Terrence McCauley
Chicago ’63
DOSSIER: You’re a Bronx native living in New York. I get why you write about crime, even thrillers, but how in the wide world did you get into writing westerns?
MCCAULEY: I grew up watching westerns on weekends with my father, so I always had a love of the genre. But as I was growing up in the 1980s, there weren’t a ton of new westerns being made. I figured it was because they were probably viewed as old fashioned and passe. In the back of my mind, I began thinking of the kind of western I’d like to see and, when I began writing, that thought took root in my mind. The result was what ultimately became WHERE THE BULLETS FLY.
DOSSIER: From the perspective of a writer who has had success in multiple generes, what is it about classic movies that attracts you? Specifically, what one classic hits you right between the eyes?
MCCAULEY: I love the simplicity of the classic movie no matter the genre. The actors were solid and the plots were good. Many of them had great voices that layered the characters they were portraying on screen and, despite the movie production codes in the mid-1930s, some films still managed to get in some awfully risque stuff. ‘Laura’ was the first film noir I remember watching with my parents on PBS Thirteen on a Saturday night. They played old movies then with a brief intro from a host. But the classic that hits me right between the eyes in ‘The Third Man’. It’s not an accessible film. It makes you work if you’re going to watch it, but the payoff is worth the effort. It’s a beautifully shot moody piece that gets the most out of its actors.
DOSSIER: When and where do you write, and what kind of environment do you prefer? (Music/silence/closet?)
MCCAULEY: I write out on my porch in Dutchess County, NY all year round. I installed a barn heater so I can write in the winter, too. When the summer temperatures get too high, I take my laptop inside so I can work in air conditioning. But the porch is where I have my cigars and my notes on two desks. It’s a small space, smaller than some would believe, but I’ve cranked out a couple of dozen books in that space, so it must be working for me. I don’t write with music and I can’t write around other people because it distracts me. However, I think I’d be useless in a completely quiet environment. Ambient nature sounds help me concentrate. The porch also allows me to smoke my cigars, which keep my butt in the chair and my fingers on the keys.
DOSSIER: Chris Hauty, Matthew Quirk, Reed Farrel Coleman have all been on your Spies, Lies & Private Eyes Podcast. What are you promising these amazing writers to get them to come on your show?
MCCAULEY: Don’t forget Jack Carr, too. I’m fortunate to be part of the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network, which helps attract authors at all stages of their career from both large and independent publishers. I promise them the same thing I promise every writer who comes on my show. A twenty minute conversation about what they love doing most of all. I read a quick bio on them and the rest of the time is spent exploring their approach to the craft. The audience seems to like the format, so I’m not planning on changing it any time soon, though I’m always open to suggestions as to how to make the show better.
DOSSIER: How did you get the guy from Will & Grace to put his face on your Jeremiah Halstead Western covers? I really didn’t see that coming. Is that a part of your potential Paramount + deal? (Fingers crossed.)
MCCAULEY: HA! The covers of my Jeremiah Halstead novels are designed by Lou Malcangi at Kensington. Halstead looks a bit different than the model on the cover, but those covers do a great job of conveying what happens in the books. I don’t have a television deal yet, but stay tuned. There may be more to come on that front very soon.
Website: terrencemccauley.com
Jeff Circle 