FAQ: Ask Tony

1. How did you get published?

I do a twenty minute talk on this one (often at a library program). The short answer is perseverance. I wrote the first draft of Second Advent in the 1994-1995 time frame, and it finally reached publication in December, 2002. That’s a long time to keep after something.

2. Are you Nick Bertetto?

There are parts of me in every major character in my books, and I mean that honestly. It’s difficult to write about a character if you can’t get into their head. However, having said that, Nick and I do share a number of characteristics. As the series goes on, I think Nick and I become less and less alike. In general, though, Nick is a better person than I am. And Nick takes more physical risks.

That whole question reminds me of how Robert B. Parker once answered a reporter who asked if he and Spenser were one and the same. Parker said no, that he was much better looking than Spenser.

3. There’s a lot of exercise stuff in your books. Do you do all that?

Not to the degree Nick does, but yes, I lift weights and run. I even have a black belt in karate, although sparring is not my strong suit. My wife and I also enjoy hiking together.

4. Are there more books coming in the series?

We’ll see. I have an idea for a fourth book, tentatively called “Rifugio Purgatorio,” that takes Nick and his father back to Italy for a dark night in a rifugio in the Alps. But I have also have a thriller in manuscript form, and I’m working on a cozy mystery, so a lot depends on what sells.

Got a question for me? Leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.