Interview with Barb D'Amato
by Jon Jordan
Barb's Web Site

Jon: You have three series, one featuring Dr. Gerritt DeGraf, Cat Marsala, and also one with Figueroa and Bennis. Could you tell us a little about them?

Barb: Dr. Gerritt DeGraaf is a forensic pathologist who appeared in just two early books, published in 1980 and 1981. I liked him; he was capable of being serious and yet enjoying life. But there are no plans to bring him back. Cat Marsala is more like me. She's a freelance reporter, which means she doesn't make much money. Cat used to work for a major Chicago newspaper, but quit because she was frequently asked to do very short stories on subjects she thought deserved more thorough treatment, or long stories on subects she thought didn't deserve it. For example, she was once asked to do seven thousand words, which is a LOT, on a rock star. She could only think of ten: He was loud, he was loud, he was really loud. I'm having a great deal of fun now with my two Chicago cops, Figueroa and Bennis. They are partners, sharing a squad car. Bennis is ten years older and thinks he's the boss. They get to see the underbelly of Chicago, which I've had some chance to do, too, riding around with cops. Cops tell the best stories, and they let me use some of them.

Jon: Your latest book, Hard Road, has Oz as a central theme. Are you a Oz fan?

Barb: I've read the Oz books all my life, starting as a small child. My father had been a friend of L. Frank Baum's children and started me on them at an early age. They're wonderfully imaginative. I'd recommend them highly for children. Don't just see the movie; read the books.

Jon: What other jobs have you had besides writing?

Barb: Other jobs I've had are waitressing long ago, assistant surgical orderly, assistant tiger handler, stage manager -- this was where tiger handling came in -- and researcher for legal cases.

Jon: So why a Parrot as a pet? And why quoting Shakespeare?

Barb: Long John Silver, Cat's African grey parrot has the advantage of being both a pet and a roommate. After all, he can talk. He quotes Shakespeare because he lived for twenty years with a professor of English whose field was Shakespeare. African greys can live fifty years or more. When Cat writes up her notes every evening, LJ flies down and sits on her shoulder and as she turns on her monitor screen says, "What light from yonder window breaks?"

Jon: The mystery book community seems to be very full of camaraderie. And not just writers, but also fans and booksellers. Why do you think that is?

Barb: My theory about why mystery authors are so delighted that somebody else is writing a mystery, instead of being worried or defensive, is that we're all readers first. We're just so glad there are more mysteries coming along in the pipeline.

Jon: One of your books was set in an ER , before the show came on. You also did a book with the lottery before any one else did. Are you going to be starting any new trends again soon?

Barb: It was kind of weird the way ER came on TV just a few months after HARD CASE. And HARD LUCK had a multi-state lottery idea before one appeared. I'd hate to have the new book start a trend. It's going to be about baby selling and should be out from Forge in April.

Jon: What authors do you like to read?

Barb: My favorite author is Agatha Christie. No wasted words, and plots like steel traps. I like Wambaugh when he writes about cops, like THE CHOIRBOYS. But I read just about everybody and a lot of writers are my friends, so I don't want to single anybody out.

Jon: What do you enjoy writing more, the hard boiled stuff or the books that are a bit lighter?

Barb: Right now I like writing the techno-thrillers, like HELP ME, PLEASE and KILLER.APP. But when I get an idea for a puzzle-mystery, I like that, too.

Jon: You’ve taught writing. Are there any mystery writers out there that you taught?

Barb: I've had several writers in classes I've taught become published later. That is really exciting. Hugh Holton, who died in May, was in a class I taught fifteen years ago, and we were friends from then on. He's going to be much missed.

Jon: Do you enjoy doing signings and going to conventions?

Barb: I enjoy signings, but I enjoy conventions more. Most of my writer friends are scattered all over the country, maybe all over the planet, and conventions are a good chance to see them.

Jon: You also do crime research. What does this involve?

Barb: Most of the real crime research I do involves hanging out with cops. The tech research varies. I did several visits to trauma units. I went to a Christmas tree farm for HARD CHRISTMAS. Checked out a luxury yacht for HARD TACK. It would intimidate me to ask people questions about what they do unless I had a good reason, and mystery writing seems to be a good reason. People are almost always helpful.

Jon: Do you think the internet gives writers an advantage that wasn’t available in the past? Is a tool that can be a help, or more of a toy?

Barb: The internet is a big help. It used to take a whole day to go to a library and find something. Just getting a parking place in Chicago can be an hour's work.

Jon: The publishing industry has gone through a lot of changes in the last ten years. Buy outs, smaller budgets, chain store sales having and effect also. How do you think this affects writers? Is it harder to get published?

Barb: I'm afraid I do think it's harder to get published now than ten or fifteen years ago.

Jon: Do you enjoy writing blurbs for other author’s books?

Barb: I love writing blurbs for good books. Especially for new authors.

Jon: How much attention do you give reviews. Do some carry more weight than others?

Barb: Reviews can be a problem. I try to pay attention to criticisms that are helpful. But you can get all tangled up by them if you start to get defensive. You get like the centipede who thought too much about his feet.

Jon: Do you find that mystery readers pay more attention to details than regular fiction readers?

Barb: Mystery readers seem to me to be the smartest readers there are.

Jon: How would describe a perfect week?

Barb: A perfect week is one in which I get four pages written every day. It doesn't happen often enough.

Jon: What movies are among your favorites?

Barb: My favorite movies are SNOW WHITE, BEAT THE DEVIL, ODD MAN OUT, RED RIVER, FANTASIA, and DUMBO.

Jon: Has there been any film or TV interest in any of your work?

Barb: I have an option on one book, but I'm not holding my breath.

Jon: What’s the one thing that’s always in your fridge?

Barb: The one thing always in my fridge is coffee. Regular, high-octane, no extraneous flavors. This is an addiction.