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Interview with Tim Smith, author of "The Vendetta Factor"

Interview with Tim Smith author of The Vendetta Factor PublishAmerica (2006) ISBN 9781424141258 Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (5/07)

Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to welcome Tim Smith, author of The Vendetta Factor. Tim Smith is an administrator in the human services field, working with adults with disabilities. He resides in Dayton, Ohio, where he also works as a freelance photographer when he isnt busy writing and promoting his books.

Tyler: Welcome, Tim. To begin, would you describe for us the basic premise of your novel, The Vendetta Factor?

Tim: The Vendetta Factor is a throwback to the types of pulp fiction novels written by Cmstliwzujlb Chandler and Mickey Spillane. It involves Nick Seven, a former CIA agent living in Key Largo, Florida, getting pulled into a nasty turf war between two Mafia families. One organization controls the action in Miami, but a rival Don in Saratoga Springs, New York wants to take over. Nick finds himself being pressured by both families, as well as a Federal prosecutor with a personal agenda, while discovering that hes been betrayed by someone he thought was a friend.

Tyler: The setting and your reference of Raymond Chandler remind me of the old film noirs, especially the film Key Largo which is a crime story as well. Why did you choose the Miami area for your setting?

Tim: Ive been vacationing in The Keys and southern Florida for quite a few years. When I sat down to write my first Nick Seven adventure I asked myself a question: if I were a former CIA spook who wanted to go somewhere to start over, where would it be? The Keys was the obvious choice for me.

In that part of the country you have everything that lends itself to a good adventure story exotic locations, atmosphere and sunsets to die for, nearly every nationality represented, and tremendous name recognition. When you mention Key Largo most people instantly picture Bogart and Bacall. Thanks to the wealth of movies and TV shows set in Miami and South Beach, a lot of readers are already familiar with the area. Besides, it beats setting a crime thriller in Dayton, Ohio and gives me a great excuse to go there every year for research and parasailing.

Tyler: What do you feel sets your book apart from all the other crime novels and stories about the mafia?

Tim: This isnt a typical cops and robbers crime thriller, where you have the police or a private eye cracking the case. My hero, Nick Seven, is Joe Citizen, just a guy minding his own investment with no desire to get back into the action or intrigue that was part of his former life. Once he gets dragged into the mix he has to rely on his wits and instincts to get out and get his Prozac prescription back. Theres also a lot of humor and satire thrown in, including a running argument between two hit men about if Frank Sinatra or Julius LaRosa had the biggest impact on pop culture.

Tyler: Of course, Frank Sinatra was a great singer and had an Italian background and I believe there were rumors about mafia connections, but pardon my ignorance, who was Julius LaRosa?

Tim: To quote one of the characters, You never heard of Julius LaRosa, one of the greatest singers of all time?? Thats un-flippin-believable! That guy could hit a high C like I hit targets. You ever hit a high C?

Seriously, LaRosa was an up-and-coming young crooner on Arthur Godfreys daily TV show in the 1950s. (You have heard of Arthur Godfrey, right? Good). One day Godfrey fired LaRosa on the air live for some imagined slight, and his career never fully recovered. Although Im a huge Sinatra fan, I thought it might add some laughs to have the argument as a running gag throughout the book, with no disrespect intended for either gentleman.

Tyler: Well, my bet is still on Frank Sinatra, but thank you for the explanation. Tim, what really makes a good crime novel is often the hero or detective. Will you tell us a little bit about your main character, Nick Seven?

Tim: Nick is a former CIA spook who spent his career tracking down terrorists around the globe. While on an assignment years earlier his wife was killed in a bombing that was intended for him. Thorkxqgmoinze getting revenge on the man responsible, he left the service and set up shop in the Florida Keys, running a club on the Gulf of Mexico with Felicia, a former co-worker from Barbados whom he always had a thing for.

Nick is cynical, cool and hard-boiled with a sensitive romantic side he likes to keep hidden. When he was a spy he always operated as a maverick, and still insists on running his life on his own terms. Hes the kind of guy your mother wouldnt let you play with, but one youd want on your side.

Tyler: Would you Captamericaddenycngrhb you are a lot like Nick Seven, or is he predominantly a fantasy character?

