We're talking today to Michael Craft, author of the mystery novel, The MacGuffin. Michael is the author of a dozen prior novels and three stage plays. As a mystery writer he has been known for many years as the author of the popular 'Mark Manning" series set in the Midwest as well as the "Claire Gray" series set in California. Three of his novels have been honored as national finalists for Lambda Literary Awards.
Thank you for this interview, Michael. Can you tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?
The MacGuffinis my 13th published novel. I have also written two stage plays and, most recently, a screenplay that was produced. I grew up in the Midwest and earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, which is the career that served as my “day job” during all those years when I was nudging myself toward becoming a writer. I now live in California, near Palm Springs, where I am totally focused on creative pursuits. In fact, I went back to school in recent years and completed an MFA in creative writing.
I have always enjoyed writing, and by the later years of grade school, it was evident that I had a knack for it. During college, I began to get the itch to write a novel “someday,” but since I was a design major at the time, focusing on building a career in the visual arts, there was nothing much to push me toward that first book. The motivation finally arrived around the time I turned 30, when I discovered the novels of Ayn Rand. I read all four of them that summer, and what impressed me was that she used her storytelling skills to convey deeply held thematic notions (in her case, the philosophy known as Objectivism).
Also, at 30, I felt that I had accumulated sufficient life experience to have, at last, “something to say.” I resolved that summer to knuckle down and write a publishable novel. Producing a manuscript proved relatively easy; finding a publisher for that first book took 12 years.
Can you tell us briefly what your book is about?
This is the jacket blurb for The MacGuffin:
A cold-case murder 15 years ago halted promising developments in the quest for clean energy when the rumored prototype of a groundbreaking water engine was stolen or destroyed. Now the race is on the repower America, and Cooper Brant, still grieving that long-ago murder of his father, suddenly finds his family visited by a second violent death, raising the stakes to unearth lost secrets. When Coop discovers how the two crimes are linked, a grim message becomes clear. He’s next.
Why did you choose your particular genre?
To be perfectly honest, I did not choose the mystery genre; it chose me. Early on, while I was shopping around for an agent or publisher, I had a manuscript in hand that I felt was primarily “literary,” but with elements of mystery to it. When I finally found an agent who took an interest in my work, he advised me to rework the manuscript as a more conventional mystery, and he then proceeded to land a three-book deal that launched my “Mark Manning” series. After that, the course of things was pretty much set.
Do you ever experience self-doubts with your work?
Of course, but the most serious doubts are during that initial “inspiration” stage, when I’m simply trying to figure out what the story is about. Those doubts are best described by the questions I typically ask myself at the outset of a project:
Does this story idea have the potential to grab and hold a reader’s interest? Do I have sufficient knowledge or resources to concoct an engaging, credible book-length plot for this idea? And perhaps most important: Am I myself sufficiently enthused about it to “marry” the project for the year or so that it will take to complete it?
Where do you write? Do you have a favorite place?
I now do my writing almost exclusively at the computer in my office at home. In the luxury of retirement, why would I write anywhere else?
When I was first getting started as a writer, around 1980, I was working as an art director at the Chicago Tribune, and I spent several hours a day on a commuter train to and from Kenosha, Wisconsin. So I put that time to use by writing manuscripts—by hand—on a legal pad. When I got home each night, I’d pour myself a drink and transcribe the day’s writing on a typewriter. This was before personal computers came along, so each revision entailed retyping the entire book.
Good old days? I don’t think so!
What kind of research did you have to do during the writing process?
We’ve all heard those classic words of advice to aspiring writers: write what you know. And I have heeded that advice. Many interests that have developed over the course of my life have found their way into my books—theater, music, architecture, running, and more. These interests have equipped me with minor areas of ready-made “expertise” that can add color, depth, and credibility to the storytelling.
Because most of my writing has been in the mystery genre, the initial idea for a story may stem from an interest in a particular motive, means, or opportunity for killing a fictitious, though no less hapless, victim. One of my novels, Boy Toy, involved mushroom poisoning, a topic about which I had no prior knowledge. That’s where old-fashioned research comes into play (far easier now in the age of the Internet), equipping the writer with sufficient knowledge to create a fictive reality with credible authority. In my new mystery, The MacGuffin, I needed a crash course in thermodynamics before I could concoct a believable plot regarding alternative energy and pepper it with the right buzzwords.
Are you a disciplined writer?
Yes, I’m a disciplined writer. In fact, most people who know me would probably say that I’m a disciplined person. A novel is a big project, and completing one successfully requires commitment, organization, and the willingness to self-schedule large blocks of time in the pursuit of something ephemeral and creative. In short: discipline.
Part of the discipline of writing, for me, is outlining. I know that many fiction writers do not work from an outline, but I myself find it a helpful and perhaps essential part of the total process.
Who is your publisher and how did you get accepted by them? Did you pitch your book yourself or go through an agent?
Prior to The MacGuffin, my seven most recent novels were published by St. Martin’s Press, and they were all handled by my agent. However, there was a six-year lapse prior to The MacGuffin, and during that period, the state of traditional publishing went through nothing less than a sea change. When I was finally ready to publish again, they weren’t ready for me. But I found myself in good company, as so many established writers are now turning to self-publishing, in both print and electronic formats. This transformation of the industry has been, from my perspective, unexpectedly satisfying. I cannot overstate how gratifying I now find it to have control over the ultimate presentation and marketing of my work. The MacGuffin is published by Questover Press, which is my own imprint.
Do you have another job besides writing?
I am now happily retired and enjoying the opportunity to devote myself full-time to writing, as well as other creative pursuits. During my working years, I was employed as a graphic designer, copywriter, editor, and ultimately as a corporate vice president for communications.
If you could give one book promotion tip to new authors, what would that be?
Simply this: be prepared to be involved with the promotion of your book. Many aspiring writers believe that if they create the “art” of writing, somone else will take responsibility for the commerce. I don’t know if this was ever the case, but it is certainly not true today. Even if you are lucky enough to land a nice sale with a major publisher, you will be called upon to roll up your sleeves and take a role in the book’s promotion. If you end up self-publishing, the task of creating a buzz will fall entirely to you.
The venues and possibilities for book promotion are virtually endless, but if there is a single promotional task that any author should take seriously from the outset it is this: launch a website, and make sure it’s well designed, perfectly written, and frequently updated. Without a website, you don’t exist.
What’s next for you?
I’m a bit torn right now between two projects—a sequel to The MacGuffin, plus a play I wrote a few years ago that I now want to pick up again for a major rewrite at both the structural and thematic levels. Having two ideas vying for my creative focus honestly strikes me as an abundance of riches.
Thank you for this interview, Michael. We wish you much success!
You can visit Michael's website at www.michaelcraft.com.
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