Interview with GM Ford
by Jon Jordan

Summer 2003

JON:  I’d like to start by saying that Leo Waterman is one of my favorite characters in the crime fiction genre. I’ve loved all the books with him. That being said, Frank Corso absolutely rocks. I think the three you’ve done so far are outstanding pieces of work. What brought you to the decision to move from Leo to this new series?

FORD:  Seems to me that nearly every series starts to get a little stale somewhere in the vicinity of book six or seven. By that time you've subjected your protag to a wide array of indignities and probably used up most of the ideas you started with. In Leo's case I'd used up every drunk joke I'd ever heard and just felt like it was time to move on.

JON:  You have a wonderful knack for writing strong woman characters, first with Leo’s girlfriend Rebecca, and now with photographer Meg Dougherty. Is this from years of experience studying women?

FORD:  Everything regarding women that I'd absolutely sure of would fit on the back of a postage stamp.

JON:  As a true crime writer Frank has a little more freedom to move around in search of stories. Was this an intentional move?

FORD:  It lets Frank walk into bigger cases. But most importantly, it gave me a chance to write in the third person, which makes it so much easier to plot, because, unlike first person, the protag doesn't have to be in every scene. It lets me get into other people's heads and vary the action far more than is possible in the first person.

JON:  When you first wrote Leo, were you planning a series? And if so, while writing Wand Fuca did you plant some things to be used as the series went on?

FORD:  Yes. I had in mind writing something somewhere in between Fletch and Spenser. Funnier and not quite as macho as Spenser, but with something of an edge to it. Actually it's the other way around. What I learned is that one is stuck with one's secondary characters (the bums) and that recurring characters should be treated with great deference, because they're moving in with you. Three or four books in I would have loved to have written a book without the bums, but it turned out to be impossible.

JON:  You used to teach creative writing. Did you enjoy teaching?

FORD:  Still do. I enjoy teaching kids and loathe teaching adults.

JON:  Starting a second new series, is there anything you learned from the first series you did that makes the second easier to write?

FORD:  It's all practice. Every line makes you better. There are no rules. You just feel your way long in the dark and hope for the best,

JON:  When you write do you have the whole book figured out as you start, or does it get revealed to you as you write?

FORD:  I didn't used to, but I do now. Third person allows for considerably more convoluted plots, which, in turn, require more advance planning. The trick is to plot the whole thing out and still allow room for the magic to happen. Most of the best things in my books happen while I'm writing.

JON:  You usually do the Bouchercon convention each year and it seems that you usually get put on the same type of panel each time. If you could choose your own panel, what would it be called?

FORD:  I nearly always do a Bouchercon panel with friends of mine like Coben and LeHane and Fitzhugh and Parnell. As long as I'm up there with other competent professionals, I don't really care what it's about. What bothers me is sitting up there with either the longwinded or the terminally ernest. You ask ‘em what's the capital of Bolivia and they talk for twenty minutes.

JON:  Do you remember where you were when you first heard that Wanda Fuca was going to be published? And who was the first person you told?

FORD:  At home. I told my ex. she said "that's nice." which explains why she's my ex.

JON:  What kind of advice would you give to a new author, not about writing, but about book tours and conventions and the other non writing things authors do?

FORD:  The same advice Barbara Peters gave me. Enjoy it. No matter how big you get after this, you're never going to be the new kid on the block again. She was absolutely right. There's something special about your first time around the circuit. Later on the name Willie Loman comes to mind.

JON:  Do you plan to dig into Meg’s past at some point in the new series?

FORD:  No. Not really. Matter of fact I'm going to write a couple where she does not appear. I don't want secondary characters taking over the book.

JON:  As your books become more successful do you find the publisher giving you a more freedom in your writing? Or have you been able to do what you want right along?

FORD:  I've never had any trouble with editors meddling. I try to keep in mind that everybody is just trying to make the book better. That everybody involved has a stake in it doing well. I never run the "I'm the arteeest" number on them. I have learned, however, to never agree to anything that's counter-intuitive.

JON:  Do you have any strange habits when write? Listening to a certain type of music, or writing at a specific time of day?

FORD:  Used to write to nine inch nails but got over it.

JON:  What’s your favorite way to spend free time?

FORD:  Travel, boats, golf, hanging with my sweetie.

JON:  What and who do you like to read?

FORD:  hard-boiled mostly. J L Burke, Lehane, Coben, Scott Phillips. Woodrell, Steven Hunter that sort of thing.

JON:  Are you competitive when you golf, or is it strictly for fun?

FORD:  No Mostly I play for the fun of it. When I was younger, I used to let it piss me off. Nowadays I concentrate on having a good time.

JON:  What’s the best way for someone to get your attention?

FORD:  Send me checks.

JON:  What other things have you done besides writing and teaching?

FORD:  A coupla sales jobs too ugly to discuss.

JON:  If you could go back and spend some time with the twenty year old GM Ford what advice would you pass on to him?

FORD:  Start writing earlier. Stop being such a pain in the ass.

JON:  What question do you get asked more than any other?

FORD:  “Where do you get your ideas from?”

JON:  What is the perfect meal?

FORD:  Steak, salad, ff potatoes, a coupla martinis, creme brule

JON:  If someone was going to spend a week in Seattle, what would you recommend for them to do? Any must see spots?

FORD:  Take ferry rides. Take the loop around Mt. Rainier. Take the Victoria Clipper up to Victoria for a night. Visit Vancouver. These days it's way nicer than Seattle.

JON:  What’s the one thing always in your refrigerator?

FORD:  cheese, salsa, and olives