Author Interview with F.X. Regan
Welcome Readers toanother installment of our author interview series. Today we have the pleasureof chatting with FX Regan, author of a novella series on the mysterious Area51.
JMR-Welcome to theBooks Delight, F.X. Tell our readers where you live, what you do for fun andwhat does the perfect day look like?
FXR- Thanks forallowing me this opportunity. I split time between the Washington, D.C. areawhere I am a rare native, and Florida – depending on the weather. I’m still alicensed Private Investigator though I only take a few cases a year – it has tobe something really interesting. Most days, I write in the morning, and work onmarketing efforts in the afternoon. I also enjoy road biking, exercise, andreading. My bride of 40 years and I have seven grandchildren in three states,so we try to keep up with them too.
JMR-What’s yourfavorite historical time period? Why?
FXR- I’d have to saythe 1980s – it’s when I got my start in law enforcement, and while technologyhas certainly made life more efficient, there was something about working outproblems without it. Today, young people can’t tell time on a clock or navigatewith just a map. There was a post-Vietnam peace, the economy was good, and by1989, we won the cold war.
JMR-Who is yourfavorite historical figure? Why? If you could ask them one question, what wouldit be?
FXR- Picking one isREALLY hard. Going back to the previous question, I’ll say Ronald Reagan. Hewas the president the country needed at the time and led the nation with acombination of sunny optimism and strength. If you’ve never been to the ReaganPresential Library, I highly recommend it. As for a question: “Did you everconsider backing down from your strong position (especially on the issue of StarWars,) with Gorbachev at Reykjavik?”
JMR- You spent yourcareer in law enforcement; how did you come to be a writer?
FXR- I was a lifelongreader, especially fiction when I was young. I transitioned to reading mostlyto non-fiction for years in my early adulthood, except the classics like TomClancy and anything by Joseph Wambaugh. I’m now back to mostly fiction. Lawenforcement is not conducive to good writing – it’s 100% passive voice - thirdperson – “just the facts ma’am” (IYKYK.) But I always had an interest inwriting. And some of the things I’ve seen and done during my career cry to beput into stories.
About ten years ago Ipenned an autobiography. I was determined it would not be like a lot of the badlaw enforcement autobiographies I’d read, (my first day at the FBI Academy, myfirst big arrest, etc.,) but it was still awful. Since I had already fictionalizedseveral of the characters to protect the guilty (that’s a joke J,) and the locationswhere they happened, I decided to turn some of those stories into fiction. Inmy CJ Hawk thrillers (not out yet,) and Kiki Diaz thrillers, (one book out,)almost all the action comes from real events that have been fictionalized.
JMR- Did you visitanyone of the places in your book? Where did you feel closest to yourcharacters?
FXR- Almost everythingin all my books (so far,) takes place in the Washington, D.C. area because it aplace I know so well. (And it’s conducive to conspiracy and intrigue.) While I’ve never been to Area 51 per se, I’vebeen to a classified facility nearby. If I told you about it, I’d have to killyou, or the FBI would not be happy with me. Probably the latter.
JMR- FX, tell us aboutyour novella series, Area 51: Project Series.
FXR- So, I wrote twofull-length CJ Hawk - FBI Thrillers featuring an FBI agent who is (wrongly)dismissed from the Bureau and becomes a high-end PI in Washington, D.C. He getsretained to, off-the-books, help solve a number of high-profile homicides, andhe runs into rogue government operations and other challenges. They wereloosely based on actual homicide cases in the area.
I’ve spent a couple ofyears with editors and agents on these books, and there is some interest fromsmall publishers so far, but nothing I’ve pulled the trigger on. It also takestime for me to get books about the FBI, even fiction, through the required FBIpre-publication review process. I promise one of these books will come out in2024, one way or another.
In the meantime, Istarted writing these kitschy novellas about murders at Area 51 in 1955, 1963,and 1969, and a D.C. homicide detective, John “Black Jack” Morrison, who can’tstay out of the dog house with the chief of detectives. As punishment, BlackJack gets sent back to Area 51 to secretly solve the murders. There are three novellasso far, plus a volume that incorporates all three in one book, and there is anAudiobook version. They have been a ton of fun to write and easy toself-publish on Amazon. A fourth novella will come out in 2024.
JMR- Why do you thinkreaders are still fascinated by Area 51 after all these years?
FX- Because for years,the government refused to acknowledge it even existed. Technically, they stilldon’t acknowledge it, but there has been so much that has come out in the openpress that there is a lot known about it. Whether we acknowledge it or not, American’slove a conspiracy. I highly recommend Annie Jacobsen’s book, Area 51: AnUncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base for further background.
JMR-What projects doyou have in the pipeline?
FXR- I am working inthree series: The CJ Hawk – FBI Thrillers I talked about above, The AREA 51novellas, and a new series I just published the first book in. That latestbook, Rosslyn Station – A Detective Kiki Diaz Thriller features a FairfaxCounty, Virginia Police Detective Sergeant and the travails she goes throughsolving complex investigations. Book 1 dropped in December, and I’m working onBook 2, Fairfax Station – A Detective Kiki Diaz Thriller right now. Look forthat in late spring/early summer.
As I noted, at leastone CJ Hawk – FBI Thriller will come out this year sometime, maybe two – we’llsee. The first is Department Echo – A CJ Hawk – FBI Thriller, the second isZulu Center – A CJ Hawk – FBI Thriller and I’m working on the third, WashingtonField – A CJ Hawk – FBI Thriller.
And, as I said, thefourth AREA 51: Project Series novella, this one, Project Gemstone, will be outsometime in 2024.
Since that might not beenough to keep me busy, I also write a Substack column called The ReganRevolution every two to four weeks. It’s fact/opinion and concerns crime, thepolice, and the FBI.
JMR- Tell our readershow to find you on social media and the web.
FXR- Sure – the bestplace to see everything is my website, www.fxregan.com.You can sign up for the newsletter while you’re there. Whether you sign up forthe newsletter or The Regan Revolution, I tend to send out everything under thelatter. You can go right to https://fxregan.substack.comto see that and sign up. I’m on X (Twitter) and Instagram at @fxregan. TheAmazon links for the books are https://amzn.to/482pxjg(eBook, paperback, and Audiobook,) and https://amzn.to/4aA1r0K(eBook, paperback, Audiobook is in production.)
JMR- What question wereyou hoping I’d ask but didn’t?
FXR- Who are my favoriteauthors today: A. - Joseph Wambaugh (though he hasn’t written anything new fora while, but he remains the patron saint of cops turned authors,) MichaelConnelly (who learned the police culture with 14 years on the police beat as ajournalist,) Jack Carr, Don Bentley, Don Winslow, Alma Katsu, George Pelecanos,and Isabella Maldonado. I shouldn’t have gone down this road because I’mleaving too many great writers off the list.
JMR- Thank you, FX, forstopping by. Your books look really great! Readers, I’ve included a link to FX’sbooks below. Please be sure to check them out.
