Q: Where did you get the idea for Nick Polchak’s character?

 A: Several years ago I read an article in a science magazine about forensic entomology. I found the article disgusting and fascinating at the same time—that’s when I knew I had the makings of a good story. It occurred to me that a forensic entomologist could make a very original character. After all, in crime fiction it’s all been done before: street-wise cops, tough-guy detectives, down-and-out private investigators… All these characters are a part of the law enforcement system, but an entomologist is an outsider. An entomologist is someone who chose to get a PhD in bugs. I asked myself, “What would happen if you dropped a Bug Man in the middle of all these law enforcement types?” That’s when Nick Polchak was born.

 Q: Do you really talk to yourself?

 A: I’m sorry, what was the question? I was talking to myself.

 Q: Why did you give Nick those big, thick glasses?

 A: I wanted to emphasize the idea of Nick as an outsider. His glasses are one of the things that separate him from everyone else—they’re the windows he looks through to study the world of human beings. Nick likes to think of himself as a part of the insect world. I thought his glasses would make him look more like a genuine Bug/Man.

 Q: Why is Nick such a wise guy?

 A: Because I’m such a wise guy. Ask my wife.

 Q: Is CSI really accurate?

 A: Whenever I’m around coroners or crime scene investigators I like to ask, “What do you think of CSI?” They all like the show, but they always offer four criticisms: 1) No one seems to be a specialist. Forensic entomology, for example, requires a PhD for starters—you don’t dabble in it as a sidelight. 2) They have no budget. They run every test imaginable, regardless of cost. Real investigations don’t work that way. 3) They get their test results back too fast—in hours instead of days (they always say this with a note of envy). 4) There are too many forensic babes (they say this with a special note of envy).

 Q: How do you do all your research?

 A: I begin on the Internet—it always astounds me what you can find on the Internet. For each of my novels I fill four three-ring binders just with information from Internet sources. Next, I collect books on my major topics of interest. Finally—and this is the really indispensable step—I talk to people. I’ve interviewed coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors, crime scene investigators—anyone who can help provide background knowledge or color for my stories. I find that people are more than happy to talk, once they know you’re not writing an expose for the Washington Post.

 Q: Are the details about forensic entomology accurate? Do you make any of it up?

 A: It’s accurate down to the smallest detail—even the species of flies. As a part of my research for Shoofly Pie, I attended a forensic entomology workshop for coroners, deputy coroners, and crime scene investigators. It’s affectionately known as Maggot School, and that describes it pretty well. In the mornings we discussed colorful slides taken at murder scenes (“Who can tell me how long this guy’s been dead?”) and in the afternoons we learned how to collect insect evidence at a crime scene by gathering maggots from decomposing pigs. The traditional closing banquet for the conference is a pig roast.

 Q: How long does it take you to write a book?

 A: That’s what my publisher keeps asking me. All together, about nine months. I spend the first four months just reading, brainstorming, and gathering information. The writing itself would take about four months if I wrote five days a week—but I rarely get to do that, so it ends up taking closer to five months. I keep a daily word count—my goal is somewhere between 1500 and 2000 words a day—and I write until I reach that goal.

 Q: Do you know the ending when you start?

 A: I do a plot summary before I begin a book, but all it really describes is the major milestones along the way. I don’t want to know everything that happens in advance. I like the characters to take on lives of their own, and I like the story to evolve and suggest new directions along the way. It’s a little like planning a cross-country trip: I know that I’m stopping in Nashville, and St. Louis, and Denver, but the rest I decide as I go.

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