Welcome to Interview Alley. My guest today is Award-winning author Steve Rush. I keep Steve’s Kill Your Characters, Crime Scene Tips for Writers within easy reach on my bookshelf. But now Steve’s written a novel called Blood Red Deceit. How does his fiction stack up to his nonfiction? Perhaps my quote and our Q&A will give you a clue. ~ Donnell
“Move over Mission Impossible. Protagonist Ridge Warner promises to give Ethan Hunt a run for his money. Award-winning author Steve Rush delivers a superb thriller that only a former detective and forensic investigator possesses the chops to write. A solid mystery from the opening pages to the nail-biting conclusion. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.”
~ Donnell Ann Bell, Author of Black Pearl, A Cold Case Suspense, 2020 Colorado Book Award finalist and Until Dead, A Cold Case Suspense, Best Thriller Novel, Imaginarium Convention 2023, Louisville, KY.
On to our interview:)
Author Steve Rush
Donnell: Hi Steve: I just read Blood Red Deceit, and after checking the notes on my Kindle, I came up with a whopping 96 possible questions to ask you! For the purposes of our interview, I’ll narrow it down. In Kill Your Characters, the nonfiction book I referenced above, you have a quote by Alfred Hitchcock, which reads: “By and large, I feel that the more interesting work in the field of murder is done by amateurs. They are people who perform their work with dignity and good taste, leavened with a sense of the grotesque. There is police and wholesome mayhem, practiced by civilized people, and I personally enjoy it.”
How do I say this gently? You sir, are no amateur! The fabulous Toni Morrison is often quoted, “If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Does this quote come close to why you gravitated toward fiction? When you pick up a book for pleasure, is it fiction or nonfiction?
STEVE RUSH: Thank you for the opportunity and honor to share my story with your fans. Yes, Toni Morrison’s quote describes the fuel in me to offer fiction filled with suspense and realism to hook readers, and hopefully, keep them turning pages. I write books equivalent to the novels I enjoy reading.
Donnell: Blood Red Deceit introduces the reader to protagonist Ridge Warner, who at first glance has a career much like the author. However, it’s soon revealed that Ridge has the initials, M.D. behind his name. Ridge is a first-rate forensic investigator, but the fact that he’s Doctor Ridge Warner, in my opinion, opened several doors for him. Did you know from the beginning Ridge would be a medical doctor? Tell us about his evolution. Did you know Ridge immediately or did it take many drafts to bring him to life?
STEVE RUSH: I visualized Ridge as a consultant more so than performing autopsies in a medical examiner’s office. Losing his mother on his eighteenth birthday influenced his decision to go to medical school and focus on forensic pathology. Ridge accepted his current assignment after he met Olympic Gold Medalist Angel Meade. The above is backstory before Blood Red Deceit’s opening paragraph: “Life had thrown changes my way, but nothing like this. This latest event altered my future with my fiancée, Angel Meade. The blood I donated saved her life. Minutes later, an analysis of my blood exposed an inconceivable truth.”
As a pantser, I write, review, and continue onward. By the time I get to the end, I have the equivalent of a third or fourth draft. My characters develop themselves in the initial process and prove who they want to be when they control the story.
Donnell: You have an extraordinary sense of setting and place. The story opens in Bejing, takes us to Colorado, eventually Atlanta, and back to Colorado. Readers who know Colorado will recognize the Woodland Park/Colorado Springs area at once. You mentioned one of my favorite restaurants, The Swiss Chalet! I’ve been to Atlanta as well. Whether overseas or in the States, you appear well-versed. Are you a seasoned globetrotter? Did your work take you to these locales or is Blood Red Deceit a result of in-depth research?
STEVE RUSH: I love Colorado and traveled there many times for work and pleasure. The opening scene shown in China came about through research. Thorough research brought a deeper sense of place for me in Woodland Park and Colorado Springs.
Donnell: I imagine in your career you’ve been exposed to innumerable crime scenes. Ridge is called one particularly horrific scene and his investigation leads him to some fairly kinky goings-on leading up to it. Was the scene Ridge discovers recorded on the tablet a complete product of the author’s imagination?
