Getting to know Steven Nedelton

Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?

Thanks Dawn for this opportunity.

I write fiction based on partly true events. My novels deal with infamous criminals, espionage, extrasensory perception--with suspense, always. Basically, with anything that will make a reader interested in the story and enjoy it. I don't specialize in any particular sub-genre, I try to write about life in general. Also, my stories cover local and international events.

What comes first for you when you sit down to write a book? Plot or Characters?

I would say—Plot. There is always an event, something special that sparks up my imagination. I never have a full plot in my mind in the beginning. It’s always partial and so I develop the story as I write it. Often in many, many steps, branching out to sub-events that I feel would make the story more interesting. My characters emerge from the initial plot idea, and multiply as I go on writing.

Do you "cast" your characters using pictures or actors to help inspire you when you're writing?

I don’t. My characters are fictitious men and women. I did use a true former CIA agent I met once at a library as my protagonist in Crossroads.  All other characters were products of my imagination and don’t resemble anyone living or dead.

How long does it take you to finish a book from start to finish?

It depends upon the strength of the initial plot idea. Also, I don’t write continuously. I’d say about six months.

Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.

The inspiration for The Raven Affair came from the news. I read about the L.A. court proceedings, the prosecution of an infamous man who committed atrocities during the last world war, and who was hiding for decades in California. It seemed like a good story based on a true crime. I did research about him and other events in the book. But the depiction of the man himself, and all of the action, although based on historical facts, is purely fictional.      

How much does reader reaction mean to you as an author? Do you read your own reviews?

The readers’ reaction is obviously most important to me. And, of course, I do read all readers comments very carefully.

I also try to get opinions from the reputable, professional reviewers. For example, I obtained a review for Crossroads from Midwest Book Review and similar.

What are you working on now? Anything you want to tell us about?

I submitted my third novel, Dawn for the fearless, to my publisher in April. I started working on my fourth novel, Tunnel, too. I have about thirty thousand words done. A totally different kind of a suspense story, I still don’t know that much about it. We’ll see what happens.

What books are currently on your nightstand/bedside? Anything coming you are dying to read?

I have a couple, I like all suspense and sci-fi books and movies, and so I started to read Andre Norton’s Masks of the outcasts. And a suspense by Michael Beres,’ Final Stroke.

I am not that much into reading these days, I read a lot in the past though I never was a true avid.

If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?

Reading and taste in books are very personal matters. I would say that The Raven Affair and Crossroads are equally good, they were both rated five stars by a number of reviewers. But, for those who like complex action, suspense, I’d recommend The Raven Affair. Read about the Vatican banker and his end. Read about a criminal and Interpol agents hunting him. Be in London one moment and the next one in Paris, L.A., Venice. If you’re a religious person, meet two very likable priests. Plenty of action, good characters, hit-men, revenge.

On other hand, for those who like paranormal, espionage, I’d say Crossroads would be a good bet. Read about spy agencies fighting for the most extraordinary man. Read what they were experimenting with. Read about a French woman spy, about her brutal death, about merciless spy master who controlled the Russian KGB, about his death. Be in New York City, Crossroads one moment, the next one in Paris, Moscow. Meet various characters; see how the French reason, the Russians, etc.

If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why?

Dawn, to be honest, that’s a tough one for me. I abhor all forms of servitude and bondage. A better question would be who do I admire that much. There are many people in literature who I admire. Mark Twain, for sure. A fantastic writer, talent. Dostoyevsky, Hemingway, to name a few.

    

What do you see for the future of publishing and e-books?

I believe that literature is vital for human progress. There’s a real problem with people who don’t read, and I see that schools do encourage kids to read. So, if people do continue to read, only the book format and book production might change. I see that some people do like e-books, Kindle. Many people prefer paperbacks. I think that hard cover books might be on their way out. Personally, I’d prefer a paperback in my hands to an e-book reader device.

These days the automated machines make paperbacks on demand, so bookstores might get seriously affected.

Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?

I like Raven, my protagonist in The Raven Affair, a bit too violent though. Very materialistic too. He’ll shoot you for fifty K anytime, so you don’t have to worry about dying too soon. I don’t spend that kind of money on the Internet Interviewers. But, seriously, I like all my characters, even when I hate them.

Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her/it/him when she/he/it refuses to inspire you?

Not always, it’s a love, hate relation. She’s just like most perfectly normal females. Very rarely truly serious, always the extremes. It’s either something too sad or very funny on her mind. And she fools around a lot and prefers women. I think. She still manages to produce many male characters but likes to kill them off as soon as she makes up. She likes to kill females too. I tell her she has a serious mental problem but she argues that King’s Muse is much, much worse, a real mad woman, yet much better taken care of. To that I respond: ‘Well, change the boss.’ This placates her some because, secretly, she believes King’s even crazier than his Muse.

And, she knows to take quite often very extended vacations. A matter I have to discuss with her as soon as I can get her back from her resort in Las Vegas. The girl likes to gamble, another vice I have to put with.

It’s impossible to placate her, too whimsical for that. I just forget the work I am involved in and wait. I am at her mercy, you might say.

If there was a soundtrack to your latest novel, what genre/songs would be included?

It would have to be very varied.

Which of your characters would you most likely fall for if they were real?

Lynnie, from The Raven Affair, is quite a gal, I’d say. The Russian spy woman, Dr. Tatiana, is too, though that one is too much of a murderess for my simple tastes in women.

Besides the bedroom, what's the sexiest part of your home in your opinion and why?

I am celibate, you know. Didn’t you know? My previous wife made sure of that.

Where can readers find you on the ‘net for more information on you, your books and other fun stuff?

The easiest place to find me/my creations, etc., is at www.snedelton.com, but I am all over the Internet, like Facebook.com, Goodreads.com, Myspace.com. Just look me up on the Internet, Steven Nedelton, I’m there.

 Sneak peek into The Raven Affair:

They named him Dino Benito in the St. Basil’s document after his uncle on his mother side and after Il Duce, a relative on his father’s side—a very distant relative, but nevertheless one that made the familia proud. Since his childhood, he progressed from Dino tesorino to Dino diavoletto, to Diavolo, to a long number on his black striped uniform, to Dino the Strangler, and finally to Dino de’ Medici, although that last appellation was vastly exaggerated and known only by a very small, select group. For he was only the delivery page of that miraculous concoction that sent saintly John Paul I into his heavenly slumber, as gently as a Lord’s lamb…Lord save his soul. Unfortunately, John Paul I was too much of an inquisitive ‘lamb’ for his own good, for the ‘interested parties’ must have thought that that particular coup of theirs was the wisest move they’d ever conceived of. When the ‘interested parties’ contracted him for the job, Dino wasn’t all that surprised. He had the right experience, was of the right age, and was definitely no longer the small time gangster many had thought him in the early days of his career. And it was sheer irony since the victim himself had chosen Dino as his trusted and only guardian, not to mention the millions he’d wasted on him for that ‘trustworthiness’.

On the other hand, his American partnership just happened…overnight, so to speak. Dino had been called and informed that there was a need for another ‘expert’, and that he would be arriving on the chosen night. Dino didn’t really care all that much for the blond, blue-eyed American who was too good looking for his taste in business partners. Who needed a whoremaster to quiet an old fat banker? But then, Dino had learned that there was also a third man in the operation, known as the ‘mason’, an expert at climbing walls, who would be waiting for Dino and the American at their

destination.

What had astonished him most was the choice of the execution place, some five miles from the safe house, when the flat was a far more convenient spot. But orders were orders and questioning them was a waste of time.

The night was cloudy, dark like ink, and the rain drizzled on Chelsea. As Big Ben struck the eleventh hour, Dino and the American arrived at the eighth floor apartment of the safe house and knocked on the door. Three sharp raps followed by another two, as agreed upon earlier.

“Who is it? Is it you Angelo?” a deep voice queried in Italian from inside. The old man knew Dino as Angelo.

“It’s me, it’s me. It’s urgent, Signor Rossi,” Dino responded in English.

“Uno momento, uno momento, Angelo. You‘re supposed to call before you disturb me,” the deep voice retorted, and the two men could hear a quick, heavy shuffle.

Buy The Raven Affair/publisher’s site:

https://www.asylett.com/asylettzstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=246

Buy Crossroads/publisher’s site:

https://www.asylett.com/asylettzstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=232

Thanks again for this opportunity.