John Schembra spent a year with the 557th MP Company at Long Binh, South Vietnam in 1970. Upon completing his military service, John joined the Pleasant Hill Police Department, where he retired in 2001 as a Sergeant, after 30 years of service.
His time as a combat M.P. provided the basis of his first book, M.P., A Novel of Vietnam, a work of fiction based in part on his personal experiences. His second novel Retribution, a fictional story of the hunt for a serial killer in San Francisco, was published in the spring of 2007, and his third novel Diplomatic Immunity, was published in 2012. His fourth novel, Sin Eater, was released in 2016 and his fifth book, Blood Debt, was released in November of this year. A sixth book, An Echo of Lies, is at the publisher undergoing editing, and John is hard at work on his seventh book, What goes around.
John lives in Concord, CA with Charlene, his wife of 47 years.
BMH: What’s the biggest challenge in writing?
JS: For me, it is keeping the story moving at a brisk pace. I try to avoid dead spots where it bogs down a bit. Those are the pages I bypass when reading a book, as it usually doesn’t add anything to the story, and I don’t want my readers to go searching for the next place the story picks up. If backfill is needed, I try to keep it concise, and to write it into dialogue, or as a character’s memory.
BMH: How much of yourself do you write into your character?
JS: Quite a bit. Since I write mystery thrillers, I rely on my 30 years of experience as a cop. I rely on my experiences, and when I write a procedural scene, or action scene, I ask myself “how would I have handled this”.
BMH: Do your own personal and life challenges drive your characters?
JS: Absolutely. I apply the challenges I faced to my characters. After all, what could be better than using real experiences ? Makes the book easier to write, as I don’t have to imagine it, as I have lived it.
BMH: Have you ever had a character ‘take over’?
JS: When I first started writing, I did. I learned not to allow that from my editor, who told me the other characters, important to the story, were getting lost- relegated minor roles, which hurt the story. She told me the secondary characters were just as important as the main character, and by fleshing them out, the story would be more readable and realistic.
BMH: Does writing energize or exhaust you?
JS: Absolutely energizes me! I love to write. Thanks to my mother, I became an avid reader at an early age. Writing is almost like a catharsis for me. It actually relaxes me, and, at times, energizes me. It calms me, as I can set aside, for a few hours, the weight of the world, and relax with a sense of accomplishment.
BMH: What is your writing kryptonite?
JS: By far, distractions when I am writing. I have converted a small bedroom into my “office” and retreat there to do my writing. I turn some on soft rock music, at low-volume, for background noise, yet still get distracted by stuff going on in the house- my wife calling out questions to me, the dogs needing to go out or be fed (they are very good and persistent at letting me know what they want.) That’s why I write in the early morning when I am the only one up, or late at night when everyone has settle in for the night.
BMH: What are your hardest scenes to write?
JS: Writing romance scenes. I usually go over them a few times, revising them, as they always seem corny, or unrealistic. Therefore, I limit them to a very minor role, and always for the main character(s). After all, it’s hard to add romance to a serial killer story.
BMH: What are your strengths as a writer?
JS: I like to think it’s the ability to keep the writer enthralled by the story. I have been told, and have seen in reviews, that the reader “couldn’t put the book down,” or “once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop.” Hearing that makes me happy- I have accomplished what I set out to do.
BMH: What is the best encouragement/advice you’ve received in your writing journey?
JS: Almost 20 years ago, I met, by chance, a lovely lady at a writer’s conference. We started out as strangers, and now are fast friends. We (or should I say “I”) started talking. At that time, I had just started writing and had a lot of questions, and doubts. She told me to not worry about things-just write. She said the biggest concern is to get the words on paper, tell my story, and let the editors take care of the details. She was right. Because of that simple advice, I was able to get the book done, and with a bit of self-editing, it was accepted by a publisher. By the way, I didn’t know at the time the lady, my friend, is an award winning, prolific author, having written over 40 books.
BMH: What is your favorite thing about the writing process?
JS: I love to through twists into the story. Leading the reader in one direction, then making a sharp turn in another. A beta reader called me once and said he was half-way through the book and had figured it all out. I told him to please keep reading, and a couple of days later he called back and said “Man, that was a terrific ending! I never saw it coming.” It made me smile!
