When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I started writing “seriously” in second grade, but publishing never made it past my parents’ refrigerator.
Why did you write this book?
I have always liked mystery, suspense and suspense novels. Every idea I’ve had for a fiction book seems to revolve around some aspect of crime. As a journalist, I’ve written for a lot of science journals, and I was interested in trying to write a novel about some kind of environmental issue, in this case, the fate of an endangered species in the face of unbridled development, in a way that would really interest people. people long enough to learn about the problems. Also, two of my favorite writers are Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen. I guess I finally had to pay homage to them in some way.
Where do your ideas come from?
In this case, the idea came straight from the local headlines: the water company of the municipality where I lived announced that it was going to build and sell condominiums on land surrounding its vast network of reservoirs. This came as a shock to local citizens, as the company had obtained the land for a pittance generations ago with the promise that never develop the land. Overnight, they had gone from good neighbors to rapacious malefactors. I wondered why. Instead of waiting for the full story, I imagined one of my own. To achieve this, I had to dream up a rapacious malefactor and set him free in my little fictional paradise.
What amazing things did you learn while writing this book?
In the time it took me to complete the book, the animal species at the center of the story, the peregrine falcon, went from being endangered to being officially removed from the US endangered species list ( I had nothing to do with this, I swear!) I feel great for the bird, but I’m afraid in my fictional universe it will have to remain in danger.
Who will enjoy and benefit from reading this book?
I hope that anyone who likes the books of the two authors I mentioned will give it a try. If you enjoy reading about swindlers and their insane schemes to plunder, and still harbor the strange illusion that honest men can and will stand up to such mongrels, I hope you’ll take the plunge. It has everything a book of this nature should have: know-it-alls, guns, beautiful and intelligent women, and duffel bags full of money. The book is set in the little free land that New Jersey still has left, but I hope you don’t blame me for that.
Joseph D’Agnese
