What do you do when you are not writing?
I always say I write because I can’t
sing or dance (LOL). Writing isn’t my full time job, I would have starved long
ago if it was.
I’m an elementary school teacher, I
tutor Math and English part time and I’m a husband and father. So as you can
see, I only write when I find time.
When did you first start writing and when did
you finish your first book?
Actually it happened by accident.
Growing up I never thought much about writing, but I was an avid reader. The
only time I ever wrote was when my teachers at school made me. I wanted to be
an NHL superstar…period.
It was the winter of 2000, my second
year of professional hockey, and I was playing in Oklahoma City. After sustaining a season ending eye injury
(one of the scariest moments of my life), I found myself with time on his
hands.
My girlfriend at the time, who is now
my wife, was attending a French college in Montreal. She received an English
assignment to write a short story, and asked me for some help.
I loved the experience—creating vivid
characters and generating a wire-taut plot. I sat down at my roommate’s
computer and began typing. I wrote a little every day, around my intense
rehabilitation schedule and before I knew it I had completed my first
manuscript.
I didn’t write with the intention of
being published. I wrote for the love of writing.
Thirteen years later, I still write
for pleasure—and I still love it! The fact that I am being published is a
bonus.
I made the decision to write a book
with the intention of publication in 2005. I enjoyed writing so much as a
hobby, I decided I wanted to take my interest one step further – write a story
with the intention of being published and making it available for friends,
family, and readers around the world to enjoy.
I`m not one to take things lightly or
jump in half way. I took a full year off from writing to study the craft. I
constantly read, from novels in my favorite genres to books written by experts
in the writing field. I continually researched on the internet, reading up on
the industry and process. I made friends (published and unpublished authors),
bombarding them with questions, learning what it took to become successful.
Feeling that I was finally prepared,
in the winter of 2006, with an idea in mind and an outline on paper, I started
to write DEAD MAN`S HAND. It took me two years (working around full time jobs)
to complete the first draft of the novel.
I then worked with editors and joined
a critique group, doing anything I could to learn, to improve my writing and my
novel to point where I could create the best possible work.
My years of hard work finally paid
off. With my dream still in mind and my manuscript ready, I hired the Jennifer
Lyons Literary Agency to represent DEAD MAN`S HAND.
I signed a publishing deal with
Imajin Books in May, 2012.
How did you choose the genre you write in?
I was always an avid reader. My first
books were the Hardy Boys titles, so they are the reason I love mysteries. As
an adult, some of my favorite authors are Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly and
Greg Iles, so naturally I write what I love to read – mystery/suspense/thriller
novels. “Kiss the Girls” by James Patterson was the first adult crime-book I
ever read, and I fell in love with the genres. DEAD MAN`S HAND has been
compared to Patterson books, which to me is an honour. Maybe in style (short
chapters, a quick read), as I have read many of his books.
Where do you get your ideas?
Plot: I get my ideas from stories I
hear about, whether through reading (newspapers, magazines, etc.), what I hear
(radio) or what I see (TV, movies, internet, etc.). The plot is completely
fictional. I wouldn`t say that one thing or person influences my writing, but a
variety of my life experiences all have led to my passion in the written word.
There is not a single moment in time when this idea came to be, but circumstances
over the years that led to this story: my hockey injuries, frequent visits to
Las Vegas, my love of football, crime books and movies. Dead Man’s Hand became
real from mixing these events, taking advantage of experts in their field, and
adding my wild imagination. The internet also provides a wealth of information,
available at our fingertips with a click of the mouse.
Setting: I usually set my stories in
cities I`ve visited and fell in love with. Las Vegas was the perfect backdrop
for this story, glitz and glamour as well as an untapped underground.
Characters: I have never been
involved in a homicide investigation, LOL. Although I am not a 6’5”, 220 pound
African-American, I’ve used much of my athletic background when creating my
protagonist Calvin Watters. Watters past as an athlete, and his emotional
rollercoaster brought on by injuries were drawn from my experiences. His mother
died of cancer when he was young, as mine was. There are certainly elements of
myself in Calvin, but overall, this is a work of fiction. I did not base the
characters or plot on any real people or events. Any familiarities are strictly
coincidence.
Do you ever experience writer’s block?
I have never suffered from writers
block, or I should say that I have never been affected by it. Since writing is
not my full time job (I’m a teacher, tutor, husband and father), it’s more of a
hobby for me. If I’m ever sitting at the computer and drawing a blank, I just
get up, shut off the computer, and walk away…live to fight another day. If the
next day the same thing happens, then I walk away again. For this reason, I
never give myself deadlines or WIP challenges.
Can you tell us about your challenges in getting
your first book published?
For me, the most difficult thing
about writing has nothing to do with actual writing (ideas, flow, writer`s
block, etc.), but it`s finding the time.
Between teaching and tutoring, with
three small children and a wife at home, finding the time to sit down at a
computer and have serious, quality writing time is almost impossible.
But I love my
girls and spending quality time for them is a great feeling. I wouldn’t give up
my games of ring-around-the-rosie and duck-duck-goose for anything in the
world. It just puts writing my next novel behind a bit.
Have you written a book you love that you have
not been able to get published?
DEAD MAN’S HAND is my only published
work to date, and I have been getting exceptional reviews. It took me over six
years from writing the first word to seeing it in print, so I spent a lot of
time with it.
But my first manuscript is my baby.
It was what drew me to writing, what ignited the passionate fire in me to
write. It also brought my wife and I closer together (we were just dating at
the time and she helped me a little).
