Dr. Randy Overbeck is a writer, educator,
researcher and speaker in much demand. During his three plus decades of educational
experience, he has performed many of the roles depicted in his writing with
responsibilities ranging from coach and yearbook advisor to principal and
superintendent. His new ghost story/mystery, Blood on the Chesapeake, will be released on April 10, 2019 by The
Wild Rose Press. As the title suggests, the novel is set on the famous Eastern
Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, home to endless shorelines, incredible sunsets and
some of the best sailing in the world. Blood
is first in a new series of paranormal mysteries, The Haunted Shores Mysteries.
Dr. Overbeck’s first novel, Leave No
Child Behind, a thriller about the terrorist takeover of a Midwest high
school and one teacher’s stand against the intruders, won the 2011 Silver Award
for Thrillers from ReadersFavorite.com. Dr. Overbeck is a member of the Mystery
Writers of America and an active member of the literary community. You can
follow him on Twitter @OverbeckRandy, friend him on Facebook at Author Randy
Overbeck or check out his webpage, www.authorrandyoverbeck.com
Find out more about his books: https://www.authorrandyoverbeck.com/books
INTERVIEW:
Mayra
Calvani: Please tell us about Blood on the Chesapeake, and what compelled you to write it.
Author:
In my travels, I’ll always been intrigued by the
possibilities of places I’ve visited, the “I wonder if” notion. When we
journeyed to the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, I was overwhelmed by the
quiet, scenic beauty of the area, but also intrigued by the duality of the
cultures there. Here was a region bearing the hallmarks of a proud New England
tradition, but with roots still very much in the South. (The area was home to
famous slave plantations and was split in loyalties during the Civil War.) I
thought it’d be interesting to explore that dichotomy in fiction. In this most
peaceful and beautiful of settings on the Chesapeake Bay, what if something
horrific happened in this small town and they tried to cover it up?
M.C.:
What is your book about?
Author:
Wilshire,
Maryland seems like the perfect shore town on the Chesapeake Bay—quiet, scenic,
charming—and promises Darrell Henshaw a new start in life and a second chance at love. That is, until he learns the town
hides an ugly secret. A thirty-year-old murder in the high school. And a
frightening ghost stalking his new office. Burned by an earlier encounter with
the spirit world—with the OCD scars to prove it—he does NOT want to get
involved. But when the desperate ghost hounds him, Darrell concedes. Assisted
by his new love, he follows a trail that leads to the civil rights movement,
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and even the Klu Klux Klan. Then, when two locals
who try to help are murdered, Darrell is forced to decide if he’s willing to
risk his life—and the life of the woman he loves—to expose the killers of a
young man he never knew.
M.C.:
What themes do you explore in Blood on the Chesapeake?
Author:
Even though the book is set in the not-so-distant
past (1998), I’ve tried to tap the themes and issues that are as relevant today
as they were twenty years ago. The overriding theme of the story is racial
injustice. Because I’m not an author of color, I tried to approach this issue
my own perspective. What culpability and responsibility does a “white guy of
privilege” have, when he comes face to face with racial injustice? As I
completed this novel and it went through the publishing process, I was
surprised—no, not surprised, rather disappointed—that with the Black Lives
Matter movement and the resurgence of the White Supremists, this theme is more
relevant than ever today.
M.C.:
Why do you write?
Author:
I write because I have stories to tell, because
I think some stories need telling. Since I’ve been in the education profession
for three plus decades, I’ve witnessed countless acts of unselfish dedication,
heroism, bravery and stubborn commitment by teachers at all levels. Yet, what
we have in the common culture is either lurid tales of the rare pedophile
teacher or reports of failing schools and teachers. So, I thought, if I’m going
to tell tales of heroism and bravery, of standing up against the odds and
sacrificing everything to save others, then I would cast educators—teachers and
coaches—in the starring roles. Because that’s what I witnessed for real every
day.
M.C.:
When do you feel the most creative?
Author:
I’ve found that for me creativity cannot be
scheduled. Yes, I do try to write every day, usually in the late morning and
early afternoon, but I’ve discovered that sometimes the creative bug hits me in
the middle of a TV show. Sometimes, an inspiration rumbles around in my subconscious
so strongly that I have to get up in the middle of the night and head to the
computer to get it down. I try to go whenever and whereever the muse leads me.
M.C.:
How picky are you with language?
