Please join me in welcoming Tim Tresslar as he shares his superhero sidekick preference, his invention of a prize for a cereal box, and his transition from being an investigative journalist to writing excellent action suspense/thrillers.
I’ve read Tim’s work and I highly recommend his novels. They are well-written, suspenseful stories filled with vivid action scenes, well-developed characters, witty dialog, peppered with intelligent humor, and splashes of romance.
For a limited time (July 2 – 9) you can pick up BLOOD FEUD, his entry in the FIGHT CARD series for ONLY 99 CENTS.
“From the first line to the last line in BLOOD FEUD the reader is grabbed by the collar and yanked into the story, and isn’t let go until the last page. The pacing lends itself to a book that will have you turning the pages in anticipation to find out how the conflict and the story will unfold.” ~Selena
Chatting with Tim Tresslar
Tim, Welcome to the blog and thank you for taking time away from your heroes who are out there saving the world, fighting crime, chasing monsters to chat with me.
Selena: If you could be a superhero’s sidekick for 24 hours, who would you be? Why? What would you want to do?
TIM: I’d want to be Batman’s sidekick.
But I wouldn’t want to be Robin. God, no. How many times has Robin died? Three? Four? How does Bruce Wayne keep getting custody of all those kids, anyway? Somebody needs to investigate the Gotham City courts. Plus, have you seen all Internet memes where Batman’s slapping him? I’d rather put out a forest fire with a Dixie cup full of water than be Robin.
I’m sorry, what was the question?
Selena: Now you have me looking at Batman in a whole new light. You’re right. Someone needs to investigate to see if those memes are accurate. Superhero world problems. 🙂 Create a bumper sticker that best describes your writing life.
TIM: “Tough Guy – On Paper.” Or “Tough Guy – On Ink Pixels.”
Selena: Start production on those because I have a feeling authors everywhere will want one on their cars. Here’s a chance for another entrepreneurial venture—create a toy to put inside a cereal box. What would you create?
TIM: A razor-sharp ninja star?
Selena: Great idea for the good guys, but you know there’s always a villain ready to pounce on something like this, probably not good for cereal companies.
TIM: No? OK, let me think…How about the Tim Tresslar inaction figure? He comes with a coffee cup, a chair and an iPad, so he can compulsively monitor his Amazon rankings.
Selena: Kellogg’s are you listening? 🙂 How has your experience as a world-famous journalist helped you in shaping your characters and stories?
TIM: A couple of things. I spent untold hours listening to people from all walks of life. I transcribed recorded interviews, focusing on the words. I think that has helped me write dialog.
Also, I’ve been a police reporter and a business reporter. And aspects of those two worlds end up in my books. I don’t mean writing thinly veiled versions of real-world stories. I have no interest in that. But it’s more about details. Things you might see or hear in a police station or a posh executive suite, for instance.
Selena: Your experience as a reporter sounds fascinating. What is the most outrageous thing you’ve done in the name of research?
TIM: As my wife will attest, I am the most boring person alive. If I do something outrageous it’s usually:
a.) unplanned; and
b.) humiliating.
Selena: It’s those embarrassing moments that we are always interested in as readers, and as writers, they can help as well. If you were invited to be a guest on a reality TV show which one would you be on and why? (If you say the Kardashians I may have to go all David Garrett on you).
TIM: Ack! I hate reality TV. If they had one where I could run a comic book shop for a month, though, I’d be all over it.
Selena: That’s a relief, our friendship is intact. 🙂 My husband would be more than willing to support you in your comic book shop venture. Besides superhero fiction, what books have influenced you as a writer?
TIM: Robert B. Parker’s early Spenser books. Andrew Vachss’ books.
I love the Spenser and Burk characters. David Garrett, the lead character in Blood Feud, has touches of both, particularly Spenser.
Garrett’s a tarnished knight — compulsively sarcastic, yet protective. He’s good hearted, but also comfortable with violence. He has no filter. His ideas of right and wrong don’t always align with the law. And he’ll target a predator in a heartbeat.
But I digress. Other books? The late Don Pendleton and his Executioner series was hugely influential. I don’t write like Don, but I like his attitude about what makes an action hero. Based on what I’ve heard, he also was a kind man, willing to encourage and advise other writers.
Fletch by Gregory MacDonald. I love his dialogue-heavy style and his dry humor.
Thousands and thousands of comic books. I think that’s why I love dialog so much.
Selena: I’ve also read Andrew Vachss’ books and enjoyed them. Dialog is my favorite to read and write as well, as I feel it connects the reader to the characters, and witty dialog the way you write is always a pleasure to read when escaping into fiction. What is on the horizon for readers to enjoy in your next projects?
TIM: Glad you asked! I’ve been working with a small group of thriller writers on a series, LINGER. It went on sale July 1.
Thriller Writer Robert Gregory Browne created the concept, wrote the first book and edited the other four. Rob Browne has other cool authors in the pipeline for upcoming LINGER episodes. I’m biased, of course, but I definitely think it’s a great series.
My book, LINGER 3: Reckoning for the Damned, was a departure for me because the action (as in gun battles and fistfights) took a backseat. There’s a lot going on, but it’s a crime thriller with paranormal elements, not an action-adventure book. It gave me a chance to work alongside Rob Browne, who’s extremely talented. But I also got to meet and work with other great writers – Rob Cornell, Will Graham and J.D. Rhodes.
Selena: As you know, I’ve read all five books in the series and thoroughly enjoyed them—they are psychological thrillers at their best. Your entry raised the emotional stakes for the characters, and the scenes, conflicts, and climax hit all the right notes.
TIM: Also, I’m working on another book for Rob Browne and his company, Braun Haus Publishing, but I can’t discuss it just yet. And Garrett’s going to team up with Jet, Russell Blake’s action-spy character, for a short Kindle World novel, slated (hopefully) for a fall release.
And after that? At this point, another Garrett novel, one that will pick up after Blood Feud. I have a general idea of the story. He’s going to get his world rocked and it won’t be pretty.
About Tim:
Tim was previously one of the authors behind Don Pendleton’s bestselling Mack Bolan action thrillers from Gold Eagle Books, including entries for the EXECUTIONER, STONY MAN, and MACK BOLAN lines.
His thrillers include JUSTICE RUN, BLOOD VENDETTA and REVOLUTION DEVICE, among several others. He is also the author of BLOOD FEUD, his entry in the Jack Tunney FIGHT CARD series from Fight Card Books.
A former newspaper man, Tim lives in Dayton, Ohio. He has studied intelligence, intelligence analysis, terrorism and lots of other weird stuff.
To connect with Tim (and you’ll want to, because he’s a lot of fun on social media) follow his links:
TWITTER: @TimTresslar1
Selena Robins, Author 
Let’s chat