Andrew Gross
June 2010
Author of the Month
June 2010
Author of the Month
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Imagine sitting at home, waiting patiently for publishers to call about your book and
wondering if the day will ever come. Maybe you’ve received more negatives than positives and
you're feeling slightly discouraged. Suddenly the phone rings, only to have one of the largest
Gross can relate, because this instance happened to him and in his dream-like moment James
Patterson was calling.
Many years ago, Andrew Gross had a novel floating through the world of agents and
publishers. One day someone handed the book over to James Patterson with one piece of
knowledge, ‘This guy does women well,’ they explained to Patterson. The rest is history.
James Patterson and Andrew Gross collaborated on six novels before Gross began crafting his
own marvelous tales. The most recent novel in Gross’ arsenal is “Reckless” which follows his
main character and hero Ty Hauck, a master investigator who never seems to stay out of
trouble while saving the day. In “Reckless”, Hauck is out to avenge his friend’s death and the
possibilities for turmoil and truth seem absolutely endless.
Andrew Gross is a magnificent writer, but also a reliable and respectful man. We enjoyed our
conversation with Mr. Gross immensely; the knowledge he shared was unprecedented and
absolutely appreciated. Here is a small sampling of our time together:
Suspense Magazine (S. MAG.): How do you spend a typical day?
Andrew Gross (AG): I’m a morning guy. I’m at my desk every day by 8:15. I do a little
Twitter/Facebook stuff, play solitaire, then pick up my book by looping back on what I wrote the day
before (which never, ever reads as well as I thought!) and round it into something that kind of
suggests I know what I’m doing, which, luckily, is how it generally ends up the second time around.
I may rework that chapter three or four more times before I finally put it into the manuscript.
Then I write a chapter, which for me is usually three to five pages. I generally call it quits around
one and then grab a bite. My afternoons are usually spent staring blankly at the ceiling praying for
tomorrow’s stroke of genius, working out, or going to the market, because I do the cooking in the
house. Glamour, glamour, glamour, huh?
S. MAG.: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
AG: Always a tough question, because it makes me commit to having an actual plan. I will
probably be doing the same thing, because I have lots of stories to tell, though I might want to be
writing slightly different tales: a fictional family chronicle or something historical: medieval. Like
“The Jester” I did with Patterson, in my own voice. I would like to think I’d be doing it in a
slightly sexier setting: Maybe St. Helena in the Napa Valley, which is where we spend out
Septembers.
S. MAG.: What advice can you give a writer who is attempting to write a novel or get
published?
AG: Ugh. This one’s no fun. It’s tough, tough, tough right now and tougher still once you get it
accepted. If I were starting out again...I think you need someone to advocate for you, to break
through the clutter. It could be a published writing instructor, a writer friend of a friend, someone
on Facebook you’ve broken into a dialogue with. Then charm the heck out of them to read twenty
pages of your work and see if they can make a connection for you. With less books being published
and less sales being made, it’s an un-level field and trust me, issues like placement, marketing and
second contracts only make it more frustrating when you finally break through!
S. MAG.: You were in a completely different field of work before speaking with James
Patterson; did you always want to be a writer?
AG: I always thought I could do it. I spent fifteen years in the sports apparel business where all I
wanted was to be the best manager I could be and the rewards that went with it. Yet, I was always
imagining the stories I would write, the little voice urging me to do it, the mid life crisis regret: if I
could ever find six months I would write my novel. Well…the six months found me! (Er, two
years!) But so did James Patterson, so it was a fortuitous ending!
S. MAG.: Ty Hauck, where did you come up with that name?
AG: It’s too funny, and funnier you ask. I thought I made it up, but didn’t. There’s a copper-
colored ’66 Mustang that plays a large role in “The Dark Tide”. (I had one then!) I bought it at
a classic car dealership in Palm Beach called Ragtops. The owner’s name was Ty, but when I
first got it, I was writing with Patterson and in-between projects devised this story outline for
myself: a stolen artifact, Iraq War thriller with a soldier-of-fortune war photographer named
Ty Hauck. The outline didn’t go anywhere. But years later, working on “The Dark Tide”, I
came across it again and thought the name sounded pretty good, so I used it. At the time, I
never thought of Ty as a continuing character. It was only years later—when I sold the
Mustang and was now on my third Ty novel—that I looked at the bill of sale and saw to my
amazement, the owner of Ragtops name was actually Ty Hauck. I had stolen it from him and
never ever realized it. No wonder he was always so interested in my books! For years, the guy
thought I was stalking him. Or maybe worse!
S. MAG.: Where do you see Ty Hauck in ten years?
AG: I’m not sure where Ty will be in ten years. I’m already thinking of other continuing
characters. I don’t want to get pigeon-holed or formulaic—stylistically or geographically, so I
may move on one day. Or I may not. We’ll see if he evolves like his author!
Suspense Magazine thanks Andrew Gross for taking the time to speak with us. He was open,
honest and a real joy.
To learn more about Andrew Gross visit www.andrewgrossbooks.com.
wondering if the day will ever come. Maybe you’ve received more negatives than positives and
you're feeling slightly discouraged. Suddenly the phone rings, only to have one of the largest
Gross can relate, because this instance happened to him and in his dream-like moment James
Patterson was calling.
Many years ago, Andrew Gross had a novel floating through the world of agents and
publishers. One day someone handed the book over to James Patterson with one piece of
knowledge, ‘This guy does women well,’ they explained to Patterson. The rest is history.
