Neil Plakcy

Welcome, today we are talking with Neil Plakcy! I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy writing schedule to answer a few questions. First, let’s delve into who you are. Some of the questions may be untraditional but you’d be surprised at what readers connect to, and sometimes the simplest ‘I can relate to that’ grabs their interest where nothing else can.

Can you share a little something about yourself?

My husband and I are owned by two English cream golden retrievers, Brody and Griffin. We call the piles of hair that accumulate around our house angel wings. We have been together for 25 years and live in South Florida, within walking distance of the ocean.

How long have you been writing?

Since I was about sixteen—so fifty years! I was initially inspired by a tenth-grade English assignment. But I didn’t start publishing seriously until about fifteen years ago.

What have you found most challenging about it?

The frustration of dealing with publishers. You write a book and want to see it out in the world—and it can take years to go through finding an agent, getting to publishers, then seeing the book in print.

What does writing do for you? Is it fun, cathartic, do you get emotional?

It is emotional for me to see the characters I’ve created grow and change. Most of my books are in series, so I get to see them respond to challenges and deepen their personalities in each book.

Describe what your writing routine looks like. Are you disciplined with a strict schedule or do you have to be in the mood?

I’m a very Type A writer. Every morning begins with a glass of water and a chocolate chip muffin as I go through emails. Then I segue into writing at the kitchen table with a big tumbler of coffee, usually a raspberry mocha. I write until the dogs are ready to go for their afternoon walk. Then in the afternoon I focus on business things like placing ads and writing guest blogs.

Did you go into writing thinking that it would be a hobby or a job?

I went to business school for an MBA so that I’d have a money-making career to support my writing habit. The advent of self-publishing allowed me to see an opportunity to make a living doing what I love. I retired from a twenty-year teaching career last year to focus on writing full-time.

What inspires you?

I get ideas for my golden retriever mysteries by walking my dogs—neighbors I want to kill, for example! News items intrigue me, and daily contact with college students for two decades gave me lots of insight into character and motivation.

Let’s move on and give readers some insight into your personal life.

 What are your pet peeves?

People who bother me when I’m trying to think, especially as I’m out walking. No, my dogs are not your kids’ entertainment zones. Also slow drivers and heavy traffic.

 Who is your hero?

Jimmy Buffett. I love the way he combined creativity and a lifestyle to create a business that has made so many people feel good.

Give us one thing on your bucket list.

I’d love to visit Israel and see if I feel a connection to the place my people came from centuries ago.

What would readers find surprising about you?

That despite my penchant for killing people in fiction, I’m actually quite pleasant.

If you could go to heaven, who would you visit?

My best friend, who died when we were in our thirties, on an operating table after doctors couldn’t rouse her from anesthesia.

What is your favorite hot drink?

Great question for me! When I was teaching full-time I stopped at Starbucks every morning on my way to the college for an hour to write, and rewarded myself with a raspberry mocha. Then Covid hit and I started writing every morning at my kitchen table, making my own raspberry mocha with two kinds of chocolate powder, brewed espresso, frothed milk, chocolate whipped cream and a dollop of chocolate syrup.

Just for fun. What is your least favorite:

• Hero type –  the diffident guy who can’t express his feelings.
• Body part – The pinky toe. It keeps getting banged into things.
• Overused word in a title – Grumpy
• Genre – horror. Please don’t scare me. The world does that enough.
• Dirty word – the “c” word for a piece of the female body.

Now that our readers know who Neil Plakcy is let’s get down to the business of your book, Saving the Boxer.

Please tell us a little bit about this book.

Saving the Boxer is an MM historical romance set in 1872 London. My protagonists are Silas Warner, a flamboyant law clerk who loves colorful scarves in his off time, and Ezra Curiel, a Jewish boxer who struggles against the constraints of his people and his profession.  Sparks fly when they meet, and ignite when Ezra is accused of murder and Silas must recruit his friends to defend him.

What was your hardest challenge writing this book?

Getting the historical stuff correct. How to get around London, what it looked and sounded and smelled like. I immersed myself in period research to look for the details that resonated with me.

What kind of research did you have to do?

I’ve been reading historical MM romance for a while—call  that research! It was reading the work of others that made me try my hand at the first in the Ormond Yard series, The Gentleman and the Spy. Also lots of time spent on the computer, looking at pictures and reading about legal practice, boxing, and the plight of the poor.

What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters?

I like it when surface differences attract two people—the jock and the geek, the master and the servant, the shy guy and the outgoing one. But what’s important in a relationship is what’s underneath. Discovering those similarities brings characters closer together, and showing how they appreciate their differences because it makes each of them better. 

Any other works in progress?

I am continuing four different series at the present, with primary focus on my golden retriever mysteries. The latest, Blessing of the Dogs, which has a wedding theme, came out in winter 2024. I’m already thinking about which single characters from Saving the Boxer deserve their own happy ever afters.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Put your butt in the chair. Whether you write regularly or when the muse inspires you, you have to sit down (or stand, if that’s your jam) and write. You can’t improve a blank page, so even if your first draft is garbage, it gives you something to work with.

Final words?

We need more romance in the world. Everyone deserves a happy ever after, in real life and in fiction, and showing that helps us all get through every day.

Please include the following links and an author picture:

Website:  http://www.mahubooks.com

Blog:  http://mahubooks.blogspot.com

Email: neil@mahubooks.com