Behind The Book With Ned Hickson 

Ned Hickson is back for another interview with me, as we discuss the second book in the Shane McPhearson series Harbinger Of Truth. I spent the past few days reading it, and its even more action packed than No Safe Harbor. 

Q: Welcome back to Book Notions Ned! Would you like to give a brief description of Harbinger Of Truth? 

A: It’s nice to chat with you again, Bianca, and thanks for having me! As you mentioned, Harbinger is a follow up to No Safe Harbor, with Seattle-based private investigator Shane McPhearson traveling to Portland at the request of his dying mentor, retired prosecutor Robert Keedy. While there, Keedy reveals the complicated truth behind Shane’s abandonment as a child — and how his parents’ decision is linked to the current threat Shane faces 35 years later. As with the first book, Shane juggles trying to create a new life for himself and overcome a traumatic past while also protecting the ones he loves from mob boss Rick Sparlo. The latest book moves between the time period of Shane’s parents (1957), Shane’s senior year of high school when he goes to prison for negligent homicide (1970), and his current time period as an adult (1990) as more of his backstory is woven together to answer some of the questions raised in No Safe Harbor. 

Q: Which scenes in the book did you enjoy creating the most? I liked reading about Shane’s past as we get more of his backstory before the events of the late 90s. I love how action packed the book is too! 

A: This book was definitely more complex to organize and write, but that also made it really fun to piece together. One of the things I really wanted to do was make Shane’s parents three-dimensional so that the readers would really feel for them and the impossible decision they were forced to make. For me, all the scenes taking place in 1957 Portland — and weaving real-life historical places, people and events with Shane’s fictional storyline — were my favorite scenes to write. I did a lot of research to make sure that things were as historically accurate as possible… and then putting Shane’s parents right in the middle. But as for a favorite scene? Definitely the one where we get to see a six-year-old Shane with his parents right before everything gets turned upside-down.     

Q: Last Friday night we had a brief discussion about how you recently got hate mail because a popular character was killed off! I admit it took me by surprise but I don’t hate you I promise 😉! How did you deal with the hate mail as a result & do you advise other authors to do what you did? 

A: I have to be honest; I took the “hate” mail as a real compliment! Lol! I figure if people were invested enough in a character to leave comments on my social media, through email, and even tell me at the coffee shop I frequent that they “hate” me, then I’m doing something right. I should clarify that the comments were non-threatening, and were more about holding me accountable for their shock and sadness at losing a beloved character. I knew by the time that I finished the first book that this character was going to die in the next book as a necessary part of Shane’s story arc. But I will admit, writing the scene of their death was my least favorite scene to write.

As for my advice when it comes to killing off a main character, I think that you need to give it serious thought and make sure it’s not just for shock value. Because if you don’t justify it and write it without merit, your readers will know — and you will lose their trust. The trust that forms between a writer and their readers is sacred. That said, killing off a character can actually strengthen that trust if you do it well and for the right reasons.   

Q: What lessons and reminders do you hope readers remember and learn once they finish reading Harbinger Of Truth?

A: At its most basic, Harbinger of Truth is about how everyone’s journey is their own, and that despite how things may appear on the surface, we don’t truly know another person’s struggles. I’m hoping that in addition to being an exciting and interesting read that adds another layer to the character of Shane McPhearson, readers will see a bit of themselves in Shane’s journey.   

Q: After that ending in Harbinger Of Truth, what can fans expect in book 3, Requiem For Revenge coming out this September? Are you currently writing book 4 right now? 

A: Those who’ve read Harbinger know that Shane is a broken man as we enter Requiem. He is consumed with revenge, battling many of the demons that destroyed his youth. For me, the third book is about him being forced to confront the ultimate question: Who do I want to be? An instrument of revenge or agent of justice? The book expands on the Bragna Crime Family, and also takes Shane out of his beloved Pacific Northwest for the first time as he hunts down Sparlo with the help of someone from Shane’s parents’ past — and in direct conflict with FBI agent Jack Dalton.

While Harbinger is sort of like the “Empire Strikes Back” of the Shane McPhearson series with everything scattered to the wind, Requiem for Revenge is the “Return of the Jedi” of the series as Shane finally confronts Sparlo face-to-face… except without the daddy issues! Lol!

There will be a book four, but I’m currently working on a YA paranormal/suspense novel called The Truth About Emily, which deals with the Troubled Teen Industry and a teen boy who makes contact with the spirit of a girl who was murdered at one of the teen camps. 

Thanks again for having me as your guest!

nedhickson-author.com