Bruce W. Most . . . Author of Classic Mysteries |
Bruce Most is an award-winning writer of classic whodunits, including his newly reissued Ruby Dark mysteries about Denver's most brash, tough bail bond agent. The first book, Bonded for Murder, was a nominee for the Colorado Book Awards. His Murder on the Tracks, won best genre novel in the 2016 annual Colorado Authors' League awards. Rope Burn won the same award in 2014. As a freelance writer, he published in such magazines as Parade, TV Guide, American Way, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, and Travel & Leisure. He ghostwrote a self-help book, The Power of Choice, and wrote over 1,000 articles on financial planning topics for the Financial Planning Association. He and his wife live in Denver, Colorado.
Why I write, How I Write
excerpted from a 7 Questions interview by Doug Hawk
Why I write murder mysteries
Because I like to kill people. No, seriously, I write murder mysteries because I’ve been a fan of them since I was a kid (Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Rex Stout, my grandfather's Erle Stanley Gardner books, and especially Raymond Chandler). I love the puzzle of the whodunit and, in the best books, TV shows, and movies, an exploration of the evil that lurks in humans and the impact of crime on those around the victim, the killer, and the investigator.
The question of why do you write what you do is a cousin to the question every published writer gets—where do you get your ideas? But the question goes deeper than that. Ideas are everywhere. I have dozens of ideas for novels. But what resonates with a writer to invest hundreds of hours or more (my wife would say too many more) in a particular book idea?
For me, it’s usually something personal: a theme, a character, a setting. No Time for Murder [which concerns a harried writer with no time to investigate the death of a close friend] is an obvious example. In fact, the title came to me first, right out of my life, before any plot or character. Probably while running some errand. Why are so many of us so caught up in our rush-rush world doing busybody tasks while we shortchange what’s truly important in our lives?
Rope Burn grew out of my freelance magazine writing days when I published two articles about cattle rustling. In addition, I have in-laws who live on a ranch. I’ve been to many a branding in Wyoming, though I confess horses and I don’t mix well. What ultimately drew me in, however, was the story of a man trying to escape his dark past and ultimately forced to confront it.
As for a mystery built around a famous crime photographer, I’ve long been an hobbyist photographer. And I’m intrigued with exploring the idea of where photographers cross the line from being disinterested observers of the human condition to involving themselves in the people and events they photograph.
How my work differs from others of its genre
It’s challenging to differ that much from others in the mystery genre, considering the long-held conventions and tropes that rule the field. But I would say in general I’m drawn to reluctant sleuths. Many protagonists in mystery novels are working law enforcement or private detectives whose job is to solve the crime. The amateur sleuth (think Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple) is typically either a busybody who sniffs into murders for no apparent reason—which frankly drives me nuts (again, think of Miss Marple)—or they must investigate out of necessity because they are under suspicion by the police, have a relative or friend under suspicion, or are at risk of becoming the next victim.
I prefer characters who come reluctantly to solving crimes, often more out of psychological or emotional motives than anything else. I also like fish-out-of-water protagonists. For example, although Nick DeNunzio in Rope Burn is a former Baltimore detective, he’s out of his element hunting down cattle rustlers in Wyoming. My protagonist in No Time for Murder is a former investigative reporter and true crime book writer, but he’s hardly qualified to investigate his friend’s death. Nonetheless, he’s compelled to investigate out of guilt for failing to be there for his troubled friend when he was alive. My 1949 Denver cop is streetwise, but he’s forced out of his element because his investigation takes him to the city’s world of the wealthy and social elite.
My writing process
Once I’ve become so enamored with a story that I must write it, I begin brainstorming characters, plot, murders, motives, and suspects. If substantive research is necessary, I’ll jump into that as well. Murder on the Tracks, the Ruby Dark books, and Rope Burn needed research because they involved worlds with which I was not intimately familiar. Many authors don’t like research, but I love it. It invariably provides me plot and character inspiration. The challenge is not to get buried under it.
Writers tend to be either pantsers or plotters. Pantsers start writing with only sketchy ideas, whereas plotters develop extensive outlines, sometimes brainstorming every scene in the book before they tackle page one. I do some plotting and character development in advance, but inevitably I get impatient to dive into the first draft. From there, come drafts two, three, four, or however many are necessary. Along the way I unearth my real story. My favorite example is from my second published Ruby Dark mystery, Missing Bonds. I vaguely knew my killer before I started, but it wasn’t satisfying. As I was writing a scene 100 pages into my first draft, a minor character suddenly walked onstage for the first time (yes, it happens). I knew instantly that person was my killer and why, and I tossed out my original villain.
