Interview Ben Douglas

by

Roberta Olsen Major

1) In your book, THE STALKER, there are references to a dog fighting ring. This is very topical in light of the recent Michael Vick imbroglio. What is your opinion of Whoopie Goldberg's comment that dog fighting is culturally a very Southern thing?

I absolutely disagree with Ms. Goldberg. Dog fighting is not culturally a Southern thing, never has been. It is a crime, punishable by fine and imprisonment.

2) Is Detective Lanny Boone a recurring character (either already, or in future works)?

Yes, Detective Lanny Boone is a recurring character. THE STALKER is the fourth in the series. I have completed numbers five and six and will soon be submitting them to Wings ePress.

3) What drew you to write about a crime committed during the Civil Rights era, and does the aforementioned crime have any basis in the realities of that time in American History?

The Civil Rights Era crime is a subplot in THE STALKER. It has a basis of fact. I was a student at the University of Mississippi Medical Center where civil rights leader, Medgar Evers, was brought after he was shot in the driveway of his Jackson home. He died soon after arriving at the hospital.

4) Many writers have a real person in mind as they craft a fictional character. Is Lanny Boone based in any way on someone you know, have seen on screen, or even on facets of your own personality?

Lanny Boone is loosely drawn from a police lieutenant I know and a couple of friends of mine who served in the US Army.

5) What is your favorite part of the writing process? Or is it all akin to sweating blood and chewing nails and being in labor for months on end?

My favorite part of the writing process is banging out the first draft of a novel. I'm on a high, flying. After that the real work begins. But I enjoy all of it.

6) Would you call THE STALKER a "gritty detective novel," a "psychological thriller," or neither, and, if neither, then what?

I'd say it's a bit of both.

7) How long have you been writing? Can your readers find others of your works in other places besides Wings?

I've been writing all of my adult life--scientific articles, nonfiction books and newspaper columns. My nonfiction books were published by Quail Ridge Press.

8) What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of the field of electronic publishing?

As I see it, there are two major advantages: An author can easily share his or her work with readers around the world. A publisher can produce rich literature without having to mortgage the farm to do so. The only disadvantage I see is that a reading device is required, but that is rapidly becoming less of a problem.