Sisters in Crime/Hawaii: This week we welcome editor and
author Greg Field to our “Friday - 13 Authors” interview. Greg, thank you for
sharing with readers your short story, The
Face, included within the anthology MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of
Suspense, and for taking time to visit with us today.
Can
you please offer a brief insight into something humorous, poignant, or unusual
in your life that led you to a career in writing?
GREG FIELD: At an early age I enjoyed
telling stories. I even drew comic books with my own made up characters. The
heroes were not necessarily endowed with super powers, but more likely to be a
kid my own age. The villains were teachers, police officers, or other grown-ups
who used their authority for evil or to bully others. Firemen were heroes — they
ran to the fire when everyone else ran away.
One
evening when I was young I saw a park structure on fire. Sparks and burning
cinders swirled into the night sky. I called the fire department and soon the
fire trucks rolled up. Men in heavy yellow coats pulled thick canvas hoses to
the fire. Overspray from the nozzles chilled the air. I stood with onlookers — adults
who insisted I stay back because I was a child. I wanted to tell them I was the
one who called the fire department. One adult suggested it was kids who’d set
the fire. And so onto my list of heroes went those who were unjustly accused.
These same characters and themes appear in my stories: kids who take on the
roles of adults, persons who must prove their innocence or overcome bullies who
gang up on the weak.
Sisters in Crime/Hawaii: Writers, by default, are
independent contractors who sit alone at their computer/typewriter/journal,
composing prose, poetry, lyrics, haiku, or limericks, for hours on end.
Why
did you choose to collaborate with 13 other authors to participate in a short
story anthology?
GREG FIELD: I often share the early drafts
of my writing with Laurie Hanan, another author in the anthology. She suggested
I write a story and submit it to Sisters In Crime. I’d just finished a novel, Red Dirt, and wanted to hang out some
more with the same characters. This often happens. After living with my
characters for a few months I’ll see them in little vignettes, like hanging out
in Chinatown or eating ice cream cones. I had an idea that wasn’t enough to
carry a novel, but was perfect for a short story.
Sisters in Crime/Hawaii: Each short story in the
anthology offers a glimpse into the personality of the writer.
In your
short story, The Face, what is one phrase or scene that reflects
something about you as a writer?
GREG FIELD: The scene where detective Kai
leads Ka’ena into the soup kitchen — it’s menacing, bleak, hostile, but it is
also part of his past, so in a way it is familiar to him. Kai even meets
someone he knew from when he was a kid — and yet they’d never known each
other’s name. Kai revealed all of this to Ka’ena, not in words but in an active
way. At the time Ka’ena is terrified but later she thanks him for it.
This
scene in particular resonates for me. Many times we struggle to tell another
person about ourselves, our past — often words just don’t capture the
experience or evoke the emotions. With their descent into that miserable place,
Kai told Ka’ena what his life had been like at her age.
Sisters in Crime/Hawaii: Every writer has a WIP
(Work-In-Progress).
Can
you tell us a bit about your current project?
GREG FIELD: I’m putting the final
touches on Red Dirt, a novel that
brings Detective Kai and teenage Ka’ena together. It should be available soon.
At the same time I am outlining their next adventure – With Eyes Like Those. Detective Kai is accused of killing a
motorcycle cop’s brother while rescuing a kidnapped girl. Meanwhile a friend of
Ka’ena has gone missing, lured by the promise of easy money as a fashion model.
Ka’ena decides to go undercover, and Kai must get her back before she is
smuggled off the island.
Following
is an Excerpt from Greg Field’s short story, The Face:
“Who’s
that? Your girlfriend?”
“It
was the medical examiner. She’ll be here soon.”
“Dr.
Emerald-Eyes,” and she adopted a quick succession of Bollywood poses. The
uniform cops suppressed a grin.
“Knock
it off.”
Ka’ena
shrugged. “I think I’ll walk down the street and make sure it’s the same guy.”
“Just
stay here. I don’t want you confronting him.”
“I
won’t confront him. I’ll just look in the window—like I’m window shopping.”
When
the ME arrived he could turn custody of the site over to her. “Wait five
minutes and we’ll go down there together.”
“Five
minutes will turn into ten.” She minced Bollywood with the hands of Kali,
dipping at the knees as if wearing a tight sari. “And how are you, my Beloved
Inspector Detective?” She dropped her eyes seductively, then shot them up at
him.
“Cut
her some slack.”
“I’ll
just take a look.”
“Wait.”
Ka’ena
was already striding down the block. She crossed Hotel Street without waiting
for the light, even though she had to know four cops plus Kai were watching
her. The uniform cops seemed to get a chuckle out of it, like Kai had a sparkly
puppy that totally disregarded his commands. Kai reached into his HPD bag and
found his binoculars. He trained them on her. She was halfway between Hotel and
King Street when she stopped and looked into a storefront. She leaned forward
with her hands cupped above her eyes, the heels of her hands to the glass. She
stood up straight, looked his way, blew him a kiss, and stepped into the store.
