Today's guest is debut mystery author Richard L. Hatin. His novel Evil Agreement just released and he's here to talk a bit about that, his connection to Stephen King, how involved his family is with his writing career, and more.
Bio:
Richard L. Hatin is married and lives with his wife Anne Marie
Hatin in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Together they have three sons, and three
granddaughters.
Richard was born in Burlington,
Vermont where he attended area
schools graduating from St. Michael’s College in 1971 with a B.A. in English
Literature. He went on to a successful
career in local and state government until 1974 when he was recruited to join
the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He worked for the New England Office of
Community Planning and Development. He
retired as the Deputy Director of the New England Office of Community Planning
and Development in 2010. During his
government career, Richard wrote several articles for regional and national
publications serving the interests of those involved in Community Renewal.
In his personal life, Richard served on the boards of many
local, state and national organizations as well as served as an active
volunteer in the community. He has
received numerous local and state awards for his service to youth. He has also contributed numerous articles to
state, regional and national youth sports publications.
Richard also plays several musical instruments and
volunteers for several local and state wide organizations.
Recently, he has undertaken a serious pursuit of creative
writing. He has completed five
novels. The first to be published is
entitled Evil Agreement. The other four
novels await release in the upcoming future.
He is currently a member of the International Thriller
Writer’s Association; the American Mystery Writers Association, and the New
Hampshire Writer’s Project.
For more information about Richard, you can visit his
website at www.richardhatin.com.
Welcome, Richard. Please
tell us about your debut release.
The
hard cover release date for Evil Agreement was July 15. The
e-book [Nook & Kindle versions] releases were June 30.
What
inspired you to write this book?
Approximately
40 years ago my wife and I were walking to the summit of a remote mountain in Vermont when near the
summit, well beyond any paths, trails, or roads we came upon a small fenced in
cemetery. Curious, we entered the cemetery
and proceeded to read the inscriptions on the headstones and discovered that an
entire family died on the same date in 1843. The following day, I called local and state officials to look into this
mystery. No one had any information
about the cemetery nor were there any marriage, birth or death records for this
family.
After
years of being puzzled by this oddity I decided to develop a fictional story to
explain how a mystery such as this might have occurred.
What
exciting story are you working on next?
Actually, I have finished four other novels and I am working on my 6th one
now. The other four completed novels
have the following working titles: Digging Up the Past; Knights of St.
Michael-The Recruitment; The Visitor at Janet’s Mountain, and the K-List. Currently, I am writing the second part to the
Knights of St. Michael trilogy.
As
a writer, I find the trilogy format to be very challenging and exciting at the
same time. The story line I am exploring takes my main characters around the
world while placing them in precarious and deadly situations. Consequently, I find that I must do quite a
bit of research to help me add credible texture to the locals and settings I am
placing my characters in.
When
did you first consider yourself a writer?
For
me it all began many years ago when I met up with Steven King one day when he
was in Manchester, NH.
He was having lunch at a downtown restaurant on a snowy winter day. He was in town to make a campaign appearance
for a candidate he was supporting in the NH Presidential Primary. He was alone and so I worked up the courage
to approach him. He graciously invited
me take a seat. I ended up spending 45
minutes with my favorite author. We
talked about many things and I found he and I had some things in common. We both liked the same rock and roll music, and
as kids, we read the same comics and novels. We also liked the same grade “B” movies and shared the same sports
interests. Finally, I decided to pitch a
story idea to him. Since this meeting
was early in his career he was more accessible than he naturally is today.
He
listened patiently and then held up his hand. He told me that while the idea was very interesting; it seemed to him
that I had a unique passion for the story. He went on to say, that with my passion I also seemed to have an ability
to “tell the story” in such a way that holds one’s interest. He told me I should write the story. I responded that I didn’t see myself as a
writer. He corrected me and told me to
try and not give up. He offered other
advice, too. He told me to never get in the way of the story and to always get the
readers attention as early as possible and to never, ever let go of the
reader.
As
it so happens, the story I pitched to him that day is the novel, Evil Agreement.
While
I didn’t actually start writing that book right away, I did spend time writing
professional articles in connection with my job and articles for regional and
national sports magazines which catered to youth sports. I also developed a regional youth sports
newsletter which I maintained for several years.
Do
you write full-time?
I
try to write every day.
If
so, what's your work day like?
When
I am writing I don’t pay attention to time. If the story flows well and the research fits in so it contributes to
the pace of the story I may well write for six to ten hours straight without
taking a break. Yet there have been
times when I spend only a couple of hours. Usually when I spend that little amount of time it is because I am
struggling with the story. I find if I
take a break and go off for a 4 or 5 mile walk I can think things through and
come back ready to move the story along.
What
would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
My
wife and children would all agree that since I type with the use of one, four, or
five fingers I tend to pound the keys. They can hear my typing from most anywhere in the house.
As
a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I
dreamed about being an anthropologist, a geologist, a teacher, and a writer,
all rolled into one.
Anything
additional you want to share with the readers?
My
writing career is supported by my family in several ways. My wife Anne serves as my first reader,
editor and critic. She also took my
publicity photo for my website and my book. My oldest son Joel, is my webmaster and oversees my social media
projects. He also filmed my Evil
Agreement promo video and added the sound. My middle son Aaron, lined up the voice actor for the promo video, he
also edited the video. In addition, he
has designed all my book covers. My
youngest son, Brady offers his artistic input and ideas for my social media
initiatives.
Great to have you join my blog, Richard. Congratulations on the first book being published, and I wish you great success for all the others!
