Interview with Mike Monahan

Mike Monahan: I love Clive Cussler novels and he does this. I also love Nelson DeMille and he does this with the police angle. Since I have twenty years police knowledge and about the same with scuba, I just wrote about things I know and threw in a bunch of fantasy and fiction.

Queenies: This is a great read for avid scuba divers. You certainly have specific knowledge on the subject which obviously comes from 20 years of experience! We saw that your dive buddy, Henry Fine, took the picture of the barracuda from the front cover of the book. Were you there when he took it?

Mike: No, I wish I was. Henry and I traveled to the Galapagos Islands and to Papua New Guinea on some wild dive trips, and we constantly traded photos. I was proud of my barracuda shots, but this one blew me away. It was actually taken with a video camera on zoom lens, then freeze framed into a jpeg.

Queenies: How cool that you get to have a real picture, taken by someone you know, on the front of your book!

Mike Monahan: To tell you the truth, that picture was the inspiration for me to try and write the "new" jaws book.

Queenies: Obviously you drew on your experience as a cop. Can you tell us a little bit about that part of your life?

Mike Monahan: Well, I spent most of my adult life working as a cop in the South Bronx, so I took some real characters and real incidents and incorporated them into the book. Most of the characters have names of real friends, Gus, JC, James, Dr. Collins etc. It’s easier for me that way to remember who is who in the book.

Queenies: So if you base your characters on people you know - how similar is the character, Mick O'Shaughnessy, to you?

Mike: The first couple of chapters describe me, then it becomes pure fiction.

Queenies: Then you were injured on the job?

Mike Monahan: Several times, but never shot. A good pal and dive buddy's incident is real, and the one I use in the book. I've changed it a bit. My buddy Joey P, was shot in the elbow and stomach during the described incident. It ended his police and diving career.

Queenies: Wow. How awful. The awesome thing I'm learning from this is that you truly wrote from the heart, incorporated your own life and world into your book, and it's ended up a successful story! Do you think you might write a detective series based on Mick's character?

Mike Monahan: Absolutely! Micko is going to solve sensational homicides in New York City. I have the outlines for several books already. I am also in the process of writing, Barracuda II, the return. I want to write a series of Micko books.

Queenies: Fantastic! We can't wait! The research was very thorough on the Marshall Islands. How fascinating the facts about the sunken W.W.II warships! Have the nuclear levels been tested in this area lately that you know of? If so, how well did it fare?

Mike: Actually there has been scuba diving in Bikini Atoll since 1996 and the habitat is monitored closely. I mix fact with fiction in the book. Queenies: In today’s world there are so many concerns about the environment. Do you think the world has forgotten the effects of the mid-twentieth century nuclear testing on our marine life?

Mike Monahan: Yes. It’s unfortunate, but with all the constant reminders that we are killing Mother Nature I fear that there will be a rude awakening one day. There must be a certain balance in a civilized society, and that also applies to a balance of nature. Hmm, now I'm getting on my soapbox

Queenies: That's a good thing about being a writer - you get to have a soapbox and preach from it!

Mike Monahan: It's also a good thing for you to host this site. This can be your soapbox!

Queenies: It definitely is, in what we hope is an informative, fun way for other book lovers!

You referenced Jaws earlier on in the interview. Yours is not the first story about an advanced species sea predator that has been told successfully. The Mafia storyline adds a new twist. I think it would make a great action packed movie! Have you considered trying to sell it to a studio?

Mike Monahan: I would love to see this as a movie. It has all the action and variety that people seem to like. My close friends are also my biggest critics and they loved the book and also think it would make a great movie. I will reach out to an agent after the book sales reach a good enough sale level. My female friends are demanding more sex in the sequel .

Queenies: We are definitely hoping to see this in movie form! Actually, if you want our opinion, we think the balance you have already achieved between the mystery and the love/sex interest is perfect.

Mike Monahan: Thanks. I know that most action books have to have the obligatory sex scene, so I tried to incorporate one that actually fit into the plot.

Queenies: You did fantastic work for a first time author. You brought the characters to life and kept the story going! Did you always know you wanted to write a book?

Mike Monahan: As I'm getting older, I realized that I want to reinvent myself. I have had a wonderfully exciting life, so why not fictionalize it a bit with stories? I love writing and it amuses me. Now I find that it also amuses others, so I'm off to the races with a new career.

Queenies: You definitely are a jack of many trades. We have been commenting about that to each other as we've been reading your book and now learning about your personal inspiration.

Mike Monahan: I really have been blessed with a great family and friends. I love challenges and I embrace them. Of course I have suffered the broken bones from several of my antics, but I'd do it all over again. Most of by buddies think I overdue it, but some people exist while others LIVE.

Queenies: A motto for life that's for sure! To wrap up this fantastic interview, we'd like quote the last line of Barracuda - "the end, or is it?" Certainly only the beginning for author Mike Monahan! Thanks for your time Mike!

Mike Monahan: Thank you both so much for this really cool interview.

Queenies: No problem! We think you're on the way to great things! Keep up posted about your upcoming novels! We'll definitely want to read/review and perhaps, interview again once you've got another book or two under your belt!

Mike Monahan: Have a great weekend. Micko signing off.