Interview with J. M. Burns

Deadline: Stiff
J.M. Burns
Cold Tree Press (2006)
ISBN 9781583850916
Reviewed by William E. Cooper for Reader Views (1/07)

Reader Views welcomes J.M. Burns, author of the mystery novel “Deadline: Stiff.” Jim is being interviewed by Juanita Watson, Assistant Editor of Reader Views.

Juanita:  Thanks for talking with us today, Jim.  We are happy to have a chance to talk with you about your new mystery novel, the first in “The David Endicott Mystery Series,” titled “Deadline: Stiff.”  Would you start by giving us an idea of your storyline?

Jim: Sure thing, Juanita, and thanks for having me. The book revolves around a concept that humanity just can’t seem to leave alone, that of creating a “perfect” race. I live just above Pasadena, California, which was the home to the Human Betterment Foundation in the 1930s. Eventually, HBF ideas about eugenics made it to Nazi Germany.

Juanita:  Jim, you have had a lengthy career in the field of wine, food and travel journalism, and are currently teach mass media and journalism at the College of the Canyons in Southern California.  Would you elaborate on your impressive professional background?

Jim: You know, I still write freelance articles in those three areas, as they are true passions of mine. I’ve got a short piece coming out soon in National Geographic Traveler about the small town of La Conner, Washington.

But most of my energies of late have been poured into teaching and fiction writing. There comes a point in your career where you want to reflect and to give back. I know I reached that spot several years ago: I felt like I’d “been there, done that” on the pieces I assigned, as well as those I was writing. Not good.  Maybe, it’s actually called “burn out”! I’d won awards, edited a small, highly praised magazine, worked for a couple of corporate news factories – it seemed like “you name it, I’d done it.” I really needed a chance to change, to grow, to evolve into a different perspective.

Now that I get to work with young people who want to practice journalism, I feel very lucky, and very happy. On a good day, our enthusiasm reaches some great places!

Juanita:   Why did you decide to step out of the familiar, and write your first novel in the mystery genre? What inspired this story?

Jim: Really, it was also generated from that sense of having “done it all” with my writing career. At the time, I was practicing Wing Chun Kung Fu, with my son. A college buddy of his wanted to create a documentary based on Gary Lam, the school’s founder. As I talked to him about the various characters in the school I thought would make great interviews, I realized, “hey, there’s really a story here.” So, the mystery began in a backyard in Monterey Park. I’d already tried my hand – and failed – on three other fiction drafts over probably a decade or so. I’d write in the morning before work.

Juanita:   Would you give us some deeper insights into David Endicott, your lead character? And, how did he evolve in the writing process?

Jim: I didn’t serve in Vietnam, but was nonetheless very affected by that war, as well as the Gulf War and now Iraq.  David is in his middle twenties and has just returned from Baghdad, where he was an MP inside the Green Zone. He returns to Pasadena to take up his life where he left it. His father, a policeman, was killed in a gang shooting, and Chayo Rodriguez – “Uncle C.” – also a cop, took him in and raised him as a member of his family. Now Chayo wants him to join the LAPD and get a solid life together. But, as an outsider, not a joiner, David has other plans.

Juanita:   Why is it imperative that David discover the dead man’s identity in such a short amount of time?  Does this translate to a fast-paced storyline?

Jim: There’s nothing like a time element to compel the characters – as well as the reader – to a final conclusion. Think of “24” on television. Aside from using time as a device, however, there’s a strong connection between the moment David enters the story and a conclusion that existed before he became part of it.

Juanita:   Jim, what type of research did you do to prepare for writing your novel?  Any law enforcement research or other investigative work?

Jim: At one point in my career, I spent three month following around a detective for the LAPD. I learned a lot about the department from him, as well as basic detective – and group -- psychology. Also, I had lots of help from a retired officer named Danny LaBrada, who unfortunately died last year. His widow, Christine, who is currently active, also provided me with loads of insights I would not otherwise have had. For example, the police academy is within sight of Dodger Stadium. At one point, I said that the officers saw that the Dodgers were winning. Danny set me straight: he said that they would hear when the Dodgers were ahead.

Juanita:   What other characters make their way onto the pages of “Deadline: Stiff”?

Jim: One who readers really seem to enjoy is Gus Rothschild. He’s David’s “brain,” a guy as comfortable quoting Dickens as he is making a rye Manhattan. Gus figures prominently in the first book, and he will be at David’s side in the sequel, “Dead Man Letters.”

Juanita:   Now, you add some impressive twists to the plot of your novel.  Would you tell us more about the little known U.S. Human Betterment Foundation, and how this plays out in “Deadline: Stiff”?

