Ask the Author: P.J. Tracy
Answered Questions (20)
P.J. Tracy
Nice to meet a fellow Ole and cat servant! I still get together with my group from the interim in Ireland! St. Olaf was the best experience. Glad you enjoy Monkeewrench, have you read the new series set in LA? The fourth book (City of Secrets) was just released August 20th.
Thanks for writing and have a marvelous week!
Thanks for writing and have a marvelous week!
P.J. Tracy
There WILL be a new Monkeewrench! I will be making an announcement on Facebook, my newsletter, and Instagram soon. If you'd like to sign up for my newsletter, go to pjtracy.com
P.J. Tracy
Thanks for the note, Bronagh, and so glad you enjoy the series. Sadly, since I'm always writing, I don't get as much reading time as I would like, and I always seem to be way behind (you should see the stack on my bedside table!) I will tell you that I recently discovered Adrian McKinty and have really enjoyed his books. Nelson DeMille has always been a favorite author, I especially like LION'S GAME and UP COUNTRY. I also recently read Helen Callaghan's EVERYTHING IS LIES and very much enjoyed it.
The Monkeewrench-shaped hole won't be unfilled for long! ICE COLD HEART will be out this August 22 in the UK/September 10 in the US.
The Monkeewrench-shaped hole won't be unfilled for long! ICE COLD HEART will be out this August 22 in the UK/September 10 in the US.
P.J. Tracy
Hi Ana, Iris RIkker was always a favorite of PJ's and mine, too. People do ask about her, and I have been thinking about doing a spin-off to get to know her better and follow her arc. She is a very personal character, based on our experiences living in a small town just outside of Minneapolis; and also PJ's tenure at the County Attorney's office there. In the meantime, the next installment of Monkeewrench, entitled ICE COLD HEART, will be out this year in August, and I'm working on a stand-alone as well, with all new characters! Thanks so much for writing, and happy reading!
P.J. Tracy
Hi Charlotte, this series will last as long as I do :) I'm writing a stand-alone novel right now, just to refresh and recharge, but the next Monkeewrench novel is coming out this year in August, titled ICE COLD HEART. Maybe one of my favorites! So glad you like the series, and the characters are family by now, literally, I wonder why they don't send me Christmas cards every year! Thanks for writing, and happy reading!
P.J. Tracy
Thank, Patty. I'm keeping PJ's spirit alive by continuing the series. We still have fun together!
I HOPE they make a movie or TV series - it's been optioned a few times, but it's hard to get traction in Hollywood. We'll keep trying, I think it would be perfect for the screen!
I HOPE they make a movie or TV series - it's been optioned a few times, but it's hard to get traction in Hollywood. We'll keep trying, I think it would be perfect for the screen!
P.J. Tracy
Thank you so much, Suzanne. And I'm very sorry for your loss, it is a special kind of grieving. The Guilty Dead helped me cope. You can't write without accessing your emotions, and they go right onto the page.
#10 will be out next year, probably in August. I am putting on the finishing touches right now and sending it tonight!
Take care,
Traci
#10 will be out next year, probably in August. I am putting on the finishing touches right now and sending it tonight!
Take care,
Traci
P.J. Tracy
Hi Kaycee, Nothing Stays Buried will indeed be coming out in audio. It just got picked up a couple months ago, so it's in the process of being produced. I will post on Facebook at PJTracyAuthor and at pjtracy.com as well as on Goodreads just as soon as I know when it will be available.
P.J. Tracy
Hi GJ,
Good question with a complicated answer! What eventually became known as "Nothing Stays Buried" was a manuscript PJ and I had agonized over and was supposed to have become the fifth book in the series. At the time, we were both going through some difficult, emotional events, not the least of which was PJ's diagnosis with severe heart failure, so we wanted to find ways to address loss but also imbue hope into the piece. In retrospect, I realize that we were both too emotionally raw at the time to execute the task properly -- things just didn't gel so we shelved it and wrote "Shoot to Thrill" instead.
Years later, when PJ was quite ill, I excavated it from the land of lost books and realized that some of the characters and elements we had created together were wonderful building blocks that definitely had a place in the next Monkeewrench book. PJ agreed, but it was a page one rewrite I sadly had to conquer mostly on my own. It doesn't resemble the first manuscript at all except for the intent and some of the characters (Walt and Marla in particular.) That was my gift to PJ, taking a beloved piece of ours and turning into something that we could see published. She never saw it in book form, but she did see the initial cover art, which we both thought was fantastic.
So after that long windbag, I can say that it was my first solo effort, but PJ's influence and heart and soul are deeply embedded in it, which makes it all the more special and I know she's smiling down now.
Good question with a complicated answer! What eventually became known as "Nothing Stays Buried" was a manuscript PJ and I had agonized over and was supposed to have become the fifth book in the series. At the time, we were both going through some difficult, emotional events, not the least of which was PJ's diagnosis with severe heart failure, so we wanted to find ways to address loss but also imbue hope into the piece. In retrospect, I realize that we were both too emotionally raw at the time to execute the task properly -- things just didn't gel so we shelved it and wrote "Shoot to Thrill" instead.
