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So, Larry, tell us what your book is
about.
It's a very complex story revolving around this murderous cult that secretly
exists beneath the ocean surface and preys upon the living. The
leader/founder of this group is Setsuko Takahashi, who decided seven years
ago to kill herself when her on-again-off-again boyfriend refused to marry
her when she announced that she was pregnant with his baby. That wasn't the
only decision she made that fateful evening. She also promised to make it
her responsibility to rid the world of all pain and misery.
As the years passed by, Setsuko and her scores of deadly followers were well
their way to fulfilling her goals. They seemed unstoppable. Even the police
were baffled. There were never any witnesses to these abductions and there
are never any clues left behind.
That is, until the summer of 2007 when a captain with the Seattle Fire
Department, who was attending a military reunion in Los Angeles, came up
missing after leaving a cocktail party, and a prominent, highly successful
black defense attorney is never seen again after he departs from a very
exclusive gay night club the following evening.
Then the police receive some unexpected assistance from some very unlikely
volunteers which include a half-day fishing boat skipper, a middle aged
tourist and his wife, a bar owner, a waiter, a homeless man and a paranormal
expert turned skeptic. Well, sometimes when you're desperate, any help you
can get is appreciated.
So, the reader should strap themselves in because this is a face paced novel
with only a few respites along the way. Enjoy.
How long did it take you to write
it?
I actually finished the first draft in about ninety days. Overall, it took
me just over three and a half years to get it to the point where I felt
comfortable enough to share it with the public.
What inspired you to write this kind of
story?
I was already working on a totally different project about time travel when
this thought crossed my mind about innocent people being led to the ocean by
some mysterious force just to be pulled out to sea by this murderous
undertow. Initially, the story was supposed to take place in Japan and
that's when I asked my wife what the Japanese word for undertow was.
Eventually, I decided to change to location to Southern California and use a
Japanese woman as the primary villain. That way, I could still use Hikinami
as my title.
Did it require a lot of research?
Not really, because I was able to draw upon my own personal experiences and
knowledge for a number of things. After all, I worked in law enforcement for
about twelve years, followed by another twelve years working in the
industrial security arena. I also served as the assistant director of
security for a major luxury hotel for about eight months until they decided
to downsize. Working in the health insurance industry has also been very
beneficial regarding certain aspects of the book. Beyond that, the internet
and certain paranormal television shows have provided a wealth of
information. My wife thought it was funny that I got the idea for the
five-hundred-thread-count white linen table cloth from one of those home
shopping television channels. I had never even heard of a thread-count
before that.
In regards to the characters in your book,
are they based on real people, or just someone you pulled out of thin air?
The majority of the characters were simply made up to fit the story line.
Now, having said that, those characters did display the habits and
idiosyncrasies I'd observed in a lot of people I actually knew. Tadashi was
the only exception to the rule; he was fashioned entirely after this guy I
worked with while stationed overseas back in the late 1960s.
If you could change anything about your
book, what would it be?
Nothing really. I did have to make some very hard choices about what to keep
to and what to delete. As tough as that was, I know that I made the right
decisions, and it's a better book for it.
What has been the most enjoyable thing
about writing?
I guess the thing I like best is the escapism I've experienced while putting
my thoughts and fantasies on paper. I know this is going to sound cliché,
but when I'm sitting in front of my computer, it's like being alone in a
movie theater and watching other people's trials and tribulations being
played out in front of me and then trying to record those experiences as
fast as I can before they disappear. If I'm on a roll, I've been known to
lose all track of time and end up going to bed well after midnight.
What was the least enjoyable thing about
writing?
Writers block is never fun. Reading a passage and loving it one time and
hating it the next time I see it is not something I look forward to either.
I'm sure I've shared the pain experienced by a lot of writers who've
probably agonized for days on end over a single word or sentence. But that's
all part of the experience that none of us are willing to give up if it
means we can see our name on the cover of a body of work that we toiled so
long and hard to produce.
Do you think that you'll be writing other
books in the horror genre?
Oh, definitely. In fact, I'm two thirds of the way through the first draft
of the sequel to Hikinami. It's entitled Shigo (postmortem).
My wife and I will be traveling to Japan to do some research. We're
also planning to take some photographs of the different areas where the
story takes place. We hope to include those pictures in the book so the
reader has a better frame of reference.
Why did you decide to self-publish your novel?
When I first decided to write a book, the most
important thing to me was control over my work. Oh, I considered publishing
my book the traditional way, but I decided against it when I learned that I
would have to give up that control to see it in print. I also like the fact
that my novel will never be out of print. It was the right way to go for me.
Who are your
favorite authors?
I am truly a fan of the classics. In the horror
genre, there's none better than Edgar Allan Poe. The way he describes his
characters and the mood of the situation, it's almost impossible not to be
caught-up in the story. The contemporary works of Stephen King are a must
too. When it comes to action thrillers, you can't go wrong with Dan Brown.
You're not only treated to a great story, but you can learn something at the
same time. Mysteries have always been a favorite of mine. And, although
there are some fantastic books being written today by some really good
authors, none can compare to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his tales of
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. How one man can be so intelligent in so many
different disciplines is really remarkable. But, that's what it takes,
especially when he matches wits with some like the infamous Professor
James Moriarty.
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