Interview with author Robert Downs

The hard boiled detective novel is back; and Robert Downs, author of “Falling Immortality: Casey Holden, Private Investigator, is riding the wave. This mystery centers on the tough, witty, womanizing, P.I., Casey Holden, who is hired by a beautiful widow to investigate the two-year murder of her husband. Usually, the storyline takes center stage in a novel, but readers are so intrigued by the provocative Casey Holden, he might be stealing the show.

So, what does the book’s author, Robert Downs have to say about “Falling Immortality: Casey Holden, Private Investigator”, and about MANfiction in general?



Q: Your novel, “Falling Immortality: Casey Holden, Private Investigator”, is in some ways reminiscent of an old-fashioned hard-boiled detective novel. This genre seems to be experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Why do you think that is?

A: Honestly, I have no idea. The book industry is very cyclical, and even though authors are encouraged to be creative, we’re not always encouraged to take risks. The hard-boiled detective novel has always had great writers from the days of Carroll John Daly, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler to Mickey Spillane to more modern authors, such as the late Robert B. Parker, Lee Child, Walter Mosley, Robert Crais, and Michael Connelly. It’s a genre I’m proud to be a part of, and I’ll certainly do whatever I can to help promote it. MANfiction deserves a much wider readership.

Q: If you weren’t a writer do you think you would want to be a private investigator? Do you think this line of work is as exciting in real life as it is in books and film?

A: I love writing about private investigators, but I wouldn’t want to actually be one in real life. Fantasy is a great escape from reality, and living a rather mundane existence presents a writer with certain opportunities he wouldn’t otherwise have. If I were a private investigator for a living, I’m not sure I’d actually want to write about it. I use writing and reading as escapes.

Books and films always go for entertainment value, so they glorify what is most likely a mundane job. There are more serial killers in books and movies than we would ever find in real life, just as the majority of a private investigator’s duties are focused around paperwork and computers much more so than dead bodies. But a good mystery almost always involves a dead body, and there are a multitude of mystery novels written every year, so you have to suspend disbelief at least a little bit. Readers read for entertainment value, or at least I do, so you have to cater to this need, while still maintaining a reasonable amount of accuracy.

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors? To what extent have they influenced your work?

A: My list of favorite authors grows several times a year, or at least that’s what it feels like, because I’m always discovering new ones. But if I were forced to make a list, I would certainly include the following (although it’s not all-inclusive): Lee Child, the late Gregory Mcdonald, the late Robert B. Parker, Robert Crais, James Patterson, and Jasper Fforde.

I’d say every author I’ve read has influenced me in some form or fashion, because I’m always discovering new and better ways to write, whether that’s dialogue, exposition, plot, describing characters, etc. I’ve come a long way from my early manuscripts, but I still have a long way to go before I become a great writer. It’s an evolving process, and I’ll never be perfect, but I plan to be the best writer I can be.

Q: Do you see “Falling Immortality: Casey Holden, Private Investigator” being the first in a series?

A: Absolutely. I don’t necessarily recommend this, although it has served me well, but I’d written two sequels before I’d even published Falling Immortality, and in the process of publishing and marketing my debut novel, I’d begun work on three more. Needless to say, I’m fully invested in Casey Holden, and that has more to do with him than it does me, since he can be very demanding, and he has plenty of stories left to tell. But each time I sit down to write another of his books, it’s like revisiting a long lost friend, and we just pick right back up where we left off.

Q: If this novel was made into a motion picture, who would be your personal choice to play Casey Holden?

A: Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought, mainly because I don’t want to jinx it. I’d love for this novel to be made into a movie, as my wife and I are avid movie watchers, and I’d be happy with a number of different actors. For me, it would boil down to an understanding of the character and a willingness to dive right into the role, as I did with the manuscript, and that opens up a number of possibilities. I’m more interested in what my readers have to say on the subject, and a few have some pretty strong opinions on who should play Casey Holden. Hearing my readers’ thoughts is much more pleasurable than tainting their opinions with my own.

Q: In your opinion, what sets “Falling Immortality: Casey Holden Private Investigator” apart from typical detective novels?

