Henry Perez

QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Henry Perez answers readers' questions about research, real-life inspirations behind his debut thriller, KILLING RED, and future novels featuring protagonist Alex Chapa.

Linda from Lititz, PA: Where did you get the idea for this book? Is it based on a true story that you have heard about or read about somewhere?

Henry Perez: I’ve been asked on several occasions whether KILLING RED is based on a true story. I take this as a great compliment, since it would seem to suggest that I succeeded in infusing a sense of realism into what is an entirely fictional story. All of the characters and even some of the towns and many of the roads and streets are strictly the product of my imagination.

KILLING RED began as Annie Sykes’s story. I wanted to write about a survivor, someone who had overcome a terrible ordeal. As the plot evolved, before I ever began actually writing the novel, Alex Chapa emerged as the main character. Though he too, in his own way, is a survivor.

Diana from Coon Rapids, MN: What kind of research did you have to do to write with as much authority as you did? What subjects did you focus on?

Henry Perez: I think achieving a sense of authenticity in fiction is often in the details, so that’s what you have to make sure to get right.

Writing with authority on the plight of the newspaper industry is a matter of personal experience and, sadly, common knowledge at this point. I did devote some research to the behavior of mass murderers --- very ugly stuff. But again, this is an area that most of us already know much too much about just from watching the news.

Diana from Coon Rapids, MN: Do you envision Chapa becoming a brand like Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme or Freeman's Jonathan Stride?

Henry Perez: I love the Lincoln Rhyme mysteries. I wrote KILLING RED to be a stand-alone novel, but I was always open to the idea of revisiting Alex Chapa’s life and surroundings. While I do believe KILLING RED tells a complete story, it certainly doesn’t tell all of Chapa’s story. Alex, Erin, Nikki and many of the other characters return in my second book, and I’m having a great time writing about them. Still, I’m approaching my second book, as I did KILLING RED, as though it was a stand-alone. The incredible response that I’ve received from readers suggests I’m making the right decision in writing another Alex Chapa novel. There certainly could be more Alex Chapa stories in the future, but time will tell.

Diana from Coon Rapids, MN: The Cuban references in KILLING RED seemed very real. How did they relate to your own life experience?

Henry Perez: Like Chapa, I was born in Cuba and grew up in the Chicago suburbs, where there is no Cuban community. In a way, this made it both easy and necessary to assimilate into the culture. But to some extent, it also meant that you left some of your heritage behind. You were an outsider, someone who doesn’t really have a community of their own. That’s who Chapa is. The descriptions of the way Chapa’s memories of Cuba are a blend of reality and old photos or family recollections are much how I’ve come to regard my own memories.

Diana from Coon Rapids, MN: Would you consider having Cuba play an even larger role in future books?

Henry Perez: Yes, very much so, whether it’s any future Chapa novels or something else. I think Cuba remains something of a mystery to a lot of Americans, and there's a certain fascination with this taboo island that lies just 90 miles off the Florida Keys.

Gail from Hanover, PA: What are you currently working on?

Henry Perez: As I alluded to in my response to a previous question from another reader, I’m working on the next Alex Chapa novel, titled MOURN THE LIVING. It picks up five days after the end of KILLING RED, though it has nothing to do with the Annie Sykes/Kenny Grubb case. It will be out next summer. I’m also working on a couple of short stories.