Author Interview w/ Michael

December 8, 2025

Author Interview w/ Michael

Written Author Interview

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. What sort of things do you enjoy doing outside of writing?

Reading has always been a major activity, but I’ve actually pulled back a bit over the past few years as my writing schedule has been pretty full. And, in all honesty, I wouldn’t want to pick up anything stylish or structural from reading and then innocently plug it into my work.

I’ve been a long-distance cyclist for a couple of decades and get a lot of thinking and plotting done while pedaling. I also spend a significant amount of time researching ideas, concepts – almost anything, actually – that piques my interest that day. I still love to learn new things.

2. What is your most recent book about?

“Soulless,” the second book in “The Revenge, Unhinged Series,” is my most recent book. It’s a story about an apparent homicide and kidnapping, but thematically, it’s about the consequences of misunderstood and out-of-control vengeance.

As one character says, “Justice is what we fight for when we accept we may never feel whole. Revenge is what we chase when we want someone else to feel as broken as we do.”

It takes place in Santa Monica, as do a couple of my other books (in “The Serial Killer Anthology”), and includes some familiar members of the Homicide team.

3. If there was someone famous that you would recommend to read your book, who would it be?

If by “famous” you mean an author, I’d pick Michael Connelly or Harlan Coben.

If by “famous,” you mean a celebrity, I’d like it to be any of the following directors: David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, or Jonathan Demme.

4. Do you have a favorite spot you like to sit and write?

I write while sitting on my living room sofa and in various public places – coffee shops, hair salons, doctor’s waiting rooms, etc. Years ago, I wrote the first draft of my initial novel totally by hand while commuting by train into Manhattan from New Jersey.

5. Did you experience any form of writer’s block while working on this piece? If so, what tips do you have for other authors that are struggling with writer’s block?

Not sure it qualifies as writer’s block, but I had some problems – especially with Act Two. I am a pantser, and that sometimes results in some empty days. If the characters aren’t waking me up in the middle of the night to tell me what’s next, things can get slow for a while. And now, this many books in, I automatically reject anything that’s even remotely similar to what appeared in an earlier book.

As for tips, I try to identify the “connective tissue” that might be missing and is necessary to link the story elements together. I also try to climb into the characters’ heads and figure out the questions they would be asking or the actions they would be taking to keep things moving.

6. What time of day is most productive for you to write?

My best times are 2:00-4:00 a.m.; 8:00-11:00 a.m., and 2:30-4:00 p.m. Why? I have no idea.

7. When you are writing, what are you typically listening to in the background? Silence? Favorite playlist? Podcast?

Silence when I am writing in the middle of the night, and I binge-watch crime shows and other dramas in the background on television when I am writing during the day. I have to be very careful, however, selecting character names when the shows are on. It’s incredibly easy to default to the name you just heard muttered on “The Wire,” “Damages,” or “Justified.” I probably have, but not intentionally. When I’m in a public place, my inner voice fills the silence as I “test” words and sentence structure before writing.

8. Is there a particular scene or part in your book that you are incredibly proud of?

There are two scenes in “Pointless,” and without spoiling anything, they both involve children. One takes place at a cemetery and includes a small bird. The other involves a brother and sister communicating their feelings through a physical code they invented years earlier.

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About

Michael Geczi is an author based in Scottsdale, Arizona. A former journalist, corporate executive, consultant, and university instructor, he is the author of nine books. “The Serial Killer Anthology” includes five psychological thrillers: “Then She Died,” “The Compass Killer,” “Hunting a Cat in Dogtown,” “Killer Dead, Victim Alive,” and “The Deadly Samaritan.” “The Revenge, Unhinged Series” includes “Pointless” and “Soulless.” He also wrote the inspirational, lightly speculative novel “Equinox.” Early in his career, he published an investment advice book.