INDIE SCENE: Jochem Vandersteen

Jochem Vandersteen writes very good private eye and noir fiction and is doing everything he can to get those books to a wider audience; to help a brother out, I thought we'd have a chat about what makes him tick.

 

You can check out his latest, The Death Business, on Amazon.

 

1) What is it about the private eye genre that you like? Is there something specific about that subject matter that fires your imagination more than others?

 

I like the fact you can often follow one man/woman during his investigation and life making you one with the story. I also like the fact the story doesn't get bogged down by too much procedural stuff. I like the idea of one man standing alone against crime. And I like the wisecracks so popular within the genre!

 

2) Have readers been enthusiastic about your work? How have they shared that?

 

I used to get some emails from time to time in the past from people digging my work. Now, a lot of positive comments can be found on Facebook and Goodreads which is awesome. They are the reason I write way more than the money.

 

3) What do you do to promote Noah Milano stories as well as your other work?

 

I use Facebook, some free promotions via Amazon, some interviews... But mainly I just hope people spread the word.

 

4) Tell us about one or two favorite authors who make you write better. 

 

Robert B Parker taught me how to write a fast-moving story with as little words as possible. Dennis Lehane taught me how to bring a special emotional edge to them.

 

5) What story-telling gaffes and cliches that you see other writers make do you try to avoid? 

 

I really hate over-describing stuff that will not interest the readers. I also dislike people who try to make their book 500 pages while the story could have been told in a 100. That's why I mostly write novellas.

 

6) If there is one question you'd like to be asked about your work that nobody has ever brought up, what would it be? 

 

Why do you love writing novellas instead of novels? And the answer can be found by looking at question number 5 ;-)

7) What's next for you?

Next up is a novella featuring Vance Custer, my new series character. He's a true crime writer who will investigate your case as long as he gets the book- and movie rights. It is a little less hardboiled than my Noah Milano series but still has some action and mystery as people expect from me.