A Charm Without a Chain follows a teacher and his daughter as they stumble upon a gruesome murder, driving him to solve the mystery and protect his community amidst a web of suspicion and secrets. Could you share the initial idea that motivated you to write this novel?

I always wanted to write a mystery set in a high school. I attended the grammar school where my mother taught and the high school where my father taught, which was unusual for a kid, to say the least. In both cases, I was privy to all kinds of behind-the-scenes information about what was going on in the schools and also at the two respective Boards of Education. Both were excellent, wonderful schools. However, at the one where my dad taught, I used to say the faculty was like “a microcosm of eccentricity” because of all the various personalities on the staff. All of it provided inspiration for A CHARM WITHOUT A CHAIN.

The book is filled with unexpected twists and intriguing characters. Can you share your process for crafting a complex plot and maintaining suspense throughout the story?

I start writing with an initial idea and just keep on going with it. Monty is called to the school in the summertime by the principal that no one can stand, his daughter goes along because she’s about to start attending it and wants to get the lay of the land regarding where each of her classes will be held, and kaboom! They find the principal’s dead body. It takes off from there. And here’s a little secret: whenever I start to write a mystery, I have some idea of who is going to be the one “whodunit,” but don’t strictly hold to that if a better possibility comes to mind.

Monty is a unique character with an interesting background. How did you develop his character, and what made you decide to give him aspirations of becoming a detective?

Easy question! I should have become one myself! I had a grandfather who was a Federal Postal Inspector and my mind seems to work a whole lot like his did. So I created Monty as this terrific teacher, but one who had regrets about not becoming a cop, which would have been his first choice of a profession until his mother put a stop to it. He’s a good teacher and a good man, but finding this body is finally giving him his chance to do what he’s always wanted. He wants to not only solve this case but prove he can do it. I may write a sequel and give him another one to solve.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

It’s called THE HOLLYWOOD BACKLASH MOON and it’s available as of right now, January 2024. A CHARM WITHOUT A CHAIN was set in a calm lakeside community in Colorado, but THE HOLLYWOOD BACKLASH MOON takes place in Los Angeles in 1964. A nice girl from Brooklyn lives with her wacky aunt and uncle, who just happen to be television actors. It’s a murder mystery set within the culture clash of Brooklyn sensibilities – I live there, and the people are so wonderfully down to earth and blunt – and the whole Hollywood competitive “notice me” nonsense. I once worked for a motion picture company so I have a good handle on both Brooklyn and Hollywood. It was so much fun to write!

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