Richard I Levine is a native New Yorker raised in the shadows of Yankee Stadium. After dabbling in several occupations and a one-year coast to coast wanderlust trip, this one-time volunteer fireman, bartender, and store manager returned to school to become a chiropractor. A twenty-three-year cancer survivor, he’s a strong advocate for the natural healing arts. Levine has four Indy-published novels and his fifth work, To Catch The Setting Sun, is published by The Wild Rose Press and was released in August 2022. In 2006 he wrote, produced and was on-air personality of the Dr. Rich Levine show on Seattle’s KKNW 1150AM and after a twenty-five year practice in Bellevue, Washington, he closed up shop in 2017 and moved to Oahu to pursue a dream of acting and being on Hawaii 5-O. While briefly working as a ghostwriter/community liaison for a local Honolulu City Councilmember, he appeared as a background actor in over twenty-five 5-Os and Magnum P.Is. Richard can be seen in his first co-star role in the Magnum P.I. third season episode “Easy Money”. He presently resides in Hawaii.
Visit Richard’s Amazon Page or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads.
Before you started writing your book, what kind of research did you do to prepare yourself?
My latest book is a suspense thriller that takes place on the island of Oahu. Since moving here six years ago I have had the amazing good fortune to meet and get to know a wide variety of people from police officers, native Hawaiian community leaders, cultural practitioners, politicians and bureaucrats at every level of state and city government. Working for a short time as a legislative aide, community liaison, and ghost writer for a Honolulu City Councilperson and a Hawaii State Senator, I’ve had an insider’s look at many of the pressing issues that are at the forefront across the state and especially here on our island. This knowledge and experience provided the seeds that nourished the creative process that gave birth to To Catch The Setting Sun.
Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub?
Since I had done the self-pub thing with my first four novels, going that route was still an option this time around. But I admit that I did not have the patience, nor did I want to spend the money for editing, book cover design, set-up fees and finally promotion. And even though that remains a valid option for my next book, I did pursue and was successful hooking up with a small publisher on the East Coast.
If published by a publisher, what was your deciding factor in going with them?
It was a combination of being a tad lazy and not wanting to incur the initial investment in going the self-pub route. While many Indy Authors cut back on costs by self-editing and choosing to only do an ebook, I don’t trust my editing skills and to me, there’s nothing like the feel of a physical book. I will also admit however, having a publisher tell me that my work is excellent and that they would be happy to have my book under their label was a major boost to the ego. Picture Steve Martin in the 1979 movie The Jerk when he sees his name in the phone book: “I’m somebody!” he said with glee. “I’m in print! Things are going to start happening for me now!” Well, that’s how I felt. LOL
Did you write your book, then revise or revise as you went?
As with all my books, I revise as the story progresses. Whenever I sit down to write, I always review what I wrote the day before—often editing, expanding on a thought, changing, or adding on to dialogue. Even when I’m finished with the first draft, I find myself revising and then revising yet again and again until it feels just right. Keep in mind that these revisions aren’t because I’m not happy with what I had written, but rather because my little voice tells me, adding this or removing that, will make it a better read.
Did you consider making or hiring someone to make a book trailer for your book? If so, what’s the link?
I would have loved to have had a bigger advertising budget to do giveaways, swag, book signings, and everything else big publishing houses do for their best-selling authors, but the reality is, with only five novels, I’m still a new kid on the block and my name and work is still relatively unknown. So, with the contract I have, any and all promotion and associated costs are my sole responsibility. With success of this book, perhaps that will change by the time my next novel has been completed.
What’s your opinion on giving your book away to sell other copies of your book?
I’m not a big fan of giveaways. When I self-published my first four books, I tried it. Not only did I not see any significant bump in sales, many of those who received free books supposedly never got around to reading them, and those who did, failed to post a review. Needless to say, the results were disappointing. This time around, I signed on to NetGalley and offered up free copies of my ebook to bloggers and reviewers with the understanding they would post reviews: good, bad, or indifferent. Obviously the good ones would then be used in promotional posts on social media. The beauty of using a service such as NetGalley is that you, the author, makes the decision which requests to honor—because with a little investigating, you soon learn who is an honest blogger and/or reviewer versus someone who is simply claiming to be one just to score free books. If there are other authors out there who’ve had a more positive experience with giveaways, I’d love to hear about it.
What are some of the most important things you believe an author should do before their book is released?
Promote for pre-orders as much as possible on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram which are good avenues as are Goodreads, NetGalley, Publishers weekly, Indy Reader and Reader’s Choice Book Reviews to name a few. I think doing virtual book tours, as with Pump Up Your Book, is an amazing tool that is reasonably priced and will get your book out there to bloggers and reviewers better than you could do on your own.
What would you like to say to your readers and fans about your book?
Since the 2016 publication of my fourth novel many of you had been repeatedly inquiring when number five would be available. At some point, I believe you had all grown tired of my saying: “Soon, I’m working on it.” Because sometimes storms arise, roads get blocked, and detours must be taken, the journey can take longer than planned. In this case, however, the detours only served to make this book my best to date. I know this, because you’ve told me so. I want to thank each and every one of you who patiently waited for the release of To Catch The Setting Sun. Based upon your praise, it was well worth the wait, wasn’t it?
Inside the Book
Title: To Catch The Setting Sun
Author: Richard I. Levine
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Pages: 320
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
There’s a
killer loose on the island of Oahu. His targets? Young, native-Hawaiian
women. But it also appears that he’s targeting and taunting Honolulu
police detective Henry Benjamin who knew each victim and whose wife,
Maya, had been the first name on that list. In addition to battling his
personal demons, this New York transplant’s aggressive style didn’t sit
well with his laid-back colleagues who viewed Henry’s uncharacteristic
lack of progress in the investigation as evidence that fueled ongoing
rumors that he could be the killer. Was he, or could it have been
someone within the municipal hierarchy with a vendetta? As it was, after
thirteen years on the job Henry had been disillusioned with paradise.
His career choice long killed any fantasy of living in a grass hut on a
wind-swept beach, being serenaded by the lazy sounds of the ocean and a
slack key guitar. Instead, it had opened his eyes to a Hawaii that
tourists will never see.
Release Date: August 22, 2022
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1509243297; 320 pages; $17.99; eBook $5.99
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Rl42Aw
Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3BRB0mv
Apple iBooks: https://apple.co/3dVBaBj
Title: To Catch The Setting Sun
Author: Richard I. Levine
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Pages: 320
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
There’s a killer loose on the island of Oahu. His targets? Young, native-Hawaiian women. But it also appears that he’s targeting and taunting Honolulu police detective Henry Benjamin who knew each victim and whose wife, Maya, had been the first name on that list. In addition to battling his personal demons, this New York transplant’s aggressive style didn’t sit well with his laid-back colleagues who viewed Henry’s uncharacteristic lack of progress in the investigation as evidence that fueled ongoing rumors that he could be the killer. Was he, or could it have been someone within the municipal hierarchy with a vendetta? As it was, after thirteen years on the job Henry had been disillusioned with paradise. His career choice long killed any fantasy of living in a grass hut on a wind-swept beach, being serenaded by the lazy sounds of the ocean and a slack key guitar. Instead, it had opened his eyes to a Hawaii that tourists will never see.
Release Date: August 22, 2022
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1509243297; 320 pages; $17.99; eBook $5.99
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Rl42Aw
Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3BRB0mv
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