Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a husband and a father and 39 years old. I’ve written three historical mystery novels in the Adam Lapid series, all taking place in the early days of the State of Israel and featuring Adam Lapid, an Auschwitz survivor and former Nazi hunter, who now lives in Tel Aviv and works as a private detective.
The first novel, Ten Years Gone, takes place in 1949 and begins when Adam Lapid is hired by a German Jewish woman to find her missing son. The last time she saw her son was ten years earlier when she handed him to a friend to spirit him out of Nazi Germany. Naturally, things get complicated in a hurry.
The second novel, The Dead Sister, revolves around the murder of a young Arab woman in Tel Aviv, a murder the police don’t seem to be working too hard to solve. The victim’s brother hires Adam Lapid to discover the identity of the killer, but the killer is quite willing to strike again to avoid capture.
In the third novel in the series (so far), The Auschwitz Violinist, Adam Lapid investigates the death of a former musician in one of the camp orchestras in Auschwitz. The man was found dead in his apartment with his wrists slashed, but Adam Lapid doesn’t believe he committed suicide.
Apart from these three novels, I’ve also published a number of crime and fantasy short stories.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Ten Years Gone, which, despite being the first in the Adam Lapid series chronologically, was written third.
What I came up with first, before figuring out the plot of any of the books in the series, was the character of Adam Lapid. He is a former police detective in the Hungarian police force, who lost his entire family at Auschwitz, and now works as a PI in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The premise came to me second, in a flash, perhaps because it was shortly after my first son was born. In this book, Adam Lapid attempts to find a boy who’s been missing for ten years, ever since he was a small baby.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write with very little planning involved and not according to sequence. Sometimes I figure out who the murderer is, write the climax showdown scene, and then work my way toward it.
I’ve recently started working with a voice recognition software, but it’s still too early to tell how that would change my output.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lawrence Block, Donald Westlake, Don Winslow, and Jo Nesbo are some of my favorite crime novelists. I also like Lois McMaster Bujold in science fiction and Stephen King in practically any genre.
What are you working on now?
The fourth Adam Lapid novel. I don’t know the title yet, but I’m about forty percent done.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still learning the marketing ropes of the book business. I need to try more promotional websites before I know which one is best.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write and publish quickly. If readers like your work, they want to buy more of it right now.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Work hard and don’t let perfection stop you from producing good work.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading the Cliff Janeway series by John Dunning and listening to Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a few ideas for standalone novels and also a vague notion of what the next few Adam Lapid novels will be. I also want to write a humorous crime series set in England, but I need to get some other projects out of the way first.
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?
The Stand by Stephen King, A Long Line of Dead Men by Lawrence Block, The Fools in Town Are On Our Side by Ross Thomas.
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