I never intended to publish my first
manuscript, it was part of practicing to hone my craft. But since my first
novel has been getting such good reviews, for book #2, I’ve pulled my first
manuscript out of the drawer and am currently revising it for possible
publication.
Are there certain characters you would like to
go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
Definitely the protagonist from DEAD
MAN’S HAND, Calvin Watters.
Many people have asked if I can make
any real connections to the main character in my novel. The answer, as for my
connection…no, I have never been involved in a homicide investigation, LOL. The
plot is completely fictional. Although I am not a 6’5”, 220 pound
African-American, I’ve used much of my athletic background when creating my
protagonist Calvin Watters. Watters past as an athlete, and his emotional
rollercoaster brought on by injuries were drawn from my experiences. His mother
died of cancer when he was young, as mine was. There are certainly elements of
myself in Calvin, but overall, this is a work of fiction. I did not base the
characters or plot on any real people or events. Any familiarities are strictly
coincidence.
Calvin Watters faces racial prejudice
with calmness similar to that of Walter Mosley’s character Easy Rawlins. But Watters’
past as an athlete and enforcer will remind other readers of (Jack) Reacher of
the Lee Childs series. The Stuart Woods novel Choke, about a tennis player who,
like Watters, suffered greatly from a dramatic loss that was a failure of his
psyche, is also an inspiration for Dead Man’s Hand.
When thinking about creating the main
character for my story, I wanted someone “REAL”. Someone readers could relate
to. Although it is a work of fiction, my goal was to create a character who
readers could make a real connection with.
Physically, keeping in mind Watters’
past as an NCAA football standout and his current occupation as a Vegas
debt-collector, I thought “intimidating”, and put together a mix of
characteristics that make Watters appear scary (dreadlocks and patchy facial
hair), but also able to blend in with those of the social elite. Although he is
in astounding physical condition, handsome and well-toned, he does have a
physical disability that limits his capabilities.
He’s proud, confident bordering on
cocky, mean and tough, but I also gave him a softer side that readers,
especially women, will be more comfortable rooting for. After his humiliating
downfall he is stuck at the bottom for a while, but trying hard to work his way
back up.
He has weaknesses and he has made
poor choices. He has regrets, but Watters has the opportunity to redeem
himself. Not everyone gets a second chance in life, and he realizes how
fortunate he is.
Calvin Watters is definitely worth
rooting for.
What has been the toughest criticism given to
you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
I’ve been very fortunate so far to
have mainly only positive reviews of DEAD MAN’S HAND. There have only been a
handful of 2 or 3 star reviews, and even those were more positive than
negative.
As for “best compliment”, the review
blurbs I’ve received from other authors, especially bestselling authors, has
been thrilling. My favorites, because of who they are from, were the reviews I
received from NY Times Bestselling authors Thomas Perry and William Martin:
"Luke Murphy's Dead Man's Hand
is a pleasure, a debut novel that doesn't read like one, but still presents
original characters and a fresh new voice." —Thomas Perry, New York Times
bestselling author of Poison Flower
"It's always a pleasure to
welcome a new voice to the ranks of mystery-thriller authors. So welcome Luke
Murphy, who delivers plenty of both in his debut novel, Dead Man's Hand. Give
it an evening and you may want to give it the whole night, just to see how it
turns out." —William Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The
Lincoln Letter
Do
you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
Get a part-time job to pay the bills
(haha). Just kidding. Honestly, for anyone who wants to be a writer, you need
to have three things: patience, determination and thick skin. You can`t let
anyone or anything get in the way of your ultimate goal. You will hear a lot of
“no`s”, but it only takes one “yes”. The writing industry is a slow-moving
machine, and you need to wait it out. Never quit or give up on your dreams.
What happens when the deck is stacked against
you…
From NFL rising-star prospect to wanted fugitive, Calvin
Watters is a sadistic African-American
Las Vegas
debt-collector framed by a murderer who, like the Vegas Police, finds him to be
the perfect fall-guy.
…and the cards don't fall your way?
When the brutal slaying of a prominent casino owner is followed
by the murder of a well-known bookie, Detective Dale Dayton is thrown into the
middle of a highly political case and leads the largest homicide investigation
in Vegas in the last twelve years.
What if you're dealt a Dead Man's Hand?
Against his superiors and better judgment, Dayton is willing to give Calvin one last
chance. To redeem himself, Calvin must prove his innocence by finding the real
killer, while avoiding the LVMPD, as well as protect the woman he loves from a
professional assassin hired to silence them.
Luke Murphy lives in Shawville, Quebec with his wife, three
daughters and pug.
He played six years of professional hockey before retiring in
2006. Since then, he’s held a number of jobs, from sports columnist to radio
journalist, before earning his Bachelor of Education degree (Magna Cum Laude).
Murphy`s debut novel, Dead Man`s Hand, was released by Imajin
Books on October 20, 2012.
For more information on Luke and his books, visit: www.authorlukemurphy.com,
‘like’ his Facebook page www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorLukeMurphy
and follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/#!/AuthorLMurphy
Review Blurbs:
"You may want to give it the
whole night, just to see how it turns out."
—William Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Back Bay and The Lincoln
Letter
"Dead Man's
Hand is a pleasure, a debut novel that
doesn't read like one,
but still presents original characters and a fresh
new voice."
—Thomas Perry, New
York Times bestselling author of Poison
Flower
"Part police
procedural, part crime fiction, Dead
Man's Hand is a fast, gritty ride."
—Anne Frasier, USA Today bestselling author of Hush
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