Novelist Mike Nemeth is back! This time we’re chatting about his new YA historical, A Tissue of Lies.
Bio:
Mike Nemeth, a Vietnam veteran and former high-tech executive, writes love stories tucked inside murder mysteries that deliver messages about America’s social ills. The Undiscovered Country won the Beverly Hills Book Award for Southern Fiction and the Frank Yerby Prize at the Augusta Literary Festival. The book inspired singer/songwriter Mark Currey to compose Who I Am. Parker’s Choice, won a Firebird Award for thrillers and American Fiction Awards for Diverse and Multicultural Mystery, and for Romantic Mystery. Shelf Unbound magazine listed Parker’s Choice as one of the 100 notable books of 2023 and Kirkus Reviews listed it as “a book worth discovering.”
Mike’s latest novel, A Tissue of Lies, released in April, 2024, reimagines the coming-of-age story that defines the Baby Boomer generation. The novel has won first place in the Firebird Awards competition and earned a Kirkus Reviews recommendation to “Get it!”
Mike’s articles have been published by The New York Times, Georgia Magazine, Augusta Magazine, Southern Writers’ Magazine, Deep South Magazine, and the Writers’ Voices anthology. Creative Loafing named him Atlanta’s Best Local Author for 2018. He lives in suburban Atlanta with his wife, Angie, and their rescue dog, Scout.
Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Mike. Please tell us about your newest release.
The BookLife Prize said it best: “With echoes of John Fante, A Tissue of Lies grips the reader in the slow unraveling of an unhappy family’s conflicted loves and squandered hopes. Fifteen-year-old Eddie Kovacs is an endearing and unlikely anti-hero, flailing against an angry father’s contempt while fighting for his own and his brother’s futures. A captivating coming-of-age tale equal parts harrowing and fearless.”
What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve been annoyed by all the talk about how easy Baby Boomers had it growing up and how Boomers then ruined the world for later generations. A Tissue of Lies describes the time in which fifteen-year-old Eddie grows up, a time when political leaders were brazenly assassinated, inalienable civil rights had to be guaranteed by legislation, race riots disfigured the American landscape, a controversial war shaped social consciousness, and we lived under the very real threat of nuclear annihilation. The novel also sheds light on how Boomers formed their worldview and life strategy.
Excerpt from A Tissue of Lies:
“You need to take the pill so we don’t have any more mistakes,” Dad said.
“The Pope says no.”
“Since when do you listen to the Pope? The Supreme Court just ruled it’s our right, so take the pill, Kat.”
“I’ll take the pill if you buy me a car and give me spending money.”
“That sounds like I’m paying for it.”
“That’s the way marriage works. You get yours if I get mine.”
I had to stifle a laugh over that zinger.
My appreciation of Mom’s humor evaporated when Dad smacked the table. “Fine, it’s your turn when I get my raise.”
“Ha! A few more pennies an hour. When you start out poor, you end up poor.”
“You’re wrong. I negotiated a great labor contract. You’ll see.”
“Well, I’m not giving anything away on credit.”
What’s the next writing project?
A Tissue of Lies is the prequel to The Two Lives of Eddie Kovacs (published in 2022) which picks up where A Tissue of Lies leaves off and then switches to Eddie as an elderly detective. I plan now to fill in the gap of his adult life as a DA’s investigator. I want to tell a story about how easy it is for the legal system to get it wrong.
What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
Always it’s getting the characters right. I want to be sure they all have an arc and a backstory that explains and justifies their attitudes, motivations, and behavior.
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?
I’m a plotter so I do the research first and use it to construct a believable and factual plot. A Tissue of Lies is set in 1966 through 1970 and I wanted to get the period exactly right and framed by events of the day.
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.
The muse strikes wherever and whenever she likes. I take notes in my phone when an idea forms but my writing space is a home office with my dog, Scout, at my side. I have a nine-foot-long trestle table I use for a desk because it is stacked with piles of notes and research and pictures of locations.
What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
My two all-time favorites have passed—William Goldman and Elmore Leonard—but my new favorites are Joseph Kanon and Alex Michaelides.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
I’m grateful for every reader whether they read my works or those of other authors.
Links:
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Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!
Thank you, Lisa, for giving readers the chance to get to know the authors they read.