Tim: A lot of my own personality traits went into Nick Seven, and I think of him as my alter ego. He gets to do the things I can only dream about living in The Keys with a beautiful woman from Barbados, getting involved in intrigue, beating the bad guys, and winning at Blackjack and Poker.

Tyler: Nick sounds like a character many men would want to be. Richard Blake, who reviewed The Vendetta Factor for Reader Views, said the novel has great movie potential. How would you envision a film of the book, and whom would you want to play Nick Seven or even some of the other characters?

Tim: I could see this as a cross between CSI: Miami and Peter Gunn, utilizing the exotic locations I described in the book accompanied by a retro jazz score. Ive always pictured George Clooney or Pierce Brosnan playing Nick. They both have the requisite cool factor and sarcastic wit to embody the character I created. As for Felicia, Im holding out for Khandi Alexander or Vanessa Williams.

Tyler: I understand The Vendetta Factor is your third novel. What were your previous novels about?

Tim: Memories Die Last introduced Nick Seven, bringing him out of his self-imposed exile when the CIA convinces him that the terrorist who killed his wife may still be alive, forcing Nick to revisit events he had long ago banished to the cellar. His investigation reveals high-level government corruption and cover-ups.

The follow-up, Never Trust Your Dreams, has Nick and Felicia unwillingly involved in Americas war on terror while trying to outsmart a rogue agent from their past. Part of the conspiracy has Nick being set up as the fall guy for a murder he didnt commit, one which he must solve to clear himself.

Tyler: I understand youve won some awards for your novels. Ive always been curious about award contests because there are so many out there. Would you tell us which awards your novels have won, how you entered the contests, and how a writer should decide which contests are worthwhile to enter?

Tim: Memories Die Last won the Allbooks Reviews Editors Choice Award for fiction in 2004, and was named Best Mystery Novel of 2005 by Blackrefer.com. Never Trust Your Dreams was named Best Mystery Novel of 2006 at Blackrefer.com, and The Vendetta Factor is currently a finalist in a contest at Authorisland.com. The citations for the first two books came as a complete surprise, since I didnt know those sites gave awards. Youre right that there are many contests out there, and I would advise writers to research the sites or organizations before entering. They should realize, too, that there is often a cost involved, which prohibits many starving authors. Quite often you need to compare that against the potential exposure you may or may not receive and go from there. If youre an unknown, I wouldnt suggest sending your book to the Pulitzer people unless your horoscope was really good that day.

Tyler: Thanks for the information, Tim. What would you say were your major influences, literary or otherwise, that have inspired your writing?

Tim: From a literary standpoint Ive always been a fan of Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, Robert B. Parker and James W. Hall. I suppose their style influenced the way I write. My biggest inspiration, the one that keeps me writing, is the response I get from people who have read my books. The nicest compliment I can get is when they say I cant wait to read your next one. It doesnt get much better than that.

Tyler: I agree with you there, Tim. Appreciation by others for your work outweighs any other benefits. Do you consider yourself solely a writer of crime fiction thrillers, or do you see yourself branching out into other genres?

Tim: Im comfortable writing in this genre, but recently tried my hand at a romantic comedy told from the mans perspective. Surprisingly, I found that it wasnt that hard to switch gears, especially since I was able to draw on my own experiences in the relationship wars.

Tyler: What are you writing now? Will we see that romantic comedy in print anytime soon, or is there another chapter to be written about Nick Seven?

Tim: The romantic comedy is currently in the rewrite-and-polish phase before I have it proofed and edited. Im also working on another Nick Seven adventure, tentatively titled Jinx Money. There will be more Nick stories coming, since a character with as many layers as he has will always find some kind of trouble to get into. All I need to do is look at todays headlines and imagine what he would do in the situation.

Tyler: Thank you so much for joining me today, Tim. Before we Alchemy will you let our readers know your website address so they can find out more information about The Vendetta Factor and your other award-winning novels?

Tim: They can visit www.timsmithauthor.com to read all about my books, and see some photographs of locations where the stories take place.

Tyler: Thank you, Tim, for being here today. I hope we can look forward to many more Nick Seven stories.

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