Q&A with Marshall Karp

 

 

 

Marshall Karp is the author of the new novel Don't Tell Me How to Die. His other books include the NYPD Red series. He is also a screenwriter, TV writer, and playwright.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Don't Tell Me How to Die?

 

A: It was 2018.  After writing five books in the Lomax and Biggs LAPD police procedural series, and six in the NYPD Red series, I needed (not wanted—needed) to challenge myself to grow as a writer.

 

The prevailing wisdom says, “Write what you know,” but something inside me said, “Take a break from cops hunting down killers and write something totally out of your comfort zone.”

 

That was my mindset on the day that Maggie Dunn materialized in my brain. “I have three months to live,” she told me, “and I’m going to spend that time looking for the perfect wife and mother to take my place.”

 

I was gobsmacked. I knew it was a big idea, unexplored territory, and in the hands of the right author, it could make a phenomenal book.

 

And then the self-doubt crept in. It doesn’t matter if you’re a #1 bestselling author or a rank beginner, doubt nips at every writer’s heels. 

 

I don’t remember how long I wrestled with the should I or shouldn’t I question, but I do remember one night when I heard a voice say, “Of course you can write it. And if you get stuck, I’ll help.”

 

It was Maggie Dunn. I know… she’s a fictional character. In theory, she shouldn’t be able to talk unless I’m typing. But once she got in my head, she didn’t let go until she convinced me to tell her story.

 

When an editor does that, it’s their job. When a figment of a writer’s imagination does that, it’s inspiration.

 

Q: How did you create your character Maggie Dunn?

 

A: That’s a great question, because it made me realize that I usually come up with a character and then see where he or she takes me. But Maggie was different. I knew her story: instead of spending her final days with friends and family, she’s out there in search of the next Mrs. Dunn. 

 

I needed to create a character who would be capable of making that choice. As the three-dimensional Maggie slowly came together, I knew that a first-born overachiever, an obsessive-compulsive micromanager, and a fiercely competitive risk taker with a wicked sense of humor would not be embraced by every reader, but because Maggie’s goal felt so noble, I knew she had to be riddled with flaws that would get in her way.

 

Great characters don’t have to be lovable. But they should be unforgettable. And the early buzz from people who have read Don’t Tell Me How To Die is that Maggie Dunn stays with them long after they’ve turned the final page.

 

Q: What do you see as the role of humor in your books?

 

A: If you ask a hundred people to list the top three assets they look for in a partner, I guarantee “sense of humor” would pop up more often than “likes long walks on the beach,” or “owns a snowblower.”

 

The role of humor in my books is the same as the role of humor in our lives. It’s how we connect, how we cope, how we deflect, and for many of us, it’s how we survive. 

 

James Patterson (my partner in crime for many years) has said, “Marshall Karp is the only author I know who can get big laughs out of murdering someone.”

 

With all due respect to James, that’s not a hundred percent accurate. Murder isn’t funny. In real life it’s devastating. And in fiction it’s not something that I can milk for laughs. What is funny—in life and on the page—is how people cope with death.   

 

In Don’t Tell Me How To Die, Maggie Dunn is on a mission to accomplish one last end-of-life goal. Doesn’t sound like a lot of laughs, and yet one reviewer said: “I laughed countless times. The humor was just brilliant. It made the characters so raw and relatable.”

Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I not only knew the ending, I knew that if I was going to pull readers into the final journey of a dying woman, I’d better give them a gut punch of an ending that made them go on social media and write things like “HOLY CRAP!!! THAT ENDING!!!!” and “an ending with so many twists and turns it’ll make your head spin,” and “Marshall Karp will keep you riveted page after page, twist after twist, until delivering a stunning blow in the final five words.”

 

And yes, those are actual quotes. My goal has always been to give my readers an ending that will keep them thinking about—and talking about—the book long after they turned the final page. And in my not-so-humble opinion, I’ve never done it better than in Don’t Tell Me How To Die.

 

Q: What are you working on now? 

 

A: 1. Fans of Detectives Kylie MacDonald and Zach Jordan will be happy to hear that I’m almost finished writing NYPD Red 8: The 11:59 Bomber and it will be released later this year. 

 

And for those who haven’t yet discovered the Red Team, each book in the series stands on its own, so you can start with any one of them. My personal favorite is NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority. But I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a new favorite child when Red 8 is published.

 

2. My Lomax and Biggs series also has a lot of rabid fans. They’re a few thousand whackos short of a cult following, and they reach out to me on a daily basis asking for the next book.

 

The truth is, I didn’t stop writing Lomax and Biggs; I just put them on the back burner. But once I finish Red 8, I think I may go back to the two Hollywood Homicide detectives who launched my career with The Rabbit Factory.

 

3. A screenplay for Don’t Tell Me How To Die. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know? 

 

A: Twenty years ago, my cousin Dennis Diamond, a celebrated video artist, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. His life went into a tailspin. He closed his business. And when he could no longer handle the pressure of living in New York City, he left.

 

Years passed. His future looked bleak, but then something extraordinary happened. Dennis’s creativity kicked back in. He wrote books on his condition and gave them away to anyone who could benefit from his insight. He started drawing, then sculpting, and eventually crafting beautiful copper mobiles, which he also was happy to give away. 

 

Today Dennis’s life is brimming with renewed creative energy, and his future is filled with promise. I was so in awe of his transformation that I wrote and directed a 19-minute documentary, Bipolar Within: Who Am I?  

 

I did not want to monetize it. Instead I shared it with the world on YouTube. https://tinyurl.com/bipolarwithin. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with bipolar, Dennis’s journey is a message of hope.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Marshall Karp.