WHEN THE DEVIL WHISTLES - Rick Acker - Free Book

Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Writing legal thrillers is a natural fit with my “real job” as a Deputy Attorney General. Every day I come across fascinating cases and outrageous stories—though the best ones are too unrealistic to make good fiction.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

 June 3, 1988—the day I married the love of my life, Anette.

How has being published changed your life?

In lots of ways, but mostly when my two worlds collide. Last week, for example, I was interviewing a very distinguished potential expert witness—a white-haired law professor with a thirty-page resume and six degrees. Then about an hour after I got off the phone with him, he sent me a fan e-mail telling me how much he and his wife like my books. Very flattering, but a little disorienting.

I can see how that could be. What are you reading right now?

High Crusade by Poul Anderson. It’s a fun old science fiction story that I read as a kid. It’s been out of print for years, but a 50th anniversary edition was just released.

What is your current work in progress?

The working title is Secret Murders and it’s a legal thriller. Here’s a sneak peak at the plot: In 1995, a death squad stole fourteen-year-old Christina Castillo from her family. Now attorney Marie Dupree must defend the man accused of masterminding this horrible crime. A victory could salvage her career and let her begin rebuilding a life shattered by her ex-husband’s betrayal. But before she can win, she must fight her way to the heart of a maze of dark and dangerous secrets—and does she really want to know the truth she’ll find there?

What would be your dream vacation?

If I could take a month and had unlimited funds (we’re dreaming here, right?), I’d love to visit Israel and walk the paths that Jesus walked and see the city that David built.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I usually pick a place that I know well and will add to the story. For example, When the Devil Whistles is mostly set in and around San Francisco, and it was great fun to toss in real-life details about a favorite sea-front walk or how the rolling vineyard hills near my home look at sunset.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

Denzel Washington. He’s a great actor, a committed Christian, and by all accounts a great guy. It would be an honor to meet him.

He's actually one of my favorite actors, too. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I really don’t have time for much beyond those, but I do go hiking or running with the kids when I can, and I’m a big college football fan (Go, Irish!).

My husband and I don't spend a lot of time watching sports, but now that the Texas Rangers are in the World Series, we're really supporting them. Josh Hamilton goes to our church, but we've never met him. (Big church.) What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Finding the time to write. I’ve got a demanding full-time job and a busy family, so getting in my daily word count is always a challenge. I actually do most of my writing on the train while traveling to and from the city. In fact, that’s where I’m sitting as I answer these questions.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

There are three rules that worked for me and that I pass on to every new writer I meet:

1. Make writing part of your routine. Find a regular time when you can write and stick to it, even if it’s only one hour per week. It’s virtually impossible to write anything longer than a few pages or to grow as a writer unless writing becomes part of the rhythm of your life.

2. Learn to treasure good criticism. Find someone whose judgment you trust to critique your writing, and make him or her promise to be honest. Criticism is never fun to hear, but you won’t become a better writer without it.

3. Don’t give up. Most writers aren’t very good when they start. I was awful, and I still have the poetry to prove it. So keep writing and focus on getting better. You will.

Very good advice. Tell us about the featured book. 

The title is When the Devil Whistles and it’s a legal thriller based on real cases that I handle at the Department of Justice. Here’s what award-winning author Colleen Coble had to say about it: “When the Devil Whistles has it all: high stakes, compelling characters and a fast plot that had me gasping at the twists and turns. A legal thriller you won't want to miss!” To learn more or read the first five chapters, go here: http://www.rickacker.com/books/when-the-devil-whistles/ .

Sounds very intriguing. Please give us the first page of the book.

Connor Norman loved a good fireworks show. He especially liked the ones that took place once or twice a year in the conference rooms at the California Department of Justice. Some executive or general counsel whose company was under investigation would come in for a witness interview, would lie, and would get caught. Then Deputy Attorney General Max Volusca would go off and the show would start. DAG Volusca did not suffer liars gladly. Fools he would tolerate, often longer than Connor. But if Max felt he was being misled, he soon lived up to his nickname, “Max Volume.”

Connor didn’t mind it when Max got loud. In fact, he liked the DAG’s outbursts because they usually rattled whoever was sitting across the table from him. And that usually meant more money for Connor and his qui tam clients. A qui tam plaintiff is a whistleblower who sues on behalf of the government and gets a cut (generally 15-20 percent) of whatever the government recovers. Better yet, if the Department of Justice likes a case, it takes on the lion’s share of the work. Envious defense counsel sometimes complained to Connor that he wasn’t really litigating these cases, just riding a gravy train driven by DOJ. Though Connor never told opposing lawyers, the real fun wasn’t the train ride so much as tying corporate criminals to the tracks in front of the engine.

Today, Connor’s client was Devil to Pay, Inc., a shell company he had created to bring qui tam lawsuits while protecting the identity of its owner. Most contractors assumed that Connor was the force behind Devil to Pay and that he recruited new whistleblowers for every lawsuit. In fact, all those suits were the work of a single woman: a professional whistleblower named Allie Whitman.

