A Chat with Gabriel Valjan, author of Threading the Needle

Gabriel’s short stories and some of his poetry continue to appear in literary journals and online magazines. Ronan Bennett short-listed Gabriel for the 2010 Fish Prize. Gabriel won first prize in ZOUCH Magazine’s inaugural Lit Bits Contest. Winter Goose Publishing publishes his Roma Series: Roma, Underground(February 2012), Wasp’s Nest (November 2012) and Threading the Needle(October 2013). Gabriel lives in New England.

Q: What’s inside the mind of a mystery/suspense author?

A: One of the joys of a good mystery is watching intelligent people being intelligent. This is difficult to write, since your protagonist has to be smart enough to spot something that neither the other characters nor your readers can see, even though it’s right in front of them. The fun part is unfolding the plot and juggling the characters, moving both forward at a good pace, while respecting your reader’s intelligence.

Q: Tell us why readers should buy Threading the Needle.

A: In this outing of the Roma Series, Bianca’s curiosity gets a young university student murdered, but not before he passes her details of a secret weapon under development with defense contractor, Adastra.  Within days, the media turns Farrugia, her backup at the scene, into hero, then suspect. Guilt may drive her to find justice for the slain Charlie Brooks, but she is warned by the mysterious Loki to stay away from this case that runs deep with conspiracy. InThreading the Needle, the third volume of the Roma series, Bianca must find a way to uncover government secrets and corporate alliances without returning Italy to one of its darkest hours, the decades of daily terrorism known as the “Years of Lead.”

The Roma Series is really about a group of friends — all with their individual strengths and weaknesses – but committed to each other out of friendship, love, and respect. Gennaro is the senior investigator, crusty and cantankerous; but he is the voice of experience. Farrugia is the weathered but haunted detective, tempted to but disciplined enough not to sink to the level of the thugs he has known. There is Alessandro, young, intelligent, but libidinal and irresponsible at times. Dante, a promising investigator, is the romantic-love interest of the main character, Bianca, who is a forensic accountant on the lam from a secretive U.S. agency, Rendition. She is brilliant, a thrill-seeker, but extremely reserved, almost closed-off, which creates friction with Dante and the group. Then there is Loki, the mysterious go-between who contacts Bianca with cryptic advice and clues.

Q: What makes a good mystery/suspense?

A: Plot and character, but not in that order. The plot has to be believable, but I’ve noticed that the trend in the mystery/suspense genre is to have the protagonist be flawed, which is fine, but many main characters border on unlikeable; they have addictions, family problems, or interpersonal issues, which can suspend belief. Bianca, my main character, is difficult at times, but she knows itand she knows why she is difficult and she is determined to fix it. Each mystery and each journey with her friends brings her closer to opening up, becoming a better person. Intimacy and trust frighten her.

Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?

A: I am a morning writer. I find that writing first thing in the morning when the mind is receptive is best for me. On a great morning, I’ll write twenty pages, but I average eight to ten pages. In terms of word count, accounting for standard formatting, I’d say that is 2,500 to 5,000 words a day.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?

A: Seeing my own development as a writer, whether it is the use of language, a time period, or particular format such as short fiction. With respect to the Roma Series, I’m taking chances in exploring complex subject matter or going deeper into the psychological motivations of my characters. Each character has blossomed with sufficient depth that they could be the main character of their own novel. In Threading the Needle, I confronted a difficult time in Italian history, one that I think few Americans know about but should, since terrorism and manipulating public opinion are relevant today. The challenge was presenting the information through two different cultural lenses: American and Italian.

Q: How did you celebrate the completion of your book?

Gabriel Valjan’s Author Page at Winter Goose Publishing:http://wintergoosepublishing.com/authors/gabriel-valjan/

Pinterest for Threading the Needle: http://pinterest.com/gvaljan/threading-the-needle/

Rachel Anderson of RMA Publicity represents Gabriel Valjan. Rachel can be reached at rachel@rmapublicity.com