What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
The genesis for this story was a chance conversation with a colleague. I happened to mention I was thinking about crafting a mystery around an investigative journalist who stumbles upon something nefarious, and discovered my colleague’s prior career had been in broadcast news. We spent several wonderful hours over multiple lunches talking about the field and what it would take for a reporter to be successful within it.
We even covered some of the darker moments my colleague had experienced while covering the worst parts of the COVID pandemic. I have a special affinity for newspapers, so my character wound up being a print journalist, but much of how they go about uncovering the truth was informed by what I learned about the process from my friend.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
While Vasily is a huge fan of contemporary jazz, his musical tastes are actually quite varied. Not surprisingly, that means his theme song shifts based on his mood. If he’s in a good place, he vibes out to Peter White’s Venice Beach. If he’s deep in a case, trying to put together the pieces, it would shift to Gayane: Adagio by Aram Khachaturian. When he’s frustrated or angry at being outflanked by a suspect, it’s Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Bitter Ender. And when he’s with his main squeeze, hands down it’s Honey-Dipped by Dave Koz.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Wow, that is a truly tough question to answer! I do write what I love to read, for sure, but if I were being honest, it would be seriously hard to choose between mystery or science fiction. Having said that, I love nothing better than getting lost in a solid mystery on a quiet weekend afternoon and a good cup of coffee.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I’m two books behind on Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley series, which is truly tragic as she’s one of my favorite authors; if it counts, I am eagerly awaiting the final book in the Outlander series from Diana Gabaldon. I’m currently reading The Blackbird Oracle from Deborah Harkness and just finished re-reading Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Gene Roddenberry.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
There are several, but the one that stands out the most for me is when Vasily returns from an out-of-town trip, running down a lead and discovers his partner has turned their condo into something out of a Hallmark Christmas Movie. I had no trouble visualizing his expression when he walked into that faux winter wonderland…
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Several. Whenever I start a new project, I always get out my CD (!) of the original soundtrack to Star Trek: The Motion Picture and start it from track one. The compositions by Jerry Goldsmith are so optimistic that they put me into the right frame of mind for starting down the long road of crafting a novel that usually runs about 90,000 words. I also need to have a fresh cup of coffee whenever I sit down for a writing session, and I absolutely must use the so-called “typewriter” mode in Scrivener (my writing software) so I can block out any pesky distractions from email, social media, or instant messages.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, or IDIC. It’s a core philosophy infused into Star Trek by its creator, Gene Roddenberry; he called IDIC “an ideal based on learning to delight in our essential differences as well as learning to recognize our similarities.”
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Aside from enjoying the journey to the resolution of my core mystery, I want the characters to stick with readers long after they close the cover of the book. I often say that Vasily and the cast that surrounds him feel incredibly real to me; I hope the reader finds them as vibrant as I do, people who you feel as though you know on a personal level – or at least to the point where you wonder what they are doing on a given evening.
Christopher H. Jansmann is the author of the new book Silenced (Vasily Korsokovach Investigates Book 9)
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