A: I’d have to say Casey Holden, my main character. Let’s face it, detective novels have to follow a formula of sorts, as we’re confined to the rules of the mystery genre. But the possibilities become endless when you focus on the characters within the novel, and those characters are only limited by the author’s imagination. And I like to think I have a pretty active imagination. Casey is a character you’ll either love or hate: there’s really no in-between with him, and that’s exactly the way it should be. Because I chose to write in first person, and because I wrote a novel with such a strong character, I wrote a very character-driven novel, although I didn’t realize I was doing it at the time. Ignorance can be a blessing, and I’ve been blessedly ignorant in many aspects of writing this novel, and the series of novels that will hopefully follow.

Q: What other genres are you interested in exploring, as a writer?

A: Just as I don’t place too many limits on the novels I read, I don’t plan to place too many limits on the novels I write. Once I have my feet firmly planted in the mystery genre, I’ll branch out to thrillers, and then from there, I’ll explore more general fiction, and possibly even non-fiction. My dad has been telling me for years that I need to write a book on investing, and someday I’d like to grant his request. The only genre I won’t explore is memoir, as my life really isn’t all that interesting. Writers have been given a beautiful gift—a license to make stuff up—and I plan to have a license covered with creases and smudge marks.

Q: Do you have a primary source of inspiration?

A: No, I grab my ideas from literally everything I’m exposed to. Another gift I’ve been given is an extremely analytical mind, probably to my detriment, in some cases. But it does come in handy when I write. I’m a huge fan of mystery and thriller novels, action movies, and detective TV shows. And it doesn’t stop with books, movies, or TV shows either, as far as I’m concerned anyone I meet, or anyone I read about is fair game as well. Then, on some level that I’m not even aware of, I channel all of this knowledge, pull out the different parts that I like the best, and hopefully create something brand new. I haven’t found a character like Casey Holden yet, and so far neither has my publisher.

Q: To what extent, if at all, do you identify with Casey Holden?

A: My dad has said it best: he’s my alter-ego. And it’s not too far from the truth. He’s an exaggerated version of me, without the filter, moral compass, and conscience to help guide him. He has my sarcasm, but it’s exaggerated to the nth degree. And in my mind, he helps balance the universe, since I’m an introvert in what amounts to an extroverted world. The squeaky wheel gets the grease may be a cliché, but it’s because there’s a lot of truth behind it. Whereas I’ll stand up for myself when a situation warrants it, Casey stands up for himself twenty-four seven. And I have to admit that I like and admire that about him.

Q: Do you think female readers appreciate Casey Holden as much as male readers do?

A: Well, that really depends on your male and female reader. I’ve had some male readers that don’t enjoy him, and I’ve also had some female readers who have felt the same way. On the other hand, I’ve had both male and female readers who have taken him for what he is and enjoyed the ride from the beginning to end. He’s certainly not a character for everyone, and I didn’t set out to please everyone, because if I had, I would have ended up pleasing no one. When I set out on this journey, I wrote the type of book I would want to read, and I let that be my driving force. Because of that, I don’t think I’m limited to a male audience. If you look at the famous MANfiction authors (not that I’m near their caliber yet and I might never be), you’ll find that they have male as well as female readers.

Q: What do you enjoy most about writing?

A: I’d have to say the entire creative process, because it’s entirely different than the mathematical/analytical world that I’m used to. But the best part for me is staring at a blank screen with a blinking cursor and making that page come to life. Because my life has led up to the marketing aspect of the writing process, even though I didn’t realize it at the time, I’ve discovered that creative marketing can be rather fun as well. When it comes to something I love, I’ve never met a challenge yet that I didn’t like.

Q: What are your future writing plans?

A: I plan to write until I’m dead, and even then, I should probably leave instructions in my will for my wife to bury me with a manual typewriter and reams of paper. Since writing is as much a part of me as breathing, I can’t imagine living in a world where I don’t write. That would be one of the worst forms of torture I could possibly imagine.


For More information about Robert Downs and his work visit:

Website: http://www.RobertDowns.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RobertDownsBooks