We’re thrilled to have here today Dev Haskell from Mike Faricy’s new crime fiction novel, Bombshell. Dev is a thirty-something Private Investigator living in St. Paul, Minnesota.
It is a pleasure to have Dev with us today at Beyond the Books!
Thank you so much for this interview, Dev. Now that the book has been written, do you feel you were fairly portrayed or would you like to set anything straight with your readers?
First off, thank you for having me, it’s a real pleasure. Yes, I guess I was fairly portrayed, more or less, I mean it is what happened. I would like to set the record straight on a couple of matters. On those assault charges, everything was dropped so technically that’s no longer an issue. Of course I shouldn’t be blamed for the night my date Heidi Bauer was deliberately over served I mean it really wasn’t my fault. After all she’s an adult. What? Oh yeah, sorry, didn’t mean to cut you off, but I know the way Faricy wrote the book I sort of goof things up and a woman saves the day, okay not just one woman, Heidi in one part. Yeah, I suppose Linh Trang in another and maybe Justine saves the day, too, now that I think about it. Come to think about it, they all did their bit, but I was the guy hired to protect that team of English roller derby girls. I know things didn’t quite work out that way, maybe a few surprises, but I’m only human. You know just maybe I’m not the screw up Faricy made me out to be. Ask any of those women, I can be fun, I like to party, we can go out and I’ll get up the next morning and go get caramel rolls for breakfast. I’m sensitive and caring… sort of, I think.
Do you feel the author did a good job colorizing your personality? If not, how would you like to have been portrayed differently?
Did he do a good job? Yeah, sure, what’s not to like about me. Although now that you mention it, I’m not so sure I liked the part where Linh looked at my outfit, my favorite golf shirt with the Jameson logo by the way and Faricy writes ‘Linh made a mental note.’ Come on I was dressed for comfortable, besides I know he really wants a golf shirt just like that. Then that part where Heidi asks me, ‘Is that what you’re wearing?’ I suppose Mr. Dull the author would have preferred me in a suit and tie. I’m not so sure he had to go into my failings, the scene where I’m hauled up on assault charges by that rent-a-cop at the Veterans Auditorium; did he have to make that public? I was thinking maybe I could have just lined the suspects up and picked the one who was twitching, then again I suppose that would have made a pretty short story. I’ve been lobbying to get a new car, maybe a Jaguar or a Mercedes 640, he didn’t seem too hot on that idea. I guess the good news is he gave me a couple of dates with some very nice ladies and well you’ll just have to read to find out the rest.
What do you believe is your strongest trait?
Tough to say I have so many, the way things seem to go it would have to be my sense of humor. Faricy and I talked about this over a couple of beers down at The Spot bar. He’s not that bad if you get him one on one. I told him I could see myself as a sort of a muscular Special Forces type, speak six or seven languages a Jason Bourne sort of guy and of course sensitive and caring, the ladies like that. He said he wanted someone believable, maybe a little earthy. He gets into all that realistic stuff with flawed characters and believable individuals. Hey look, I just want to have some fun. I took that Bombshell gig because I figured how tough could it be doing security for a bunch of girls from England in town for two days? I might have misjudged things a little… Okay, okay, a lot. My strongest trait seems to be at heart I’m a pretty nice guy. I make some mistakes, I guess we all do. But I would never intentionally hurt someone. I’ve seen enough bad in life not to do that intentionally. Unless the guys a real jerk, hopefully then I’d just have the good sense to walk away.
Worse trait?
Me? Gee that’s really tough. I guess sometimes I tip too much. Oh yeah, I have a tendency to misjudge and maybe jump to the wrong conclusion on the very rare occasion. Well yeah, I guess I occasionally put the beer goggles on, you know thinking someone is just right for me and well, maybe we shouldn’t go there just now.
If you could choose someone in the television or movie industry to play your part if your book was made into a movie, who would that be (and you can’t say yourself!)?
Can’t say myself? Too bad, I’d be almost perfect. Maybe Matt Damon, of course we’re back to Jason Bourne and I already mentioned Faricy won’t listen to reason. Matthew McConaughey or Ben Affleck, maybe, but maybe not. Arnold’s getting way up there and I don’t have a German accent so he’s out. Bieber’s way too young and I don’t really have Bieber fever anyway. If you could somehow mix Jeremy Renner with Daniel Craig, give the guy dark hair like me, of course my usual charm, maybe John Travolta’s dance moves that would probably do it.
Do you have a love interest in the book?
In Bombshell? I think I have a love interest in just about every chapter. Let’s see; Carol, Justine, Heidi, not Fiona, Heidi again, Linh of course. I like the ladies but, well, I think they’re looking for a little more than I’m able to give just now. I’ve known a lot of really great girls, I don’t know, they always seem to throw up there hands and eventually change their phone number or block my calls. I hear this ‘Don’t ever call me again, ever!’ stuff. Heidi put’s up with me, and Sunny Einer too, although I’ve never been romantic with Sunny.
