Charles Dayton

What inspired you to write Come Hell or High Water and your subsequent books in the Lew Travis series?

Whimsy. After 40 years in academia, including the last 14 at Berkeley, I wanted to do something less academic. I also wanted to capture some of the history, landscape, and lifestyle here in the Sierra Nevada foothills, in a way that would hopefully be fun to read. Plus I’ve always loved mysteries. I think all good works of fiction are infused with a certain amount of mystery; it’s what motivates the reader to keep going.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I think of it as lean, I try to omit unneeded passages and words, so the reading has some pace. At the same time it’s a bit reflective, life seen through the eyes of the 72 year-old sleuth, Lew Travis, who is something of a curmudgeon and has views that might be called crusty.

How do you come up with your titles?

My wife. She’s also good on names. I’m lousy at these.

Is there a message in your novels that you want readers to grasp?

There are underlying thoughts about life and what’s important I suppose, in the nature of the characters and their relationships, and some of Lew’s thoughts. But mostly they’re intended to be enjoyable reads, not deep treatises on life. They’re fun to write so I’m hoping they’ll be fun to read.

Are the Lew Travis mysteries based on personal experience or on someone you know?

It’s been said by people wiser than me that everything a writer writes is about their own life, what else do we have to draw on for our characters and plots. So I suppose in one sense the answer is yes. But I don’t set out to write about people or events I’ve known, no. These are imaginary people and imaginary events.

What books have most influenced your life?

At my age that’s a tough question to answer, there have been so many. I’ve always loved good books, my mother was a librarian, I majored in English in college, have a Master’s Degree in English literature. I’d be lost without a book even now. I’ve been in a men’s book group for the last 14 years and we’re just coming up on our hundredth selection.

I’d probably have to break it down into life phases and what types of books were most influential at different times. Sports when I was young. Science fiction in high school. The classics in college and graduate school. Psychology (my other graduate degree). Science written for the layman. Current American fiction. Mysteries for fun my whole adult life.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Perhaps my two favorites right now are Wallace Stegner and John Steinbeck.

What book are you reading now?

I just finished Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom. He’s very good with language and images, but has a somewhat dark view of relationships. I’m about to start Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra, my latest men’s group selection.

Do you have any new projects in mind?

I have a third Lew Travis mystery well along, hope to have it out in a few months. I have a collection of science fiction stories I wrote several years ago I’d like to get back to and prepare for publication. After that, wherever whimsy leads.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

It’s been around a long time, but has lain dormant most of my adult life, what with career and family and the usual adult responsibilities. About ten years ago a nephew who has a bent to write prodded me to stop fantasizing about it and start doing it. For most of the next decade this entailed trying to squeeze it into weekends and evenings, but now with my semi-retired status I have some real time to work on it.

What was the hardest part of writing your books?

Perhaps the hardest thing was exposing myself, even to friends, via my books. Writing is a very personal experience, you’re alone with your thoughts and characters and images, and ginning up the courage to see how they fly with others requires a serious leap of faith. Fortunately I have kind friends who have been most helpful, even when I can sense they see lots of room for improvement.

Did you learn anything from writing your books and what was it?

There are dozens of little errors you make without being aware, which friends and other writers catch. Learning all the little rules of good writing is immensely challenging, and you’re constantly driven by the desire to get better. Writing is a quite humbling experience.