
Writing keeps me young and fully engages my mind. I am constantly learning—about writing, people, locations, technology, medicine, law enforcement, and dozens of other subjects I never expected to study.
My favorite moments occur when a scene comes alive or separate pieces of a story suddenly fit together perfectly.
I also enjoy how people react when they learn I am an author. It nearly always begins an interesting conversation.
My least favorite part is editing.
Unfortunately, editing is also what makes the books much better. Life can be terribly unfair.
I have a great story idea. Can I send it to you?
Sorry, but for legal reasons, I cannot read or accept story ideas.
I have written a book. Will you read it and tell me what you think?
I appreciate being asked, but I cannot read and evaluate unsolicited manuscripts. I receive too many requests and must protect the time needed to complete my own books.
What is the best advice you would give another writer?
Finish the first draft.
Leave the mistakes. Ignore the plot holes. Do not spend three days perfecting one paragraph. Keep moving until you have completed some version of the story.
No draft means no book.
Once the draft exists, you can revise it, repair it, strengthen it, and seek help from beta readers, developmental editors, line editors, and proofreaders.
Do most of your thinking through your writing rather than waiting until you have everything figured out. Write every day, even if it is only a paragraph.
When life prevents you from writing, forgive yourself—and begin again when you can.
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