Meet Todd M. Thiede

Please welcome Todd M. Thiede as today's Wednesday's Guest. Todd has written several mystery novels that feature Detective Max Larkin, and they have all been well-received by critics and readers. I'm reading Miss Me? now, and so far it's a good read.I just made some chocolate chip cookies, so grab one to go with your beverage of choice, and enjoy the interview.

Thanks for coming by Todd and answering the questions.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing about four years. Time Killer took me almost three years to finish but Lies to Die For only took about six months. My newest book, Miss Me?, took about six months as well and was my most challenging yet. It took me away from the serial killer's that I had been writing about in my previous  books.
 

What inspires you to write?

I had a few people read my book before publishing and they really liked it. Since Time Killer has been out I have gotten a lot of feedback about how my stories impact people and their lives.  I love to hear that stuff and I truly enjoy writing now.

Describe your writing process. Do you outline, create rough synopses, do you do detailed biographies of the characters before starting to write?

I actually don’t do any of above. I start with the idea for the first chapter only. Once I get that chapter down I just keep going and the stories start to take on a life of their own. I try to put myself into each scene and each character’s body. What they see I see. What they feel I feel. That’s how my stories go from just a small idea into a 200+ page book.

 (That's the way I write, too, although I usually have the ending in mind as well as the opening.)

How did you decide on the cover and did you design it or did you use a professional

designer? 

I designed all my covers. Then once I had the idea down I went to a professional cover designer. With Lies to Die For and Miss Me? I bought the rights to those pictures.  The very first time I saw that picture of the knife dripping blood onto a white rose it screamed at me that it was the perfect cover for the book. The picture I used for Miss Me?, was so unique I wound up rewriting most of the story to connect with that picture.

  

Do you see your book becoming a movie or TV show?

I have been approached by a production company in Hollywood about Time Killer already. It may take some time and some development but I could easily see one or all of them being on the screen (big or small) someday.

 Have you always been fascinated with the strange and macabre or is that just your preferred writing genre?

The first thing that everyone tells me is that I’m sick but they like it. I just have a very vivid imagination and want people to see what it’s like being inside my head. Some people, including my wife, don't want to know what's in my mind sometimes but that's ok too.

What types of books do you read for entertainment?

I don’t have a lot of time to read anymore but the last book set that I read was the Hunger Games trilogy. I liked that a lot. When I did read I had no preference. I read all kinds, but if I have to choose one genre it would be mystery. I just have a mind for it. My wife gets upset with me when we watch shows like CSI because I usually solve the case early.

(I can't help but be critical of shows that don't get things right. Like DNA test results that come back in hours.)

Tell us something about yourself that you haven’t shared with any other interviewer.

The first chapter of Time Killer is actually about a dream I had on my honeymoon nearly 4 years ago. 

(So who, besides me, is going to go buy that book to see what the dream was? LOL)

 What is the creepiest or scariest book that you have read or movie that you have seen? 

Nothing really creeps me out anymore. I love a great horror book or movie but now a days everything is toned down for the general public. I would rather watch or read all the gory details.

 What thrilled you in your books?

The most exciting part for me in my books is how the perpetrator chooses the victims. I want them all tied in together. It may seem random but there's a rhyme and reason, I promise.

 What are you working on now?

I’m working on the first chapter of the next Max Larkin detective book.  This one is tentatively called "REVENGE, is a dish best served, DEAD!"

 

 Will you share with readers your top authors and your top five movies?

Lee Child, James Patterson, J.K Rowling, Suzanne Collins And Stephen King.

Die Hard, The Rock, Halloween (the original), Halloween (the Rob Zombie remake), Fast and Furious.

 

 Describe the scariest place you could find yourself in and how would you attempt to escape?

The scariest place I could think of being is buried alive.  There is only one way out of that and that’s to dig your way out. Kind of like life. Every time you do something wrong the only way to get out of it is to work hard and dig your way out. 
 

Do you have a favorite quote?

 One of my own: "If life isn’t fun you aren’t doing it right.”

Thank you for participating.

I truly appreciate it!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Perhaps you wouldn’t characterize the Finance Manager of your local automobile dealership as an Amazon best-selling author—until you get to know Todd Thiede. He has worked for the past decade at Elmhurst Toyota, but Thiede is in the driver’s seat as the writer of a murder mystery series featuring    Detective, Max Larkin. Time Killer, which Kirkus Reviews deemed “a fast-paced thriller” that will “keep crime and thriller fans wrapped up in its twisting plot, fast pace and memorable detective,” and Lies To Die For (which reached No. 1 on Amazon in the “Murder Mystery and Serial Killer” categories) are available via Amazon Kindle. His newest book Miss Me?,was just released.  Go to www.toddthiede.com for more info on Todd and his books. You can find all his titles on his Amazon Author Page.