Author:
One of the things that delight me when I’m
reading is a masterful turn of a phrase or a really memorable scene
description, you know the kind that places you vividly in the middle of the
action. I strive for these goals when I write, though I’d be the first to admit
I don’t always reach them. I actually enjoy revisiting and revising my
language, searching for just the right word or phrase. Some parts of Blood on the Chesapeake have seen ten or
more revisions to try to get it right.
M.C.:
When you write, do you sometimes feel as
though you were being manipulated from afar?
Author:
That’s an interesting question. I often let the
narrative take me where it wants to go, sometimes not at all where I thought I
was headed. For example, since I write mysteries, the whodunit is pretty
important. I plot and write my stories with multiple antagonists and don’t
decide who the murderer is until I get near the end of the book. I try to plant
clues for multiple suspects, but don’t “drop the dime” until the last few
chapters—for me and the reader.
M.C.:
What is your worst time as a writer?
Author:
When I’m stuck. Writer’s block is not usually a
problem for me. But occasionally, when I’m at a certain point in the narrative,
I’ve been stymied at just how to get my character to do A or how to get him/her
to B. Most of the time I’ve been fortunate. I can usually work on another part
of the manuscript and my mind subconsciously works out a solution. I’m able to
work through it, but while I’m in the midst of the problem, it can be pretty
thorny.
M.C.:
Your best?
Author:
That’s easy. I write for myself, because I have
something to say. But nothing in my writing life has brought me more joy than
seeing how much my readers LOVE my work. After my first book, Leave No Child Behind, was published, I
received scores of emails from readers telling how much they enjoyed it and how
it scared them to death. (It’s supposed to scare them.) Several years later, I
still keep and re-read those emails.
M.C.:
Is there anything that would stop you
from writing?
Author:
Nothing. I suppose there could be a perfect
storm of family problems that would derail my writing efforts, but only until
the storm passes. I found even in the worst of times in my life, when I’ve had
to face tragedies, deaths, daunting challenges, my writing has sustained me. I
can’t imagine not writing. It’s in my DNA now.
M.C.:
What’s the happiest moment you’ve lived as an author?
Author:
Seeing my writing—years of imagination, creativity,
perseverance, and just plain hard work—come to fruition and become real, the
novel published, the book in readers’ hands, the great reviews coming in, I’d
say those are my happiest moments as a writer.
M.C.:
Is writing an obsession to you?
Author:
Yes, though not in a psychotic, creepy kind of way. For a good many years, I
was an educator. I lived, breathed, pondered, thought, planned how can I best
teach, reach these children? What can I do that will enrich their lives through
what they learn from me? Over the past several years, that same kind of
obsession now haunts me about my writing. Even as I finishing the sequel to Blood on the Chesapeake, I’m constantly
planning the third instalment, researching the locales, and at the same time
I’m nursing my next novel, a standalone mystery about a drug dealer and
murderer who preys on elementary kids. I guess as I write this, it does sound
like an obsession.
M.C.:
Are the stories you create connected
with you in some way?
Author:
Without a doubt. I subscribe to the adage,
“Write what you know.” All my narratives are set in the world of school, a
setting I hope most readers can recognize and relate to, even if my
stories—terrorists taking over a high school in the Midwest or a kid who was
murdered haunting the halls of a high school in Maryland—are well out of the
realm of ordinary. Because of my experience and familiarity with these
settings, I hope I can render a story with credibility and connection for the
reader.
M.C.:
Ray
Bradbury once said, “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy
you.” Thoughts?
Author:
Interesting. I prefer S. J. Rosan’s quote:
“Nonfiction is about reality. Fiction is about truth.” For me, fiction, my
novels allow me to tell real truths, truths about how we treat each other,
especially the youngest and most vulnerable among us, our children. My writing
allows me to lay bare the beauty and the ugliness of the human condition. I’m
buoyed when readers will tell me they had a teacher just like my characters, as
it tells me my “truth” came through my words.
M.C.:
Do you have a website or blog where
readers can find out more about you and your work?
Author:
Yes, I have both. At my website
<authorrandyoverbeck.com> readers can learn more about me, check out my
first novel, Leave No Child Behind, and
of course order my new ghost story/mystery, Blood
on the Chesapeake They can also get the scoop on my next steps as a writer
including when to expect the exciting next chapter in the Haunted Shores
mysteries series. There they can also connect with me via Facebook at Author
Randy Overbeck and via twitter @OverbeckRandy. Of course, readers can find my
blog at the website or at this link. <https://www.authorrandyoverbeck.com/blog>
