Dark and disturbing, the excerpts ready by Stephen Lewis from his new book, "Stone Cold Dead,” piqued interest among his listeners Monday night at the Peninsula Community Library.
Speaking to a dozen people about his writing career, previous books and the publishing business in general, Lewis also read two portions from his latest mystery published this summer by Arbutus Press.
The book melds locations from his native Brooklyn to the Leelanau Peninsula and topics including spousal and child abuse, murder and Native American life and tradition. Lewis actually wrote "Stone Cold Dead” years ago and completed an update, in part incorporating new technology, before it's publication.
The seed of inspiration came during a visit to the area with his wife, Carolyn, a native of Old Mission Peninsula. Still living on Long Island and driving to Michigan through Canada every summer — a route taken by characters in the book — a vacation day trip sparked his imagination.
"My immediate source for the story was I was exploring Leelanau County, Peterson Park,” recalled Lewis, whose most previous book, "Murder on Old Mission,” is a crime novel set on the Peninsula and based on actual events.
"I parked and walked to the fence to look down at the beach, covered in stones,” he added of "Stone Cold Dead.” "Being a person who thinks about dead bodies all the time, I thought, 'What if there were a dead body down there?'”
Despite this most recent publication as well as two previous mystery series, Lewis aspires ultimately to sell historical novels. Planted in the mystery genre for now, he strives to make his "entertainers” thought provoking and relevant.
"I try to layer into them these serious issues because that's my interest,” said Lewis, a resident of Old Mission Peninsula for the past five years. "I model myself a little bit on Conan Doyle — wishing I had his success — but he wrote historical novels which nobody reads; Sherlock Holmes was immensely successful.”
A professor emeritus of English at Suffolk Community College on Long Island, the first book Lewis tried selling was a straight novel that just happened to have a dead body in it but no whodunnit. Busy with life, he pitched it via mail before realizing he needed to meet with agents in person. Hitting a holiday party packed with industry insiders, he managed to capture the interest of one agent, which ironically prompted a rush of business cards from others.
"'The Monkey Rope' sold to Walker on the condition it would be modified to be a mystery,” he recalled. "I added false suspects and clues and, of course, most importantly, made a clear statement about who did it, which I hadn't done.”
After the book came out, he had a surprise waiting in the author sketch: the book was billed as "first in a series featuring attorney Seymour Lipp,” the main character. He penned and sold another one before his editor left Walker and the series died. Number three languished in a desk drawer until it evolved into Stone Cold Dead, although with new character names.
"It is very, very difficult to sell a book from a deceased series,” said Lewis, who also discussed the ins and outs of publishing and marketing during his talk. "Nobody wants to pick up and orphaned book.”
Also the author of textbooks and a three-part mystery series based in the Colonial times, Lewis described some of the autobiographical elements he wove into "Stone Cold Dead.” Details of abuse spring from stories his wife brought home from her work in Family Court in Suffolk County while one of the cars is a model he has longed to own: a '56 red Caddy convertible.
Using real location names from Leelanau County is sometimes risky, he noted.
"I made up the name of a bar in Omena, again I've only been here five and a half years, and one of my readers said there's an actual bar I could use,” Lewis said. "I'm on thin ice, I have to keep checking. If I'm in Brooklyn, no problem.”
For more information about author Stephen Lewis and his work, see his web site at www.stephenlewisonline.net.