James Patterson and Andrew Gross collaborated on six novels before Gross began crafting his
own marvelous tales. The most recent novel in Gross’ arsenal is “Reckless” which follows his
main character and hero Ty Hauck, a master investigator who never seems to stay out of
trouble while saving the day. In “Reckless”, Hauck is out to avenge his friend’s death and the
possibilities for turmoil and truth seem absolutely endless.
Andrew Gross is a magnificent writer, but also a reliable and respectful man. We enjoyed our
conversation with Mr. Gross immensely; the knowledge he shared was unprecedented and
absolutely appreciated. Here is a small sampling of our time together:
Suspense Magazine (S. MAG.): How do you spend a typical day?
Andrew Gross (AG): I’m a morning guy. I’m at my desk every day by 8:15. I do a little
Twitter/Facebook stuff, play solitaire, then pick up my book by looping back on what I wrote the day
before (which never, ever reads as well as I thought!) and round it into something that kind of
suggests I know what I’m doing, which, luckily, is how it generally ends up the second time around.
I may rework that chapter three or four more times before I finally put it into the manuscript.
Then I write a chapter, which for me is usually three to five pages. I generally call it quits around
one and then grab a bite. My afternoons are usually spent staring blankly at the ceiling praying for
tomorrow’s stroke of genius, working out, or going to the market, because I do the cooking in the
house. Glamour, glamour, glamour, huh?
S. MAG.: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
AG: Always a tough question, because it makes me commit to having an actual plan. I will
probably be doing the same thing, because I have lots of stories to tell, though I might want to be
writing slightly different tales: a fictional family chronicle or something historical: medieval. Like
“The Jester” I did with Patterson, in my own voice. I would like to think I’d be doing it in a
slightly sexier setting: Maybe St. Helena in the Napa Valley, which is where we spend out
Septembers.
S. MAG.: What advice can you give a writer who is attempting to write a novel or get
published?
AG: Ugh. This one’s no fun. It’s tough, tough, tough right now and tougher still once you get it
accepted. If I were starting out again...I think you need someone to advocate for you, to break
through the clutter. It could be a published writing instructor, a writer friend of a friend, someone
on Facebook you’ve broken into a dialogue with. Then charm the heck out of them to read twenty
pages of your work and see if they can make a connection for you. With less books being published
and less sales being made, it’s an un-level field and trust me, issues like placement, marketing and
second contracts only make it more frustrating when you finally break through!
S. MAG.: You were in a completely different field of work before speaking with James
Patterson; did you always want to be a writer?
AG: I always thought I could do it. I spent fifteen years in the sports apparel business where all I
wanted was to be the best manager I could be and the rewards that went with it. Yet, I was always
imagining the stories I would write, the little voice urging me to do it, the mid life crisis regret: if I
could ever find six months I would write my novel. Well…the six months found me! (Er, two
years!) But so did James Patterson, so it was a fortuitous ending!
S. MAG.: Ty Hauck, where did you come up with that name?
AG: It’s too funny, and funnier you ask. I thought I made it up, but didn’t. There’s a copper-
colored ’66 Mustang that plays a large role in “The Dark Tide”. (I had one then!) I bought it at
a classic car dealership in Palm Beach called Ragtops. The owner’s name was Ty, but when I
first got it, I was writing with Patterson and in-between projects devised this story outline for
myself: a stolen artifact, Iraq War thriller with a soldier-of-fortune war photographer named
Ty Hauck. The outline didn’t go anywhere. But years later, working on “The Dark Tide”, I
came across it again and thought the name sounded pretty good, so I used it. At the time, I
never thought of Ty as a continuing character. It was only years later—when I sold the
Mustang and was now on my third Ty novel—that I looked at the bill of sale and saw to my
amazement, the owner of Ragtops name was actually Ty Hauck. I had stolen it from him and
never ever realized it. No wonder he was always so interested in my books! For years, the guy
thought I was stalking him. Or maybe worse!
S. MAG.: Where do you see Ty Hauck in ten years?
AG: I’m not sure where Ty will be in ten years. I’m already thinking of other continuing
characters. I don’t want to get pigeon-holed or formulaic—stylistically or geographically, so I
may move on one day. Or I may not. We’ll see if he evolves like his author!
Suspense Magazine thanks Andrew Gross for taking the time to speak with us. He was open,
honest and a real joy.
To learn more about Andrew Gross visit www.andrewgrossbooks.com.
Suspense Magazine's Review of "Reckless" by Andrew Gross If you only recognize Andrew Gross’ name from his seven-year writing partnership with James Patterson, it’s time to take a fresh look at this author. “Reckless”, his newest novel, is simply exceptional. Emotionally captivating from the first page, Gross intricately builds layers of tension, dread and suspense as he delves into the worst-case scenario of the world’s financial collapse. Ty Hauck believes he’s happy. At least as happy as he feels he has the right to be, until the morning where his thinly built glass house shatters around him at the incomprehensible death of an old friend. Unable to abandon his memories and past promises, he is compelled to uncover the truth behind the startling murder of this family. Linked by virtually invisible threads, Hauck unknowingly jumps into the depths of a worldwide conspiracy leaving readers breathless. Hitting uncomfortably close to home, Gross rides the waves of anxiety building up to an astonishing and unpredictable conclusion. An unquestionable success, Gross is a novelist to keep an eye on. |