Richard Guidice: The IAN Interview

    Richard Guidice is a New York City native. His first book featuring Detective John Napoli, Romance is Dead, was a Finalist in the 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards. Writer's Digest Book Awards said, "Richard Guidice has written a well crafted murder mystery. The writing is quick and easy and makes for a fast, enjoyable read. A good book to read at night to wind down from the day." Secret Desires is the eighth novel in the Napoli series. The romance stories, Wrong Impression and Stolen Glances are also available as well as the suspenseful, Higher Education. The next Napoli book, Captured, is scheduled for a May release. Richard is also currently working on a horror story, a crime caper, and the next Napoli installment.

Visit www.suspensetales.com or e-mail at richmg711@gmail.com.

Richard Guidice is a New York City native. His first book featuring Detective John Napoli, Romance is Dead, was a Finalist in the 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards. Writer's Digest Book Awards said, "Richard Guidice has written a well crafted murder mystery. The writing is quick and easy and makes for a fast, enjoyable read. A good book to read at night to wind down from the day." Six novels in the Napoli series have been released. In addition, the romance stories, Wrong Impression and Stolen Glances are also available as well as the suspenseful, Higher Education. The next Napoli book, Secret Desires, is scheduled for a March release. Richard is also currently working on a horror story and the next Napoli installment.

Visit www.suspensetales.com or e-mail at richmg711@gmail.com.

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IAN. Please tell us about your latest book.

RG. High school teacher Laura Gilbert begins a crusade against men who like young girls. She enters chat-rooms and engages in steamy conversations before meeting the perverts. Using the name Britney, a sixteen-year-old beauty, she lures unsuspecting older men to their demise. A victim of abuse as a young girl, Laura remains enraged at those who prey on innocent kids. When she encounters them, she metes out her own form of justice.

As the murders continue, Detectives John Napoli and Terry Franklin investigate the crimes. All of the badly mutilated bodies share a common feature, the letter P written in blood on their foreheads. Unfortunately, no common bonds between the victims are established. The detectives continue to work on the frustrating case as more men are killed.

Can Napoli and Franklin stop the killer, or will she keep claiming victims who deserve punishment?

Secret Desires is a psychological thriller that will have readers racing toward the dramatic conclusion.

IAN. Did you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft?

R.G. I write my ideas on post-it notes. From them I write each chapter in longhand in notebooks. When the novel is completed I type it up and then edit it many times. Some might think it’s a longer process, but it’s how I like to do it.

IAN. How long did it take to write Secret Desires?

R.G. Secret Desires took about 4 months. Some have taken longer and others have been quicker. It depends on the length of the book and if the writing flows continuously. I try to write a chapter every day in order to keep the story fresh in my mind.

IAN. Who designed the cover?

R.G. Most of my covers, including Secret Desires, were done by my cousin, Jerry Parrino. He did a terrific job with all of them and I’m looking forward to his future creations.

IAN. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

R.G. I would pick Ed McBain because he was a master with the police procedural. I’ve read all of the 87^th Precinct novels as well as his other works. I think I learned from his way of introducing characters in a series and having the reader relate to them. He wrote many short novels, which is something I also do.

IAN. Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

R.G. Independent Author Network is a great support group for new writers. It helps them make contacts and receive exposure through social media. Knowing others in the industry is vital and IAN is a strong, growing community. I have also read many of the fine authors that belong to it, including John Betcher, Larry Enright, and William Potter.

IAN. Do you see writing as a career?

R.G. I would love to make writing my full-time career. Unfortunately, selling enough books to make a living is a difficult task. I think only a few independent writers have achieved high sales and made big money. The market is crowded and most writers realize making enough money to pay the bills is daunting. However, I believe success is measured not only in sales. If I reach only a few people who enjoy my books, I am happy because I have done my job to entertain others.

IAN. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

R.G. I used to write song lyrics when I was younger. Since I couldn’t write music and had no talent playing any instruments, nothing further came of it. Record companies want a complete song: lyrics and music, while singers who don’t write their own material won’t accept lyrics from individuals outside of the industry. As a result, I stopped writing song lyrics. Still, I felt the need to write creatively.

One night I thought of a story and wrote the first chapter in a notebook. I continued it for about a week then stopped. Writing a novel seemed too difficult and time consuming. I kept the notebook in a drawer and didn’t think much about it. A year later I moved and when I packed up my stuff I brought the notebook with me. I read what I had written and decided to continue the story. After 6 months I finished writing the book which became my debut, Romance is Dead.

IAN. Do you have any advice for other writers?

R.G. The best advice I could give other writers is to have perseverance. Never give up hope and always write the story you want to. Believe in yourself and your abilities. Whether you sell 2 copies of your book or 2 million, be proud of what you have achieved and consider yourself a success.

IAN. Is Secret Desires published in print, e-book or both?

R.G. My first 3 novels are available in print and e-book format. The last 8 have been e-book only.

IAN. Where can we go to buy your books?

R.G. They are available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and the print books are also available at Author House.

IAN. Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand alone?

RG. My next book is also a Detective Napoli thriller, but this time it’s Maria Napoli who is the main character, not her husband, John. The title of it is Captured. It’s about a man who kidnaps young women because he wants a special angel. When they disobey him, he kills them and searches for the next woman. Detective Napoli and her partner investigate the crimes and search for the madman before he strikes again.

VT Vaughn:The IAN Interview

VT Vaughn is the March Featured Author at The Independent Author Network

I wrote my first book between the ages of 15 and 18, over a course of two and a half years between August 1996 and January 1999. Seemingly every agent and publisher in London rejected it. I was young, it didn't matter. So I got very drunk through the 2000's. In 2009, I wrote another book. A thriller. I have neither attempted through an agent nor self-published. The same happened in 2012, with an adventure thriller. These are two books very close to me, and I intend to go forward with them at some stage in the future, more than likely under a pseudonym.