BMH: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
JS: Going back through the manuscript making corrections. Getting rid of all, or most of, the adverbs, and certain words (that, had, just, he, she, etc.) that I use too much. It is necessary, but can be tiresome.
BMH: What was your favorite childhood book?
JS: When I was very young, 7 or 8 years old, my uncle introduced me to the Tarzan books. I was hooked form the first chapter. I began collecting the Tarzan series, and almost all other books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and have read them all 2 to 3 times.
BMH: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
JS: Having started reading at a very young age, my language and vocabulary was more advanced than my school mates. Consequently, I would get done with my class room work sooner than the rest of the class, and get bored. I was lucky that my teacher recognized that, and subsequently, I ended up spending half the year in 1st grade, and the other half in 2nd grade. I didn’t realize the power of language at that time, but it became clear a few years later when I was reading more “adult” books, fiction and non-fiction, and I found some aspects of school were, to me, very easy. Again, I thank my mother for getting me into reading at such an early age. She obviously knew that language had power.
BMH: What motivates you to write?
JS: What motivates me? The enjoyment I get from creating a good story. I was amazed at Burroughs ability to create entire new worlds, creatures, and even plants, and delighted with the twists and turns Jeffrey Deaver puts in his thrillers. Emulating them, to some extent, to create a captivating story keeps me going. Plus, its fun, and I love to write!
BMH: What is something you wish someone would have told you before you became an author?
JS: That’s an easy one- don’t expect to write the Great American Novel and make gazillions of dollars. It may happen eventually, but it takes a lot of persistence and hard work. Not all of us will be Stephen King successful.
BMH: You can go back in time, meet and chat with anyone, who would it be? What would you talk about?
JS: My mom. She passed on at 56. I wish she were here to read my books and offer her advice. She, too, was a prolific reader and we often talked about books we had read. It would have been nice to talk with her about my books.
BMH: Why crime fiction?
JS: One reason is that I was a police officer for almost 30 years, so I write what I know best. Another reason is some of my favorite authors write crime fiction- Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, James Patterson, Michael Connelly, and others, and I admire those authors for their ability to create such good stories.
BMH: How do you do research?
JS: I use Google a lot. There’s nothing you can’t find out about there. I use Google maps for my locations—since most of my books take place in San Francisco, I use real businesses and locations. I also contact the SFPD public information office for answers to SFPD specific procedures, and even terms. Making the setting real is important to me. Making the small details is equally important. For one of my books, I spent the day in San Francisco visiting prospective settings. It was fun and educational. I contact friends who are, or are retired, from other police agencies about their procedures (they can be very different from department to department), and once visited the cross at Mt. Davidson in SF, where the climax of one of my books took place. Research is critical! There is always that reader out there who sill call you out if your location or setting is incorrect for the area, and it may end up in their review!
BMH: How much editing do you do as you write?
JS: I belong to a wonderful critique group. We meet every 2 weeks and go over each of our 2,000 to 3,000 word submissions. There is nothing better than having another author critique your work. They will see things I messed up, or phrases/words I over-used, and offer suggestions that make the submission better, clearer, and flow smoother. I spend significant time making corrections to those submissions as we go, as I value their input, and it makes it easier to do a re-write, if needed, when the manuscript is done if needed. Before submitting to the group, I run the spelling/grammar check to correct some basic stuff before submitting it. After submitting the finished product to my publisher, I am confident it’s a semi-polished manuscript. The final polishing is done by the very good editors working with the publisher.
BMH: What comes first for you, characters or plot?
JS: Since five of my 7 books are SFPD Inspector Vince Torelli adventures, I have to say the plot comes first, especially the first chapter(s). I write the beginning, with an idea of the total plot in the back of my mind, then let the story flow as I write. I know what I want the ending to be, so the how the plot gets the reader there is uppermost in my writing.
BMH: How about some hard-earned advice?
JS: I know it is a bit of a cliché, but the best advice I ever got, and that I pass along to others, is JUST WRITE! Set aside some time every day to write, even if it’s only a half hour. You can’t finish that book if you don’t work at it. If you are serious about writing, don’t let it become a part-time project. Other advice- don’t sweat the details- that’s what the editors will do.
