A: Family is extremely important because family provides the first context for the way we perceive the world. Human beings have to be in relationship with one another and so we will create a “family” for that purpose. It might be our biological one or adoptive one with whom we share so much of our story. So many of the ills in society can be traced back to family problems or the lack of those loving relationships that help form identity and a sense of purpose in life.

Q: His father’s Alzheimer’s brought Barry back from Charlotte to the mountains of North Carolina. You’ve dealt with the condition with great sensitivity. Have readers commented on that? Why did you decide to have Alzheimer’s be so central to your novels?

A: Readers have commented on the role of Alzheimer’s in my novels, particularly those who have had to deal with caring for a loved one. I’ve been pleased that the response has been favorable to the way the family relationships are portrayed. I had wanted Barry to be in conflict with his setting and occupation because that adds to the drama of his story. He really didn’t want to return to the small town funeral business. Alzheimer’s became the reason Barry’s father could no longer run the business because I had an uncle who developed the disease in his fifties. After I started writing the first novel, I realized the irony that Barry helps families cope with the loss of a loved one, but Barry and his mother are losing a loved one in a terrible way that has no closure or ritual of grief for them.

Q: You seem to have a real feel for life in a small town. Where does that come from – are you a small town guy yourself?

A: I was fortunate to grow up in the mountain town of Hendersonville, North Carolina. Gainesboro is a combination of that town, Brevard, Waynesville and similar communities in western North Carolina. I’m comfortable in a city or small town. My wife and I have lived in Charlotte for thirty years, but I find a small town to be an interesting landscape to explore because of the proximity of relationships – everybody knows everybody’s business, which can create more pressure on life, not less. I like the quote of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple which I’ll paraphrase as “everything good or bad about human society can be found in a small village.”

Q: Many mystery series feature “flawed” central characters – policemen or private detectives that are recovering alcoholics or people dealing with the traumatic after effects of having been in wars, for example. You’ve created Barry Clayton, a real man of honor who doesn’t seem to have any such baggage. While he isn’t perfect, he is rather refreshing. What led you to create such a normal guy who just wants to see justice done?

A: Part of the success of having an amateur sleuth is reader identification. Most of us are normal – meaning we all have a range of insecurities and disappointments that we manage to keep under control. We deal with family issues, job concerns, joys and sorrows of life. I think people enjoy reading about an ordinary guy who gets caught up in extraordinary situations and masters them.

Q: Barry helps run the family funeral home business, which is a bit of a departure from the norm in crime fiction. It works very well, but could you tell us a bit about why you placed Barry in that business?

A: My father had been funeral director in a mountain town when I was young. As a storyteller, I was intrigued by the small town funeral home because it is an institution that offers the community the chance to reflect upon the stories of its citizens – a place and time to take stock of what is important and meaningful about living in community. Barry comes to appreciate and understand his role of service, not just to his family, but to his community. But there has to be a reason for Barry’s involvement in criminal investigations, and a funeral home offers the way for bodies to be introduced, directly or indirectly, into the flow of events. I hope that the reader can identify with Barry as a person, and with the motivations which cause him to become involved with his friend Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins in seeing that justice is done.

Q: So far there are three mysteries in your series featuring Barry Clayton. Do you plan to keep the series going?

A: I’m finishing up the fourth book FINAL UNDERTAKING for an August 2006 deadline with a scheduled release in the spring of 2007. When I started the series, I’d wanted to complete four novels so that I could portray the western North Carolina mountains in all four seasons. Some ongoing issues for Barry will be resolved in this next novel. Whether FINAL UNDERTAKING will be Barry’s final undertaking remains to be seen.

Interview Date: July 2006
Profile and questions compiled by Cassandra Hunsucker/Mark Barringer