Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The author is a Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of California’s Medical School at Davis, near Sacramento in Northern California. A two-time winner of The Indie Book of the Day Award, Jerold writes “tweener” mystery books (tough mystery stories that follow the cozy conventions of no graphic sex and no cussing), all published as e-books on Amazon Kindle with four also published as paperback versions, that are fast moving and entertain the reader. Several of the books introduce the readers to South America, a region where he has lived and worked that is a long way from home for most English speakers. He and his wife Elaine lived previously in Salta, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay. Jerry selects the most interesting South American locations he found for Roger and Suzanne to visit while solving miscellaneous murders. Montevideo, Salta, Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, and Iguazu Falls are also characters in these books, and the novels portray these places as vivid and real. Jerry and Elaine breed prize-winning German shorthaired pointer dogs; Elaine also provides technical advice for Jerry’s dog-related novels like The Deadly Dog Show, Hunter Down, and Abra Cadaver, as well as editing for all of the books. Abra Cadaver is the fourteenth book (the ninth novel) in the series
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Abra Cadaver, the latest book in the series, is the third novel in the series to feature German shorthaired pointer Juliet in a starring role. I try to write about areas I have first-hand experience with so the background for all my books is authentic. The fictional Juliet is modeled after our own Jolie, a champion conformation show and hunt test dog, and is a response to my wife Elaine’s requests to write books that would especially appeal to her dog breeder friends. We’ve previously taken Juliet through murder mysteries at conformation dog shows and hunt tests; the current novel uses her keen bird dog nose to look for buried bodies and hidden clues. It was inspired by a course in canine nose work I took a few years ago with Jolie’s mother, Vinia and by Elaine’s desire that the fictional Juliet exemplifies the versatility of a well bred German shorthaired pointer like Jolie.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I just try to write when I can find the time since I already have a full-time job as a Professor at the University of California. I honestly don’t know if I do anything “unusual” with regard to time management, or just what every other author has to wrestle with.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The classics of the private eye mystery genre like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Ross MacDonald, as well as contemporary mystery writers like Walter Mosley, Marcia Muller, and Robert B. Parker.
What are you working on now?
Another Roger and Suzanne mystery, which will probably be a novella, based on a plot idea suggested by my youngest son a year or two ago.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Book blurbs on various Facebook sites and targeted mailings to dog club members and breeders.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t quit your day job!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t quit your day job!
What are you reading now?
Several mystery novels I’ve accumulated from Amazon Kindle and a huge pile of scientific papers that will help me write the Background and Rationale for my next grant application.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish the next book and start another full-length novel, possibly based on a trip abroad we plan to take later this year.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’m not sure, but they’d almost certainly be mysteries.
Author Websites and Profiles
Jerold Last Amazon Profile
Jerold Last’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account