Where did the title Nick of Time come from?

I've had the privilege of choosing the titles of most of my books, though that's something publishers almost always reserve the right to do themselves. Over the years I've learned that if you suggest a good title before your publisher has a chance to come up with one of their own, there's a good chance they'll use yours! Having said that, Nick of Time was not my choice--it was my publisher's. My original working title was Gone Missing, an expression that one of my Alaska friends tells me is used of a person who suddenly disappears (apparently that happens fairly often up there--one more reason to stay down here). My publisher thought Gone Missing was a bit vague, so they suggested Nick of Time instead--and, though I hate to admit it, it's a clever title (but don't tell them I said so).

How did you feel about allowing readers to decide the ending of your last novel, Ends of the Earth?

I didn't! As I tried to explain to readers, Ends of the Earth ends exactly as the story is written. I wasn't asking readers to decide how the story would end; I was asking them to tell me where they wanted the story to go next. And they did--more than five thousand of them took the time to visit this website and vote.

Did you agree with the way the vote came out?

That's a little hard to say; it's a bit like picking one of your children over another. Let's just say that the direction that was chosen offered me a lot of creative opportunities, and as a writer I was very glad for that.

Why did you choose to set Nick of Time in the Poconos?

Because when I was younger the Poconos was the best-known and most-advertised honeymoon haven, home to the legendary heart-shaped bathtub. It just seemed appropriate that Nick and his fiancée would choose a honeymoon location that was a bit tacky and out of date. Not all of the Poconos is like that, of course; it's a really beautiful place and there are some very elegant hotels there--just not the kind that Nick and Alena would patronize.

Of all your novels, which character is your favorite? Why?

It’s really hard for a writer to choose a favorite character because we pour so much into each one we create. I absolutely fell in love the old Chinese man “Li” in my novel PlagueMaker—he was a joy to write and I kept wishing he was real. And of course I love writing Nick Polchak, because Nick gets to say and do all the things that would get me beat up if I did them myself. Nick is my avatar!

How do you balance a writer’s life and the rest of life? Do you get up early? Stay up late? Do you ignore friends and family for certain periods of time?

All of the above, depending on what my current deadline requires. I hate to say it, but I probably ignore friends and family more than I should. It’s one of the problems with being a writer: It’s hard to turn it off. I talk to myself a lot (even in public) and dialogue is constantly running through my mind. Everything I hear, everything I read, I instinctively try to fit into a story. Writers are not known for their balanced personalities; my wife is a very patient woman!
 

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