After a successful career in mathematics and
computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and
NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in
Computer Science and Two Thousand
Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing. He wrote a monthly column for a national
magazine for two years. He has had four non-fiction books published. He now concentrates on his favorite genre,
mystery/suspense, with his sixth book releasing in 2014.
INTERVIEW
SS: Tell us a little about yourself.
I had intended to write after college, but soon discovered I could not support a family writing. So, I returned to graduate school in mathematics, beginning a thirty-five year detour. During that time, I received grants from the National Science Foundation, and NASA, and was listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans. But then one day, I said, “The kids are all out of college and self-supporting. I can return to writing.” Since then, I’ve written for a national magazine and published four non-fiction books. But my real love was fiction. In 2015, my sixth mystery / suspense book will be published.
SS: What are some of the challenges you face as a writer? Are there aspects of your life that are hard for family and friends to understand? What are they?
I think the most difficult thing for me and my wife is the amount of time that must be devoted to marketing. They (and I once had the same feeling) think once you finish the book, you’re through with it. In today’s world, that rarely happens.
SS: What genre do you write and why? Are there other genres you’ve written or would like to try?
I write primarily mystery and suspense. I write those because those are the genres I most like to read. I view them as a challenge. In a mystery, I must keep the solution hidden while simultaneously planting clues. I believe in playing fair and giving the reader the necessary information to solve the mystery, but presenting it in such a way that most readers will overlook it. I also write suspense novels, where the solution may be known early on, but there is doubt whether the protagonist will survive. There must always be the possibility that the goal will not be reached, or the protagonist, or those close to him, will not survive.
In the last couple of years, I’ve written two non-fiction books on the craft of writing, both at the request of a publisher. Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel is on character development and How to Write Great Dialog is obviously on dialog.
SS: How do you create characters? Are they based on people you know?
I try not to model my characters too closely on real people. But does a real person possibly form the core of a character? Absolutely. I would say in the seven books completed to date, each has some characters whose roots are firmly in a real person I have known.
SS: Tell us a little about yourself.
I had intended to write after college, but soon discovered I could not support a family writing. So, I returned to graduate school in mathematics, beginning a thirty-five year detour. During that time, I received grants from the National Science Foundation, and NASA, and was listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans. But then one day, I said, “The kids are all out of college and self-supporting. I can return to writing.” Since then, I’ve written for a national magazine and published four non-fiction books. But my real love was fiction. In 2015, my sixth mystery / suspense book will be published.
SS: What are some of the challenges you face as a writer? Are there aspects of your life that are hard for family and friends to understand? What are they?
I think the most difficult thing for me and my wife is the amount of time that must be devoted to marketing. They (and I once had the same feeling) think once you finish the book, you’re through with it. In today’s world, that rarely happens.
SS: What genre do you write and why? Are there other genres you’ve written or would like to try?
I write primarily mystery and suspense. I write those because those are the genres I most like to read. I view them as a challenge. In a mystery, I must keep the solution hidden while simultaneously planting clues. I believe in playing fair and giving the reader the necessary information to solve the mystery, but presenting it in such a way that most readers will overlook it. I also write suspense novels, where the solution may be known early on, but there is doubt whether the protagonist will survive. There must always be the possibility that the goal will not be reached, or the protagonist, or those close to him, will not survive.
In the last couple of years, I’ve written two non-fiction books on the craft of writing, both at the request of a publisher. Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel is on character development and How to Write Great Dialog is obviously on dialog.
SS: How do you create characters? Are they based on people you know?
I try not to model my characters too closely on real people. But does a real person possibly form the core of a character? Absolutely. I would say in the seven books completed to date, each has some characters whose roots are firmly in a real person I have known.
SS: Tell us about your current release.
