Jeff Markowitz interview

This interview with Jeff Markowitz was conducted in August 2008. Jeff Markowitz is the author of Who Is Killing Doah's Deer?, and A Minor Case of Murder.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born at Flushing Hospital in NYC in 1952, just down the road from the landfill that later became the New York World’s Fair. I grew up in the town of Valley Stream, on the south shore of Long Island.

What was it that first got you into writing and when did you start writing?

I guess I’ve always written. But it wasn’t until I was nearly 50 that I discovered that I had a flair for killing people and began to write mysteries.

Which writers have influenced you the most?

Jack Kerouac, Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut, Wu Cheng-En, Dr. Seuss.

What kind of things do you write?

I write amateur sleuth mysteries. Reviewers have called them humorous cozies. My first book, Who is Killing Doah’s Deer? came out in 2004. My second, A Minor Case of Murder, was published in 2006. And my third mystery, It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Murder comes out in 2009.

What are you working on now?

I’m writing a book about a bumbling serial killer. I think of him as sort of the idiot savant of serial killers. He’s got a particular flair for killing people, but otherwise, lacks the necessary job skills. The manuscript is not so much about the killing, but rather focuses on his bumbling efforts to dispose of the bodies.

What is your writing day like?

My writing day starts at 5:30 in the morning. I write until I have to go earn a living. Sometimes I don’t write anything. Sometimes I’m late for work.

What’s the most exciting thing about writing for you?

This is a deceptively difficult question to answer because, honestly, almost every part of the process of writing a book is still incredibly exciting. But if I have to pick one thing, it’s the first time I see the book cover. Somehow, until I see the book cover, I don’t believe it’s real.

What’s the most frustrating thing about writing for you?

Writing is hard.

What’s the best piece of feedback that you’ve had from your audience?

My wife, who is an avid mystery reader and my most honest critic, reminded me very early on that readers may come to the first book for the mystery, but they return for the sleuth. The story I’m telling is my sleuth’s story. The murder is just the vehicle to tell her story.

Do you write for a particular audience, or is your first priority to satisfy your own creativity?

I write the story I want to read. Unfortunately I don’t want to read very many best sellers.

Do you have a homepage? Do you have any short stories or poems published online? (If so, please provide the URLs):

You can find my website at www.publishedauthors.net/jeffmarkowitz. I’ve published a few short stories online, including The Old Bitch, a crime story that I wrote collaboratively with my readers which can be found at Mysterical-E

http://www.mystericale.com/index.php?issue=072&body=cover) and The Sound Bite, a short piece of literary fiction that was published in Woman’s Corner Magazine. (http://womanscornermagazine.com/id27.html)

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