David Swinson is the author of the critically acclaimed Frank Marr trilogy, The Second Girl, Crime Song and Trigger. He is also the author of City on the Edge. He began his career at the height of the punk rock movement in the early 1980s. After attending California State University as a film major, he booked and promoted punk rock and alternative music at Fender’s Ballroom and Bogart’s Nightclub in Long Beach. We spoke recently about his ventures into the crime genre, what distinguishes the genre and his books, and the reluctant hero of his poignant cinematic moment. His new book, FROM THE DUST, is now available. Read the Wall Street Journal's review here.
Dave Watson: Congratulations on From the Dust. What's your book about?
David Swinson: From the Dust is a character driven rural noir and police procedural set in a small fictitious town in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. Retired DC homicide detective, Graham Sanderson, moves to the town to bury his father and help out his shut-in brother. The chief of the town’s small police jurisdiction, who is also a family friend, asks for Graham’s assistance after a second murder occurs there. It was frighteningly similar to the first murder. Graham reluctantly agrees to help and then after a third murder, he realizes they are dealing with a serial killer. As the investigation progresses, it gets dangerously close to home.
DW: You're a retired police officer from the DC Metro area. Has police work changed much since you retired?
DS: Police procedure refers to the legal policies, rules and regulations and police work is the day-to-day tasks carried out by law enforcement officers. They are constantly evolving because there is always something new and often bad that happens, both related to police work, or just due to the state of the world we live in. It can be anything from a routine arrest, conducting a search warrant, traffic stop, police involved shooting, to a large demonstration or a tragic mass shooting - some event that introduces something new and unforeseen to law enforcement. After an event like that there are always new guidelines and training.
DW: The police genre still interests many people. Why do you think that is?
DS: Whether it is mystery, procedural, suspense or thriller, the crime genre can safely draw the reader into a world they would not normally find themselves in. It might involve intrigue, psychological suspense, solving a complex puzzle with a mystery, being brought into police culture or even a killer’s head. Whatever it is, the book is a safe environment, no matter how deep and dark it goes. It might keep you up at night or stay with you long after the read, but that’s about it. Even as a retired police detective, having seen all that I have seen, I still enjoy diving into a good crime story.
DW: Charles Ardai of Hard Case Crime once told me that crime is the second-most read genre. What are your thoughts on this? Even Jane Austen, Gone With the Wind, and Shakespeare's works revolve around crime.
DS: Romance is the number one genre. A lot of the great writers used both well. There is also Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. That masterpiece was everything from coming of age to courtroom drama to crime. Again, like I mentioned before, the reader is being safely taken into unfamiliar territory. It can be exciting to read.
DW: What drew you to writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer? You had another separate career in music also.
DS: I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I dreamt of being a published author when I was in my early teens. I wrote my first book when I was seventeen. I got my first rejection when I was eighteen. It devasted me. I never tried to send it out again after that and I couldn’t write for a few years. When I was in film school in California, I thought I’d be a screenwriter. That never panned out because I always got caught up in other thing, the music scene being one of them. I didn’t start writing again until I was a cop. I didn’t get published until after I retired. After college I was drawn into the punk rock/alternative music scene by my girlfriend. I discovered a venue in Long Beach, CA where I booked concerts for several bands. I eventually got a full time gig booking and promoting shows at a place called Bogart’s in Long Beach. It became a very popular and highly acclaimed venue, presenting such acts as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Social Distortion, Devo, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the Pixies. So many great acts went through there.
A couple of years after I left Bogart’s I did have a short-lived stint in the film business. I developed and co-produced a small cult film for New Line Cinema/Fine Line Features entitled Roadside Prophets. It was released in 1991. I worked at trying to get other projects made but it never happened. The business left a bad taste in my mouth and so I got out and became a cop. Go figure. Actually, it was probably one of the best life decisions I ever made.
DW: As this is a movie-centric website, which of your books would transfer well to the screen?
DS: I’d like to say all of them, but the Frank Marr trilogy might translate to either the big screen or small screen best. The Second Girl, which was the first book in the series is still one of my favorite books.
DW: Finally, what's your favorite cinematic moment?
