5 Questions, 5 Authors: Mike Ricksecker

Mike Ricksecker is the author of Deadly Heirs, the first novel of the Chase Michael DeBarlo mystery series, and a forthcoming book in 2009 from Schiffer Publishing on ghosts in Maryland. His short story “Failed Rescue” can be found in the Word Weavers mystery anthology Studies in Scarlet, and he publishes a solvable mystery short in each of his monthly newsletters. Mike is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Crime Lab Project.


1. What drives you to write?

I have an innate desire to be creative. Writing has been one of those expressions of creativity that I’ve been crafting since I was seven years old. When I see a situation, my mind starts questioning it and from that a story starts to formulate from the answers I provide. Give me a bare room with a box and I’ll have a field day. What’s in the box? Why is the room bare? What I love about writing mystery fiction is that it’s one big puzzle, and I enjoy challenging other people to figure out the solution.


2. What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment?

Aside from being married for fourteen years and raising four children, I’d have to say every time someone tells me, “I read your book and I loved it.” Books are also like children. You nurture them, they grow, you release them out into the world. When you hear they’re doing well you’re a proud parent.


3. Outside of writing, what are your other passions/interests?

My wife thinks I have way too many hobbies, or what she likes to call “obsessions.” It’s true, when I pick up an interest I become passionate about it. The mainstay for me is baseball. As a former player, and aching knees that remind me everyday of it, I can’t have my morning coffee without looking up what’s going on with the Red Sox. Computer games are another major hobby for me, to the point that I’m currently enrolled at DeVry University for their Game and Simulation Programming curriculum. Other hobbies include wine making, baseball card collecting, rock hunting, and I still occasionally play the guitar.


4. What is your advice to young writers/first time authors?

Write, write, write. And read. Hone your craft and read material from those that have mastered it. Remain patient and stay strong. The publishing industry is challenging and fickle. I’ve had too many people tell me about how they started a project and stopped, or gave up trying to get it published. What happens when you stop trying? Absolutely nothing. You’ll never reach that dream. So take your shots and keep plugging away. I have a collection of what I like to call “hate mail.” Stephen King used to keep his rejection letters on a metal spike.


5. What do you want the world to remember you for the most?

At the risk of sounding cliché, my initial answer is to be remembered as a loving husband and father. However, that sort of influence and recognition also goes beyond family. I would like to be remembered as having a positive impact on the lives of others, and it’s my desire to achieve that through my writing.


For more information on Mike Ricksecker you can check out his personal website at http://www.rrdevelopments.com/mike/ or his Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/soxcatch10.

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