About the Author

AUTHOR: Stories about crimes have always resonated with me, whether it was "Crime and Punishment" or "The Quiet American." Maybe it's because I started my career as a police reporter, or because I worked for a time as a teacher in the county jail. More than a decade ago, when I decided to finally get serious about writing, I started with short stories based on real misdeeds I'd witnessed. I wrote one about my next door neighbor, who'd been murdered by a friend, another about an ambitious bike racer who decides to take out the competition, and a bunch of others based on characters I met in jail. Over time these got picked up by various magazines online and in print. More than a dozen now exist, with most of the latest in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Big Pulp. For my debut novel, "They Tell Me You Are Wicked," I drew inspiration from the most infamous event in the history of my hometown: the real life killing of a political candidate's daughter (though I made up all the details). Now I am at work on a second volume in the series, set two years later, after my hero, Duncan Cochrane, has become governor. He's haunted by the family secret that got him elected, and fighting a sniper who's targeting children in Chicago. EDITOR: We never read enough books in school, so I would remove the dust jacket from my mom's books and steal minutes during class to read. It always felt like I was getting away with something, or discovering a world few of my peers knew existed. I've been writing since middle school, doing it reasonably well for the last decade. While getting my masters in English from Arizona State, I worked at a daily newspaper as columnist and then opinion editor, and also as editor of the Phoenix Air Guard newspaper. Since living in Roanoke, Virginia, I've formed a weekly writers group and become active in the online peer review community. I published a non-fiction book on digital piracy in 2011, and have several short stories in print. I dabble in horror and YA, but feel at home in literary fiction. Some of my favorites include Neil Gaiman, Cormac McCarthy, Kurt Vonnegut, and Stephen King, but I'm not a hard sell: I'll read anything. If I'm not reading, I'm listening. Audiobooks comprise at least half of what I consume, and offer a great excuse to go on long walks. I have narrated four commercially available titles and produced a dozen more. For me, editing is taking something I already love and helping it grow. I appreciate thick skin and an open mind. In writing, often both are necessary for success. After all, writing is rewriting.

Reviews

"It works as a whodunit, but it's Cochrane's story and political life that'll provide the fuel for this series." Crime Thriller Hound "...outstanding and it is so well-written and well-plotted that it is hard to believe it is a debut novel." Theresa O'Loughlin "This is one of those surprise-ending novels that are so tightly constructed that it's hard to write synopsis without giving away an important detail. Hagerty makes a contemporary political point, but gently enough that you can just enjoy the story if you are not interested in the politics. If you are interested in modern American politics, he may help you understand how people come to take sides on a current issue." Scott D. Saifer "Though this story is set in the late 1970's, the moral and political questions that emerge from its telling are very contemporary, if not timeless. This book is the ultimate good read from the opening "joy ride" to the mind-bending conclusion. The main character, Duncan Cochrane, candidate for governor of Illinois, is the most interesting and complex of the David Hagerty's imaginary crew. It seems Cochrane's quest for power leads him through every moral dilemma one could encounter. Underlying the intrigue is the author's adroitness for describing each of the 1970's Chicago scenes in visceral detail. I refer to this in visual terms, or perhaps cinematically, in the way he paints carefully with his word-brush. More importantly, this ability to capture the essence of place translates into emotional impact throughout, adding layers of complexity to the story." - Robert D. Knable