Danny R. Smith spent 21 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the last seven as a homicide detective. He now lives in Idaho where he works as a private investigator and consultant. He is blessed with a beautiful wife and two wonderful daughters, and he is passionate about his dogs and horses, all of whom he counts among his friends.
He is the author of the bestselling and award-winning Dickie Floyd Detective Novel series, and has written articles for trade publications. He publishes a weekly blog called The Murder Memo, which can be found at dickiefloydnovels.com.
He is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and the Public Safety Writers Association.
Facebook Profile: Danny R. Smith
Facebook Group: Dickie Floyd Novels VIP
Instagram: author_dannyrsmith
Twitter: @dickiefloyd187
BMH: What do you consider the most important thing in writing a good plot?
DRS: I believe you have to know of what you write. You’ll hear many people in the industry say, “Write what you know.” That’s great for me as I write detective novels, or for Jack Carr as he writes his thrillers about a former Navy SEAL, but it would severely limit some of the greatest talent from providing us with wonderful prose. For instance, one of my all-time favorite authors is Elmore Leonard. I used to say that if you didn’t know better, you’d think he had been a cop for twenty years and also a convict for at least half that long. But he was neither. I have to assume that he associated with both in order to become so well versed in the profiles of each. He knew what he wrote, and I believe that is what makes a great plot and novel.
BMH: How many times do you redo the opening of your stories before you are satisfied with it?
DRS: I’ve had a couple of novels and stories where I loved the opening from the start and never changed it. However, like many authors, I usually tweak the first line and paragraph numerous times until I am satisfied that it is a solid hook for my readers.
BMH: When did you first know you were going to be a writer?
DRS: When I retired from law enforcement I began writing because a shrink told me it was therapeutic to do so, and he had detected that I had a talent for writing as he reviewed my novel-length answers to the interrogatories that preceded our sessions. People ask if I had always known I would be a writer, and sadly, I tell them, no, I hadn’t. For if I had, I would have written a daily journal of the wild adventure that was my career, as much of it I’ve surely forgotten.
BMH: What is something you wish someone would have told you before you became an author?
DRS: Nothing. It has been an enormous learning experience and I’ve enjoyed every step of the journey.
BMH: What two words best describes your writing style?
DRS: Authentic. Hard-boiled.
BMH: How do you choose the names for your characters?
DRS: I usually just make them up, but sometimes I think of someone to base a character on and just alter their name slightly. It makes it easier to remember him or her as I move forward in the story. For instance, one of my characters is named Davey Lopes. In the book, the POV character explains that this person is not the former Dodgers second baseman, rather he is “our own” (L.A. Sheriff’s Homicide) Davey Lopes, a legendary lawman and former Marine captain. This character is based on a good friend and former colleague, Rich Lopez.
BMH: What do you do to prepare yourself to write?
DRS: I’m a “pantser,” meaning I don’t plot; rather, I write by the seat of my pants. Generally, I’ll come up with an idea and just start writing. I like to tell people that I’m as surprised as they are when things happen in my stories. But as far as just how I prepare to write daily, I get up early and start drinking mass quantities of coffee. I like to write before the daily distractions of life begin.
BMH: How do you put yourself into the skin of someone of the opposite sex to write a strong character who is not of your gender?
DRS: This is a great question. I have several great sources to help me with that: my wife, two lovely daughters, my editor, and a couple of former colleagues who were great cops. I have found it to be enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable to learn about the experiences, perspectives, and thoughts of some of my former female colleagues, and to see the job we did through their lenses, if only small glimpses.
BMH: It has been said that there is a little good and a little evil in all of us. Do you believe that? If so, do you believe you pull a bit of the bad out of you and put it into your villains?
DRS: Having seen true evil in this world firsthand, my answer is no, I don’t believe we all have a little evil in us. I believe we all are capable of bad deeds, and that we all have the ability to act out vulgarly, immorally, and even violently in the right (or wrong) scenarios. I believe we all have parts of us that seek adventure, mischievousness, even danger. And yes, parts of those things can contribute to my villain characters. However, most of my villains are built on the truly evil people I’ve encountered. I spent more than two decades immersed in a dark world that provided all the material for evil characters I’ll ever need.
BMH: Why crime fiction?
DRS: Crime fiction is not only what I know, it’s the genre I love to read. I also write a true crime blog (The Murder Memo) and I have two true crime book projects in the works, as well as a memoir.
BMH: What is something you’ve never written about, but hope to some day?
DRS: There are a few homicide cases that I plan to write about in the future, stories that really need to be told. One is about a Native American who was tortured and murdered by skinheads, the victim’s girlfriend setting it up. It was a horrific case and will be a compelling true crime story.
BMH: Has your writing ever gotten you into any trouble?
DRS: I’ve had some feedback from those who prefer more politically correct prose, but to them I say, the literary world is full of just that! My crime fiction is authentic, and because it is, some people can be offended by parts of it. In the “cancel culture” we see today, I think it is imperative that there are people like me who will stand against the mob and be true to their stories, to their characters, to themselves.
BMH: What are your hardest scenes to write?
DRS: Some scenes evoke in me some heavy memories and I’d say those are the hardest to plow through. In ECHO KILLERS there are details about a cop funeral unlike anything you will ever read anywhere else. I’ve had a lot of feedback about that part of the book, all of it very complimentary.
BMH: What is your favorite thing about the writing process?
DRS: As far as the process, I really enjoy the actual writing of a first draft, as long as things are flowing. I especially love writing the opening and closing chapters of a novel.
BMH: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
DRS: The most difficult part of the artistic process for me is just that, being artistic. I am tightly wound, an A-type with dark shades of OCD, so I get hung up on things being correct before I can move forward. They say a first draft should be written with little regard to polishing and details; that is what the rewrite is for. But my brain won’t allow for carelessness, and at times it can really slow me down.
BMH: What is the best encouragement/advice you’ve received in your writing journey?
DRS: Probably the two best pieces of advice that I’ve received as an author are, first and foremost, keep writing. Secondly, don’t try to please everyone.
BMH: How big a part did your upbringing have on your writing?
DRS: Truthfully, my upbringing had little to do with my being a writer. I didn’t enjoy reading as a child, nor did I embrace education. In spite of these things, I had a knack for writing that was realized during the academy and for which I was known for throughout my career by my peers and supervisors alike. Some cops write well, some don’t. I thank God for my somehow having both a smidgeon of talent and an endless desire to write.
BMH: In real life, who is you hero/heroine? Why?
DRS: I worked with true heroes, men and women who ran toward gunfire, who waded through burning buildings to save strangers, who stood between evil and society’s weak and vulnerable ones. My father is also my hero. A veteran of the Korean war, he shaped me to be the man I am. He is a loving father who worked hard to raise his family and always made sure we had the things we needed, working two jobs at times to make ends meet.
BMH: What are you working on now?
DRS: I’ve written the first book of a new series which is a spinoff of the Dickie Floyd Detective Novel series. Now I’m working on the next book which I would like to complete before publishing the first in that new series. I am also working on two other novels, all of them vying for my love and attention.
BMH: Where can people find out more about you?
DRS: My website: https://dickiefloydnovels.com, AKA: The Murder Memo, hosts my weekly blog and has information about where to buy my published books. I’m also on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
