An Interview with Ronald Tierney

Ronald Tierney is a successful crime and mystery author. He has written two series, the first is the ‘Deets’ Shanahan series based out of Indianapolis. The second series is based out of San Francisco and features Carly Paladino and Noah Lang.

How did you get into writing? At what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I wrote plays and skits in elementary school. I preferred essay tests. I could redeem bad grades with a stunning paper. However, I was once given an F for a book review of Thomas Hardy’s Return of the Native because I wrote it in Hardy’s style and the teacher couldn’t believe I did it. I don’t know how I did it, but I did. I was a writer before I knew I wanted to be one.

What was your first book or story that you completed? Did you ever get it published?

In the sense that my little skits were produced, I had some inkling of the satisfaction that comes with getting published. As a young adult I wrote poetry and short stories and saw a production of a one-act play. I did a lot of marketing/public relations/communications writing early in my career and saw much of my writing in print long before I published my first mystery. My first attempt at a novel never reached the public and rightly so.

How did you finally get published? When were you able to write on a full-time basis? Please explain your success story?

At 40 years old, I entered the St. Martin’s Press First Private Eye Novel competition. I didn’t win, but one of the contest readers forwarded the manuscript on with recommendations. And The Stone Veil, the first in the Shanahan series, was published by St. Martin’s after all. I’ve always lived by writing, but not always by just writing books. Doing that has been tough. It’s rough for those of us who have a following but have not achieved brand name status.

How do you stay motivated to finish a novel? How do you stay focused?

I am motivated by wanting to see a finished book. I really enjoy being able to hold this book in my hands. And I know that can’t happen until I finish it.

What is your writing schedule like? Do you write in the mornings, evenings, and for how long?

My writing schedule is erratic. I don’t write if I don’t have anything to say. I don’t sit at the computer and struggle with the next line. Quite often the schedule is like this: I finish thoughts that I had the previous afternoon or evening by writing in the morning. I go for a walk and discover the next few pages or the book. However, if the mood (or muse) strikes I can and do write at any time.

How do you get your ideas? What is your method for remembering them?

If you’re asking how do I get my idea for a book? I have to repress them. I have many more ideas about what to write than I could ever have time to realize. If you’re asking how I get from one page to the next, that’s described above. Essentially, the book process is I create a problem or situation and spend the rest of my time trying to solve or resolve it in, I hope, an interesting way. I don’t write outlines or treatments. I’m as curious about the end the book as I hope the reader is. I remember my ideas by writing them down. I ALWAYS have a pen and a notebook with me.

If you get writer’s block, how do you get over it?

I’m not sure I get writer’s block. Certainly there are dry moments. And if that happens, I don’t force it. I go for walks, think about other things. My subconscious has been very generous.

What are your thoughts on self-publishing?

That used to be a sin. Probably not anymore. Publishing is changing immensely and rapidly. The real problems of self-publishing, other than it being considered “vanity press,” were marketing and distribution. For the printed form, I suspect that is still true. But, with electronic publishing, blogs, social media, etc., it’s time to experiment. I have a couple of unpublished manuscripts (not part of either of my series) that I think are worthy and I’m giving serious consideration to publishing them myself — in some form — as opportunities expand and costs go down.

What piece of advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a writer? What is a good starting point for them?

Someone once said that most people don’t want to write, they want to have written. I’m not sure that one casually chooses between, say, becoming a doctor or a writer, unless of course he or she has a passion for both. I think writers write because they have to or because the act of writing gives them something nothing else can. Writers are people who continue to turn out page after page even if no one publishes them. If someone just thinks it would be “neat” to be a writer, then it probably isn’t going to work.

As far as a good starting point, WRITE. Personally, I don’t understand the idea of spending years in writing workshops. If you want to write, read good writers and start writing. Right now.

To find out more about Ronald Tierney or his work check out Ronald Tierney's website, or wikipedia.