Interview with author Michael Stephen Daigle

Q1. Could you please start by introducing yourself to our readers?

I’m Michael Stephen Daigle. I grew up in the Northeast U.S.. I live in New Jersey, and have lived in Maine, Massachusetts, and New York. I don’t recall when I started writing, but it feels like I’ve been doing it forever. I wrote two books when I got out of college, one of which became part of the 6-book Frank Nagler Mystery series. I’m a life-long Boston sports fan, and was at the game in 1975 when Tony Conigliaro hit his last-ever home run.

Q2. In your view, what distinguishes a writer from an author?

Semantics. Whatever you call yourself, the task of creating written works requires imagination, discipline, attention to detail, and hard work. I’m not a suffering artist type. I’ve been doing this a long time and have written in many forms, including a long career as a journalist. To be productive, which can lead to success, requires the ability to stay on task and manage your time.

Q3. Which part of your book “Nagler’s Secret” proved to be the most challenging to write, and why?

Parts of the story take place in different decades, so making sure all elements of the story and characters stay in order took planning. The challenge for any story, and for any mystery, is to make sure you get it right, the right pacing, the characters in the right place, saying the right things so the reader feels satisfied when they are done reading.

Q4. How do you typically celebrate once you’ve completed a book?

Actually, start the next one. Which is hot as hard as I seem,. Because, especially with the Nagler mysteries, one story flows into the other. The satisfaction of finishing one is knowing that you’ve given the readers a worthy reading experience.

Q5. How do you leverage social media to connect with your audience as an author?

That is all under review. After Facebook was hacked two years ago, I had to rebuild the social network. I’m planning to explore Tik Tok and Substack and start over with other mediums. In the meantime I rely on my website, www.michaelstephendaigle.com.

Q6. On average, how many hours a day do you dedicate to writing?

Four to five, and more if I’m on a journalism deadline. It’s a job.

Q7. What kinds of books did you enjoy reading during your childhood?

Very young, I read sports books and newspapers daily, I later moved into historical fiction then literature.

Q8. Is there an author within your genre whom you particularly admire?

For mysteries, Walter Mosley, who writes exquisite fiction. For literature, Markus Zusak, whose stories border on magic. I’d add Kristin Barr, who writes ferociously and fearlessly about women.

Q9. How has the experience of writing and publishing a book “Nagler’s Secret” influenced your perception of yourself?

The writing of Nagler’s Secret was taking place while I was republishing the other five books in the series. There was a lot of learning going on.

Q10. How would you sum yourself up in just three words?

I’m a storyteller.

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Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

A1. Hello. I am Michael Stephen Daigle. I’ve lived in the Northeast U.S. in Maine, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey. We were so-called “Navy brats,” children of Naval personnel who moved often due to the service of our father. Each of us was born in a different city. I now live in western central New Jersey. I attended a two-room school house in a small Maine village and graduated from Binghamton, (NY) University.
I was a newspaper reporter and editor for 40 years, and still freelance today.

I wrote two novels before I was 24. One became the basis for the on-going Frank Nagler Mysteries. The other was a coming-of-age story which is not as half-bad as I thought it was. It checked that one young-writer box: Writing a coming-of-age-story about myself.
I’m a story-teller, and place the stories I write in the several places I have lived.

Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “Dragony Rising”?

A2. “Dragony Rising” is Book 5 in the Frank Nagler series. The series features one main character — Detective Frank Nagler — and one place, the city of Ironton, N.J. In this story I wanted to bring to a conclusion a long-standing conspiracy that was introduced in the first book in the series, “The Swamps of Jersey.” The challenge was to make the conspiracy fresh and compelling. That required the invention of The Dragony, a shady bunch of old cops, business owners, elected officials and other thuggish sorts, whose history traced back to the early days of Ironton, when they clashed with Frank Nagler’s grandfather.
The challenge with the story was to show the broad scope of the conflict within a fast-paced, tightly-written mystery.

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

A3. Too many to say. Early on, the the three Johns— John Updike, John Gardner and John Cheever — who tell rich, complex stories with ancient sources and modern insights; now Markus Zuzak, Richard Russo, Walter Mosley; any of the good modern popular history or political biographers, and Shakespeare.

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

A4. Maine. From the deep woods to the coast, a place of beauty, hard work and history. Seventy years of memories with friends and family. Also, it has great places to borrow for short stories, novels and other tale-telling. The challenge is to wrestle the scope of the land and people into a story form.

Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘Dragony Rising’?

A5. I had sort of planned the book when I began the series with The Swamps of Jersey. There is a theme that runs through the stories. While they are mysteries, they are stories about the city of Ironton, its people and struggles. With Dragony Rising, I wanted to conclude the scope of this particular conspiracy so I could move on to another.

Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘Dragony Rising’?

A6. Probably 18 months. That’s about average. It would be quicker if I didn’t do so much news reporting, but that is addictive.

Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?

A7. The book is available on Amazon, Ingram Spark, Barnes & Noble and other online sites, and at the Book and Puppet in Easton, Pa.

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Dragony Rising’?

A8. The title was easy once the Dragony showed up. It suggests the danger of the group, its underground nature and the threat to Ironton it represents .

The cover is done by Elana Daigle.
I am reissuing the Nagler series under my own name and enlisted Elana to give the cover a fresh look. She captured the suspenseful and dangerous nature of the Dragony, and its history in the city by showing the filtery dragon rising from the factory smokestacks.

Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

A9. In each of the Nagler books I chose an element of the writing story-telling process to focus upon; character development, description, setting, pace, and how to meld them into a “better” story. For Dragony Rising, I wanted to work on the pace of the story. It is a fast, loud story. For contrast I wrote one short 15-sentence chapter that changed for a moment the sound and the pace of the story. Then it roars back to life until the surprising ending.

Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?

A10. Easy. And not romantic at all: Sit your butt down and write.

Michael Stephen Daigle’s book on Amazon