Years later, when PJ was quite ill, I excavated it from the land of lost books and realized that some of the characters and elements we had created together were wonderful building blocks that definitely had a place in the next Monkeewrench book. PJ agreed, but it was a page one rewrite I sadly had to conquer mostly on my own. It doesn't resemble the first manuscript at all except for the intent and some of the characters (Walt and Marla in particular.) That was my gift to PJ, taking a beloved piece of ours and turning into something that we could see published. She never saw it in book form, but she did see the initial cover art, which we both thought was fantastic.
So after that long windbag, I can say that it was my first solo effort, but PJ's influence and heart and soul are deeply embedded in it, which makes it all the more special and I know she's smiling down now.
P.J. Tracy
It was just a coincidence! This was brought to our attention by our UK agent who asked the very same question. A shameful confession -- PJ and I had never watched "Dr. Who" and I still haven't seen a single episode, but maybe that should be on my queue. I feel like I'm missing something!
P.J. Tracy
He's an incredibly good sport!
P.J. Tracy
Hi Sharon,
There's actually a pretty good story about where DEAD RUN came from. Years ago, PJ and my dad and I were driving home from my grandparents' house in Door County, WI -- the trip has lots of stretches of farmland dotted with tiny bergs like Four Corners. It was a spectacular fall day, sunny and warm, and we began to notice that all the towns seemed completely deserted, not a soul in sight. Shouldn't everybody be outside enjoying the weather? Our minds immediately went to the dark side - after eliminating alien abduction, we decided that something horrible must have happened and began crafting a story from there. My long-suffering father, who always remained silent (and amused) during our madcap creative binges, finally looked at both of us and reminded us there was a Green Bay Packers game on TV.
There's actually a pretty good story about where DEAD RUN came from. Years ago, PJ and my dad and I were driving home from my grandparents' house in Door County, WI -- the trip has lots of stretches of farmland dotted with tiny bergs like Four Corners. It was a spectacular fall day, sunny and warm, and we began to notice that all the towns seemed completely deserted, not a soul in sight. Shouldn't everybody be outside enjoying the weather? Our minds immediately went to the dark side - after eliminating alien abduction, we decided that something horrible must have happened and began crafting a story from there. My long-suffering father, who always remained silent (and amused) during our madcap creative binges, finally looked at both of us and reminded us there was a Green Bay Packers game on TV.
P.J. Tracy
Hi GJ, and thanks for the question. SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't read Monkeewrench.
PJ and I originally planned to have Diane be the killer throughout, but at the very end, Mitch seemed like a perfect twist and an unexpected character to have committed the early murders in Atlanta, which helped explain the odd relationship between the two and Mitch's obsession with Grace. This is something that could have never come about had we outlined the book. Part of the magic of writing!
PJ and I originally planned to have Diane be the killer throughout, but at the very end, Mitch seemed like a perfect twist and an unexpected character to have committed the early murders in Atlanta, which helped explain the odd relationship between the two and Mitch's obsession with Grace. This is something that could have never come about had we outlined the book. Part of the magic of writing!
P.J. Tracy
Thanks for coming to the event, Jeff, and for the really great question. I didn't get into that in Chanhassen. PJ and I have never been able to outline. Our brains just never worked that way. The creation process and the writing process were always very organic and dynamic for us, and they still are for me solo. PJ and I always came up with a concept first and roughed out a general direction, but the characters have always been the most important element. We let them do the plotting and they always surprise! I can't tell you how many times PJ and I have written chapters individually, thinking we know what's going to happen, and then as the writing flows, something unexpected comes up and turns the entire plot in a different direction. In Monkeewrench, the killer changed at the very end of the writing. We've always felt that an outline restricts the movement of the characters and the plot and takes away any spontaneity. And the division of our work was always pretty equal. We both enjoyed all aspects of conception, development, execution. It was a true fifty-fifty collaboration and we both typed our fingers off! I think for every 400 page book we ever wrote, we each typed at least 800 pages!
P.J. Tracy
There's no formula for breaking out as a writer, but there are some very basic requirements: absolute passion, staunch discipline, and a monastic devotion to improving your craft with every word you write. If you're working every day of the year because you just can't help yourself, you're well on your way.
P.J. Tracy
Jean as in Patricia Jean. People called her PJ her entire life and we thought combining our two names made for a good pseudonym.
P.J. Tracy
Monkeewrench #9 is completed, just turned in a few days ago. YAY! I guess it's on to Monkeewrench #10. I wouldn't know what to do with myself otherwise.
P.J. Tracy
I'm so sorry about that, Mary. We have no control over title changes in foreign markets -- they often change the name to something more suitable for their readership based on their PR model. It's confusing, I know, and you have my apologies, but I'm happy to report that the next novel, NOTHING STAYS BURIED (to be released August this year) has the same title in the US and the UK. I recently received some copies in Chinese and Lithuanian, and I have no idea what the title is, but it would be interesting to know!
P.J. Tracy
By recognizing that writer's block is a big red flag -- something is fundamentally wrong and needs closer consideration and a fresh perspective. Writing should flow and when it doesn't, take note and pay attention!
P.J. Tracy
Nick and Nora! Is there anyone more fabulous than they are? Hammet devised the most brilliant and most replicated trope in those two, and plus who doesn't love Asta? If you've got a great dog, drink too much, and put a steak on your head to cure a hangover, you've got my attention.
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