Travis Casey

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

It all started when my mom and dad … well, moved around a lot. By the time I was 18 I had lived in eight cities in five states throughout Midwest America. Then I joined the Navy and really began to travel. I went from Indiana to Hawaii, to Scotland, to Seattle, to England, to Minnesota, back to England, and back to Minnesota where I currently reside with my British wife. We have two Bichon/Shih Tzu crosses. I help out once a month at a local food drop distributing food to low-income families and volunteer at the library helping youngsters to read when I can.

When and why did you start writing books?

I began writing articles for various online magazines in 2006. My wife kept urging me to write a book. How the heck does one write a book? I had no idea. In 2010 I wrote my memoirs about my nine years in the Navy and sent it out to twenty-five agents. After twenty-five rejections, I joined an online writing group to help reassign my misplaced commas. That had to be all that was wrong with it, right? Boy, did I learn a lot. And part of that learning curve had me question "Who would be interested in the memoirs of a low-level sailor simply having a good time in the 1980s?" So I turned to fiction. Travis Casey became Tyler Chambers who was more adventurous than I ever was and I got four novels out of him. What a guy!

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I love the challenge of coming up with new characters and plotlines. I don't stick to one genre so I never know where my mind will take me and my readers next.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

I like writing the bad guys and secondary characters. I've had some great villains and sidekicks. My second book, Oceans of Trouble was the easiest book to write. A lot of it was based on real life experiences and it simply flowed. And the bad guy, Sly, wrote himself. I was merely a secretary reporting the scenes as they unfolded. As for comedy, Billy Earl in Forbidden Trouble is my funniest character. I loved writing him.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

No Halo Required by far. As a white writer, I chose a black couple as the main characters. Besides a lot of editing, I also employed three different sensitivity readers. It was the first time I had written noir fiction and it was also the first time I wrote a plot-driven novel. I had always let the characters run riot in previous books and take the story where they wanted to go with it. In NHR, I knew the end result I wanted and had to keep them on a tight lead to get the outcome I wanted.

Who is your favourite author and book?

My favourite author is Sophie Kinsella. She is so funny. In sharp contrast, my favourite book is 1984 by George Orwell.

What book are you reading right now?

The Texan's Favor by D.K. Deters. She has such a talent for effortless descriptions. I love her writing.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

I draw a lot from real-life situations, then add humor, satire, drama, and suspense.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love travel and a bit of golf. Okay, a lot of golf.

Do you have any new books in the works?

I'm currently working on the third book of the Carolina Callings series. When that's finished I plan an un-sequential series, Minnesota Mysteries.