The Charlotte Austin Review Ltd.
Interview with Bill Stackhouse

By Phillip Tomasso III

Welcome to The Charlotte Austin Review, Bill. You have many proud accomplishments under your belt, from playwright to novelist. What inspired you to write Stream of Death?

BILL STACKHOUSE: The characters of Police Chief Ed McAvoy and Officer Larry Parker were introduced in my first stage play Encore to Murder. I liked the story, the characters, and the Catskill setting and decided to turn the play into a novel. The initial attempt was not all that good. The play was too fresh in my mind and the novel turned out to be just one extra-long stage play. However, I did enjoy writing a novel, so I set that particular one aside and decided to write a new novel from scratch, unencumbered by the playscript, but using the same characters and setting. The result was Stream of Death.

I love that you based your Mafia tale primarily in the Catskills. However, I'm intrigued to learn why.

Again it comes back to Encore to Murder. The plot for the play required a setting within a few hours drive of New York City and where there were mountains so that when it snowed, the characters would be snowbound and unable to leave the house. I got out my road atlas, drew what I thought to be a two-hour-drive radius from NYC and saw that Slide Mountain - the highest peak in the Catskills—was within that circle. That's were I located my village of Peekamoose Heights.

How much time and energy do you spend researching your novels?

For the stage play I didn't. It was one interior set and what happened outside the house, except for the snow and being in the mountains, didn't much matter. But when I decided to turn Encore to Murder into a novel, I drove up to the area and spent a week wandering around, making note of landmarks, and getting the feel of the place. Just before writing Stream of Death, I stopped there for a few days on the way back from a trip to Washington, DC, just to refresh my memory. Other than that, I rely on my trusty subscription to Kaatskill Life to keep the flavor alive for me.

Of the mysteries out there, what do you think makes your book stand out from all the rest?

I don't know if it stands from all the rest. But the Ed McAvoy Series is unique in a few respects.

First, it's a hybrid. Although set in the small peaceful village of Peekamoose Heights, there is a bit too much on-stage violence to brand it a cozy. Also, the language is a bit rough in parts, but then, you wouldn't really expect a Mafioso to say: "Excuse me, kind sir, but may I please have those diamonds?" By the same token, the violence is contained to the murders. McAvoy doesn't beat people up or get beat up and, as of yet, he hasn't had to use his weapon. In that respect, it doesn't fit the mold as a hard-boiled mystery, either. I like to call Stream of Death a hard cozy.

Second, there's no overt sex (although some may consider that a drawback). McAvoy and his love interest Stevie Henderson go though the door marked Private at the rear of the pub which she co-owns with her brother, and you know where they're headed and why. No point is served, in my opinion, by going into detail if only to titillate and contribute nothing to move the plot forward.

Third, although I certainly don't mean to be an apologist for the Mafia, I try and show the logic as they see it in how they deal with their problems. Yes, they're bad people who do nasty things, but they don't see themselves that way.

What or who has had the most influence over you writing?

My late mother. Some of my earliest memories are of her taking me on the streetcar (yes, I'm that old) to the library in Cleveland, Ohio to check out books. Later on, she introduced me to the Nero Wolfe books and to British spy-chaser Tommy Hambleton. She loved mysteries and passed that love on to me. Also, one of her favorite sayings was: "People are buried every day with brains as good as new." She taught me to be inquisitive and to wonder about things.

When did you first know you were going to be a writer?

As Director of Quality Systems and Training at an automotive parts supplier, I had to design training programs on Basic Measurement and Statistical Process Control for shop-floor level personnel. Now these are people who had been out of school for many years and, for the most part, didn't like it all that much while they were there. I had to design the programs so that they were interesting enough to hold their attention, while at the same time teach them without blatantly saying: "Here, we're going to teach you something." We eased into the Basic Measurement Module with stories on how measurements began—the hand, the span, the cubit, the foot. I found that I enjoyed story-telling a lot more than I enjoyed traveling weeks at a time. When I burned out on the travel schedule and thought about what I could do instead, my wife said: "Don't think in terms of what you can do. Think of what you want to do." I discovered that what I really enjoyed and what I wanted to do was write.

What do you find most difficult about writing?

Beginnings. Whether it's a stage play or a novel, I always know the end. Finding the right spot to begin takes a lot of time and thought.

What do you like the most about being a writer?

Story-telling. Novel, stage play or script for a promotional video—it's all about telling a story. With the novels and plays, it's my story. With a promotional video, it's the customer's story as he wants it told. But they're all about story-telling and I enjoy telling stories.

Do you have another Ed McAvoy mystery lined up?

There are three more on the shelf and two in my head, including a completely revamped version of Encore to Murder. But I'm a realist. Whether they stay there or not depends a great deal on how well Stream of Death is received. We can think of what we do as art, but it's a business as well.

If you could offer one piece of advice to all the struggling writers out there, what might you tell them?

You've already seen how wordy I am. I can't just give one. Here are two. The first one is on reading fees. You'll get more than enough rejections for free. There's no point in paying for them. And if it's a contest, there shouldn't be a fee. That's what arts-council grants are for. And if part of the contest prize for a book doesn't include a bonafide publishing contract with a reputable house, or the prize for a play doesn't include a production contract, why waste the postage even if it is free.

Second, try not to get too discouraged. I know that's tough when form-letter rejections arrive. But I was dumped by two agents and Stream of Death was rejected by thirty-two publishers before it found a home (after three more rounds of edits) at Poisoned Pen Press.

Do you have any closing thoughts or comments?

Many people are reluctant (and rightly so) to spend close to $25 for a hardcopy from an unknown author, despite some very nice reviews. The first three chapters of Stream of Death (as well as the ones still on the shelf and some stage plays) can be downloaded from my website at www.billstackhouse.com.

Also, being an unknown author with a first novel, it's hard to get exposure. I truly appreciate The Charlotte Austin Review and all the other Internet review sites that help us lesser-known authors get the word out. Many thanks to you all.