The corners of Connor’s mouth twitched. Allie was probably the most widely hated and feared woman in California’s government contracting industry, even though no one knew she existed.

Now I'm really hooked. How can readers find you on the Internet?

I’m on Facebook, Twitter (@authorrickacker), and my website is http://www.rickacker.com/ .

Rick, thanks for the interesting interview.
 
Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. New information: Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. I’m trying to get a good idea of where the people live who leave comments on my blog. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment. Here’s a link.

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

Author Rick Acker - BLOOD BROTHERS - Free Book

This book sounds intriguing. Wait to you see the cover.

Welcome, Rick. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

As little as possible. I find that characters that are different from me and have their own independent personalities are more interesting and entertaining than me simply channeling myself onto the page.

Good advice. What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

That depends. If by “quirkiest” you really mean “stupidest,” the answer involves a water tower, my college roommate, and a pair of wire cutters. But there’s no need to go into details.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I’ve been writing for longer than I can remember. Every time we move, I’ll find some long-forgotten poem or story buried in a box or an old notebook. It’s generally amazingly bad stuff.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

Pretty much anything with good characters and a fast-moving plot, especially if I feel like I learned something by the end. That covers everything from Homer’s Iliad to Dumas’s Count of Monte Cristo to C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia to Tom Clancy’s early books to the latest novels from my author friends.

What other books have you written, whether published or not?

The MBA and the Magic Lamp (1994, unpublished). This is an allegorical fantasy that has been sitting on a shelf in my garage for years. Every now and then I take it down, look at it, remember how much work it needs to be publishable, and put it back.

The Case of the Autumn Rose (2003, Kregel). Autumn Rose is a mystery/adventure tale for “tweens.” It involves a teen brother and sister detective team, a horse farm, a pearl of great price, and a speedboat chase on Lake Michigan that I’ve always liked.

The Lost Treasure of Fernando Montoya (2003, Kregel). The sequel to Autumn Rose. I got the idea for it when I was walking down a street in San Francisco and came across a plaque showing the locations of some of the dozens of Gold Rush era ships buried under the city. I started wondering what kinds of secrets might lie buried on those old wrecks, and by the time I finished my walk I had the core of the story.

Dead Man’s Rule (2005, Kregel) (Finalist, Foreword Magazine Book of the Year). This is a legal/international thriller that deals with Chechen terrorists, Chicago’s Russian mafiya underworld, and biological weapons. Scary stuff. Usually, when I’ve researched a book thoroughly and know I’ve gotten my facts right, I sleep better at night. Not this time.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Prayer, perspective, and a really good coffeemaker.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I generally start by trying for realism. Having an Irish name helps judges get elected in Chicago, for example, so I often give Chicago state court judges Irish names. For central characters, I also sometimes give them names that have a connection to the story. For instance, the warring brothers in Blood Brothers are named Bjornsen, which loosely means “sons of the bear” in archaic Norwegian. That’s significant because . . . well, read the book and find out.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Raising four terrific kids with my wonderful wife, Anette.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

That’s easy: one of our cats. They’re spoiled rotten, never have to do the dishes or take out the trash, and when they lie on the sofa all afternoon watching football or action movies, everyone thinks it’s cute.

What is your favorite food?

I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I love McDonalds. I could eat Sausage McMuffins, Big Macs, and McFlurries all day every day. Or, well, I could until I died of a heart attack. But I’d leave this Earth a happy man.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Finding time to write every day. I’ve got a demanding full time job and a family that I love spending time with, so squeezing in writing time is hard. Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with a long commute (bet you’ve never heard that before), which is where I do about 90% of my writing.

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Three things:
1. Find a regular time when you can write and stick to it, even if it’s only one hour per week. It’s virtually impossible to write anything longer than a few pages or to grow as a writer unless writing becomes part of the rhythm of your life.
2. Find someone whose judgment you trust to critique your writing, and make him or her promise to be honest. Criticism is never fun to hear, but you won’t become a better writer without it.
3. Don’t give up. Most writers aren’t very good when they start. I was awful, and I still have the poetry to prove it. So keep writing and focus on getting better. You will.

What would you like to tell us about the featured book?

Okay, time for the shameless plug: According to Christy Award-winning author and physicist Randy Ingermanson, Blood Brothers “is an excellent legal suspense novel, with a strong biotech backdrop. It reminded me of Michael Crichton’s latest novel, Next, except Blood Brothers is better.” It’s also a terrific gift, a fascinating conversation piece, an attractive paperweight, and will help you lose 20 pounds.*

*If you read it while exercising, that is.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.rickacker.com .

Rick, thank you for coming by my blog.

Readers, see what I mean about the cover, and I trust Randy Ingermanson's assessment of the novel. I can hardly wait to read it myself. Then I'll write a review of it for the newsletter on my web site - www.lenanelsondooley.com

I just put up August's newsletter. You should check out the reviews in that one.

And don't leave this blog before adding a comment. That way, you might win a free copy of Blood Brothers. But if you don't win, you'll want to get your hands on a copy.