Q&A With Duane Swierczynski

Duane Swierczynski has written several novels, 6 nonfiction books, short stories & comics for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse Archie & Valiant. Duane’s novels are Secret Dead Man, The Blonde The Wheelman, The Expiration Date, Severance Package, Point & Shoot, Hell & Gone, Fun & Games, Canary, Revolver & his latest release California Bear. Duane has also collaborated with bestselling novelist James Patterson on three Audible Original radio dramas. The first, The Guilty, starred John Lithgow, Bryce Dallas-Howard and Aldis Hodge. He also co-wrote a series of bestselling “digi-novels” with CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker. 

Duane is also the author of six nonfiction books about vice and crime, including The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion, The Big Book of Beer (Quirk), and This Here’s A Stick-Up: The Big Bad Book of American Bank Robbery (Alpha/Penguin). Earlier in his career, Duane worked as an editor at Details, Men’s Health and Philadelphia magazines, and served as the editor-in-chief of the Philadelphia City Paper.

Q: Duane, could you please give a brief description of your work starting with your new release California Bear? 

A: In general, I tend to write about people having the worst days of their lives, and how they respond. Or thrust into bizarre situations, and they learn a bit about themselves as they grapple with them. That’s what excites me as a writer.

California Bear, for example, is about an ex-cop who forces and ex-con into blackmailing an ex-serial killer. I focus on the viewpoint of that ex-con, who has a very ill (but brilliant daughter), and how they try to scramble out of this absolute Southern California-style mess. Most times, I have no idea how my protagonists are going to find their way to safety. That’s honestly the fun of it. Inventing extreme solutions on the fly.

Q: Where do your ideas for your characters and stories within your fiction and short stories come from?

A: I’m a former journalist, and that job trained me to always keep my eyes and ears (and brain) open. The truth is, once you open yourself up to the world this way, the ideas don’t stop coming. The trick is to find the one that will keep your interest for a long period of time. Which leads us to your next excellent question…

Q: How long does it take you to write a book, a short story and a comic? In your opinion, what makes the perfect story? Your advice will help future authors write their stories. 

A: A book? I’ve written them as quickly as two to three months. California Bear, however, took five years—it was a very personal story that took me time to process. Short stories can happen in a single day… but others have taken literal years to complete. Comics are a little more straightforward, mostly because you usually have an artist waiting on your script. Usually, I’m able to write a single issue in a couple of days, maybe a little longer. But that’s only after a few weeks of plotting, obsessing, etc. The truth is, though: don’t worry about how long something takes. The important thing is daily contact with your current work-in—progress, be it just a few minutes… or 20 hours. That keeps it alive in your brain.

Q: I see that your short story Lush is being adapted into a feature by Chad Stahelski who directed John Wick! That sounds like a dream come true! Did they start casting yet?  Are any of your other books and short stories becoming Hollywood movies and tv series? 

A:  No casting yet for Lush. The truth is, it’s a miracle any movie is ever made. So many things must line up in just the right way. And so much of that involves assembling the right team. Right now, I’m working on a film adaptation of California Bear with an amazing co-writer, Gary Lennon (best known for Power, Justified, Orange is the New Black) for 20^th Century Studios. And our producer is Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media. There are so many amazingly talented people involved in this project, and it’s a serious joy to be working with them. But nothing is ever a sure thing in Hollywood, though. You must keep pushing, day after day, toward the finish line. You must be stupidly stubborn about it. There are a million reasons for someone to say no. You must be resolute about saying HELL YES.

Q: You’ve written nonfiction, and the subject matter was about crime & vice! What was it like writing nonfiction compared to fiction? Do you prefer writing fiction more or nonfiction & why?

A: I enjoy both. My emphasis has been on fiction… but that usually involves a lot of my training as a reporter. I do research. I am a location scout. I talk to experts. All of that real-world work makes the “fake stuff” come to life (for me, at least). That said, I’m working on a nonfiction project right now — what I call my pulp nonfiction gangster memoir. It’s called Man Full of Trouble, and it’s about the rise and fall of a South Philly hood who killed a relative of mine 100 years ago. I’ve just started spinning out chapters on my Substack newsletter.

Q: What was it like collaborating with James Patterson doing three Audible Original radio dramas? Do you two plan on doing more together? 

A: You know, Jim’s this up-and-coming kid, I thought I’d give him a break. Seriously though, I’ve had so much fun writing the Audible dramas with him. You have nothing but dialogue, maybe some sound effects, to tell a complete story. That’s incredibly exciting to me, because it forces you to become seriously inventive. We’ve written three so far (The Guilty, Zero Tolerance, 7 Hours to Die), and have just started a fourth. I can’t tell you the details, but it’s kind of a dream project for me.

Q: What’s it like writing comics for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Archie & Valiant? What can comic books expect when it comes to comics?

A: Writing for comics is strangely similar to journalism, actually. The deadlines are real; you have people waiting for your work. You can’t be too verbose; precision is important. While sparkling prose is vital, it’s not the most important part of the experience. The best part of comics, honestly? Receiving artwork in your email box not long after you turn in a script. It’s like Christmas every day.

Q: What was it like being an editor at Details, Men’s Health and Philadelphia magazines, and serving as editor-in-chief of the Philadelphia City Paper? Would you say being an editor and editor in chief of Philadelphia City Paper helped with your writing skills?

A:  At Details, a men’s style magazine, I was the unstylish one. I was tasked with editing stories about nutrition, fitness and sex, three topics I know nothing about. At Men’s Health, I was the unhealthy one. (I think they were contractually obligated to hire out-of-shape people with poor fashion sense.) But as I mentioned earlier, journalism was hugely important to my formation as a writer of… well, whatever the hell it is I do. There’s nothing like having a smart editor work over your words like they’re pounding a speed bag. Very quickly, you learn what works and doesn’t work.