Author Q&A With Gregory Stout
Greg Stout’s background includes 27 years as an executive in the automotive industry and twelve years as a teacher of American history, language arts, reading, drama, film criticism, and Latin in the public school system in suburban Chicago. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Kansas and a Master of Arts in education from Aurora University. Greg has recently won the prestigious Private Eye Writers’ Shamus Award for the novel Lost Little Girl! Meet Greg:
You are an author, but is it your day job? If not, what fills your days? I guess it would be fair to say writing is my “day job,” since it is the only job I’ve had since I retired (after getting up and going to work for 40 years) in 2010. That said, I do not work at it full-time. I have other hobbies, including building a pretty large model railroad, swimming in my backyard pool, doing outside maintenance, participating in a monthly discussion group, and belonging to three writers’ guilds, including one for which I am president and a Missouri state guild for which I serve on the board of directors.
And yes, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. When I was a kid, I don’t ever remember going out in the yard to throw a ball around, or going fishing, hunting, or camping with my father. I do remember spending time with him reading and, later, helping him learn his lines for plays he was in at a local theater guild. For that reason, I knew how to read long before I started school, and I found books more interesting than television.
What is your most recent book, and what inspired you to write it?
My most recently released book is called Long Time Gone. It is the fourth in the Jackson Gamble PI series published by Level Best Books. My newest title, Goodbye is Forever, is the fifth in the series and will be released in late November or early December. Part of the “inspiration” is that I have what amounts to a six-book contract and needed to get this baby finished. The last book in the series, after which I will go on to something different, is called When the Music’s Over. It is due to the publisher in the spring of 2026. Beyond the impetus of impending deadlines, however, I enjoy writing detective fiction, in large part because I cut my teeth on authors like Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald, and Dennis Lehane.
How do you hope your book will uplift readers? In addition to PI fiction, I have also written a couple of YA/middle grade titles called Gideon’s Ghost and Connor’s War, both published by Beacon Publishing Group. Both are coming-of-age novels set during the 1960s. The essence of books like these is that they present a main character who must solve his own problems rather than have mom or dad do it for him (think: “Leave it to Beaver”). I think this sends an empowering message to the reader. I was moved to write these books because, for the last 12 years of my working life, I taught 8th graders in a middle school in Illinois, and I knew that empowerment is a critical consideration for kids that age. The PI novels do not have a specific uplifting message other than, in the end, it is still possible for the good guy to win—but not without getting a few bruises along the way.
How did writing a book help your career take off? The bulk of my writing career is in nonfiction, where I have published 23 titles on the history of American railroading with White River Productions and Morning Sun Books. I made some fairly serious money writing these books, and they established me as a recognized authority in postwar railroad operations in the United States.
What advice would you give someone wanting to succeed in your professional industry? If writing at my level is a professional industry, then I have two pieces of advice. One is, don’t quit your day job. For every J. K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, or James Patterson, hundreds of thousands of writers make little or no money, so if your goal is to write a book, do it because you love the craft. My second piece of advice is BIC, that is, butt-in-chair. Practically everyone I meet at an author event will say, “I think I have a book in me.” And, for a lot of reasons, they probably do, but until they actually write the thing, even if it never gets published, they do not have a book. They have a dream.
How do you handle setbacks and criticism? Not well, and I admit it. But I also know it’s part of the business we, as writers, are in. Sometimes, the criticism is valid, e.g., a factual error. Sometimes, it’s subjective, e.g., “…you killed that character too soon,” But I have editors who are in the business of selling books, and I guess, at the end of the day, if they’re happy with the book, I must be doing something right.
Being an author today is like running a business. How do you manage your publicity and social media and maintain engagement with readers? Well… this year, I hired a publicist who works hard to find opportunities for exposure (like this one). I also send out a quarterly newsletter, run paid ads in Strand magazine, and participate in nine mystery writers’ Facebook groups. This year, I attended the Killer Nashville event and served as a panelist on four panels.
How do you hold yourself accountable and achieve the goals that you set forth? I have publishers with whom I have contracts that include due dates. And while I suppose it’s always possible to beg for more time, I think of myself as a professional. As such, I have committed to getting the work done on time and in good order.
How do you structure your day and make time for writing? Mostly, I write for a couple of hours in the evening. On a good day, I might manage 500 or so words. On a crap day, I might fix a sentence or two. For a Gamble mystery, which runs around 75,000 words, it takes the better part of a year to get it right. It pays off in the end, however, since my manuscripts generally sail through developmental edits without getting beaten up too badly. In terms of process, I need quiet and freedom from distraction (since I am easily distracted. That means no radio, no television, no phone calls, no dealing with the cats.)
What do you find most fulfilling in the career that you’ve chosen? Well, it’s not the money. There is, however, an element of recognition that comes with having 28 (soon to be 30, since I signed on to do one more railroad book) traditionally published titles, some of which have gone out of print. Beyond that, there is the opportunity to meet and network with other authors, and to perhaps offer some measure of inspiration to those who are struggling to get their first book into print. We are all in a tough business, and we can all use all the support we can get.
What book uplifts you? My favorite book (I read it once a year) is The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. It is a perfect mix of adventure, overcoming obstacles, friendship, and tolerance.
Anything else you’d like to share with your readers? Yes. Writers write to be read. An earlier question dealt with handling criticism, but there is a flip side to that: being told, “I really liked your book.” To that end, if you read something you liked, it only takes a minute to post a short, hopefully positive, review on the most common platforms, Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble. Most readers probably don’t give much thought to posting a review, but I can say without reservation that the author will appreciate it.
Connect with Greg and learn more about his books via his website.