At what point of the book did you start getting nervous about the way it was going to turn out?
Maybe page two, things start to not go my way right then and there. Of course I meet Justine on page one and that works pretty well, for a while any way. I still get goose bumps thinking about the interrogation at the Veteran’s Auditorium. It’s hard not to shudder remembering the SWAT team incident. Things weren’t really working our way when I was trying to get Heidi back safe and sound. Of course the whole scene in the hotel room, I don’t know, why does Faricy continue to do these things to me? You ask me, I think the guy has a lot of issues for an author. I suggest picking up a copy of Bombshell and see for yourself if you don’t agree with me.
If you could trade places with one of the other characters in the book, which character would you really not want to be and why?
Not even a contest, the city’s crabbiest police detective, Norris Manning. The guy is bald, perpetually mad at someone, usually me. He’s over worked, stressed out, probably under paid and hates me. You know how many times I’ve bought that guy coffee? He never offers to pay. Ever see him chew that gum? The guy is nuts. Things never seem to be good enough for him and he’s always trying to play things straight by the book. Come on, stray a little bit, bend the rules, have some fun, man. Course he won’t. But at the end of the day, he’s not that bad a guy, like I said over worked, under paid. No, I wouldn’t want to be Detective Norris Manning.
How do you feel about the ending of the book without giving too much away?
Bombshell’s ending is fantastic. Let’s just say it’s sort of like a second ending, out of no where, a real surprise. Things seem to be all wrapped up, but there’s still some pages left, no it’s not a cross word puzzle back there. See, I meet this cute little police woman, Linh Trang and, oh yeah sorry, don’t give it away. Let me just say Faricy did a pretty decent job with the whole deal, and no one got hurt, especially me. Of course Detective Norris Manning gets mad, surprise, surprise.
What words of wisdom would you give your author if he decided to write another book with you in it?
If he decided? He’s already writing it. The title is Tutti Frutti, due out toward the end of 2012. Yeah I know, I can’t figure out where he came up with the title either, but he won’t listen. Well, actually I do know, but if I told you I’d have to kill you, just kidding. Words of wisdom, let’s see I’d tell him to give me a sports car, plenty of money in the bank, maybe a helicopter, but then, that’s not how life really works is it? And one thing about Mike Faricy’s books, they’re closer to the truth then maybe you or I really want to know.
Thank you for this interview, Dev. Will we be seeing more of you in the future?
You bet you will. You can check out my face book page for starters, while you’re there give me a like, please. Of course I’m down at the Spot Bar most nights for at least one. Oh and check me out in Mike Faricy’s other books, I’m in at least four. Like I said, his next book with me is Tutti Frutti, I know, I know, I already tried, but he won’t change his mind on the title. Anyway, it’s due out before the first of the year. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Bombshell and then tell two to three hundred of your closest friends what a great read it is.
Hey, thanks for the time, I really enjoyed the interview. You know, I hope I’m not being too forward, but I’m finding you very interesting. I can do a pretty mean steak and I happen to have two marinating at home as we speak. Do you like Cosmopolitan’s?
Mike Faricy is the award winning author of mystery suspense thrillers woven together with a rich strain of humor and even some romance. He and his wife live in Saint Paul, Minnesota and Dublin, Ireland.
His entertaining tales are populated with the sort of quirky, oddball characters we’d all like to know more about, but wisely prefer to keep at a distance. They serve not so much as examples as they do warnings to the rest of us. None of his characters will be saving the world from terrorism, international banking conspiracies or coups to topple the government. Rather, they’re individuals inhabiting a world just below the surface of polite society. The difficulties they find themselves in are usually due to their own bad decisions, but then, bad decisions make for interesting tales.
All of his books are stand alone, read them in any order you wish. Russian Roulette introduces the bizarrely devilish Devlin Haskell as a PI with a foot on both sides of the law. Dev’s adventures continue in Mr. Softee and the soon to be released Bite Me. Mike is currently working on his latest top secret project. He graduated High School from St. Thomas Academy and earned a BA in history from St. Norbert College.
His latest book is the crime fiction, Bombshell.
Connect with Mike: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Purchase Bombshell: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Dysfunctional, bumbling, crazy babe-magnet Dev Haskell, P.I., becomes the envy of every guy with a heartbeat when he’s hired to watch over a team of gorgeous English roller derby stars. Though he’d rather be standing guard in the shower room, he suddenly finds himself under arrest and found guilty before he’s even charged. He’s got an attorney who drinks too much, a beautiful woman with a bad attitude, a feisty team of females ready to kill him – and no answers. Bombshell is another fast paced, engrossing suspense thriller from Minnesota’s master of the bizarre, Mike Faricy.
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