272: How to Research and Write a Detective Series - Interview with Archer Mayor

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Archer Mayor.

Archer is the author of the highly acclaimed Vermont-based series featuring detective Joe Gunther, which the Chicago Tribune describes as “the best police procedurals being written in America.”

He has won the New England Independent Booksellers Association Award for Best Fiction — which is the first time a crime fiction author has received this honor — and in 2011, his 22nd Joe Gunther novel, Tag Man, earned a place on The New York Times bestseller list.

Before trying his hand at fiction, Archer wrote history books. His most well-known is Southern Timberman: The Legacy of William Buchanan, which is all the lumber and oil business in Louisiana from the 1870s to the 1970s.

When he’s not writing, Archer is a death investigator for Vermont’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Over the past thirty years, he has also been a detective for the Windham County Sheriff’s Office, a volunteer firefighter/EMT, the publisher of his own backlist, and a frequent contributor to magazines and newspapers.

In this episode Archer and I discuss:

• Using practical experience for writing research
• Using curiosity and questions for story inspiration
• The historical origins of the title Bomber’s Moon
• Keeping a character and world fresh over thirty books
• The power of treating the reader as a co-storyteller

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: diymfa.com/272