Q&A With Ned Hickson

I am excited to be doing this Q&A with author & former journalist & editor Ned Hickson. Ned is the author of Humor at The Speed Of Life, Pearls Of Writing Wisdom: from 16 shucking years as a columnist, No Safe Harbor & coming out in August Harbinger Of Truth.

 Q: Ned, would you please tell the readers and I about each of your books and where the ideas for them come from?

A: First let me say how much I appreciate being here and having the opportunity to be grilled as a part of your Q&A, Bianca! Seriously, it’s a real pleasure. As for my books, I was a syndicated humor columnist for 16 years, with a weekly column running in 50 newspapers through News Media Corporation. I had literally started out emailing queries and column samples one at a time to different papers around the country.

After a year, I got picked up by NMC and got a lot of great exposure. Meanwhile, there was a local book publisher who had been reading my column for years and approached me about putting them together into a book. The same publisher, Port Hole Books, also published my next book, Pearls of Writing Wisdom: from 16 shucking years as a columnist, which was a book on writing that was part inspiration and part tutorial, written in the same style as my humor columns.

I describe it as the conversation we’d have in a bar talking about the craft of writing. My latest book, No Safe Harbor, is a pretty big pendulum swing from humor. It’s the first in a Pacific Northwest-based crime/suspense series featuring a Seattle private investigator named Shane McPhearson. The series opens with him trying to build a life for himself from the ruins of a troubled past that included abandonment as a child and time in prison during his teens for negligent homicide.

Now living a small houseboat in a quiet fishing community along Puget Sound, he’s trying to find the answers to his past while piecing together a new life moving forward — until his chance discovery of an abandoned boy in Lincoln Park not only re-opens old wounds but exposes a link of corruption and murder between Seattle Police and local organized crime. I am currently working on the sequel, Harbinger of Truth, which delves deeper into his past and the reasons behind his parents’ decision to abandon him.

Lastly, I’m also writing a Y/A paranormal fiction novel called The Truth About Emily, which delves into the terrible things that have happened (and continue to happen) within the Troubled Teen Industry. In this case, a teen girl (Emily) whose death 10 years earlier at a teen rehab center is covered up and her body hidden. But her spirit reaches out to 16-year-old Clint, who has just moved back to live with his alcoholic father following the death of his mother. Together, Emily and Clint embark on a journey to reveal the truth about Emily, with Clint discovering things about his father that are connected to the institute and the fire that burned it down. (See? not very funny…!) Both are currently being considered by agents who requested them after I pitched them last week in Portland (Oregon).

Q: You spent twenty-three years as a journalist & editor. What were your experiences as a journalist & editor like?

A: I came in with no experience or degree. I was up against two University of Oregon journalism grads, so didn’t think my chances were very good. I submitted some writing samples and a resume that, aside from being a chef for 10 years and having some short stories published, had no real knockout-punch for the job. But I got an interview and was surprised when I was offered the job, especially since I didn’t smell any alcohol on the editor’s breath during the interview.

It was a great community newspaper in the town where I live. I remained a reporter for 18 years before taking over as editor from 2016 to 2021. I loved my time there as a reporter as well as editor. Many of the skills I developed — from interviewing people and writing deadlines, to research and knowing how to write with an economy of words — are things I use every day in my own writing as well as editing other people’s manuscripts.

Q: Are you currently writing your next book? If so, is it another mystery book or is it another nonfiction book about journalism?

A: I am working on the sequel to No Safe Harbor, which delves deeper into Shane McPhearson’s past and the reasons behind his parents’ decision to abandon him. He learns it’s connected to the historic corruption taking place in Portland during the late 1950s, when the city was a hub for the mob moving heroin between L.A., Seattle, and Las Vegas (All true.) Shane learns the truth about his parents, and how what happened 40 years earlier is directly related to the threat he is facing now. Lastly, I’m also writing a Y/A paranormal fiction novel called The Truth About Emily, which delves into the terrible things that have happened (and continue to happen) within the Troubled Teen Industry.

In this case, a teen girl (Emily) whose death 10 years earlier at a teen rehab center is covered up and her body hidden. But her spirit reaches out to 16-year-old Clint, who has just moved back to live with his alcoholic father following the death of his mother. Together, Emily and Clint embark on a journey to reveal the truth about Emily, with Clint discovering things about his father that are connected to the institute and the fire that burned it down. Both are currently being considered by agents who requested them after I pitched them last week in Portland (Oregon). So… fingers crossed!

Q: I love reading mystery novels & I know you enjoy writing them! Would you say that your time as a journalist helped with writing your murder mystery novels No Safe Harbor & Harbinger Of Truth? In your opinion what makes the perfect mystery novel for anyone wanting to write mystery stories?

A: Without question, the research and fact digging helped prepare me for the level of research required for believable mystery writing. Not just research on places and events that help flesh out the setting and atmosphere your story operates in and around, but how the protagonist collects information and how different agencies and organizations operate. For No Safe Harbor, I interviewed detectives from homicide, crimes against children, internal affairs, and crime scene investigation because I wanted anyone who reads it, especially if they are in law enforcement, to feel believable.

I was a volunteer firefighter for 10 years and can’t watch TV dramas that revolve around firefighters because every time they do something wrong, I break the spell. I never want that to happen to anyone who reads my books. The second — and I feel equally important — element of a good mystery is compelling characters who are interesting, flawed, and believable. You can have the most dangerous, plot-twisting storyline, but if you don’t care about or believe in the characters, it doesn’t matter.

Q: Would you ever return to journalism or solely stick to writing books now?

A: I never say “never,” but I will say that given my druthers I will continue to write books and only read the news, not write it. Haha!

Q: If Hollywood were to get the rights to your work (if they haven’t already) who would be your dream cast to play the characters in No Safe Harbor & Harbinger of Truth? Hollywood needs new original content instead of remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, and spin offs.

A: I agree that there is an odd simultaneous voice or vacuum right now when it comes to original content in Hollywood, although the independent film industry is producing some amazing films. But for the moment I have to say streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, etc., are way ahead of the curve in terms of new, compelling, and original content.

Not long after the release of No Safe Harbor, a friend sent me a link to David Harbour’s IMBd page (He was the sheriff in Stranger Things) and I thought, “My GAWD, he is Shane McPhearson!” Without hesitation, he’d be my choice (You hear that, David?! Call me!) [dies next to calendar waiting for call]. As for chowder house owner and Shane’s love interest Samantha “Sam” Wells, I think Naomi Watts would be fantastic.

And for resourceful 8-year- old Jacob Bettington? My choice would be Tristan Daniel Hall (Played “Marcus” in Stillborn.) He’s terrific. Thank you so much for having me here! It’s been a real pleasure! The downside is that I spent time on the internet looking up images of child actors age 10-and-under, which means I probably have a detective from the pedophile squad monitoring my activity now… Thanks…!