iUniverse welcomes Next Gen Indie Book Awards finalist Regis McCafferty

iUniverse welcomes Regis McCafferty, whose The Nude on the Cigarette Case was named a Finalist in the Mystery category of the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Congratulations, Regis!!

Regis kindly tells us about himself and about his novel . . .

I am a freelance writer and author of numerous short stories, articles and novels. I currently reside in Northern Ohio after relocating from New Mexico where I lived for ten years. In addition, I’m a member of the Greater Canton Writer’s Guild and the Academy of American Poets. I write a regular column for two publications.

About The Nude on the Cigarette Case

December 1939. Nighttime Manhattan. Snow mixed with rain. Two shots ring out in an alley. Max Grant, private investigator, two double bourbons under his belt, enters the alley to investigate. A man, two bullets in his chest, dying, paws at his coat pocket. His only words are, “Find the nude on the cigarette case.” Grant removes the cigarette case, looks at the picture, pockets it, then calls to bystanders to get the police. Curiosity, even without a client, prompts him to investigate, and leads him into the murky sphere of activity that surrounds the beginnings of the atom bomb.

The war in Europe is public, but something else was going on, quietly, behind the scenes, never making headlines in major newspapers or news programs on radio. Walter Lippman doesn’t write about it and Edward R. Murrow never mentions it in his CBS news broadcasts. That something is the exchange of nuclear fission information between mathematicians and physicists in the Unites States, England, and Europe. In 1939 that information exchange has diminished in volume between the western scientific communities and those under German control and influence, most notably Denmark and Norway.

Sarah Bennett, the nude on the cigarette case, has been kidnapped and is being held in the Redhook area of New York by German agents. Bennett, a scientist, travels Europe under the guise of an art dealer but is also the conduit for shared information between scientists in Nazi dominated Europe and those in the United States. And Max Grant, in love with a photo on a cigarette case, is just the guy to go looking for her.

Do you have any particular literary influences that have helped you develop in your genre, subject and style? 

The God and the Gold, also by Regis McCafferty, published through iUniverse

I’ve been influenced in style by Georges Simenon, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Raymond Chandler. In structure, humor, and content, by Marjorie Allingham and Catherine Ayrd.

What inspired you to write your book, and how long did it take you to finish it?

An old 1920s silver cigarette case with a semi-nude on the front. I found it at an auction and bought it. Actual writing time was about five months.

What is the one message you would like to convey to your readers?

Read a book. Put away the cell phone, tablet, laptop, and read a paper book. Fix yourself a cup of coffee or tea, relax, pick up a book, and turn the pages.

Are you working on a sequel to your book?

Yes.

Are there any events, marketing ideas or promotions planned for your book?

Facebook posts.

What was your favorite part of your publishing experience, overall and with iUniverse?

Publishing the book, obviously. iUniverse staff are talented and a pleasure to work with.

Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Write. Write even when you don’t want to, even if it’s only ten words. Don’t edit as you write. There’s plenty of time for editing when you’re finished, and in fact, editing is much easier when working on a completed manuscript that while it’s in progress.

Special thanks to Regis — and we look forward to his next book!