Jim: I’ll never forget looking at the yellowing records of the Foundation in a basement within Cal-Tech in Pasadena. It was a truly creepy experience. Like I said earlier, the idea of eugenics in early 20th Century America was one whose time had come. The literati and the powerful all embraced the concept that society’s ills could literally be bred out of the next generation. The former publisher of the Los Angeles Times, Leland Stanford, founder of the university that today bears his name … lots of people – and countries – embraced this idea. After all, look at Mendel’s pea studies. The concept, as well as the name, came from Darwin’s cousin, Francis Galton. Few realize that over 20,000 legal sterilizations were performed in California before the practice was outlawed in 1979!

Juanita:   A yellow-winged Chinese butterfly becomes a significant part of your story, so much that it made it to the front cover of your book.  Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about this rare butterfly?

Jim: Sure. It’s called the “Golden Yellow,” and besides being rare, it holds a terrible secret. I wish I could say more!

Juanita:  How does David wind up in the middle of a frightening conclusion pointed towards the possibility of “survival of the fittest”?

Jim: As the book unfolds, the circles of intrigue that ensnare David prove more and more complicated. Finally, there is no way out, except to solve the mystery of the butterfly, a mystery that began in the past. David has to unravel the competing stories, find the truth, then have the courage to act on what he finds. I think that the information contained in the end reverberates to the very first page of the novel.

Juanita:   I understand that you use your familiar surrounding of Southern California as the setting for your book.  Why is this area a great locale for this mystery novel, and how do you weave well known places/areas into the story?

Jim: Southern California, with its Hammetts, Chandlers and Connellys birthed noir mysteries. How Mike Hammer escaped the land of eternal sunshine, I’ll never know! I could speak at length about the history of the place, but today is much more relevant. We’ve got several million people, a financially strained middle class, overreaching immigration, clashing and harmonizing diversity, great food, Hollywood, and sun, sun, sun. I remember coming here from Chicago some 30 years ago, and driving down Pico Boulevard, a main east-west artery. As I drove past block after undistinguished block of plain-wrapper low-rises, I thought “This is it?” But … there’s an inescapable magic in the palm trees, in the smoggy skies. Sun and struggle? I’m not sure!

Juanita:  Jim, what is the underlying message of “Deadline: Stiff”?

Jim: I think it’s probably twofold: First, that evil will always be with us. And second, that when duty calls, you’ve got to step up to uncomfortable challenges.

Juanita:   Have you started the second novel in the series?  What can readers expect for further adventures of David Endicott?

Jim: Yes, I have. In this book, David has to decipher the message contained identically in four letters that he took from a dead man in order to save Marie’s life (She plays a prominent part in the first book.) The dead guy is based on the character of John Whiteside Parsons, rocket genius, Jet Propulsion Lab founder, occult practitioner and real Pasadena character. The four-line message is actually from Parson’s own hand.

A favorite bad guy, Bingo Maravilla is back in “Dead Man Letters.” Bingo can’t speak for himself because of an “accident,” so all of his thoughts are voiced by Jerry, his sidekick.

Juanita:   Considering you are a Journalism professor and have been a highly regarded writer throughout your career, was there anything that surprised you, or that you learned in the process of writing and publishing your first novel?

Jim: Sure. I expected the process of writing to be hard, and the sale to be simple! Shows you how wrong you can be. I still don’t have an agent for this book, which I find truly remarkable. I mean it’s one thing when you hand someone a manuscript that’s unproven, or not written by a brand-name writer. But, I’ve gotten really positive reviews on the book, and still can’t get someone to represent it. That’s truly bizarre, don’t you think?

I could go on a rant, but I’ve learned that fiction publishing is pretty difficult because of the length of time involved in a project, as well as the onerous, saturated market.

Still, I would encourage everyone who has ever wanted to write to sit down and begin that project! Publishing on demand in which you pay an upfront fee to have your book published (you earn this back in royalties paid …) has loads of detractors, but it’s shaking things up. Look at all media today. Who could have ever predicted that Tower Records would close? Or that YouTube could ever begin to challenge the mainstream media? Or, that MySpace would be owned by Rupert Murdock!

My very brief experience in this business tell me why: dazzling technology, lots of good writers, and an industry dominated by five major corporate houses. It’s a shame that capitalism thrives on sequels, brand names and near-zero risk taking (I guess that is a rant …)

Juanita:   Jim, thanks for the opportunity to talk with you today.  We have enjoyed hearing about “Deadline: Stiff” and certainly recommend that readers look for it at local and online bookstores. How can readers find out more about you and your endeavors?

Jim: Check out www.david-endicott.com, especially my blog. I hope that readers will feel comfortable enough to ask me questions about the book, or writing in general.

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