          As Fifty Shades of Grey changed the market, copies of the trilogy were thrust into my hands by my beautiful girlfriend. The criticism it received seemed steeped in jealousy, so I wanted to make my own mind up. I believe I was equally surprised, disappointed and impressed. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared, nor as good as I'd heard. More than anything, I just didn't think it was that graphic.

          So I resurrected a series of erotic chapters I'd published online in 2009-10, rewrote them and added to them to make my first self-published novel, The Uncertain Cuckold. The sales have staggered me. I quickly followed it up with The Christmas Exhibition, a prequel, and The Unwilling Cuckold, a sequel.

IAN. Please tell us about your latest book:

VTV. The Unwilling Cuckold is the 123,000 word follow-up to The Uncertain Cuckold. It picks up immediately where the last story left off, so it's difficult to say much without giving away spoilers of the first. The early part of the novel explores the darkened inner natures of Matt and Jill, the couple who comprise the main characters, and reveals more of their pasts, explaining how they got to a situation where Jill was given Matt's permission to sleep with another man, Gary, throughout The Uncertain Cuckold.

IAN. How long did it take to write the book?

VTV. Two months. I began writing The Unwilling Cuckold at the end of November 2012. The first draft was finished at the end of January 2013. The novel was planned out in advance, with a clear beginning, middle and end. Except the finished article is quite different from what I had seen in advance.

What changed? Jill changed. Or rather, I realised that Jill has a mind of her own. It doesn't matter what I plan out for her, she decides. I had seen her jumping at the chance to sleep with Gary again. Instead, Jill insisted on inflicting cuckold training on Matt. No matter what I wrote next, it seemed that nothing would appeal to her compliance.

It made for an exciting write, as Jill shaped the story. I hope the reader finds it as unpredictable as I, the writer, found it. There were sentences I started writing that I wouldn't know where they were going next, especially in Jill's dialogue. But somehow they finished seconds later, often with surprising – and sometimes disturbing – consequences.

The harlot has a mind and a heart of her own. I felt a little sorry for Matt. But it's his bed, he chose – and chooses – to lie in it.

Where will he lie next in The Undefeated Cuckold?

IAN. What inspired you to write The Unwilling Cuckold?

VTV. God knows! My girlfriend says I must be a pervert. I don't know about that. I just have an imagination that never stops. My ideas start small, but once I get in front of that laptop I hammer out hundreds, and then thousands, of words in a short space of time. I suppose more than anything, I was compelled to find out, after all these years of writing alone, if anyone actually wanted to read anything I wrote.

IAN. Talk about the writing process.

VTV. I try to write 6-7 days a week, starting every morning after I have caught up with a little tweeting to rouse my mind. I aim for a minimum 1,000 words a day. It isn't always possible, but on particularly productive days I can write 4,000-5,000 words (that is literally all day). So if I don't get the same freedom on subsequent days, so be it. I have found it very easy to write the characters of Matt and Jill. They almost write themselves. Never before have I found it so simple. It's as if they really exist, and I merely transcribe.

IAN. Did you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft?

VTV. I outline, always with a beginning and an end. That, at least, is essential. I have ideas for the middle, but I've learnt to leave plenty of room for the characters to have adventure in between. I've written novels which were entirely plotted and it just isn't as much fun. Also, I believe that if I'm not sure what is going to happen next, the chances are my readers will be just as in the dark.

IAN. How is The Unwilling Cuckold  different from others in your genre?

VTV. It's uncompromising. It makes no apologies for language or subject. If you choose to read my erotica, you must be prepared for a read which is as mentally stimulating as it proposes to be physically. I try to write as best I can, hoping my work is as good as other genres (hopefully better). My characters have been praised by readers for their three dimensions. I just hope more people read my books and enjoy them.

IAN. Is your book published in print, e-book or both?

VTV. Just e-book, for now. I intended to bring them out in paperback, but I've simply been too busy with writing, re-writing and promoting. I've been contacted by readers asking for paperback editions, and it is something I intend to do soon.

IAN. What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your books?

VTV. An intention to read the next one! Seriously, though, I just hope they are satisfied, and that the story remains in their mind for a long time to come.

IAN. Where can we go to buy your books?

VTV. My books are available on Amazon, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and more. The usual outlets, and of course on my #IAN1 page.

IAN. Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand alone?

VTV. I'm writing two books simultaneously. Both involve Matt and Jill. One is called Sensual, Intimate & Explicit Swinging. It's a prequel, but also a stand alone novel. For each novel I write outside The Uncertain Cuckold series, I write it so it can appeal to anyone who hasn't read any of the series. These books can also serve as an introduction to the characters and their lifestyle. In Sensual, Intimate & Explicit Swinging, we explore a night of clubbing, and a couple of occasions when Matt and Jill entered the swinging world with married couple Gary and Jen.

          The other book I'm writing at the minute is Jill's Dirty Bedtime Stories, an anthology of short stories. Some are tales from Jill's past, others the present (whenever that may be). Various erotic subjects will be explored, such as bondage, threesomes, lesbian, oral, anal, adultery, voyeurism, dressing-up, spanking, masturbation and many, many more. I think it'll prove a scintillating read, especially in the modern world where readers may not have the time for long novels. This collection can be read one at a time, or several in a sitting. It's up to the reader.

          After that, I'll be knocking out the third book in The Uncertain Cuckold series, The Undefeated Cuckold.

          It's all systems go!

Q. Any other links or info you'd like to share?
A. My Amazon Pages at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk