Straight from the Mouth of Randy Rawls, Author of 'Dating Death'

Randy Rawls' newest book is DATING DEATH, book 3 in the Beth Bowman, South Florida PI series. Beth is invited to a meeting by the Chief of Police of Coral Lakes. They have a history from the kidnapping case Beth called BEST DEFENSE. There are other places she'd prefer to be at nine AM, but such an invitation cannot be ignored. Chief Elston explains that his department has the goods on Roger Adamson, a dirty politician; however, he knows Adamson has additional information that could bring down a drug lord and disembowel his organization. He asks Beth to assist by becoming Adamson's consort/bodyguard while Adamson parses out data. Beth agrees, not realizing multiple homicides, a kidnapping, a tight frame for murder, and the loss of the man she loves await her. If not for Beth's homeless friends, all might be lost. 

Amazon Link to Book. 

Questionnaire:

Thanks for letting us interrogate you!  Can you give us a go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author?

          Simple. I'm a reader. And what's better than reading a great book? Writing one. Just takes longer. 

Tell us (we won’t tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be?  I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?

          The perks are the people you meet who tell you they enjoyed the book. What a wonderful feeling it is to have entertained someone for a few hours, and, perhaps, to have given them a chuckle along the way.

          The demands. The need to keep producing as the stories back up in your head. 

Which route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down on what’s that like?

          Most of my books are traditionally published by small presses. They are the gold vein in the mine of writing. Yes, it would be better to hit the big time with a NYC major publisher, but that door is closed (nailed shut) to most of us. 

Tell us for real what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your book written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?

          My wife tolerates me well. I try to put it aside when she needs me, or wants to do something outside the home. 

This is for pet lovers.  If you don’t own a pet, skip this question, but do your pets actually get their food on time or do they have to wait until you type just one more word?

          I have a dog, a Pomeranian. She's a grazer, so we load her dish with hard food, and she eats when she feels like it. It's the walks she might have to "wait a moment" for. 

This is for plant lovers.  If you don’t own a plant, skip this question, but if you do, are they actually still alive?

          I'm the gardener in the family. My wife has a black thumb. And yes, I manage to keep three plants alive. 

In writing your book, how did you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing dinner, or your boss calling you saying you’re late?

          No problem on number 3—boss calling. I'm retired.

          But yes, I find the first two irritating. When I'm engrossed and the words are flying, any interruption is a major irritant. 

What was the craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?

          One of my publishers sent me their recommended title for my book. It was so far out from what I had submitted, I thought it was a joke. I replied in that manner. The publisher was not thrilled with me, and let me know in no uncertain terms how much time and research they had put into finding that name. (I still like mine better.) 

How about the social networks?  Which ones do you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?

          I am terrible at social networking. I wish it weren't necessary. I'd rather be working on my next book. 

Book sales.  Don’t you just love them (or lack of?)?  How are you making the sales happen for you?

          For DATING DEATH, I hired a publicist, Maryglenn McCombs. She is pushing my name and my title out there. Hopefully, it will result in sales. For the other eleven books, well, it's been hit or miss. 

What is one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?

          Alzheimer's disease. What a horrible, horrible way to die. We must find a medical solution. 

Okay, too much sugar for you today!  Here’s a nice cup of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves roll in.  Now…can you tell us what you love about being a published author and how all those things above doesn’t matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t have it any other way?

          Ego. Pride. Legacy. Enjoyment. Each of these things are affected whenever I pick up one of my books. I love to read. I love to write. I love the idea of something I wrote living on after my death. That's enough for me. If I can make a few dollars at it, that's simply icing on the cake.