By
Nick Nixon
I
am a published author. Wow, I never get tired of hearing, writing or saying
that. The only thing I wrote for thirty five years was
advertising copy. When I retired, I started writing humor columns and doing
cartoons to go along with them for a few of publications.
I
was usually given a theme for each issue and I would write something I thought
was humorous that would fit. I eventually joined a local writers group and
started writing humorous contributions for their anthologies and other
publications.
Someone
in the group suggested I write something for Chicken Soup for the Soul. I wrote
about my experience with cancer back in 2007. I included my usual stab at humor
and sent it in. They actually included it one of their books.
As
a result of this, I was interviewed on local radio and television. As I shared
all the things I was involved in, one of the hosts asked me if there was
anything I haven’t done that I would like to do. I said all writers would like
to write a book. I had never really thought about that before, let alone said
it out loud.
I
mentioned this at our next writers meeting and announced my intention to write a
parody of The Maltese Falcon and call it The Maltese Chicken. This got laughs,
but my friend who suggested I write for Chicken Soup told me I should write a
serious crime novel. Then she gave me a book on writing PI novels. I read it
and I was hooked.
I
grew up watching old black and white film noir crime movies at our neighborhood
movie theatre and I still watch them on television. I like reading crime novels
but some of them are not written very well. I thought I could write this stuff,
and maybe even better than some of these guys.
One
night, as I lay in bed, my brain wouldn’t shut off, and Peter English, PI was
born, along with The Frame, a crime
novel set in Memphis, TN during the 1940s, right after WWII. Three months and
83,000 plus words later, I had written my first novel. I think Sam Spade,
Phillip Marlow and a few other pulp fiction and movie detectives would approve.
The Frame is available on Amazon
in print and on Kindle. I just finished Murder
on the 13th Green, my second Peter English, PI novel. Tomorrow I
start on The Main Street Murders, the
third novel in this series.
Do
I use an outline? No. I never know what’s going to happen on the next page
until I get there. I write in first person, but there is also colorful dialogue.
There is gunplay, a bit of humor and even a little romance in these books. Since
they are set in 1940s Memphis, I have to do quite a bit of research. I do that
as I write. It’s more fun that way.
_____________________________________________________
Nick Nixon is a native of Memphis.
He was educated in public schools and Memphis State University, where he
studied art and journalism. He owned and operated Nixon & Associates, a
graphic design firm, for 35 years. He started his writing career in 2010, writing
humor columns, sometimes including some of his cartoons, for various
publications. Nick said he is most proud to have been published in Chicken Soup
for the Soul. After retiring form a career in advertising, Nick
Nixon began writing crime fiction, inspired by his love of old black and white
film noir crime movies of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. THE FRAME, his first novel
in a series Peter English, PI mysteries, set in Memphis, TN during the 1940s,
is available on Amazon. MURDER ON THE 13th GREEN, the second in this series is
being edited, and he is now writing the third book, THE MAIN STREET
MURDERS. He is already working on The Main Street Murders, the third novel
in this fictional series.Nick has illustrated books by other authors and is now
illustrating a series of children's books he wrote. He said these stories were
inspired while reading to his grandchildren. His Social Media Links are: Facebook:
nicknixon,author Blog: nickwits.blogspot.com Twitter: NickNixon@nick_nickwits
Website: nicknixonauthor.com
e-mail: nickwits@gmail.com
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