Check out this author spotlight for Russ Colchamiro!
You can find all his links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out his books!
1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!
Russ Colchamiro is the author of the SciFi noir novels Crackle and Fire and Fractured Lives, the first two books featuring hardboiled intergalactic private eye Angela Hardwicke. The third novel in the series, Hot Ash, debuts September 2022.
A member of the Mystery Writers of America, Private Eye Writers of America member, and Crazy 8 Press, Russ is also the author of the SFF novels Crossline, Finders Keepers, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, editor of the SciFi mystery anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, co-author and editor of the noir anthology Murder in Montague Falls, and has contributed to numerous anthologies. He also hosts Russ’s Rockin’ Rollercoaster podcast, interviewing a who’s who of science fiction, crime, mystery, and horror authors.
2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!
Winter, spring, summer or autumn? – Autumn, particularly Sept-Oct, and also Spring, April-June. I live in New Jersey (a NY transplant), but in the Northeast, the weather is great then.
Cat or dog? Both! I was a cat person my entire life, but my wife likes dogs and I have various family members allergic to cats, so now I’m on my second dog, Jinx.
She’s a black lab, about 65 pounds, who is super cute and energetic, but also a total warthog when she sleeps! My kids are mad we can’t get a cat (I want one too!), but for now at least, we’re a dog family.
Tea or coffee? Green tea. I’ve actually never had a cup of coffee ever. I don’t like mocha flavor, so coffee doesn’t work for me, even though it can smell so good.
Morning or evening? Depends on my mood
Ninjas or pirates? Ninjas
Mountains or beaches? Beaches
Plotter or pantser? Both
Pen and paper or computer/phone? Computer
Standalone or series? Either
Book or ebook? paperback
Hero or anti-hero? Either
3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?
I mostly read mystery, crime, and sci-fi, but ultimately, entertain me. I tend to prefer pulp fiction as opposed to literary fiction, but it always comes down to the writing. A good story told well will always draw me in.
4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!
I typically write science fiction, mystery, or a combination. For the last few years—and for the foreseeable future—I’ve been writing novels featuring my hardboiled intergalactic private eye Angela Hardwicke. I describe the series as part Blade Runner, part Doctor Who, part Ellen Ripley (from Aliens). The first two books in the series—Crackle and Fire and Fractured Lives—are both out now, and third book, Hot Ash, will be out in September.
Each book is a standalone mystery, so you can read them in any order, at least in terms of plot. But for character development, you might get more out of it starting from book 1. But certainly not necessary.
Also… it’s pretty exciting for me, but I just got this amazing endorsement for the series, from Nicholas Meyer, the writer/director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Talk about going my personal wall of fame! Here’s what he said:
“Russ Colchamiro has staked out a territory of scifi mystery uniquely his own. With Angela Hardwicke, he mines a vein of pulp fiction gold that’s all his. Let’s hope he doesn’t walk away from the table.”
5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!
HOT ASH, which is book 3 in the Angela Hardwicke series. Here’s the description:
Intergalactic private Angela Hardwicke is Eternity’s most daring spy for hire…
Following the mysterious and ill-timed death of her elderly husband, Camille Engquist was set to inherit the family’s real estate development company. But her stepkids stole it from her first. Or so she claims.
As Hardwicke and her protégé Eric Whistler dive into the world of affordable housing, synthetic concrete, and corporate succession planning, their investigation put them face-to-face with the haves and have-nots, a new form of cocaine, a boundary-pushing neurobiologist, a majestic domed city and a violent conspiracy that stretches farther and deeper than they ever could have imaged. But the most insidious betrayals are sometimes closer to home.
In Hot Ash, Russ Colchamiro’s most action-packed Sci-Fi mystery yet, Angela Hardwicke must grapple with the worst pain of all—that the people we love are the ones we should fear most.
6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!
Too many to list them all, but in terms of author influences, to name just a few, the Dexter book series from Jeff Lindsey, the Myron Bolitar novels from Harlan Coben, the Claire DeWitt PI series from Sarah Gran, Fahrenheit 451, and my bible, The Stand by Stephen King. As for TV and movies, too many to list, but Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad are the high-water marks for incredible fiction, both plot and character-wise.
7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!
I have a full-time day job, house to take care of, a kooky dog, and 12-year-old twin ninjas, so my wife and I are always reconfiguring our schedules. Mine is a moving target. I’d prefer to have consistent, dedicated writing time, but the way my life is structured at the moment, I grab writing time whenever I can and figure out how to make it work. It forces me to be efficient.
8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?
Don’t be such a hard head! Listen to writers who know more than you, in terms of craft, marketing, and the overall business. Had I talked a LOT less, and listened a LOT more, and took more of the very good advice I was offered, I would have gotten off to a smoother start. But live and learn.
9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KGSFBT7?binding=paperback&qid=1657810341&sr=8-4&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4450877.Russ_Colchamiro?from_search=true&from_srp=true
Twitter: @authorduderuss
IG: @authorduderuss
website: russcolchamiro.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/russ.colchamiro
Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUb7MDUNQxyVRBDOTVEqOaw
