Interview with Crime Writer David Putnam – S. 5, Ep. 3

Debbi Mack interviews crime writer David Putnam on the Crime Cafe podcast. Check out the show notes below, or if you’re in a rush, download a copy! 00:13 Debbi: Hi, everyone. This is the Crime Cafe, your podcasting source of great crime, suspense and thriller writing. I’m your host, Debbi Mack. Before I bring on my guest, I’ll just remind you that the Crime Cafe has two e-books for sale; the nine-book box set and the short story anthology. You can find the buy links for both on my website, www[dot]debbimack[dot]com under the “Crime Cafe” link. You can also get a free copy of either book if you become a Patreon supporter. You’ll get that and much more if you support the podcast on Patreon, along with our eternal gratitude for doing so. Debbi: [00:01:03] Today we have an author with an extensive and impressive background in law enforcement. He's worked in narcotics with the FBI on violent crimes. He's worked on a SWAT team. He was with the U.S. Marshalls. He was co-sworn in as a U.S. Marshall, among other things. And, according to his bio, was a member of the real life Hawaii Five-O, which I found very interesting. In any case, it's pretty clear where this author gets his material. Today's guest is bestselling author David Putnam. Hi, David. It's great to have my show today. David: [00:01:48] Thank you for having me. Debbi: [00:01:49] Oh, it's my pleasure. Thank you. Tell us about your protagonist, Bruno Johnson, and what prompted you to write about that character? What prompted you to create that particular kind of character? David: [00:02:03] Well, that's kind of a long explanation. I've been writing since like 1989. And I was constantly writing. I'd written 38 manuscripts when I finally sold my 34th manuscript, and I was trying everything. I tried police procedural, mystery, young adult, sci-fi. And I had four agents. I had a 156 rejections when I quit counting. And Bruno Johnson was just another one of those attempts to try to find a market for my writing. And Bruno Johnson, he is an ex-cop, ex-con who rescues children from toxic homes in South Central Los Angeles. He couldn't do it when he was a cop because there's too many rules and regulations. So now he goes outside the law to rescue the children. I chose Bruno and made him an African-American, because it adds an extra layer of conflict. When I was working for the sheriff's department, I left the jail after six months and went to work patrol in South Central Los Angeles. I went out with two African-American deputies and one was a good friend of mine. I got to see firsthand the added layer of conflict that he had to deal with. I thought that would work well in my books. So that's why I chose to do it that way. "When I was working for the sheriff's department, I left the jail after six months and went to work patrol in South Central Los Angeles. I went out with two African-American deputies and one was a good friend of mine. I got to see firsthand the added layer of conflict that he had to deal with. I thought that would work well in my books." Debbi: [00:03:25] That's very interesting, yeah. I'm reading your first in the series, The Disposables, and Michael Connelly called it "raw, powerful and eloquent", which I have to agree with. David: [00:03:39] Thank you. Debbi: [00:03:41] Did you have direct experience with seeing children in abuse situations? David: [00:03:47] Oh, yes. You know. Readers read for the emotion. That's what they're in the game for, they read for the emotion. And conflict is emotion. So I thought that I would also write about something that was most emotional to me, and the most difficult part of law enforcement was dealing with children who were abused, because they had no advocate except for law enforcement or social services. Debbi: [00:04:15] Yes. And social services can often be . . . David: [00:04:21] Overwhelmed. Debbi: [00:04:21] Overwhelmed, yes.