Getting to Know... Austin S. Camacho

Tell us a bit about your latest work.

My most recent novel, The Wrong Kind, is the seventh starring African-American private eye, Hannibal Jones. In it, a distraught woman hires Jones to track down her daughter who has run away, trying to escape the homeless shelter life her mother has come to accept. No sooner has Hannibal found Connie Blanco than he finds himself entwined in a gang war and a murder. The corpse is barely cold before a second murder follows and Hannibal finds himself entangled in a complex plot, and the mastermind is NONE of the people you suspect.

What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer?

Funny story. I’m a lifelong mystery fan. One day I was reading a novel and halfway thru it I knew everything that was going to happen. I commented aloud, “I could do better than this!” My wife gave me that look and said, “sure you could.” That debate became a challenge, and I actually set out to write a book to prove her wrong. The result was The Troubleshooter.

What inspires you to write?

Two things. First, every time I watch the news I play this “what if” game where I look at the story and think of an alternate set of facts that would result in the same evidence we see. (Cop publicly kills a citizen – but maybe he was paid to kill him cuz the citizen is really a spy... OR maybe someone has the cop’s family hostage forcing him to do this… OR…) The other thing is, I read other authors and think, “I want to learn to be THIS good!”

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

Mysteries are all about motivations. I like to explore what drives rich people do to what they do, as opposed to what drives the rest of us. I like to look at life for outsiders (Hannibal is mixed race so he doesn’t really fit in anywhere.) And I like to look at good things that might look like bad things. (For example, Hannibal thinks he’s chivalrous but others may see him as chauvinist.)

What would be your dream project?

I would love to work on a screenplay - with an experienced screenwriter – to create a Hannibal Jones TV show starring Shemar Moore.

What writers have influenced your style and technique?

Raymond Chandler’s prose. Ross MacDonald for plots. Elmore Leonard for characters. Walter Mosley for social context.

If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?

When I re-read my first novel, The Troubleshooter, there are places where I cringe at word choices, transitions, some of the dialog feels dated… my more recent work is just smoother. And I know the characters better. I’d go back and totally rewrite it.

Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?

Storytelling is an art form, yes, but writing is primarily about technique. Talent is all you need to come up with a good story, but TELLING a story well, that’s a craft you have to hone with study and practice, and reading the greats to figure out how they made you react the way they wanted to. 

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

The hardest part for me is pacing. When events are racing I want to race. And when I have an important clue to drop, I need to surround it with distractions. You can’t skip over the quiet times and you can’t rush thru the exciting times. To create suspense you have to hold back when you want to jump ahead. All of that is very hard.

How do your writer friends help you become a better writer? Or do they not?

Two ways. First, I’m part of a very talented critique group. Targeted critique from writers I consider my peers or betters is invaluable. Also, other authors give me much-needed inspiration. When I attend a conference and am surrounded by authors it recharges my batteries and drives me back to the keyboard. I helped start the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con primarily for the networking and fellowship it provides. 

What does literary success look like to you?

True success would come in three parts. 1. A hundred thousand people reading one of my novels. 2. Authors I admire telling me they like my work (this one I’ve got.) 3. Seeing any of my characters on the screen. 

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?

Although my agent is currently shopping a novel with a new character, a female urban assassin, and I’m working on the next Hannibal Jones mystery, my focus is really on the 8th Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con in September. A 3-day affair with Hank Phillippi Ryan and Sherrilyn Kenyon as keynotes, this thing has a lot of moving parts but If you’re a writer or an avid reader, you should make plans to be there this year! (https://creaturescrimesandcreativity.com/)

For more information, visit:

Readers can learn more about my work on my website or check me out on Facebook.  And everyone is welcome to send me a note or ask questions at ascamacho@hotmail.com especially if you’d like to join a meeting of your book club – I can be anywhere through Zoom.