Today, we’re delighted to welcome Robert Dugoni, a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Bestselling author. Continue reading to learn about the man, his work as a writer and about his latest book entitled In the Clearing.
Please tell us about you. Where are you from? What is your professional background and how did you become an author?
I grew up in the Bay Area in a very large family. I call them compulsive overachievers because they all became professionals, Doctors and lawyers. So even though I knew at age 13 that I wanted to write novels, I decided I needed to follow in their footsteps and became a lawyer. I never lost my love for writing and characters. I studied writing at Stanford University and, as a lawyer, I performed in theatre productions throughout the bay area. After 13 years practicing law at a bay area law firm I made the leap to what was my true passion, writing.
What types of books do you write?
I write mysteries and thrillers. Even my thrillers always have a mystery element to them. I began with a legal thriller series involving lawyer David Sloane. There are five novels in that series, The Jury Master, Wrongful Death, Bodily Harm, Murder One and The Conviction. More recently I’ve written mysteries with a female character, Tracy Crosswhite. My Sister’s Grave. Her Final Breath and In the Clearing.
Could you please tell us about your most recent book, its overall plot, and the main characters in it?
My most recent book is In the Clearing, which is the third novel in the police detective Tracy Crosswhite series. Tracy is a Seattle homicide detective dealing with the disappearance and death of her sister 20 years earlier. In My Sister’s Grave, Tracy returns home to Cedar Grove, a small town in the North Cascade Mountains when human remains are found in a shallow grave that might be her sister. In the novel, In the Clearing, Tracy is asked by a friend to look into the death of a young Native American woman who supposedly committed suicide 40 years earlier. Tracy travels to a small Washington town and begins to explore and probe the town’s dark secrets to understand what truly happened to the young woman.
Are you working on any other books(s)? If so, can you please tell us what we can expect to see from you in the future?
I have a standalone legal thriller, “The Seventh Canon” which will be released September 27, 2016 by Thomas & Mercer, my publisher. A fourth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series, “The Trapped Girl”, will be released in February 2017. Currently I am at work at the fifth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series. I’m excited about the two books that will come out in the next nine months.
Can you please tell us about your approach to writing? For example, do you follow structures and writing rules? Or do you write in a free flow way? Do you have any particular time of the day you like to write? Or any specific environment you prefer to sit down and write in?
I prefer to write in the mornings, when my mind is fresh. Things just seem to come more easily to me. I write in my office or at office outside my home. I don’t like to feel cooped up and I enjoy having other people around. I have spent a lot of time studying, learning, and working on writing structure and character development. Though I don’t write from an outline, I have an outline constantly in my head that I work through. However, I like to be surprised by my endings and by my antagonists, just like the readers, so I try to keep an open mind about my endings. Sometimes my characters are smarter than I am when it comes to what they would do in a particular situation, so I don’t try to script the endings.
Do you have any favourite authors? If so, who are they and what do you like about their work?
I love Stephen King, especially The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. I’m a fan of John Lescroart. I like the way, as a reader, you become invested in their characters and what happens to them. I love the way King uses all of his senses, so as a reader you have a very clear picture of the novel and what is happening. Since I was born in the Bay Area, it’s fun to read John’s books set in San Francisco. Truthfully, I love to read and listen to novels and I’m always reading or listening to something, regardless of the genre.
What other things do you like to get up to when you’re not writing?
I work out a lot. It’s my stress release. I used to play a lot of sports, but as I’ve gotten older, body parts break down. I enjoy my wife and my kids. I love to travel to new places and to see new things. I’m not passionate about golf, but I love to hit the ball and use it as a social outlet. I also ride my bicycle frequently. Finally, I’m a big movie buff and I love when the new releases come out.
How can people find out more about you?
www.facebook.com/robert.dugoni
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of eBooks India. He is also a prolific eBook writer with over 25 titles to his name.[/author_info] [/author]