Five on Friday - Steve Ulfelder

We return for a new Five on Friday. Yes, I did make a special effort to finish reading Steve's book before he appeared here. It didn't take too much "effort" though, as you know if you read my review yesterday. Steve is a talented writer, and I'm thrilled that he's a part of the crime fiction community.  I'm excited to know him a little better; I hope you are as well.

If this is your first time visiting us for Five on Friday, this feature is kind of like a Q&A with a bit of a twist. They are quirky questions related to the participants as people. I wanted it to be fun and I wanted it to help all of us get to know people in the industry better.

Steve was given eight questions and asked to pick four to respond to, plus answer "What's the number one thing on your bucket list right now?" So without further ado, please welcome the Edgar nominated author of Purgatory Chasm and The Whole Lie, Steve Ulfelder.

1. The most bizarre place I ever found inspiration for a story was: This is either bizarre or so mundane as to be bizarre: I’m fascinated by self-storage operation, with all their potential for secrets (as in The Silence of the Lambs). It’s more than just the contents, though: something about the businesses themselves intrigues me. The way you see them everywhere, tucked away as if even their owners are half-ashamed of them. An upcoming Conway Sax novel is essentially a Prodigal Son story in which one brother finds fame (and then disgrace, of course!) in Hollywood, while the other stays in Massachusetts to tend a sick parent and run a self-storage outfit.

2. Five songs on my iPod/music player right now are: Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues,” Elizabeth Cook’s “Mama’s Funeral,” Hayes Carll’s “KMAG YOYO,” Shooter Jennings’ “Fourth of July,” and Jerry Jeff Walker’s version of “L.A. Freeway.” (If I ever write a novel that’s half as rich a story as this latter song, I’ll consider myself a success.)

3. A superstition or ritual I have to observe when I write is: I’m an early riser and a morning writer. If, by 7:30am, I haven’t patted the dog, put on my noise-cancelling headphones and gotten to work, my Teutonic sense of schedule is out of whack and I have a rough time producing anything that day. I’m also a fanatic about counting my words. I begin the day by changing the font color to gold, and I end it by doing a word-count on everything in that color.

4. My favorite toppings on a pizza are: Pepperoni and sausage. The more the merrier. I am a devout carnivore.

5. The #1 item on my bucket list right now is: I’d love to drive in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. It’s one of the world’s premier endurance races, and the only one I have a semi-realistic chance of ever competing in. 

You can learn more about Steve, including his racing and the fact that he went to college not far from me, at his website. You can also catch Steve on Facebook and Twitter. And I hope to be recruiting Steve for future fun on the blog as well.  Many thanks to him for his great sportsmanship in participating and for his wonderful candid photo. Are you all enjoying these photos as much as I am?

Have a super wonderful holiday weekend. I hope it's filled with a lot of great crime fiction and time to read it! Happy Reading!