A hearty welcome back to author Dr. Randy Overbeck! Today we’re chatting about his new amateur mystery, Cruel Lessons.
During his virtual book tour, Randy will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) give card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for your chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!
Our last chat was about Scarlet at Crystal River.
Bio:
Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades and has turned that experience into captivating fiction, authoring the bestselling series, the Haunted Shores Mysteries, winner of nine national awards. This fall, the Wild Rose Press will release his newest work, an atmospheric, amateur sleuth mystery, Cruel Lessons, the first installment in a new series set in schools, “Lessons in Peril.” He is the host of the popular podcast, “Great Stories about Great Storytellers,” which reveals the unusual and sometimes strange backstories of famous authors, directors and poets. He is also a speaker in much demand, sharing his multi-media presentations, “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” “A Few Favorite Haunts,” and “Everything You Wanted to Know About Publishing” with audiences all over the USA. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop.
Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Randy! Please tell us about your newest release.
On a school camping trip, fifth graders experiment with a dangerous new hallucinogen and die in a horrific accident, their deaths shattering the quiet town. Assistant Superintendent Ken Parks, hoping to redeem a fatal mistake from his past, grasps the opportunity to conduct the district investigation of how students are getting the drugs. Almost before he begins, the cops make a stunning arrest. But Parks battles on, convinced the real pusher is still out there, poisoning more kids until he receives an anonymous threat: if he continues, those close to him will pay. Is Parks willing to risk those he loves for a chance at redemption?
What inspired you to write this book?
This novel is very dear to my heart. As a long-time educator, I saw the ravages of student drug abuse and addiction up close. Over more than three decades as a teacher and school leader, I witnessed lives shattered and kids dying from their abuse of drugs, both legal and illegal. I crafted this story—while completely fictional and about an imaginary drug—as an homage to those educators who battle this very real problem everyday in our schools, doing everything they can to save children from this plague. Though set in the recent past (1994), the scourge of student drug abuse today is frighteningly similar to my tale, only with a new generation and new drugs.
Excerpt from Cruel Lessons:
From the bend, the road descended quickly and Amanda felt the car picking up speed as gravity and its powerful engine propelled it downhill. As she approached the next turn, she realized she was coming in a little too fast. She slid her foot to the brake. Her concentration on steering the twisting road ahead, at first it didn’t register. She dared to take her gaze off the road and look down at her feet before she understood. When her right foot depressed the brake, the pedal glided all the way to the floor. No friction. She pulled her foot back and slammed on the brake again. The pedal slid all the way down. Unbelieving, she pumped it, again and again.
There was nothing there.
She jerked her eyes back. The hairpin turn hurtled at her. On instinct, she kept jamming on the pedal. It was supposed to work. She turned the wheel wildly. The big car shuddered as it tried to negotiate the turn. The two rear wheels slipped off the pavement, spinning in space. With the front wheel drive, the front two tires managed enough traction to catch. The car veered around the curve and headed down the next straight incline. The heavy vehicle rolled faster again as gravity pulled it down the hill.
Amanda’s mind reeled. What was she supposed to do?
Struggling desperately to force her mind to think, Amanda tried to consider her options. It was all happening too quickly. The next treacherous turn came at her fast. She had no way to slow down. White knuckles gripped the steering wheel.
The bend ahead showed a hard curve to the right, not quite as tight as the last one, but steeper. And she felt the car accelerating, though she hadn’t touched the gas pedal. Right before the car hit the curve, Amanda spun the steering wheel. The car lurched around the bend. The driver side of the car lifted up. Halfway through the long bend, Amanda watched the hood tilt in the turn until it was almost vertical. No seat belt on, she was catapulted down the leather seat, crashing into the passenger door.
“Hell!” she cried, reaching to grab her bruised shoulder.
She froze as the two wheels still on the ground shuddered in the gravel, sliding off the small road. Slammed against the side door, she heard the tall weeds and low branches whip against the body. But the car didn’t slow. Blood streamed from a gash on her forehead. For an instant she lay there stretched across the passenger door, holding her breath.
Then she sensed the car teetering. The front tire bumped something hard. Amanda stared, unbelieving, as the car began to flip. As the Regal made the first revolution, she screamed.
What’s the next writing project?
My latest project is a new writing direction for me. I’m putting the finishing touches on a historical suspense about the Culper Ring, Washington’s spy organization during the Revolutionary War.
What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
My greatest concern is always to craft the very best novel I can. This is always challenging. In the case of Cruel Lessons, I had a number of aspects of the story to research to get right—auto mechanics, jail conditions, possible reactions to drugs—not to mention the school environment in the ‘90s. I believe the final product is worth the effort and equal to the challenge.
If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
As I mentioned, research is a major part of my novels. Most of the research work is done in advance and, depending on the novel, may be anything from geography/history to legal requirements to local customs to language. During the writing process, I will occasionally need to do additional research but the bulk of it is completed before I start hitting the keys.
What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
I’m very fortunate. I have a wonderful office with a spacious L-shaped desk with a wide window overlooking the pond and the woods. A computer, a printer, a tall bookcase and a couch completes the set up and make for a space that beckons me to create.
What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
My reading tastes are eclectic, and I have favorite authors in several genres. In mystery, William Kent Kreuger would have to be at the top of that list. I’d probably add Robert Parker, C J Box, Craig Johnson and Nevada Barr. In historical fiction, there is no one more skilled than Ken Follett, but I should probably include Anne Perry and Gore Vidal. For thrillers, I enjoy novels by John Grisham, John Gilstrap, Lee Child, and Joseph Finder.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
Someone asked me why I do what I do. The best answer is summed up in the comment I received from a reader recently. He said he had a complaint. Worried, I asked him what was wrong, he answered, “You kept me up all night because I started reading your novel and couldn’t put it down.” That’s why I do what I do.
Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!
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Thank you so much for hosting today.
Nice post. Thanks for the interview and the focus.
How do you select the names of your book characters?
My character names came, like my actual characters, from composites of the hundreds of educators I’ve worked with. Never run out of options.
Who influenced you to be a writer!
Quite a few. Great mystery writers like William Kent Krueger, Hank Phillippi Ryan and James Benn–all of whom I’ve met and talked with–have helped me get started and stay focused.
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like a good book.
Thanks for your interest. When it is available to order–10/11–check out the first chapter and let me know what you think.
Thanks for sharing the interview, it was great getting to know more about the author
I really appreciate your interest. As you can see, my fiction comes from my experience and reality of working with other educators formore than three decades serving children.
This sounds like a good book and I really like the cover.
Thanks for the comment about the cover. I’m very lucky a talented artist who also happens to be co-president of Wild Rose Press (who publishes the book) did the great cover. I’ll share your kudos with her.
Describe your perfect hero or heroine.
Tracie That’s a tough one. I’m not sure there is such a person–atleast not in my writing. All my protagonists are, sadly, like other flawed human beings who succeed by overcoming their own challenges. Perhaps that makes them perfect heroes.
Such a great interview!! Really enjoyed reading it!!