DS: That’s an easy one and speaking of translating well to screen, I’d have to say that the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird was perfect. The scene that has always stayed with me, both in the book and on the screen, was when Atticus Finch had to shoot the rabid dog. Atticus was so civilized and reluctant, but he did what had to be done.
Clip: To Kill a Mockingbird.
Dave Watson: Congratulations on From the Dust. What's your book about?
David Swinson: From the Dust is a character driven rural noir and police procedural set in a small fictitious town in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. Retired DC homicide detective, Graham Sanderson, moves to the town to bury his father and help out his shut-in brother. The chief of the town’s small police jurisdiction, who is also a family friend, asks for Graham’s assistance after a second murder occurs there. It was frighteningly similar to the first murder. Graham reluctantly agrees to help and then after a third murder, he realizes they are dealing with a serial killer. As the investigation progresses, it gets dangerously close to home.
DW: You're a retired police officer from the DC Metro area. Has police work changed much since you retired?
DS: Police procedure refers to the legal policies, rules and regulations and police work is the day-to-day tasks carried out by law enforcement officers. They are constantly evolving because there is always something new and often bad that happens, both related to police work, or just due to the state of the world we live in. It can be anything from a routine arrest, conducting a search warrant, traffic stop, police involved shooting, to a large demonstration or a tragic mass shooting - some event that introduces something new and unforeseen to law enforcement. After an event like that there are always new guidelines and training.
DW: The police genre still interests many people. Why do you think that is?
DS: Whether it is mystery, procedural, suspense or thriller, the crime genre can safely draw the reader into a world they would not normally find themselves in. It might involve intrigue, psychological suspense, solving a complex puzzle with a mystery, being brought into police culture or even a killer’s head. Whatever it is, the book is a safe environment, no matter how deep and dark it goes. It might keep you up at night or stay with you long after the read, but that’s about it. Even as a retired police detective, having seen all that I have seen, I still enjoy diving into a good crime story.
DW: Charles Ardai of Hard Case Crime once told me that crime is the second-most read genre. What are your thoughts on this? Even Jane Austen, Gone With the Wind, and Shakespeare's works revolve around crime.
DS: Romance is the number one genre. A lot of the great writers used both well. There is also Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. That masterpiece was everything from coming of age to courtroom drama to crime. Again, like I mentioned before, the reader is being safely taken into unfamiliar territory. It can be exciting to read.
DW: What drew you to writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer? You had another separate career in music also.
DS: I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I dreamt of being a published author when I was in my early teens. I wrote my first book when I was seventeen. I got my first rejection when I was eighteen. It devasted me. I never tried to send it out again after that and I couldn’t write for a few years. When I was in film school in California, I thought I’d be a screenwriter. That never panned out because I always got caught up in other thing, the music scene being one of them. I didn’t start writing again until I was a cop. I didn’t get published until after I retired. After college I was drawn into the punk rock/alternative music scene by my girlfriend. I discovered a venue in Long Beach, CA where I booked concerts for several bands. I eventually got a full time gig booking and promoting shows at a place called Bogart’s in Long Beach. It became a very popular and highly acclaimed venue, presenting such acts as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Social Distortion, Devo, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the Pixies. So many great acts went through there.
A couple of years after I left Bogart’s I did have a short-lived stint in the film business. I developed and co-produced a small cult film for New Line Cinema/Fine Line Features entitled Roadside Prophets. It was released in 1991. I worked at trying to get other projects made but it never happened. The business left a bad taste in my mouth and so I got out and became a cop. Go figure. Actually, it was probably one of the best life decisions I ever made.
DW: As this is a movie-centric website, which of your books would transfer well to the screen?
DS: I’d like to say all of them, but the Frank Marr trilogy might translate to either the big screen or small screen best. The Second Girl, which was the first book in the series is still one of my favorite books.
DW: Finally, what's your favorite cinematic moment?
DS: That’s an easy one and speaking of translating well to screen, I’d have to say that the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird was perfect. The scene that has always stayed with me, both in the book and on the screen, was when Atticus Finch had to shoot the rabid dog. Atticus was so civilized and reluctant, but he did what had to be done.
Clip: To Kill a Mockingbird.