STEVE RUSH: A police officer at the murder scene asked Ridge, “What kind of person would do such a thing in a church?” Ridge offered this answer. “I once heard someone refer to the human heart as being full of hidden deceit. Based on my experience, it’s in us all.”
When writing scenes, imagination takes me to the brink and reality, based on witnessing tragedies and deaths, build the bridges to the other side. I like to ask myself “What if?” and follow leads likely to yield the best outcome. The video inclusion offers readers a plethora of information about the murder victim and people closest to him. It becomes a focal point in the story and leaves readers guessing if any or all of it is real, or a red herring.
Donnell: Expertise is one thing and a huge benefit for authors such as yourself when writing. I, too, come from a nonfiction background and when I transitioned to fiction, I thought it would be so easy. Point in fact, I bombed numerous times before I had any success. For me, criticism smarts but in the end it’s often the catalyst that helps me improve. Can you talk about something you’ve learned while writing fiction. Do you have critique partners, beta readers? Finally, do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
STEVE RUSH: Wow. The most dreaded word for writers—Rejection. I wrote my first novel, believed in it, and queried an agent. The agent asked for the full manuscript. Then came the letter. Rejected. I refused to let it discourage me. I sent it to an editor, received and followed her advice, increased the word count from 54,000 to 82,000, and sent it to a publisher. Accepted. The flatline turned upward and became a steep climb. Then I made a pay-to-publish mistake. Never again. Broken promises and other issues led to company closure and multiple frustrated authors.
Rejections sting but refuse to let them stop you. I write, edit, get critiques, enter contests, and submit. I read thirty or more novels a year. My advice to aspiring authors is read a lot within and outside your genre, write through rejections, be patient and submit only when your work is in its best possible shape.
I agree with your advice to aspiring authors 1000 percent. In closing, the fun part for me was counting the multiple suspects, following Ridge as he analyzed the crime scenes, interviewed witnesses, processed the scenes, protected the chain of custody, and, of course, explored a new love interest. I also enjoyed the many twists and turns and breathed easier when the antagonist was revealed. Finally, whenever I read anything written by you, I learn so much. Thank you for being my guest today. Best wishes with Blood Red Deceit.
About the Book:
Ridge Warner wishes he knew who wants to kill him.
He wishes he knew why.
He wishes he never learned the answer.
Dr. Ridge Warner meets the unexpected in Woodland Park, Colorado, three days before his marriage to Olympic Gold Medalist Angel Meade. He learns more than he cares to know about his fiancée after he agrees to investigate a murder where an IED explodes at the scene. With the support of his ex-girlfriend, and a woman who possesses an audiographic memory, he struggles to overcome his fiancée’s relentless grip of deceit and her reason for it.
Purchase Links (Available for Preorder soon)
Blood Red Deceit – Wings epress, Inc.
Amazon.com: Amazon.com: Blood Red Deceit eBook : Rush, Steve: Books
Blood Red Deceit (smashwords.com)
Blood Red Deceit (books2read.com)
Steve, best wishes on your new release! I think readers will be captivated.
Thanks for this opportunity to share a bit about my writing and new thriller.
Blood Rd Deceit is a winner. I read an ARC and found it fascinating with all the twists and turns. Steve Rush is an expert int he field of pathology and also is one heck of a writer. His other book, Kill Your Characters, is a great reference book. Check them out.
Thank you for your review and kind comments.
Thank you Donnell & Steve. I now have two books to purchase. One of enjoyment. The other for reference. Thoroughly enjoyed the interview. Can’t help but love a panster.
Comments I enjoy hearing. Thank you.
Ha, you pansters look out. The more complicated a book, you may consider at least an outline 😉 Take it from a recovering panster!
This work is full of twists, turns and one of the most troubled characters I’ve met.
When Angel’s life is saved, her world and that of those around her change forever. Why? I thought I had the answer several times, only to be proven wrong. Great storytelling.
Thanks George.