Author Interview: Michael Stanley, A CARRION DEATH

By Rob Lord

For those who may not be familiar with your first novel, THE CARRION DEATH, who is Detective Kubu?

Detective Kubu is actually Assistant Superintendent David Bengu of the Botswana Police Criminal Investigation Department. A very large man, who enjoys life and loves his family, wine and food. He is also tenacious and dangerous whenever he investigates crimes. His size, appetite, and tenacity have given him his universally accepted nickname “Kubu” which is Setswana for hippopotamus.

How did the idea of Detective Kubu come about? Is this unique detective based off a real person in Botswana or South Africa? He's extremely likeable.

One day Kubu clambered into his police Land Rover and set off to investigate a murder in the desert. His background, strength of character, deep attachment to his family, and commitment to his profession emerged as he developed. Funnily enough, we didn’t intend him to be the main character initially. He just grabbed the role for himself.

When did you and Michael Sears meet? What sparked the idea to write A CARRION DEATH?

We met in Johannesburg about thirty years ago, but became good friends in the US – in Minneapolis actually. I was working at the University of Minnesota, and Michael visited there often to work with colleagues in the mathematics department. We discovered we had much in common and soon our mutual love for wild Africa in general and Botswana in particular was pulling us back there.

The idea for A Carrion Death came one day while watching hyenas. It’s amazing that they eat everything – bones and all. It struck us as a wonderful route to a perfect murder. Put out the body – naked of course – and the hyenas will destroy all of it leaving no evidence. It seemed an intriguing twist for a mystery set in Africa, bringing out the culture and environment of the area. But it was a long time before we really got to work on it – not until 2003 actually.

Was this idea kicked around between you two for a while or was it a spontaneous act of creativity?

The idea was spontaneous and so were the lead characters. The development of the plot was much more complex and took a long time to completely develop in parallel with what the characters were doing. In our second book – The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu – we spent several weeks together, brainstorming the plot and beating it into reasonable shape before we started on the writing. As a result, we had a pattern to work towards, and the book took a year less to write. But I think that again the characters developed somewhat independently of the plot so the spontaneity is still there.

How did you two work as a team when it came to writing one manuscript?

In one word, it’s the internet. Before we start to write a piece, we talk about where it is to go. Then one of us writes a draft and bounces it off the other. Then there are multiple to’s and fro’s before a final version emerges. That’s when the writing becomes not Stanley Trollip or Michael Sears, but Michael Stanley. Most of the time we are a thousand miles – or a continent – apart so the drafts go by email, while the discussions take place using Skype.

As newly published writers, how would you both describe your experience promoting A CARRION DEATH in the U.S. and Europe thus far?

Well, we’ve had wonderful support from our friends, the publicists at the publishers, our agent, booksellers, everyone! Of course the good reviews have been the best, but we’ve also had interviews like this one, been on public radio, run some adverts on blogs, and worked hard to make our website and newsletters interesting. The book has been on sale since April 1, so it’s too early to tell whether momentum is building up for it. But we’ve had a lot of fun, done interesting things, and met fascinating people.

Are you both happy with the response to the book and Detective Kubu from readers and the press?

We’re more than happy! It’s thrilling to have been reviewed in newspapers such as the New York Times, LA Times, and Boston Globe. For example, the New York Times said: “Readers may be lured to Africa by the landscape, but it takes a great character like Kubu to win our loyalty.” We’ve also had lots of mentions on websites, blogs and publications like Publishers Weekly, where we got a starred review. And lots of feedback from old and new friends, as well as readers we don’t know. The booksellers have also been so positive. We’re overwhelmed!

What writers inspired you both growing up in South Africa? Where whey British, American or African writers?

Michael was inspired by the likes of Nadine Gordimer and Andre Brink, both South African writers. But also detective stories of all types. Nero Wolf was a favorite detective! Of the South African writers, I liked Alan Paton and Andre Brink, as well as Deneys Reitz. I read the Hardy Boys when I was young, and enjoyed Neville Shute, Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie.

With your wide array of experiences in Africa, how do you both respond to the themes in films such as Blood Diamond and The Constant Gardener (based on the John LeCarre's bestselling novel)?

We think the films were well done and showed a side of countries where everything – including loyalty and betrayal – is available at a price. In the time span a movie has available, it’s hard to develop much of the culture of the country or to show the positive aspects as well as the negative. We’ve tried to make A Carrion Death bring those aspects to life for the reader. At the same time there are people in the book whose motives and actions are as vicious as anything in the movies.

Do you hope to see Africa becoming more of a backdrop for mystery/crime fiction like New York, L.A., Boston, the UK or Ireland?

Well, we already have several really good authors using African themes. Alexander McCall Smith has put Botswana on the literary map and his prolific and delightful stories have made a huge impact. There is also a South African author who writes excellent mysteries more in the thriller genre. His name is Deon Meyer and his latest book “Devils Peak” is great. Henning Mankell, of course, has strong ties to Africa. And there are many more both living in Africa and in other parts of the world. I don’t think we hope to see Africa in the roles of the other places you mentioned, but I think we would like to see more of this interesting work being available and accepted in the international community of readers. I think they are in for a treat!

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you both give to aspiring writers?

Don’t give up your day job! The odds are really stacked against getting a good agent and a good publisher and making it as an author. We were really lucky: we wrote the book for fun and enjoyed every minute of it. We were delighted to get the advance for the book, but we wouldn’t have starved without it, and were able to use some of it to help promote the book. But if you are really committed to writing, produce the best draft you can, and then find a good agent. That’s not easy, because all of them are very busy and know how hard it is to sell unknowns. But do the research as to who might be interested, write an intriguing one-page letter, and follow up, if they ask, with a pristine copy of the manuscript exactly in the form they want, and keep your fingers crossed!

What's next for Detective Kubu? (Other than a great meal of course!)

The draft of our second novel, The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu, is with our editor in New York. There’s a short introduction and the first chapter at http://www.detectivekubu.com. The setting is very different – up on the lush northern border of Botswana on the Linyanti river – at a tourist camp. Two of the guests are murdered, and Kubu has to sort out a tangle of events and motives, which leads him back to the days of the war in Rhodesia – now Zimbabwe. At a contextual level the book is about Zimbabwe and its problems, but it takes place in Botswana, and Kubu is joined again by his family and colleagues. We hope it will be out a year from now, but those sorts of decisions are really in the hands of HarperCollins.

Apart from that, Kubu will have a glass or two of a decent shiraz with that great meal!

Thanks for your time!

Thank you! Look forward to the next Detective Kubu novel!

Rob Lord’s writing has been published in Out of the Gutter, Powder Burn Flash and Muzzle Flash. He lives in Washington, DC.