As for my writing schedule, I try to write six afternoons each week whenever the rest of life doesn't overwhelm me.
excerpted from a 7 Questions interview by Doug Hawk
Why I write murder mysteries
Because I like to kill people. No, seriously, I write murder mysteries because I’ve been a fan of them since I was a kid (Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Rex Stout, my grandfather's Erle Stanley Gardner books, and especially Raymond Chandler). I love the puzzle of the whodunit and, in the best books, TV shows, and movies, an exploration of the evil that lurks in humans and the impact of crime on those around the victim, the killer, and the investigator.
The question of why do you write what you do is a cousin to the question every published writer gets—where do you get your ideas? But the question goes deeper than that. Ideas are everywhere. I have dozens of ideas for novels. But what resonates with a writer to invest hundreds of hours or more (my wife would say too many more) in a particular book idea?
For me, it’s usually something personal: a theme, a character, a setting. No Time for Murder [which concerns a harried writer with no time to investigate the death of a close friend] is an obvious example. In fact, the title came to me first, right out of my life, before any plot or character. Probably while running some errand. Why are so many of us so caught up in our rush-rush world doing busybody tasks while we shortchange what’s truly important in our lives?
Rope Burn grew out of my freelance magazine writing days when I published two articles about cattle rustling. In addition, I have in-laws who live on a ranch. I’ve been to many a branding in Wyoming, though I confess horses and I don’t mix well. What ultimately drew me in, however, was the story of a man trying to escape his dark past and ultimately forced to confront it.
As for a mystery built around a famous crime photographer, I’ve long been an hobbyist photographer. And I’m intrigued with exploring the idea of where photographers cross the line from being disinterested observers of the human condition to involving themselves in the people and events they photograph.
How my work differs from others of its genre
It’s challenging to differ that much from others in the mystery genre, considering the long-held conventions and tropes that rule the field. But I would say in general I’m drawn to reluctant sleuths. Many protagonists in mystery novels are working law enforcement or private detectives whose job is to solve the crime. The amateur sleuth (think Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple) is typically either a busybody who sniffs into murders for no apparent reason—which frankly drives me nuts (again, think of Miss Marple)—or they must investigate out of necessity because they are under suspicion by the police, have a relative or friend under suspicion, or are at risk of becoming the next victim.
I prefer characters who come reluctantly to solving crimes, often more out of psychological or emotional motives than anything else. I also like fish-out-of-water protagonists. For example, although Nick DeNunzio in Rope Burn is a former Baltimore detective, he’s out of his element hunting down cattle rustlers in Wyoming. My protagonist in No Time for Murder is a former investigative reporter and true crime book writer, but he’s hardly qualified to investigate his friend’s death. Nonetheless, he’s compelled to investigate out of guilt for failing to be there for his troubled friend when he was alive. My 1949 Denver cop is streetwise, but he’s forced out of his element because his investigation takes him to the city’s world of the wealthy and social elite.
My writing process
Once I’ve become so enamored with a story that I must write it, I begin brainstorming characters, plot, murders, motives, and suspects. If substantive research is necessary, I’ll jump into that as well. Murder on the Tracks, the Ruby Dark books, and Rope Burn needed research because they involved worlds with which I was not intimately familiar. Many authors don’t like research, but I love it. It invariably provides me plot and character inspiration. The challenge is not to get buried under it.
Writers tend to be either pantsers or plotters. Pantsers start writing with only sketchy ideas, whereas plotters develop extensive outlines, sometimes brainstorming every scene in the book before they tackle page one. I do some plotting and character development in advance, but inevitably I get impatient to dive into the first draft. From there, come drafts two, three, four, or however many are necessary. Along the way I unearth my real story. My favorite example is from my second published Ruby Dark mystery, Missing Bonds. I vaguely knew my killer before I started, but it wasn’t satisfying. As I was writing a scene 100 pages into my first draft, a minor character suddenly walked onstage for the first time (yes, it happens). I knew instantly that person was my killer and why, and I tossed out my original villain.
As for my writing schedule, I try to write six afternoons each week whenever the rest of life doesn't overwhelm me.