We would like to
Welcome
Steve Brewer
(aka: Max Austin)
Author of:
Rad-Reader: Is Duke City
another name for Albuquerque? Because your first book had that in its
title also?
Steve: Yes, Duke City
is Albuquerque's nickname because the city originally was named for a duke back
in Spain who helped fund the Spanish exploration/settlement along the Rio
Grande.
Rad-Reader: How do you
come up with the criminals being so classy-well dressed? Drive a certain
car? Etc…
Steve: Well, not all
of them are. One of the heroes of the next book, DUKE CITY DESPERADO, wears
baggy jeans and a gray hoodie for the whole book. But the protagonist in DUKE
CITY HIT, which came out in December, is Vic Walters, a hit man in his late 50s
who believes in the anonymity of the gray business suit. Vic's the kind of guy
who always buys a black Cadillac because it's comfortable and invisible. He
bumps off somebody and drives away, and none of the witnesses can remember
anything.
Rad-Reader: Have you
thought about writing another book from Duke City Split on what happened after
he left town?
Steve: You have to
understand that I wasn't writing a trilogy when I started these books. They
were written as standalones, then picked up in a three-book deal with Random
House's new Alibi imprint. We changed the titles to DUKE CITY SPLIT, DUKE CITY
HIT and DUKE CITY DESPERADO as a way to link the three to each other and to
Albuquerque. I've written a fourth book, DUKE CITY HEAT, which pulls together
characters and storylines from the first three books, but Alibi hasn't bought
it yet. Fingers crossed.
Rad-Reader: Has your
publisher tried to change your stories or have they let you write these
characters freely?
Steve: Other than the
title change mentioned above and the Max Austin pen name, they didn't ask for
many changes.
Rad-Reader: What is your process
when you come up with a story because your first two books were very good and
the crime scenes were very thoughtful?
Steve: These days,
I'm focusing on books about crooks, so I usually start with a criminal of some
sort and pit him/her against the police or against some bad guys who are much
worse. In DUKE CITY SPLIT, two bank robbers make a big haul, only to have every
crook and cop in town come after them, trying to carve off a piece. In DUKE
CITY HIT, hit man Vic is forced to take on a drug trafficker and his henchmen
in a big shootout. In DUKE CITY DESPERADO, which comes out next June, two
goofballs try to rob a drive-thru bank and things go terribly wrong.
As a longtime writer
of crime novels (26 and counting), I spend a lot of time thinking about crimes
and criminals. Often my books will center around a heist of some sort, or the
heist will be the jumping-off point for a story about what happens next.
Rad-Reader: Is it easier
writing from a criminal side or a police or investigator side?
Steve: For me, it's
easier to write about the crooks. Police investigations have become so
high-tech and lab-driven, they don't interest me as much anymore. I'd rather
take a couple of everyday crooks and see how they survive on the streets.
Rad-Reader: Are any of
the characters in your books loosely based on any one you know like the Bail
Bonds or the waitress at the diner?
Steve: Not
specifically, though most characters are composites of the real people writers
encounter in everyday life. Little quirks or physical features attach
themselves to characters and off we go. I did spend more than 20 years in daily
journalism, so I've met a lot of cops and crooks over the years.
Rad-Reader: What is your
process for writing? Do you come up with all of the characters (outline)
or do you just have an idea and then go from there
Steve: I'm an
outliner, though just for the plot. Character development, dialogue, details
all come in the writing of the first draft and subsequent rewrites. I usually
write a paragraph or so for each chapter, just enough to keep me on track. So a
typical outline for a 300-page book will run about 20 pages.
Rad-Reader: Your third
book Duke City Desperado should be coming out when?
Steve: In June,
though it's available for preorder now! Only $2.99!
Rad-Reader: Will that be
another law breaker thriller?
Steve: Yes. Some of
the police characters carry over from other books, but the main characters are
new, two nimrods -- Dylan and his mentor Doc -- who try to rob a drive-thru
bank in the opening scene. The story follows the pair through the aftermath of
the robbery.
Rad-Reader: Where can our
readers find you?
Steve: Everywhere
e-books are sold. My author website, www.stevebrewer.us.com, links directly to
Amazon. And Random House has a cool website where you can see all the Alibi
books.
Rad-Reader: If your book
was made into a movie who would you get to play you lead character?
Vic Walters- Jeffrey Donovan
Penny- Poppy Montgomery
Steve: Vic
Walters- A slightly younger Christopher Walken
Penny- Ellen Barkin
Rad-Reader: What would
you be your theme song if you had to pick one for Duke City Hit? Kind of
like a Duke City Playlist.
Steve: Got to be
"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66." That's practically the official city
song.
I listen to a lot of
jazz while I write, by the way. Songs with words distract, but instrumental
music is good.
See What’s Coming
Next:
For fans of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul comes Max Austin’s latest fast-paced, rollicking Lawbreakers Thriller of criminals and lovers, malcontents and madmen—all within the treacherous city limits of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Under a sky full of stars, Dylan James lies sleeping on the roof of a pueblo-style house. He’s a fugitive, and everyone in Albuquerque seems to be looking for him. A murderous Mafia prince wants to kill him. Two FBI agents want to cuff him. A Goth girl wants to make love to him. And a fierce, sexy Chicana just wants to clean up the mess Dylan made.
The trouble started with a drug-addled career criminal named Doc and a bank robbery staged with a garage door opener. Then it all goes off the rails after a little misunderstanding with Dylan’s ex-girlfriend and her jealous, gun-toting new beau.
When the sun comes up, this sleepy, scrawny desperado is going to show the world what he’s made of—all for a one-in-a-million shot at walking out of Duke City alive.
Under a sky full of stars, Dylan James lies sleeping on the roof of a pueblo-style house. He’s a fugitive, and everyone in Albuquerque seems to be looking for him. A murderous Mafia prince wants to kill him. Two FBI agents want to cuff him. A Goth girl wants to make love to him. And a fierce, sexy Chicana just wants to clean up the mess Dylan made.
The trouble started with a drug-addled career criminal named Doc and a bank robbery staged with a garage door opener. Then it all goes off the rails after a little misunderstanding with Dylan’s ex-girlfriend and her jealous, gun-toting new beau.
When the sun comes up, this sleepy, scrawny desperado is going to show the world what he’s made of—all for a one-in-a-million shot at walking out of Duke City alive.